LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Horse Council is asking community members to take part in a survey to determine the local economic impacts of the horse industry.

The survey can be found at the council’s Web site, www.lakecountyhorsecouncil.com .

Horses are a significant industry in Lake County affecting the economy of the area.

The council said an accurate knowledge of the economic impact of the horse industry in Lake County is vital for making decisions that will affect the entire county.

There are 9.2 million horses in the United States, with the industries around the sales and servicing of horses and their owners resulting in a total value of $39 billion.

The 2009 gross domestic product contribution from horse production and entertainment services was $25.3 billion – more than the motion picture industry.

Additionally, the horse industry employed 339,000 people, more than is employed by the radio and television broadcasting industries and by the petroleum industry.

In California alone there are almost 700,000 horses, making it the second-largest horse population in the U.S.  

More than 311,000 people in California participate in horse events annually, and California hosts more than 170 major regional or national horse shows each year.

Neighboring Sonoma County is home to 22,000 horses and 30,000 equestrians.

Revenues produced by the equine industry amounts to 75 percent of that produced by Sonoma County grapes, and grapes are viewed as the most significant industry in Sonoma County. The horse industry in Sonoma County is second only to grapes.

Horse industry economic impact studies have led to initiatives to open trail access, pass feed assessments, provide for educational grants and to laws limiting liability lawsuits related to equestrian activities.

Visit the Lake County Horse Council’s Web site at www.lakecountyhorsecouncil.com . There you can view their Lake County horse industry video and take the anonymous survey.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – This year’s Konocti Challenge is expected to be the largest ever, with hundreds of bicyclists set to circle Clear Lake in a day of fun, incredible views and fundraising for worthy causes.

More than 700 riders are anticipated for the Saturday ride, according to ride Director Jennifer Strong.

Strong reminded motorists to use caution as the hundreds of cyclists traverse county roads.

The ride, which will coincide with Oktoberfest – which takes place in downtown Lakeport on Saturday – is put on by the Lakeport Rotary Club, which uses proceeds to benefit its projects in the community.

In its 22nd year, the Konocti Challenge’s popularity has grown to the degree that organizers have begun to consider imposing a limit of 1,000 riders, said Melissa Fulton, this year’s Lakeport Rotary Club president and the Lake County Chamber of Commerce chief executive officer.

Fulton said the volume of riders on roads could grow beyond enjoyable levels without a cap. Feedback from riders indicates one of the reasons they like the ride is because it “isn’t like a cattle call” like some large rides, she said.

With a cap, the intimate, well done, well received Challenge will be preserved because organizers don’t want to lose the small town feel of the ride as it passes through all but one zip code in the county.

“We want riders to go away saying this is the best ride they’ve been on, that’s our goal,” said Fulton.

The Challenge set a record for attendance last year with 550 riders. This year more than 677 riders had registered before noon on Thursday, and more are expected, Strong said.

More than 55 percent of this year’s riders have never done the ride before and 80 percent of the riders are from out of county, according to Strong.

“It’s a great event for all ages,” Strong said.

Of the 677 riders registered so far, the youngest is 10 years old, while the most senior rider is 85. Strong said the average rider age is 51 years old.

Genders are near equally represented in this year’s field of riders, 44 percent of which are female and 56 percent men, Strong reported.

She said riders from as far as East Renfrewshire, England, and at least eight US states are taking part this year.

The Challenge features four different courses designed for riders of every skill level. Each ride begins and ends at the Lakeport Yacht Club beginning at 7 a.m.

The courses include a 20-mile “Family Fun Ride that passes through Lakeport, Finley and Kelseyville.

A 40-mile ride follows that 20-mile course and then visits Scotts Valley and North Lakeport.

Both the 65-mile ride and the more grueling 100-mile course encompass the lake. The century ride reaches as far south as Middletown before returning to Lakeport via Cobb.

Maps of the course routes can be found at http://www.konoctichallenge.com/courses--start-times.html .

Strong credits the seven rest stops around the lake for some of the ride’s growing popularity. The “memorable and crazy as possible” rest stops are set up by nonprofits competing for a grand prize of $2,000 from a $5,000 pool.

Anderson Marsh won the competition last year with their gypsy oasis-themed rest stop, Strong said. The Anderson Marsh theme this year is a pirate’s cove.

The rest stops, said Strong, are “really popular and the riders have no idea what’s waiting at the next stop. Nonprofits go all out to compete for the prize.”

“We get big kudos on the rest stops,” Fulton added.

Strong and Fulton agreed that the ride’s economic boon to the county is impressive, bringing an influx of riders and their companions who attend other events during the ride.

In downtown Lakeport, Oktoberfest is timed to coincide with the Konocti Challenge and provides alternate entertainment.

Hotels around the county are booked with cyclists and their guests.

The Skylark Motel in Lakeport, close to the ride start and finish, has been booked for nearly a year, said Skylark manager Audrey Gonzales.

“Lots of cyclists re-up and come every year,” she said.

Gonzales said the cyclists are a great group and she loves having them there.

For more information about the Konocti Challenge, visit the event Web site at www.konoctichallenge.com .

Email John Jensen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

MENDOCINO COUNTY, Calif. – Just days after two people died in a fatal house fire in Potter Valley, another fatal structure occurred in Mendocino County.

Lt. Greg Van Patten of the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office reported that the fire occurred in the 3800 block of Radical Ridge Road in Redwood Valley.

Van Patten said deputies were dispatched to the fire just after 6 p.m. Wednesday evening.

When deputies arrived they learned Cal Fire had responded to the residential structure fire at approximately 3:44 p.m., according to Van Patten.

When a Cal Fire captain first arrived the structure was completely engulfed with flames. Van Patten said the structure was destroyed.

During a subsequent investigation by a Cal Fire prevention officer, human remains were located within the burnt structure, Van Patten reported.

He said the human remains have yet to be positively identified, but investigators believe it might be the person who lived at the residence.

The investigation into the cause and origin of the fire is currently under investigation but at this time there are no obvious signs suggesting foul play, Van Patten said.

Wednesday’s fire followed by four days a fatal house fire that occurred on the morning of Sept. 29 at 10580 Main St. in Potter Valley, where two people died, as Lake County News has reported.

Anyone having information in regards to the Wednesday fire in Redwood Valley is urged to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office Tip Line by calling 707-234-2100.

NASA’s Curiosity rover is in a position on Mars where scientists and engineers can begin preparing the rover to take its first scoop of soil for analysis.

Curiosity is the centerpiece of the two-year Mars Science Laboratory mission.

The rover’s ability to put soil samples into analytical instruments is central to assessing whether its present location on Mars, called Gale Crater, ever offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life.

Mineral analysis can reveal past environmental conditions. Chemical analysis can check for ingredients necessary for life.

“We now have reached an important phase that will get the first solid samples into the analytical instruments in about two weeks,” said Mission Manager Michael Watkins of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. “Curiosity has been so well-behaved that we have made great progress during the first two months of the mission.”

The rover’s preparatory operations will involve testing its robotic scooping capabilities to collect and process soil samples.

Later, it also will use a hammering drill to collect powdered samples from rocks. To begin preparations for a first scoop, the rover used one of its wheels Wednesday to scuff the soil to expose fresh material.

Next, the rover twice will scoop up some soil, shake it thoroughly inside the sample-processing chambers to scrub the internal surfaces, then discard the sample.

Curiosity will scoop and shake a third measure of soil and place it in an observation tray for inspection by cameras mounted on the rover’s mast.

A portion of the third sample will be delivered to the mineral-identifying chemistry and mineralogy (CheMin) instrument inside the rover.

From a fourth scoopful, samples will be delivered to both CheMin and to the sample analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument, which identifies chemical ingredients.

“We’re going to take a close look at the particle size distribution in the soil here to be sure it’s what we want,” said Daniel Limonadi of JPL, lead systems engineer for Curiosity’s surface sampling and science system. “We are being very careful with this first time using the scoop on Mars.”

The rinse-and-discard cycles serve a quality-assurance purpose similar to a common practice in geochemical laboratory analysis on Earth.

“It is standard to run a split of your sample through first and dump it out, to clean out any residue from a previous sample,” said JPL’s Joel Hurowitz, a sampling system scientist on the Curiosity team. “We want to be sure the first sample we analyze is unambiguously Martian, so we take these steps to remove any residual material from Earth that might be on the walls of our sample handling system.”

Rocknest is the name of the area of soil Curiosity will test and analyze. The rover pulled up to the windblown, sandy and dusty location Oct. 2.

The Rocknest patch is about 8 feet by 16 feet (2.5 meters by 5 meters). The area provides plenty of area for scooping several times.

Diverse rocks nearby provide targets for investigation with the instruments on Curiosity’s mast during the weeks the rover is stationed at Rocknest for this first scooping campaign.

Curiosity’s motorized, clamshell-shaped scoop is 1.8 inches wide, 2.8 inches long, and can sample to a depth of about 1.4 inches. It is part of the collection and handling Martian rock analysis (CHIMRA) device on a turret of tools at the end of the rover’s arm.

CHIMRA also includes a series of chambers and labyrinths for sorting, sieving and portioning samples collected by the scoop or by the arm’s percussive drill.

Following the work at Rocknest, the rover team plans to drive Curiosity about 100 yards eastward into the Glenelg area and select a rock as the first target for use of its drill.

JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project and built Curiosity.

For more about Curiosity, visit www.nasa.gov/msl or http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl .

You can follow the mission on Facebook and Twitter at www.facebook.com/marscuriosity and www.twitter.com/marscuriosity .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Ukiah Valley Medical Center is contacting patients who received injections of a medication that was recalled after it was connected to a fungal meningitis outbreak in six eastern states.

Nick Bejarano, UVMC’s spokesman, said the hospital is one of several in California that used the injectable steroid medication.

The Centers for Disease Control reported that the steroid has been recalled as a precautionary measure by its manufacturer, the New England Compound Center.

No cases have been reported in California thus far.

As of Thursday, the CDC said there were 35 cases of people who had come down with fungal meningitis that had been linked to epidural steroid injections. One case each has been reported in Indiana and North Carolina, two each in Maryland and Florida, four in Virginia and 25 in Tennessee.

Of those 35 cases, there have been six deaths so far, the CDC said.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, the protective coverings of the brain and spinal cord. The CDC said fungal meningitis occurs when the meninges are infected by a fungus which has been spread through the bloodstream, introduced directly into the central nervous system or that has extended from an infected site next to the central nervous system.  

Basic meningitis symptoms include headache, fever, nausea and stiffness of the neck, while those suffering from fungal meningitis may also experience confusion, dizziness, and discomfort from bright lights. The CDC said affected individuals might have just one or two of those symptoms.

While the CDC’s investigation has linked the fungal meningitis outbreak to the injectable steroids, it reported that there is not enough evidence to determine the outbreak’s original source.

California is among 23 states that received the recalled injectable steroid, according to the CDC.

Bejarano said UVMC sent letters both to patients who received the recalled medication but are not believed to be in danger, as well as patients who recently received the injections.

The letters, which went out on Thursday from patient care executive Heather Van Housen, informed UVMC’s patients that a group of patients at an ambulatory center in Tennessee received an epidural injection similar to the ones that UVMC patients received at the Pavilion Surgical Services in Ukiah.

Van Housen’s letter to patients who were not believed to be in danger explained, “you would most likely have already developed meningitis-type symptoms or experienced a different type of pain than your original symptoms.”

To patients who recently received the injections, Van Housen urged them to be aware of symptoms including stiffening of the neck or a different kind of headache than they have previously experienced, as well as fever, stiffness, sensitivity to light or stroke-like symptoms, including localized weakness, numbness or slurred speech.

Van Housen said anyone who experiences those symptoms within one to four weeks following their treatment should seek medical care.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – MythBusters, the Emmy-nominated series that is often called the best science show on television, begins its 10th season this Sunday, and this season’s lineup will feature the series’ first-ever Halloween special, which was filmed in Lake County in June.

The MythBusters team spent a few days in Lake County filming the Halloween special, which is set to air on Oct. 28, at 8 p.m. on the Discovery Channel.

The series “aims to uncover the truth behind popular myths and legends by mixing scientific method with gleeful curiosity and plain old-fashioned ingenuity.”

MythBusters is hosted by Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, with co-hosts Tory Belleci, Kari Byron, and Grant Imahara.

The new season begins Oct. 7.

A living trust is meant to provide a comprehensive solution to the needs of the settlor, or settlors, and subsequent beneficiaries.

During the settlors’ lifetimes, assets are held in the “settlor’s trust” for the benefit of the settlors and their dependents.

When the settlors die, different beneficiaries, purposes and priorities come into play. Not surprisingly, additional trusts may for various reasons then become necessary.

Assets in the original settlor’s trust are then transferred into these subsequent trusts.

Let us examine how the same trust instrument used to establish the original settlors trust can create further trusts.

Multiple trusts are more commonly found in a married couple’s joint trust instrument, but can also be created in a sole settlor’s trust.

At the death of the first spouse, the couple’s joint trust estate may be divided according to California’s Community Property laws. That is, the settlor’s trust is divided according to each spouse’s own one half shares of the community property assets and all of his or her own separate property assets.

Each share may then be transferred into different trusts, typically for the lifetime benefit of the surviving spouse.

Sometimes, however, the joint trust provides that it does not terminate at the death of the first spouse but continues for the surviving spouse’s lifetime.

Often when the settlors trust terminates, the assets of each spouse, minus any gifts by the deceased spouse, are transferred into a so-called “survivor’s trust,” which is another revocable trust but under the sole control of the surviving spouse.

With blended families and large estates, however, the deceased spouse’s share of the settlor’s trust may be transferred into one or more irrevocable trusts, such as the “bypass trust” and the “marital trust” (if necessary for estate tax purposes), for the lifetime benefit of the surviving spouse and perhaps also for their descendants.

When the sole settlor, or surviving spouse, dies, any existing trusts that had been established for the benefit of the settlors terminate. Distributions are then made to the remainder beneficiaries (often to the settlor(s)’s family). Some, or all, of these distributions may be held in further trusts within the original trust document.  

Such trusts, for example, might include a minor’s trust for dependent minors; a special needs trusts for beneficiaries with special needs; and discretionary trusts for beneficiaries with creditors, marital problems or an inability to manage funds.

Having all these trusts within the same document reduces the legal costs associated with drafting the instrument. Nonetheless, when assets are transferred from one trust to another administration expenses are incurred. Appraisals and legal documents are involved in the process of transferring assets.

Sometimes having multiple trusts contained within one trust is not appropriate.

If, for example, a married settlor wants to keep his or her substantial separate property assets discrete from those of his or her spouse, particularly in a second marriage, then a sole settlor trust contain that spouse’s separate property.  

Also, if several family members plan to contribute to a special needs trust for a person with disabilities, then a standalone special needs trust may be preferable.  

Moreover, a standalone special needs trust will be better suited to the trust’s particular purpose. Provisions that are either not relevant or not suitable to its sole purpose will be omitted.

Thus, the living trust, like an onion, can have multiple layers, each layer dealing with a separate phase within the settlors’ estate plan.

Consult a qualified estate planning attorney to see what works best for your family’s circumstances.

Dennis A. Fordham, attorney (LL.M. tax studies), is a State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law. His office is at 55 First St., Lakeport, California. Dennis can be reached by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at 707-263-3235. Visit his Web site at www.dennisfordhamlaw.com .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Downtown Lakeport will host a tribute to German culture on Saturday when the Lake County Chamber of Commerce holds its third annual Oktoberfest.

The event will line Main Street between First and Fourth streets from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The streets will be filled with dachshunds, attendees in German costumes, roving accordion players, microbrews, and a number of vendors and contests, overseen by Festmeister Tony Barthel and his Oktoberfest Ladies.

One of the day’s centerpieces is the Dachshund Derby Race, with the beloved short-legged canines racing for top honors and fame.

There also will be a doggy costume contest open to all breeds, a rubber ducky race for adults and children, a beer stein competition and bounce houses for children.

New activities this year are a beer pong contest and a washer tournament.

In keeping with German tradition, there will be plenty of beer. Visitors to Oktoberfest will be able to purchase a large variety of microbrews on Third Street. Other beverages also will be available.

During the afternoon, “Showcase the Band” will feature a variety of German standards, games and songs, and an evening dance featuring the Jimi Z Band will take place from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
 
At the request of the Lake County Chamber of Commerce, a fingerprinting booth will be set up on Main Street between Third and Fourth streets from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Hartley Masonic Lodge No. 199 of Lakeport will provide fingerprinting and ID cards for youngsters free of charge.

“Safety of our young children is a priority for parents and our community,” said Chamber President Jim Magliulo. “For that reason we have arranged this service.”

There also will be drawings for cash prices of $250 and $500, plus the chance to win a magnum of Hawk & Horse Cabernet. The drawings will be held at 9 p.m.

The full activity schedule is included below.

For additional Oktoberfest information, including contest guidelines, contact the Lake County Chamber of Commerce at 707-263-5092 or visit www.oktoberfest-lakeport.com .

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Oktoberfest Schedule of Events – Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012

11 a.m.: First beer featuring inaugural chicken dance with Festmeister Tony Barthel; dogs can register for the costume contest, which is open to all dogs; dachshunds can register for the Dachshund Derby Race.

11:30: Doggie Costume Contest. Cash prizes for winners. All dog breeds are welcome in the costume contest. There is no charge to enter the doggie costume contest and there is a first, second and third cash prize of $30, $20 and $10, respectively.

Noon: Dachshund Derby.

1 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Showcase the Band on stage; microbrew tasting.

1:30 p.m.: Beer pong competition in Museum Park.

2 p.m.: German costume contest for adults and children. Don your dirndl or lay out those lederhosen, but come dressed for some fun. There is no charge to enter the costume contest. The winning adult (13 and older) costume will get a $50 cash prize; the winning youth costume (ages 0-12 years) will get a $50 cash prize.

3 p.m.: Washer toss.

4 p.m.: Winners of the stein contest to be announced. Beer steins will be viewable at Abbey Road.

5 p.m.: Rubber Duckie Regatta.

6 p.m. to 10 p.m.: Street dance in front of the museum featuring the Jimi Z Band.

9 p.m.: Cash opportunity drawing.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Robinson Rancheria’s tribal chair on Wednesday was ordered to stand trial for allegedly embezzling more than $60,000 from a neighboring tribe.

Tracey Avila, 51, of Nice was in Lake County Superior Court on Wednesday for a preliminary hearing in the case, in which she’s alleged to have taken the funds from the Elem Colony in Clearlake Oaks.

At the end of the preliminary hearing Judge Andrew Blum ordered Avila to stand trial on a felony charge of grand theft.

Avila is alleged to have taken the money while she worked as Elem’s fiscal officer from February 2006 to September 2008.

Elem originally investigated the allegations before requesting that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Pacific Southwest Region 9 investigate the matter, according to case files.

The investigation later was taken over by special agents with the EPA Office of the Inspector General and U.S. Housing and Urban Development's Office of the Inspector General.

The federal investigation ultimately led to Avila’s arrest in September 2011.

Deputy District Attorney Rachel Abelson, who is prosecuting Avila, said Avila will return to court for arraignment on Oct. 30.

Avila is facing a three-year prison sentence if convicted, Abelson previously reported. Due to correctional realignment, if Avila were convicted her time could be served in the Lake County Jail.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – A vehicle stop conducted by the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force last week resulted in the seizure of $43,120 pending asset forfeiture.

On Thursday, Sept. 27, at about 11:20 a.m., narcotics detectives conducted a vehicle stop on Jerusalem Grade Road in Lower Lake, according to Sgt. Steve Brooks.

The vehicle had an obstructed license plate and the registration had been expired since May, Brooks said.

When narcotics detectives contacted the driver, 37-year-old Caleb Murphy of Lower Lake, they could smell the strong odor of marijuana emitting from inside the vehicle. Brooks said Murphy denied having anything illegal in the vehicle.  

Brooks said detectives also contacted 27-year-old Bridget Marie King of Lower Lake and 35-year-old Jamaal Ariel Knight of Santa Cruz, who were passengers in the vehicle.

The narcotics detective, who is also a K-9 handler, informed Murphy that he was going to deploy his narcotics detection K-9 to conduct a search of the vehicle, Brooks said.

Brooks said Murphy told the detective, “Go ahead and search the vehicle all you want, you are wasting your time, there is nothing in there.”

The detectives had all three subjects exit the vehicle. Brooks said a search of the vehicle revealed a large Food Saver bag containing US currency inside the glove box.  

The narcotics detection K-9 conducted a search of the vehicle and immediately alerted to the glove box containing the money, Brooks said. When detectives opened the Food Saver bag, a strong odor of marijuana immediately started emitting from it.

Narcotic detectives questioned Murphy, King and Knight as to who the money belonged to, Brooks said.

All three told detectives that the money was not theirs and denied knowing who it belonged to or where it came from, Brooks said. When detectives attempted to provide a property receipt to Murphy for the money they seized, he refused to accept the receipt and said the money was not his.  

The money was sorted into $1,000 bundles in $100 bills and each bundle was wrapped with a one hundred dollar bill. Brooks said no additional narcotics or paraphernalia were located in the vehicle.

The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be contacted through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Quilters will converge on Lakeport this weekend for an appreciation of their uniquely American art form.

The Ladies of the Lake Quilt Guild will host its 11th annual Falling Leaves Quilt Show this weekend at the Lake County Fairgrounds, 401 Martin St., in Lakeport.

The show will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 6, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7.

This year’s featured quilter will be Rami Kim of Rocklin, a biochemist who brings a precise scientific eye and themes from her Asian heritage to the art of quilting. She’s so far written three books on quilting and has a Web site, www.websiteamikim.com .

Organizers are expecting 250 quilts – both from quilt guild members and the community – to be on display in the fairgrounds’ Lewis Hall.

Other features of the popular show will include a vendor fair; the Country Store boutique, will will feature quilt and craft items for sale; drawings and a silent auction; and the “Open-Air Café” hosted by Angelina’s Bakery.

Admission to the show is $8 for adults and $2 for children 12 and under.

Discount presale tickets priced at $6 will be available until 4 p.m. Friday at Kerrie’s Quilting, 1853 N. High St. in Lakeport, 707-263-8555; and Shelley’s Quilted Treasures, 5300 Second St., Kelseyville, telephone 707-279-0324. Call to check availability of tickets.

Visit the guild’s Web site at www.LLQG.org .

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Blue Shield of California Foundation announced that it is awarding $20,000 in core funding over the next two years to Lake Family Resource Center to support its capacity to provide services and assist survivors of domestic violence in Lake County.

The grant is part of the foundation’s efforts to strengthen domestic violence organizations in California and provide the working capital the field needs to respond to new challenges and opportunities.

“The ongoing work of Lake Family Resource Center is integral to achieve our collective mission to end domestic violence in California,” said Peter Long, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Blue Shield of California Foundation. “This flexible funding helps to sustain domestic violence agencies and programs, and ultimately ensures that those most in need continue to have access to critical services.”

Across California, more than 100 domestic violence agencies are engaged day-to-day in the struggle to serve and advocate for thousands of victims, survivors, and their families. Core support grants validate the essential role of these organizations and enable those working on the front lines to focus on achieving their mission.

“The support of Blue Shield of California Foundation for the next two years is incredibly important to our capacity to continue our work to provide shelter and support to victims of domestic violence in Lake County” said Gloria Flaherty, Lake Family Resource Center’s executive director. “The flexibility of Blue Shield of California Foundation’s grant monies makes a huge difference for our organization.”

As the state’s largest private funder of domestic violence services and prevention, Blue Shield of California Foundation is dedicated to ending domestic violence in California.

Lake Family Resource Center provides many critical services to Lake County’s children and families in the area of child abuse prevention and treatment, domestic violence, youth development, rape crisis center, parenting workshops, Early Head Start, behavioral health, teen parenting, and other services and activities. Its mission is to strengthen our community one family at a time.

Since 2002, Blue Shield Against Violence has invested over $36 million in domestic violence services and prevention, including more than $14 million in general operating support for over 100 domestic violence organizations across California. For more information, visit www.blueshieldcafoundation.org .