MAGAZINE: November 2009 ISSUE
Fall Fun
November 01, 2009
As we gather with family and friends to give thanks for lifes many gifts, lets also take some time to think about how we can make the most of the future. What's the one thing that you are determined to accomplish in this lifetime? Do you want to learn to fly a plane, speak a new language, visit another country?
In this issue, our own Ronda Ball shares the story of her 75 year old fathers lifelong dream come true – he recently had the opportunity to share the baseball diamond with his beloved San Francisco Giants as a “Balldude.” Redding’s Meycho Chao-Lee, who fled Laos as a young girl, also realized a remarkable goal when she became the first Mien to earn a master’s degree in social work from Chico State University.
Some make their imprints on our world by expressing their creativity, like the artists participating in the Craftique Boutique. This “wonderland of treasures” provides an excellent place for North State residents to start their holiday shopping.
Others are leaving their legacies by helping others. Meet Keith Bradley of Mount Shasta, the chaplain for the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Department, who has made it his mission to care for the officers who keep our community safe. Or Ray Tufts, who has devoted his life to keeping athletes healthy and has earned the honor of working as a trainer for the 2010 U.S. Olympic Team. Or Fred Salanti and the hundreds of volunteers who have signed on with the Vietnam veterans’ nonprofit Missing in America Project, and are locating, identifying and laying to rest veterans’ unclaimed remains. “It’s the right thing to do,” says Salanti.
It’s not just individuals who make their mark on our community. Our third and final installment about the McConnell Foundation reveals how some well-placed investments in the next generation have the potential for limitless returns.
Put a log on the fire, pour yourself a warm cup of cocoa and snuggle up in your favorite blanket – we’re thankful for the opportunity to share these stories and more with you. Enjoy!
Featured Content for November 2009
1
Interest: Streams of Life
story: Sandie Tillery photo: Heather Armstrong REDDING ABSTRACT PAINTER RAINA PRATT She has entered the world of accomplished artists through the academic door, but her intuitive process gives life to her paintings. Raina Pratt’s Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting from the University of Montana in Missoula and the achievements of her academic years have given her the tools to excel while her flourishing creative gift pools and shimmers in each painting. She has set ... More
2
Top 10: Unique Boutique
Boutique-type shops are everywhere in the North State. You can find things in these quaint shops that you won’t find in big-box stores: trinkets, soaps, jewelry, one-of-a-kind artwork and so much more. If you purchase an outfit at one of these local boutiques, you’re likely to be the only one in town wearing anything like it! An added bonus is that you can usually get personalized service from the business owner, who is delighted that you’re shopping in his or her store. Here are the results from En... More
3
Spotlight: Elite Trainer
story: Jim Dyar photo courtesy of Don Smith/San Jose Sharks As a freshman at Anderson High School in the late 1970s, Ray Tufts discovered the book “The First Aider” by the Cramer Sports Medicine Co., and used it as a guide to help athletes recover from sprains, bumps and bruises. Back then, the field of sports medicine was in its infancy. Wherever Tufts went, however, he soaked up information about how to keep athletes healthy. Tufts continues that endeavor today. Th... More
4
Interest: Action Hero
story: Kerri Regan photo: DevenCarter.com CITY OF ANDERSON RECEIVES HEALTHY SHASTA AWARD You won’t find capes on Anderson’s city leaders, and they can’t leap tall buildings in a single bound. But the city was recently recognized as an Action Hero for its commitment to ensuring that its residents have plenty of places to walk, bike and play. Healthy Shasta honored the 10,500-resident town for incorporating healthy policies into its General Plan – a long-range guid... More
5
Interest: Roll With It
story: Cody Kirch photos: Jesse Rosten 35 YEARS OF FUN AT VIKING SKATE COUNTRY You remember the feeling. The wind hitting your adolescent face as you zoomed effortlessly around the smooth oval roller rink. Kaleidoscopic disco lights piercing the darkness, reflecting off the walls and ceiling, while ‘70s music pumped at full volume from the speakers suspended above your indoor skating sanctuary. You were in a virtual roller-skating paradise. Whether the last time you laced up a pai... More
6
Spotlight: Ball Dudes
story: Ronda Olson-Ball BUCKET LIST DREAM COME TRUE I grew up listening to San Francisco Giants games on transistor radios, car radios and televisions. I remember being bored out of my mind with talk at the dinner table between my father and four brothers about the Giants. Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, and Juan Marichal were like extended members of our family. I could never figure out why they cared so much about players’ stats or how they could remember what I thought was such u... More
7
Interest: Divine Wine
story: Beth K. Maxey photos: Brent Van Auken NEW CLAIRVAUX WINERY PRODUCES FINE WINE There is a sense of “rightness” about the New Clairvaux winery, a synchronicity of nature, nurture and heritage that has accomplished what many have tried to do for more than 163 years: grow healthy grapes to produce unique, flavorful wines. THE GRAPES The fertile vineyards first saw grapes planted by emigrant-rancher Peter Lassen in 1846. Henry Gerke expanded the vineyard and in 1871... More
8
Interest: Honoring The Fallen
story: Jon Lewis photo: Brent Van Auken MISSING IN AMERICA PROJECT HONORS OUR FALLEN VETERANS They served our country, and then they were stashed away by the thousands. The cremated remains of veterans are on the shelves of funeral homes and hospitals across the country. They are silent and unclaimed; their efforts in service to America largely forgotten. Forgotten until now, thanks to the work of Redding resident Fred Salanti and the hundreds of volunteers who have signed on with the V... More
9
Interest: Leaders In The Making
story: Kerri Regan photos: Michael Burke, Jesse Rosten, Lyn Rosten THE MCCONNELL FOUNDATION MAKES FUTURES BRIGHTER Kalyn was on the verge of giving up. The McConnell Foundation had recognized her tremendous promise, awarding her a sizeable scholarship to pursue a marine biology degree – and as the first member of her family to attend college, she couldn’t wait to get started. Yet as the semester unfolded, she discovered that she hated her lab classes. David Tanner ... More
10
Interest: Thankful Giving
story: Kerri Regan REDDING ROTARY THANKSGIVING FOOD DRIVE It’s more than a turkey and the trimmings. It’s a gesture of goodwill, generosity and compassion – an affirmation that the kindness of strangers can lift you up when times are the toughest. Redding Rotary is in the midst of its annual Thanksgiving food drive, which brings turkey dinners and a week’s worth of groceries to some 300 struggling families. It’s one of several North State food drives – inclu... More