The program is free – they want your good ideas, positive energy and desire to make a positive difference.

Lake County has vast resources of people with skills and ideas that can be harnessed to make a significant contribution to the health and well being of our communities. The more we can depend on ourselves – on each other – the better off we'll be.

Attendees will make choices on how to spent their day.

Options include:

• Brainstorming and sharing ideas for increasing volunteerism in general – to create a culture of “people helping people and neighbor helping neighbor.”

• Working on special projects such a developing a volunteer referral program, how to spread the word and keep the process growing, coordination among organizations, etc.

• Learning about recruiting, managing and retaining volunteers with Terry Fries, an expert in nonprofit and volunteer management.

The event will be held in the brand new Lower Lake High School gymnasium from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 16. There also will be the option to continue into the afternoon. Use of the gym has been donated and the Lower Lake High School Key Club has volunteered to help.

Please come and be part of this effort. As Gandhi said, “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.”

To sign up or ask questions, email Carol Schepper at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For those who do not have email, call Lake Family Resource Center at 888 775-8336 and leave your name and phone number, which will be forwarded to her.

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LOWER LAKE – The Lower Lake High School Class of 1989 is seeking classmates to invite to an upcoming reunion.

Class members will gather on July 18 for their 20^th class reunion.

If you graduated with the class or know someone who did, please contact them as soon as possible at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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March 19 agenda items include discussion of proposed bylaws and officer and committee positions. All are welcome to attend.

All NWPC-Lake County members will attend a kick-off meeting Saturday, March 21, 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Main Street Grill, Clearlake, complete certification requirements for the Caucus. Bylaws will be approved and officers elected at the March 21 meeting.

The NWPC is the only national grass-roots organization dedicated to increasing the number of women officials at all levels of government. NWPC was founded in 1971 as the political arm of the women’s movements, working to recruit, and train and support women for elected and appointed office, regardless of party affiliation.

The Caucus reaches across party lines to maximize women’s political energy and make the system work for women. It is committed to serving all women who support bottom-line issues of reproductive freedom, improved child care/dependant care, and the Equal Rights Amendment.

For more information, please call (707) 987-1146 or see www.nwpcca.org.

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Assembly Bill (AB) 392 was introduced by Assembly members Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles) and Dave Jones (D-Sacramento).

The bill would use penalties paid by substandard long-term care facilities to restore critical oversight to protect nursing home and assisted living residents.

Last year, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed $3.8 million in funding for local long-term care ombudsman programs, representing about half their funding.

The programs protect vulnerable residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities from abuse and neglect through unannounced monitor visits and investigations of the thousands of abuse cases reported to them each year.

“In contrast to government agencies which may only visit or facilities every 12 months or so, the ombudsman programs provide more timely, front-line investigative services for the isolated and frail residents of long-term care facilities,” Wiggins said. “There is no other program or agency that duplicates this critical advocacy service, and these are cost-effective programs that can significantly improve residents' quality of life and quality of care.”

As a result of the governor’s veto, local ombudsman programs have been forced to lay off staff and drastically reduce services.

“These reductions have greatly compromised the programs' ability to investigate complaints from residents and monitor facilities, thus putting nursing home and assisted living residents at significantly greater risk of abuse and neglect,” Wiggins said.

AB 392 would restore funding by using existing penalties paid by long-term care facilities that fail to comply with federal and state laws for the protection of residents. These penalty accounts may be used for any activity that directly benefits facility residents, including funding an increase in Ombudsman services.

“AB 392 would ensure that California’s vulnerable and isolated elderly in long-term care facilities are afforded protections from abuse and neglect through frequent monitor visits and timely response to reports of suspected abuse and neglect,” Wiggins said.

Wiggins represents California’s 2nd Senate District, which encompasses portions or all of six counties: Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Solano and Sonoma.

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