The Hub
Meeting of August 26, 2021
By Nelson Crandall
 
Featured Presentation: Dr. Julie Macecevic, of Walnut Avenue Family & Women’s Center.
Dr. Julie Macecevic (Anissa’s boss!) was the featured speaker. A summary of her presentation appears below.
Dr. Macecevic on Zoom and a snip from the Walnut Ave. web page
 
Back to Zoom ☹
In light of rising infection rates and the pending indoor mask mandate, we returned to Zoom-only participation. Twenty club members participated, with Bill Witmer disguising his appearance with the pseudonym “iPhone.” Back to Zoom meant no club song. Darn it. Sam Nigh was looking forward to teaching us to sing the Four Way Test song!
 
Thought of the Day, courtesy of Art Deaver.
Your body is not a temple, it is an amusement park! Enjoy the ride.
 
Mardi the Detective.
Mardi Padilla asked for volunteers to tell the club the name and breed of their favorite dog in recognition of National Dog Day. Can you match the dog with the owner? Answers below.
 
Owner
Name and Breed of Dog
  1. Anissa Novak
  1. Abby, a golden lab
  1. Becky Peters
  1. Charlie
  1. Julie Lambert
  1. Coco, a schnauzer – peke mix
  1. Laura Grinder
  1. Heidi, a dachshund
  1. Mardi Padilla
  1. Max and Hans, dachshunds
  1. Michele Bassi
  1. May Blossom, a basset hound
  1. Rich Hamlin
  1. Solo, a collie
  1. Win Fernald’s granddaughter Cora
  1. Zach, a German shepherd
 
In recognition of National Toilet Paper Day, Mardi fined herself and confessed that she hoarded TP when shelter-in-place began, but only Laura Grinder joined her as a co-confessor. No one else could find any TP for sale! Mardi also fined Kelly Nesheim and Nelson Crandall in recognition of their 56th and 37th anniversaries on the 28th and 25th of August, respectively. And by popular demand, Rich Hamlin was fined $20 for practicing his golf stroke while Mardi was talking.
 
Featured Presentation
Our guest speaker, Dr. Julie Macecevic, gave an inspiring and eye-opening talk on how Walnut Avenue Family & Women’s Center offers education and advocacy services to break the cycle of poverty in the Santa Cruz area.
 
These statistics Dr. Macecevic cited stand out:
 
1. Domestic Violence is Widespread.
  • 40% of child abuse victims report domestic violence in the home.
  • Domestic violence is a major precursor to child fatalities from abuse or neglect.
  • Santa Cruz law enforcement report 5,000 domestic violence-related calls annually.
  • Research on the rate at which domestic violence is NOT reported leads to the conclusion that on average, there are 23 instances of domestic violence in Santa Cruz County each day.
 2. The Financial Cost of Preschool. In 33 states and the District of Columbia, the annual cost of infant daycare is greater than the cost of in-state tuition at a four-year college.
 
3. The Benefit of Preschool to the Child. Research shows that children who attend preschool are more likely:
  • to complete high school without suspension;
  • to never be suspended, addicted, or arrested; and
  • to be employed full-time or self-employed.
Walnut Avenue offers comprehensive preventative and therapeutic services to families at risk for, or surviving, domestic violence.
Walnut Avenue’s Early Education Center helps children ages 0-5 to be socially and emotionally ready to enter the K-12 school system while allowing their parents to focus on their career or get advanced skills training.
 
 
Thank you, Walnut Avenue, for helping to give these children privileges and opportunities most of us can take for granted!
 
Answers to quiz: A5 B8 C6 D2 E3 F7 G4 H1