May 2013   
News Flash Header May 2013

New Sailing Scholarship
Honors the Late Keith Turner

 

Keith Turner When former Ventura Port District Commissioner Keith Turner passed away last August, his family decided the best way to honor his love of sailing and desire to help the Port District would be to establish a scholarship fund to promote sailing and the Ventura Harbor.  

 

Turner's family is partnering with the Ventura Youth Sailing Foundation to establish a scholarship fund for children to learn to sail at the Ventura Yacht Club Summer Sailing Camp. This long-running camp offers children 8-16 the opportunity to spend one week learning to sail small, one- and two-person boats. Campers learn to rig and sail the boats and compete in short races. 

 

Under the guidance of certified sailing teachers, the children also learn self-reliance, good decision-making skills and using sound judgment - skills that will last a lifetime.

 

Families interested in applying for a Keith Turner Sailing Fund Scholarship for their child can visit www.vycyouthsailing.org and apply to become a camper. Those interested also can apply for a scholarship using the forms available on the website, or call the Ventura Yacht Club at 805-642-0426.


To make a tax-deductible contribution to the Keith Turner Sailing Fund, please send a check payable to the Ventura Youth Sailing Foundation, 996 South Seaward Avenue, Ventura, CA 93001. Indicate the name of the fund in the check's memo section.

 

The Ventura Port District is a client of Whisenhunt Communications, which produces a quarterly newsletter and e-newsletter about Port District and Harbor Village news. The print version is published in the Ventura Breeze newspaper.

Harrison, Agromin Celebrate
20th Anniversary as Partners

 

Agromin collage Before 1993, most grass clippings, tree branches and leaves from your front and back yards ended up in local landfills.
 
But for the past two decades, Harrison Industries trucks have transported the yard waste your house in the brown curbside container to Agromin Premium Soil Products. Agromin uses cutting-edge technology to convert almost 380,000 tons of yard waste materials each year into its organic mulches, compost, wood chips and other products that naturally fertilize plants and trees. 

 

Agromin produces more than 200 eco-friendly premium soil products and sells them at 41 retail locations in Ventura County and throughout Southern California and online at www.agromin.com. These products save water, help reduce soil erosion and reduce the use of non-organic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides - making our air and water cleaner.

 

As Harrison and Agromin celebrate their 20th anniversary of success as strategic partners in the "green" movement, the companies remain fully committed to helping their franchise clients reach the strict state goal of 75 percent recycling by 2020. 

 

Whisenhunt Communications congratulates Harrison and Agromin for their successful partnership. 

Island Packers Christens New Catamaran at Ventura Harbor 

 

Island Packers Boat Christening 2013
(L to R) Ventura Port District General manager Oscar Pena, Port District Board Vice President Jim Friedman, Ventura Deputy Mayor Cheryl Heitmann, Port District Commissioner Everard Ashworth and Port District Board Chair Gregory Carson celebrate with Island Packers' Cherryl Connally at the Harbor on April 30 for the christening of Island Packers' new vessel, Island Explorer.

Local dignitaries, boating enthusiasts, National Park Service folks, Harbor Patrol officers and a crowd of well-wishers joined the Island Packers staff and crew to celebrate the christening of Island Packers' newest vessel, Island Explorer.

 

About 150 people, including Ventura Port District Chair Gregory Carson, Vice Chair Jim Friedman, Commissioner Ev Ashworth and Port District General Manager Oscar Pena, attended the bash at the Ventura Harbor on April 30. Also there were Ventura Deputy Mayor Cheryl Heitmann, Ventura City Council member Christy Weir and Ventura City Manager Mark Watkins.

 

The Island Packers staff gave tours of the new vessel and offered wine, champagne and appetizers to their guests. Island Packers Office Manager Cherryl Connally thanked the company's employees, friends and her mom Lillian Connally, whose late husband Bill started the company. Lillian Connally broke a bottle of champagne over the Island Explorer's bow amid plenty of cheers.

 

Several members of the local media attended the event, which was featured with articles and photos in the Ventura County Star and Pacific Coast Business Times newspapers, as well as other media outlets. Whisenhunt Communications assisted Island Packers in inviting the local media and getting the word out about the new catamaran. 

Temecula Valley Rose Society Holds 'First Bloom Celebration'
at Rose Haven Heritage Garden

 

TVRS First Bloom 2013 The Temecula Valley Rose Society hosted its annual First Bloom Celebration on May 11 at the Rose Haven Heritage Garden in Temecula, drawing scores of enthusiasts who enjoyed taking a walk, visiting vendor booths, taking pictures, learning about roses and spending a beautiful, sunny day in the blooming garden.  

 

Rose Haven, a 3.4-acre privately owned garden that is open to the public, has more than 2,000 rose bushes: hybrid teas, floribundas, climbers and mini-roses of many colors and varieties. Other features guests enjoyed include the reflecting pond, gazebo and drought-tolerant garden. 

 

The Rose Society holds many weekend events at Rose Haven all year long and hosts a Youth Gardening Program as well every third Saturday of the month, weather permitting. 

 

Whisenhunt Communications produces full-color brochures and fliers for the Rose Society about its events and programs.

 

For information about the garden, the Rose Society and its events, visit www.temeculavalleyrosesociety.org. 

CMHS Urges Public to
Know the Signs of a Stroke

 

Stroke Graphic May is National Stroke Awareness Month. Community Memorial Health System encourages the community to better understand the risk factors and symptoms of stroke, a leading cause of death and serious long-term disability in the United States.

 

Strokes occur when a blood vessel carrying oxygen and vital nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or ruptures. When this occurs, part of the brain is deprived of blood and oxygen, destroying millions of valuable nerve cells within minutes. 

 

The primary stroke symptoms include: 

  • Sudden numbness or weakness on one side of the face or facial drooping. 
  • Sudden numbness or weakness in an arm or leg, especially on one side of the body.
  • Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech. 
  • Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes. 
  • Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination. 
  • Sudden severe headache with no known cause.

To learn more about the symptoms of stroke and take a free stroke assessment, visit www.cmhshealth.org/distinction/hvp/conditions/stroke.shtml. 

Issue: 46
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Hacking and Social media
    

Hacking and Social Media

 

For users of social media, don't think for one minute that your information is any safer than your emails or the media (print and online) in general when it comes to hackers. Twitter has been hacked a few times lately, and this problem is not likely to go away any time soon.

 

We won't speculate as to who is doing the hacking or why, or exactly how they're doing it (this is way beyond our pay grade). But know that websites, Twitter accounts, Facebook and other social media accounts can be hacked.

 

What to do?

 

Remember that your website and social media accounts are fluid and need management. They aren't something you just create then ignore.

  • Change your passwords at least every six months as a security measure.
  • If you have a social media account you are not using, delete it.
  • Address hacking swiftly and honestly. If your Twitter account gets hacked, admit it, apologize and correct the inaccuracies on all your social media accounts. Explain what you are doing to prevent future hacking and to increase your security. Tackle the problem head-on and own the issue before someone else does.
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Client News In This Issue
Ventura Port District
Harrison & Agromin
Island Packers
Temecula Valley Rose Society
Community Memorial Health System (CMHS)
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Whisenhunt Communications