Wildlife Care Association Gets a Hand from Wells Construction Corporation

SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - There was a mighty wind in February of this year. Trees were split in two, trampolines were flown out of yards and landed on the roadways. Four large electric and light poles were split in half that were in front of the High School. Yet, the blessing, no one seriously hurt.

One of the wind-blown buildings destroyed was the flight aviary used by The Wildlife Association. Again, a blessing, no birds were killed. There were three crows being treated for various issues in the aviary when the storm hit. The next day, two had flown off and one was stunned and sitting next to the twisted wooden and wire mess. The two never returned and live happily out in the wild, the one behind was treated and when well was released too.

Here’s some information about the Wildlife Care project while I watch the quick build. The workers that run the rescue at the Wildlife Care Association, are mostly volunteers. Even the workers in front of me, building, the new Aviary are volunteers from, Wells Construction Company with their day job being workers for the same Wells Construction. Jim Brown was my contact for the new construction. More about him and the volunteers to come in part 2 of this article.

When I checked in this morning, I met a man named Dave Gish. While we gathered around the donated donuts and coffee, both were still hot, cream filled, jelly filled, french curlers, Okay okay you get it, I love my writing jobs. Anyway, he started telling me all about the how, when, why of the goals of the Wild life Care Association. He himself has been on board this program since 2015.  He volunteered for a year before he was able to go to his first release of a healed bird.

“Amazing to watch”, he said. “They sit in the back unsure to move forward. Sometimes you have to tilt the cage forward, sorta making them fall to the front and then they get it and fly off; what a sight!”

I could feel his excitement. He also told me since he started, 1750 animals have been rehabbed and released. When you think about that number in terms of them coming in with all kinds of needs it is amazing they lived. He said they come in a lot from being hit by a car, with the Raptors usually from systematic poisoning, which is usually caused when they have eaten an affected prey animal killed by poison. They personally do not have the license to keep the raptors, but can care for them until they can be turned over to a licensed care facility. There is an emergency number that is 916-965-9453. It is an answering machine, monitored, and your call will be returned.

I keep talking about “birds” because it is the Aviary being built. But, Dave wants it know they rehab all types of critters. Raccoons, opossums, turtles, and if they can’t or are not licensed they refer you to a care facility that can help you. For instance they do not have the facilities for deer rescue, but they do have, Kindred Spirits up the hill that does only deer rehab. They also are in contact for over 20 years, with Hope Swinimer of East Coast Canada Rehab, for placements. Most mammals, Dave said, go out to private homes where the care giver has gone through a training and care program before they can actually care for them in their homes. For instance, there is Chris with the endearing name of “the crazy racoon lady”. At one time she had 38 in different stages of getting well. He named other such people whom he works with with similar endearing names and preference of certain animals.

Two donuts down, I think, and after writing all these notes, I asked Dave if there was anything else before I closed out this week’s story on the beginnings of The Wild Life Association. He said he wanted people to know when animals are well and returned to the wild, they have a policy of where to return the animal. Adult birds are released within 10 miles of where they were found. Raccoons and Skunks must be released within 10 miles from any buildings or properties where people live or work. Lastly, there is ALWAYS A THRILL to be there when you release an animal.  He LOVES being here. Also, always looking for volunteers to help with rehab, feedings, cleaning etc.

I thanked him for his time and information. Then looking lovingly back at that half full box of doughnuts, I threw away my napkin and coffee cup. I told him there was too much information for just one article and that the following week’s article will be about the Flight Aviary being built all the ins and outs and how they got the money and supplies… Shook his hand and head out to write this up before I can’t read my scribbles. Until next week, be safe and hug yourself first!!

SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - When the pandemic restrictions began in 2020, Sonia Weaver of Citrus Heights decided to start a podcast that she calls Discover the ‘Burbs.  “The original idea was . . . to let people know about the people who were suffering in their own communities, and hopefully encourage them to patronize local shops.”  Her more recent podcasts have evolved to chronicle the outdoor activities available in the suburbs of Sacramento.  “Everyone wants to get out and be physical and find things to do,” Sonia said, “but they sometimes just don’t know where to go or what to do.”

Sonia came up with an initial list of 58 locales, hikes, kayaking sites and activities to be enjoyed within a 50 mile radius of Sacramento.  “I just keep adding to the list when I talk to people about the podcast,” Sonia said.  “They tell me about places . . . and the list just keeps getting longer.” 

The April 5 episode features pickleball, and for April 19, Sonia will be kayaking to Lake Natoma Island. Past episodes include hikes to Old Salmon Falls Bridge near El Dorado Hills, and Middleridge Trail near Fair Oaks.  Currently the episodes come out every other week.  “I enjoy so much getting out in nature,” Sonia said. “It gives me a reason to go explore new places, and so for me this is a perfect project . . . One of my favorite things is taking along friends that I haven’t normally hiked and gone on adventures with.”  She went to the Old Salmon Falls hike with the Bartletts – Jake, Shamay and three of their five children. In addition, Discover the ‘Burbs podcast helps people know what to expect and how to prepare.  “I would love if people want to suggest places that they love to visit, that they would like to share,” Sonia said.  To make suggestions, just e-mail discovertheburbs@gmail.com

Sonia’s husband Richard Weaver, who is an avid runner, said that Sonia always needs something to do.  “This is a really great project for her,” Richard said.  “I’ve listened to them all . . . but the people that are just talking about their lives, those are the ones I like best.” Sonia’s podcast of January 18, 2021, titled “Creating Your Own Limits” features Richard.

Sonia is a longtime resident of the Sacramento area and teaches Spanish at Bella Vista High School.  She is a world traveler as well, having visited Nicaragua a couple of times, where she helped establish a program to teach English to children at an orphanage.  “If they begin to learn English,” Sonia said, “they can get a job in the tourism industry, which is much more lucrative than most other things they can do.”  She has also traveled to Italy and Spain, and in Central America to Honduras, Belize, and Mexico.  She lived a year and a half in Argentina.

To listen on an iPhone people can use Apple podcast, Spotify, or other apps, and for Android, Google Play; also people download apps like iHeartradio or Stitcher.  It is on the Web at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1247372.

Originally the purpose of the podcast was to promote getting to know those that live around you, to foster love and understanding.  The current subject of hikes and activities near Sacramento fits into that purpose quite well, as families go outside and bring their friends and neighbors.  Sonia felt that one reason there is such a lack of love in the world is that people just don’t know each other.  “I was hoping that if people could just get to know those that live around them, they would see that we share lots in common,” Sonia said.  “We are all passing through the same things, and it would encourage people to reach out to people around them as well.”

FAIR OAKS, CA (MPG) - Girl Scout Troop #56 out of Fair Oaks is receiving a Bronze Award for their work on designing and planting a sensory garden for memory-impaired residents at the Fair Oaks Estates skilled nursing facility. 

The troop, comprised of girls from grades 3, 4 and 5 at the Sacramento Waldorf School, worked with Green Acres Nursery expert Greg Gayton to choose appropriate plants and create their beautiful garden.  Green Acres generously underwrote the project.

Troop 56 is holding an awards ceremony on April 17, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. at Miller Park located at 8480 Sunset Avenue, Fair Oaks, California. The girls and their families will celebrate their hard work and dedication to the community with pizza and Leatherby’s ice cream. 

Founded in 1912, Girl Scouts is the premier leadership development organization for girls, building girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. The local council, Girl Scouts Heart of Central California, is headquartered in Sacramento and serves over 29,000 girls in 18 counties in Central California: Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Mariposa, Merced, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tuolumne, Yolo and Yuba.

Ed Marszal’s Family Celebrates a Life and Newborns

SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - A Sacramento pillar of business and philanthropy, Ed Marszal died on March 21. He was 74. Born in a working class Cleveland, Ohio neighborhood, this descendant of Polish immigrants was the first of his family to attend college. After graduation, he served the Army then cultivated an astonishing flair for retail. In 1981, Marszal bought a run-down Carmichael service station and began pumping gas. Days before his death, the Marszal family operation – now known as California Retail Management – opened its 43^rd gas and convenience store business in South Lake Tahoe.

His daughter and son take over an empire with Chevron, 76 and Shell stations in three states.

Although his passing came after a long illness, the Carmichael resident lived energetically into his final weeks. “He got a bonus of three years that no doctor thought he would get,” says his wife of 40 years, Susan. “During that time, his son and daughter both married and gave him grandchildren. He built the home of his dreams in Hawaii and lived there for four months. He got last rites from Jesuit High School’s President, Father John McGarry. My children and I heard Ed whisper ‘Amen.’ He knew it was time.”

Days earlier, daughter Annie Marszal Fass had delivered her first child. “Dad had Facetime with me and the baby,” she reports. “He was tearful and proud that we named little Eddie after him.”

Honoring the late Ed, his swaddled namesake and son Adam Marszal’s new-born Lucy, Marszal’s heirs this week decked the Marconi and Walnut Avenue Chevron station in blue and pink. The gesture revisited history: at Annie’s 1983 birth, her father swathed his macho business in pink ribbons. “He told us people drove by honking horns,” says Annie (37). “His station was quite a neighborhood center. Customers went there on Saturdays just to hang out with dad. He planned to decorate it in pink and blue last month, to celebrate both his grandkids. By doing it now, we’re fulfilling dad’s dreams.”

Fulfilling dreams was a big part of Mr. Chevron’s business. Ed Marszal served boards for Make a Wish and United Cerebral Palsy Foundations. He donated generously to any number of police charities and wrote big checks for the 11-99 Foundation in aid of bereaved CHP families.  “Dad’s focus was on children,” says son Adam. “When he was a little boy, a family friend gave him a nickel. He never forgot how happy that gift made him. When we ate lunch at a restaurant, dad handed kids dollar bills for their piggy banks. He just loved to make people happy.”

He also liked to make them laugh. Marszal’s humor was exemplified by his marriage proposal. “Ed got on his knees and flashed this gaudy, cheap ring,” recalls Susan Marszal. “I was surprised at his taste, but I said yes. When he asked if I liked the ring, I tried to enthuse. Then he pulled a beautiful diamond solitaire from his pocket and he said he’d brought this other one, just in case.”

Fun was interspersed with decades of hard work. It’s an understatement to say Ed Marszal came a long way from the nine-year-old Cleveland kid who sold rescued golf balls back to their owners. “He was a natural-born entrepreneur,” says his son. “He knew an older guy was also collecting balls from around the golf course. Dad figured people might prefer to deal with a cute kid. So he paid the other guy to find balls and he sold them to the golfers at a profit. Our grandfather wanted dad to join him in the newspaper printing trade. But dad’s passion was to run a business of his own.”

With college and the Army behind him, Marszal moved to California and sold auto accessories. “I felt I could run a gas station at least as well as the guys I was selling tires to,” he recalled. “I didn’t plan an empire. I just wanted to make one station work.” He launched Carmichael Chevron and turned his hand to selling gas, checking under hoods and mopping floors. His bride commuted from the Bay Area to pump gas at weekends. “People like family businesses,” Marszal considered. “We always had someone available to run out and help customers. We never charged for air or water. Our cashiers were the most important people in our company; their friendliness determined whether people came back.” This ethic shaped his children’s careers. “Dad had two rules,” notes marketing specialist Adam Marszal. “Rule One: the customer is always right. Rule Two: if the customer is wrong, refer to Rule One.”

When an early customer wanted her car washed, Marszal soaped the sedan himself.  “Watching me, my employees learned never to pass up an opportunity to extend service,” he explained. “From then, we put carwashes in all our stations.” While alert to innovation, Marszal treasured the continuity of old retainers and family. Chief Financial Officer Elizabeth Valentina was his right hand for 37 years. Daughter Annie has worked 10 years for California Retail Management and son Adam joined its marketing team in 2015. “My kids did their share of cleaning restrooms,” boasted their dad. “I wanted them to learn how important every role in our business was.”

During his 50 high-octane years in the gas industry, Marszal established stations in California, Ohio, Georgia, Hawaii and Nevada.  He saw rivals come and go. “Many lost their focus on service,” considered the veteran. “Over the years, our friendly service constantly opened doors for more customers. The gasoline engine will be around for many more decades. As for gas stations, I believe the strong and the friendly will survive.”

A memorial for Ed Marszal will be held in Carmichael next week; a Catholic mass is planned for Cleveland in May.  In June, ohana (family and friends) will gather on the island of Maui. “Ed loved living in Carmichael,” explains his wife. “He had strong family ties to Cleveland. Maui was our special place to rest and renew. He had friends everywhere. They’ll all want to celebrate his life.”  She last week looked through his desk and found a note scribbled by his hand: “Do not mourn that which you lost -- rejoice instead that you had it.”

“That’s what we’ll do,” says the widow. “We’ll always rejoice that we had Ed in our lives.”

For information of Ed Marszal’s Carmichael service E mail: Aubrey@alluringeventsanddesign.com

CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - The Easter Bunny made many Carmichael visits last weekend. Carmichael Park District assisted the bouncing egg bearer with home deliveries for nearly 50 families on Friday. CRPD then joined forces with Mission Oaks District and Carmichael Kiwanians for a drive-through car hop on Saturday. The bunny trail followed COVID-safe protocols on a sedate route through Carmichael Park. Roadside booths provided treats for children and -- at the end of the trail -- a giant lop-eared lapin handed Easter eggs through the windows of about 80 cars.

Hundreds enjoyed Christian festivities on Sunday at Crossroads Church. The Grant Avenue establishment offered outdoor Easter services, with refreshments under canopy in the church yard. An egg hunt for more than 100 kids followed worship. Parishioners sponsored 1600 candy-filled treasures and a scrambled egg brunch for congregation and guests.