FAIR OAKS, CA  (MPG)  -The 100^th Anniversary of the American Legion was honored by the Fair Oaks Cemetery District at its annual Memorial Day Ceremonies on Saturday, May 25.

The American Legion originated through a group of officers who served in France during World War I. Lt. Colonel Theodore Roosevelt Jr. proposed an organization of veterans to help troop morale, which then formed a committee selecting other officers to help create the organization. In May of 1919 the plans were made for a permanent organization, which continues to this day.

Mark Rice, Senior Master Sergeant, USAF, Retired, was the keynote speaker. Master of Ceremonies was Bob Clouse. Many of the local political representatives attended and offered their thoughts of the importance of the organization and gratitude for all those who have served our nation.

Thank you to all those at the Cemetery District who put together another wonderful program to honor our veterans.

CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - The Carmichael Elks Lodge will be organizing the 61^st Annual Fourth of July Parade here in Carmichael and is inviting those who want to be part of it to join the Day of Independence fun! The themed ‘Honoring American Service’ parade will be starting at 10:30 am on Thursday, July 4, at the corner of Fair Oaks and Marconi and proceed the two-mile route with Grand Marshal Barbara Safford to the Elks Lodge at 5631 Cypress Ave.

After the parade, the Elks Lodge will be hosting free to the public activities such as swimming, children’s games, a western BBQ, a Monkey Bridge, air-conditioned indoor live music and dancing.

Entries must have a representative at the starter’s table in front of the Family Fitness Center parking lot between 8 am and 10 am the day of the event. To enter your float or organization, contact the Lodge at carmelks@mycci.net or phone Coordinator Jim Warrick at (916) 489-2103.

Fair Oaks Blvd will be closed to thru traffic from 10 am to 12:30 pm that day. Those who need to use an alternate route will need to use Garfield-California for North/South traffic during those hours.

CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - A sizzling art fiesta filled Pavilions Shopping Center last weekend. Enduring mid-90s temperatures during its 61^st annual show, the festival raised funds for Sacramento Suburban Kiwanis Club and paraded wares by more than 100 artists and crafters.

Revenue from the event will assist disadvantaged children and adults in the Sacramento region. Other beneficiaries include Just for Kids (helping youth with a family member undergoing cancer treatment); Dyer Kelly Elementary School; Wellspring Women’s Center; Sacramento Crisis Nursery; Stanford House; Easter Seals; Sierra-Arden Food Closet and the Kiwanis Family House. Sacramento Suburban Kiwanis also sponsor four high school Key Clubs and Troops 53 Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts. For information on the club, call (916) 972-7337.

CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - Single Mom Strong, a nonprofit created to meet the unique needs of local single mothers and their families through support, education and events is expanding its mission by addressing the lack of affordable, quality childcare in the region. Its new Empowerment Center, where a Grand Opening is set for Saturday, June 15, 2019, will immediately offer value- and activity-based summer camps, addressing a great need for working families.

When the school year kicks off, the Center will offer preschool and childcare programs, including extended hours and drop-in care, in a co-operative style childcare where parents can volunteer in exchange for reduced rates.

In addition, the Center will offer a variety of personal and professional growth programs for single mothers, with a wide range of topics such as goal setting, budgeting and self-defense, as well as one-on-one coaching and mentoring.

“The cost of childcare is a significant strain on the family budget, particularly for single parents. The problem multiplies when school is not in session and full-day programs are needed such as during summer and winter breaks. We need to find better solutions to the childcare dilemma for families. Single Mom Strong’s new summer program is a great option. Then, when the EmpowerME preschool and co-op childcare programs open in the fall, families will have an affordable long-term care option with the opportunity to volunteer in the Center in exchange for reduced-cost care for their children,” said Founder Tara Taylor.

Taylor created Single Mom Strong as a response to her own challenges as a single mother. “I know from my own experience that it really does take a village to raise a child. I raised my daughter alone from the age of 6 months old without support from her father. It was the hardest, but most rewarding thing I have ever done. I wanted to make that path a bit easier for other single mothers, so I decided to create the “village” that every mom needs when raising a child and Single Mom Strong was born.”

Despite mothers’ best efforts, statistics show that children raised by single mothers suffer in a variety of ways: they are more likely to have educational deficiencies, engage in sex at a younger age, have lower occupational status and income as adults, and give birth outside of marriage themselves, among other issues. In fact, eighty-five percent of all children with behavioral problems come from fatherless homes.

Meanwhile, single mothers are plagued with feelings of guilt and inadequacy and usually find themselves living at or below poverty level. Single Mom Strong is working with local single mothers to change these statistics.

Since its inception in Sacramento less than three years ago, Single Mom Strong has served over 400 mothers and children in the greater Sacramento area.

The interest list for Single Mom Strong’s EmpowerME summer program is open but space is limited. Interested parties are encouraged to learn more at SingleMomStrong.org and attend the Grand Opening hosted by Taylor and the Center’s new Childcare Director Le Taunya Terrell. The event will feature a ribbon cutting, facility tours, carnival games, silent auction, special guests and treats.

About Single Mom Strong
Based on the premise that a single mother can simultaneously be a professional success and a great parent, and the belief that neither the single mother nor her children are limited in any way by this circumstance, Single Mom Strong is:

A community, meeting the need for belonging and love for single mothers and their children; A place of empowerment: for single mothers, through education and opportunity for balance; for their children through education and positive relationships; A means for betterment: with their children in safe, quality child care, single mothers can better provide for their families and achieve personal goals

About The Empowerment Center
Located at 7525 Auburn Blvd. in Citrus Heights, The Empowerment Center is the only resource of its kind in the area and the flagship program of Single Mom Strong.

CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - Business folk were toast of the town when the Carmichael Chamber of Commerce and Carmichael Times hosted a "Best of Carmichael" awards gala last week. Winners were decided by votes; applause, certificates and proclamations rewarded victory.

Thirty-three contested categories included professional services, markets, restaurants, fitness centers, non-profits – and many more entities that make Carmichael a business and residential hub. Dominating for member gala attendance, the Carmichael Kiwanis Club took dual awards for best service group and for hosting the annual Taste of Carmichael festival. River City Brewery supped up acclaim for preferred pub and additional kudos for winning most votes overall. Lido Café and Bakery took the cake for best restaurant. The Effie Yeaw Nature Center was this year voted tops for recreation and La Sierra Center (Carmichael Park District) scored as best community center. Eskaton Village rallied votes to secure best senior living. Carmichael Presbyterian was this time heaped with best-church praise.

While many new winners emerged, some old winners prevailed. For the third year, Bel Air #511 was elected best grocery store. Katie Pexa’s Farmers agency was a third-time champion for best insurance provider.

Over three years, the competition has garnered increasing community excitement. Six hundred more voters participated than in 2018, and 163 guests enjoyed the sold-out celebrations.

Raffles and auctions added to the banquet’s competitive atmosphere. David Peterson’s watercolor painting of the Milagro Centre brought a winning bid of $500. In a furiously contested dessert auction, several bespoke cakes brought bids of $200 each. Wine flowed. Victors and supporters rejoiced. In the Milagro Centre’s Patriots ballroom, Carmichael’s business people ate, drank and were exceedingly merry.

See a complete list of Best of Carmichael winners on BestofCarmichael.com

RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - Cordova Recreation & Park District (CRPD) received two large district Awards of Distinction at the California Association of Recreation and Park Districts’ (CARPD) Annual Awards of Distinction Banquet on May 24, 2019. In addition, two of CRPD’s Board of Directors members were sworn in to hold positions within the association.

CRPD’s Mather Sports Center received the nod for Outstanding Renovated Facility for the newly-refinished, Sacramento Kings-branded gymnasium. A project made possible by multiple partnerships, CRPD identified an opportunity for Mather Sports Center that would increase the facility’s sustainability and aesthetic. The upgrades, which included a refinished gymnasium floor, new lighting, new bleachers and new basketball hoops, benefitted not only CRPD’s youth sports programming (i.e. adding the Youth Jr. Kings Basketball League) but also enticed local sports clubs to rent the facility, increased open gym attendance, improved energy usage and enhanced the safety of all visitors.

Throughout the project, CRPD worked closely with the County of Sacramento, the Good Tidings Foundation, the Sacramento Kings Community Impact team, Kaiser Permanente and SMUD to uplift this accessible, sustainable and safe community athletic space.

Furthermore, Lincoln Village Community Park’s Fitness Course was the recipient of the Outstanding New Facility award from CARPD. This course demonstrates a 21^st century ethic of resource allocation, providing a myriad of opportunities that serve the needs of a diverse and growing community. CRPD’s Park Planning & Development team demonstrated outstanding design and cost efficiency in this project, essential criteria for the award.

Since the fitness course opened in early 2018, it has been praised by community members and professional associations alike. Resident Google postings on the park give it a score of 4 out of 5 stars and members of the Neil Orchard Senior Activities Center claim it’s their favorite way to exercise outside of the instructed programs CRPD offers.

Some of those who praise these projects include CARPD’s Board of Directors. As individuals who represent faithful and honorable service to the park and recreation field, CRPD’s Board Secretary, Rick Sloan, who served as President-Elect for CARPD’s Board during the 2018-2019 year, was sworn in as President of the Board for 2019-2020, while Vice-chair for CRPD’s Board, Brian Danzl, was elected to the CARPD Board of Directors.

Both Sloan and Danzl were honored and delighted to receive these nominations and look forward to further serving the recreation and parks industry.

The California Association of Recreation and Park Districts (CARPD) is a 501(c)(6), nonprofit whose goals include providing support and education to recreation and park districts throughout the state of California. This association uses its annual banquet to recognize excellence in the field and acknowledges achievements of leaders in the industry.