CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - Catholic Funeral and Cemetery Services of the Diocese of Sacramento (CFCS) held a “Dedication and Grand Opening” of Calvary Funeral Center, a new state-of-the-art funeral center in Citrus Heights on Wednesday, March 22, 2023.

The Most Reverend, Jaime Soto, Bishop of Sacramento, dedicated Resurrection Chapel in the new funeral center located at 7101 Verner Ave to mark its grand opening. The diocese planned for the new project center to bring care, compassion, and excellence in service to Citrus Heights and the Greater Sacramento Region in one central location.

“We are here with gratitude to all those who brought about this project to an end,” Bishop Soto said. “The people who will come here know their loved ones, in a very real way, [will] begin their journey to the heavenly Jerusalem in this chapel.”

Jerry Del Core, President and CEO of CFCS, reflected, “We started working on this project right after we opened the funeral center at St. Mary Cemetery in 2016. The new Calvary Funeral Center will allow us to serve more families as we share the Catholic Rites of Christian Funeral and Cemetery Services. What makes us most unique is that we can help a family with their loved one without ever leaving our care. Our goal is to serve families in need of consolation and help them celebrate the life of their loved one.”

Calvary boasts a state-of-the-art facility providing complete funeral, mortuary, cremation, and burial services all in one location. This funeral home includes a beautiful chapel with a goal of comforting the sorrowful and uplifting the soul during life’s most difficult moments. There are unique and beautiful areas like the glass niches which are illuminated by the soft tone of stained-glass windows, drawing one’s attention toward Heaven. And at its north transept, a large and beautiful reception room welcomes families and visitors to celebrate and remember their loved ones. Last, Calvary offers meeting spaces located throughout the funeral center, a memorialization selection room, and a cutting-edge care center to provide extraordinary care and service to those who walk through its doors.

Calvary Cemetery opened its gates in 1953 as part of the Diocese of Sacramento to serve the Greater Sacramento Area. 70 years later, Calvary Cemetery and Funeral Center continues to offer families the ability to arrange and care for all their funeral, mortuary, cremation, and cemetery needs in one central location. This new funeral center continues to offer excellence in service and compassionate care to the community. The staff at Calvary are ready to continue their ministry of service. From its modern touches to the warmth in comfort, the new funeral center opens with joy at the opportunity to serve the Sacramento area.

Catholic Funeral and Cemetery Services of the Diocese of Sacramento (CFCS) provides complete end-of-life services with four funeral centers and 11 cemeteries throughout Northern California. CFCS accompanies families as they affectionately honor their loved ones in harmony with the Catholic Rites of Christian funeral and burial services. CFCS brings to all the consolation and mercy of Jesus.

SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - The increase in homelessness is not just noticeable, but a glaring concern to our communities.  During the pandemic, people were let go from their jobs or even lost their businesses and did not even think that homelessness was going to happen…until it did.  But, just what kind of numbers are we dealing with in California? “On any given night, the state has more than 160,000 homeless persons,” says Jialu Streeter from the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research. 

You might be thinking, how can I prevent my family and I from going homeless?  First, look at your immediate needs.  You can call 2-1-1 in Sacramento or (916) 498-1000 for outside the area and go to: https://www.211sacramento.org/211/guided-search/  for information on over 1,600 services through the Sacramento Community Resource Directory.  When you call, a caring specialist at Sacramento 211 will do a holistic evaluation of your situation and provide internal referrals to the agencies and organizations that are able to fulfill your immediate needs, whether to prevent homelessness or aid you while you are experiencing it.  Your case management could involve: eviction prevention, housing subsidies, shelter, medical care, legal, elderly, veteran, financial assistance, transportation, food, etc…  Some of the departments or organizations you could interact with would be the Sacramento County Department of Human Assistance https://ha.saccounty.gov/Pages/default.aspx  at (916) 874-3100 or the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA) https://www.shra.org/housing-choice-voucher-program/  at (916)-440-1390, which is “acting as the Housing Authority of the County of Sacramento,” that provides the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program for housing assistance to low income individuals and families. 

Second, do not forget to seek out your elected officials for help.  If your spouse is in the military reserves who abandoned you and your family, check out your congressman at: https://myreps.datamade.us/  to locate your spouse and, in combination with family court, get help for spousal and child support.  Third, trim your expenses as much as possible and find ways to help your budget, such as using the cash you get from a recycling center to pay your phone bill or instead of upgrading your cell phone, use it for years. 

Under the United States Code 42 USC 11302, being homeless does not always mean living on the street; it is someone that “lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence,” in addition to other reasons.  This is why programs are vital to helping people in their urgent need of housing.  In addition, Mercy Housing California “develops and operates affordable, service-enriched housing that changes the lives of families, seniors, and people who have been homeless.”  Their goal is to “keep the most vulnerable in our communities stably housed and prevent homelessness.”  You can check them out at: https://www.mercyhousing.org/california/ or (916) 414-4400.  Never feel reluctant to take advantage of all of these services that can support you so you can stand on your own two feet.  Survival requires a multifaceted approach to resources in order to keep your needs met.

SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CA (MPG) - The Sacramento County Agricultural Commissioner, in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), is beginning the third year of an eradication program in response to detections of Japanese Beetles (JB) in the Arden-Arcade area, and within the city limits of Rancho Cordova. Affected property owners will be contacted.

The detections were made as part of our coordinated pest prevention system that protects our agriculture and natural resources from non-native invasive species with early detection playing a key role in successfully eradicating an infestation before it can become established.

The JB is of concern due to the ability of both the adults and grubs (the larval stage) to destroy plants here in California. The JB is an invasive species in California and is native to Japan, where it is controlled by natural predators. Adults feed on the foliage and fruits of several hundred species of fruit trees, ornamental trees, shrubs, vines and field and vegetable crops. Among the plants most commonly damaged are apple, pear, cherry, corn, grape, rose and turf grass. Adults leave behind skeletonized leaves and large, irregular holes. The grubs develop in soil, feeding on the roots of various plants and grasses and often destroy turf in lawns, parks, golf courses and pastures.

The good news is that the eradication program in Sacramento County is working. With the cooperation of local residents, businesses, schools and park districts, last year's JB detections were greatly reduced. In 2022, we detected only nine JBs compared to 139 detections in 2021. Seven of these beetles were in Rancho Cordova and only two were in the Arden-Arcade area.

Federal, state and county agricultural officials work year-round, 365 days a year, to prevent, deter, detect, and eliminate the threat of invasive species and diseases that can damage or destroy our agricultural products and natural environment. The efforts are aimed at keeping California's natural environment and food supply plentiful, safe, and pest-free.

Residents with questions about the project may call the Sacramento County Agricultural Commissioner's office at (916) 875-6603 or CDFA's Pest Hotline at (800) 491-1899. Additional information can be found on the CDFA website.

 

CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - Effie Yeaw Nature Center supporters are not just celebrating recent Bird and Breakfast fundraisers. The Carmichael learning and nature-preserving institution recently received a $400,000 grant from the State of California.

The center is among 60 recipients of similar sums via the State’s Natural Resources Agency Museum program.

The money – among the largest windfalls ever afforded the Carmichael facility – will improve the center’s 1000-square-foot museum in Ancil Hoffman Park. Featuring wildlife, habitat and Native American displays, it is viewed by almost 60,000 visitors per year. Together with a 100-acre preserve, the center is a valued education and recreation resource for Sacramento County.

“We are very excited here,” says Nature Center Executive Director Kent Anderson. “We applied for the museum grant last year and we’ve been holding our breath for months. There was loads of clapping and cheering when we heard the news – this will real make a difference for us.”

The sum will allow long-envisioned upgrades specific to museum and learning needs. These include: a lobby face lift; better access for handicapped visitors; state-of-the-art signage and touch-screens; translations for non-English speakers; options for hearing and sight-impaired guests.

“We can also get museum-grade cabinets that we didn’t previously have funds for,” explains Anderson. “There’s much planning to do; but we expect to start projects this summer and continue work over the next 18 months. We hope to manage these with minimal disruption for visitors.”

Named for Carmichael conservationist Effie Yeaw, the 46-year-old Nature Center has been cash-challenged since County funding was removed 12 years ago. It stays open through community generosity, under administration by the American River Natural History Association. Learning opportunities – many geared for low-income school visitors – have continued, but the center was hard-hit when the pandemic stopped income-generating programs and curtailed fundraising.

“We’re grateful for this State grant and the museum improvements it allows,” says Anderson. “But there’s always more work to do here. Education is a huge part of our mission. There is an increasing need for our programs. We will always need support.”

Two March weekends of Bird and Breakfast events recently drew nearly 200 visitors. On June 11, a $160 per-guest gala will continue the center’s fundraising. For more information on Effie Yeaw Nature Center events go to www.sacnaturecenter.net

 

FAIR OAKS, CA (MPG) - Interior repairs at the Vitalant blood donation center at 11713 Fair Oaks Boulevard in Fair Oaks near the corner of Fair Oaks Boulevard and Madison Avenue in the Almond Plaza have been completed on schedule and donation appointments at the center have resumed.

Closure was projected to last four to six weeks from mid-February for the repair of a deteriorating concrete floor, as well as to make other general interior improvements.

Returning donors will see a new front counter in the lobby area and a refreshed post donation snack area. Individual donation appointments resumed on Sunday, March 19^th with a full calendar scheduled.

Lorraine Schlak, RN, BSN, supervisor of the Fair Oaks blood donation center, welcomed donors back to the Fair Oaks facility.

“There continues to be an urgent need for public donations of both blood and blood plasma,” she said.

The closure was the first by Vitalant since it moved into the Fair Oaks location 12 years ago. The donation is adjacent to where a new Ace Hardware Home and Garden center will open this summer.

The February closure affected 12 medical donation staff members who were reassigned to other local Vitalant centers while equipment and office furnishings were placed in temporary storage.

The Fair Oaks center has 15 donation stations, and on average receives 600 whole blood donations per month. Each whole blood donation takes about 45 minutes to complete from intake interview screening to post-donation patient recovery where volunteers serve snacks and refreshments.

The average time to complete a plasma donation is longer, she said. “We typically receive 24 plasma donations per day, or up to 120 each month,” Schlak said.

“We will continue to reach out through social media, email and phone calls to our regular donors and many volunteers that we have reopened in Fair Oaks,” she said.

“We’re especially grateful to our many regular volunteers who continued to actively support our center during our temporary closure,” she said.

Founded in 1943, Vitalant is one of the nation’s oldest and largest non-profit transfusion medicine organizations, comprising a network of about 120 community blood centers. In all, Vitalant provides lifesaving blood and comprehensive transfusion medical services for about 900 hospitals and their patients across the U.S.

All healthy donors are urged to donate now, she said. “If you’ve had COVID-19 and have been symptom-free for 10 days, you are eligible to donate,” she said. “Whatever your COVID-19 vaccination status, you are absolutely allowed to give blood or platelets.”

Call Vitalant (877) at 258-4825 to schedule a whole blood or plasma donation appointment. Visit: https://www.vitalant.org for more information.

Prospective donors should visit: https://www.vitalant.org/Donate/Health-History-Questionnaire to view basic donation requirements. Appointment pre-registration and screening is encouraged, Schlak said.

CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - West Sacramento painter Gregory Smith took up a brush to comment on the selfie phenomenon.

His acrylic – inevitably called “Selfie” – recently won the artist Best of Show Award at the Sacramento Fine Arts Center’s Magnum Opus exhibition.

“There’s always room for social commentary in art,” says exhibition chair Carole Brewer. “Gregory is a master painter. We were happy to have his work – along with 100 other equally masterful works – in our exhibition.”

A 35-year tradition, the Center’s Magnum Opus show can be viewed in Carmichael until March 25. It includes entries from all over the world. Selected pieces include landscapes paintings, sculptures, photos and ceramics. Most exhibits are for sale.

Sacramento Fine Arts Center is located at 5330-D Gibbons Drive, Carmichael.