Mendocino College Foundation members (from left to right): Channing Cornell, Tommy Thornhill, Kathy Lehner, Wilda Shock, Leroy Chase, Tod Kong, Tom Herman, Rhonada Clausen and Gary Smith. Courtesy photo.

UKIAH – The Mendocino College Foundation board of directors recently announced its 2008 slate of elected officers and committee chairs.

Foundation officers include: Tom Herman (Willits), president; Channing Cornell (Redwood Valley), vice president; and Kathryn Lehner (Ukiah), secretary/treasurer and Mendocino College’s Superintendent/President.

Executive Committee members include: Rhonada Clausen (Ukiah), special events; Wilda Shock (Lakeport), marketing committee; Tom Herman, land committee; Kathryn Lehner, secretary; Gary Smith (Ukiah), finance; and Channing Cornell, scholarships.

Members of the Board of Directors include: Kristi Barrington, John Behnke, Donna Berry, Harry Bistrin, John Bogner, Neelam Salmen and Tommy Thornhill (Ukiah); Peggy Campbell-DeBolt (Lakeport); Leroy Chase (Redwood Valley); Tod Kong (Hopland); and newly elected members David Geck (Lakeport); Jerilyn Harris (Ukiah); and Christy Scollin (Redwood Valley).

Foundation board meetings are open to the public and begin at noon. Upcoming meeting dates and locations for 2008: Tuesday, June 3, Lake Center, 1005 Parallel Drive, Lakeport; Tuesday, Sept. 9, Ukiah Campus; and Tuesday, Dec. 2, Ukiah Campus.

The Mendocino College Foundation Inc. is a nonprofit, public benefit corporation comprised of a dedicated team of volunteer community, education and business leaders who live and work in the Mendocino-Lake Community College District. It channels private funds to provide student scholarships, enrich instruction and basic skills, enhance program and staff development, and strengthen student services.

The Foundation’s mission is to cultivate support and raise funds for the benefit of the students of Mendocino College. It seeks to promote and develop a mutually beneficial relationship between the college and the business community of the district.

Additional information about the Foundation is available online at www.mendocino.edu.

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Danny Wilds and a friend. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY – The Danny Wilds Memorial Scholarship was created in the memory of Daniel Len Wilds. Danny was active in his community and maintained a growing interest in agriculture and education. Danny was a member of the Big Valley 4-H club for eight years. This scholarship was established as a tribute to Danny.

Since then, many individuals and organizations have contributed to this scholarship as a way of remembering their loved ones’ special days and in support of Lake County’s youth. These contributions have enabled this educational scholarship to provide monetary assistance to Lake County schools and community youth for 39 continuous years.

In recognition of Danny’s enthusiasm for the 4-H program, since 1969 a perpetual trophy has been awarded to an outstanding 4-H exhibitor at the Lake County Fair. The award is based on outstanding sportsmanship, attitude, cooperation, quality and appearance of exhibits, and overall participation in fair activities.

In addition, each year 4-H Summer Camp scholarships are awarded to Lake County 4-H members in needs of financial assistance to attend 4-H summer camp. The 4-H members have the opportunity to spend five days immersed in an outdoor educational program, while having a ton of fun.

The Wilds family is proud to offer this opportunity and thank the Lake County community for their continued support of this scholarship.

Please, send contributions to the Danny Wilds Memorial Scholarship c/o Glenn and Gloria Wilds, 5255 Highland Springs Road, Lakeport, CA 95453. If it is in memory of a loved one, a card of recognition will be sent to the family as stated per your instructions.

The Wilds family thanks the community for its support and contribution to this scholarship.

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Approximately 50 people, including members of Lake County Peace Action and other community members, gathered with signs, candles, and American flags to commemorate the losses the war has caused, and to express hope for peace in the foreseeable future.

A few in attendance remembered standing in the same location in March 2003, when only three or four would stand in what was at the time lonely opposition to the war. They recalled hearing a lot of discouraging and hostile comments in those days, in contrast to the largely supportive responses from passersby now.

But they also expressed sadness that after such a long time the war continues to drag on. “Faith and hope” are the keys, said one woman holding a sign that read “Health Care, not Warfare.”

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Three CDs were handed out to help better educate the audience. The idea was that those three CDs would be viewed, the information learned and each one of those CDs would be physically shared with three other people in the same manner. That means nine people would have more knowledge at the end of the month than they did at the beginning. Then, at the March meeting, those three people would return with the CDs and the process would be begin all over again with three new people. And, on and on.

This is the "pay it forward" approach for spreading knowledge. The process does not require a lot of people to work. It does, however, require passionate people. In the business world, this process is often referred to as "netweaving."

The content of that CD has recently been transformed into an online lens to speed up the learning process and make the information more accessible to more of the community online 24/7. You can view this information yourself at www.squidoo.com/TMMF. However, it should be pointed out that this information is not simply good for Middletown. It can benefit any community that truly desires to move itself forward.

Three things are crucial to get the process rolling effectively:

1) Care. If people do not "care" about the process, it is futile to try to implement it. Just look at how long it has taken to get a viable town hall going in Middletown. Caring matters.

2) Connect. No one can throw a ball to himself. A caring person needs to connect with another caring person in order for his caring to be beneficial. Local high school students had to reach out to the Interent in 2006 to entice the Fox News Channel to come for "Middletown Days." There simply was not adequate interest expressed by the local adult community to bring this history-making event to fruition.

3) Design. Throwing a ball to the wrong person is a waste of time. It is important to know who can help you get where you want to go.

One of the people who can get Middletown where it needs to go is Kevin Comora, president of Vizicast Multimedia. Comora introduced Middletown to the wonders of digital signage back in September of last year at a Middletown Merchants mixer, held in the Multi-Use Room of the Middletown High School.

Did anyone "care" about what Comora had to offer? Did Comora "connect" with any important decision-makers regarding the implementation of digital signage in the area? Is there now a "design" to bring digital signage to Middletown? According to Lake County Chief Administrator Officer Kelly Cox, he and Comora are now discussing the benefits of digital signage. This is a major breakthrough when you consider Lake County has a moratorium on billboard signage and has never even had as much as an opinion regarding digital signage on its books.

Amazingly, digital signage can actually further reduce the total number of billboards in Lake County and at the same time increase the number of advertising messages being spread.

The times demand change ... and change may be coming – even to Middletown.

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Featured topics will include “site preparation and foundations” by soils engineer Keith Gregory, RGH Consultants; plus financing, contracts and suggested upgrades.

The requested donation is $10 per person or $15 per couple.

Registration is required. For more information or to register, phone 707-274-1486.

Counselors also will be available after the seminar for former buyers who need help enforcing repairs.

Lunch is served at the center for $5 ($3 for seniors).

The Lucerne Senior Center is located at 3985 Country Club Drive (at 10th Avenue) in Lucerne.

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UKIAH – On March 19 several Lake County residents trekked to Ukiah to take part in a vigil commemorating the fifth year anniversary of the “shock and awe” bombardment in Iraq.

Rhyschenda Owens captured these pictures of the event in downtown Ukiah.

For more pictures see www.rhyschenda.com/5thyear.

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