The program has also launched online for the first time ever

BENTONVILLE, AK (MPG) – During the holidays, Walmart and the Salvation Army work together through two iconic giving programs - the Red Kettle and Angel Tree campaigns. But because of the pandemic, they’ve had to find new and innovative ways to help people continue to give to those in need. Now, Walmart has partnered with the Salvation Army to give these impactful campaigns a new virtual platform this season.

In addition to dropping spare change into those famous red kettles outside the store, customers who shop Walmart online and in the Walmart app can now round up their total to the nearest dollar amount – with those leftover pennies being donated to The Salvation Army, supporting its mission to make the season a little brighter for families. Customers can keep adding change to the virtual red kettles through December 31, 2020. Donations are distributed by the Salvation Army based on the donor’s billing zip code and benefit The Salvation Army location serving that community.

Customers have for years also sponsored local children whose wish lists have adorned Angel Trees at the front of the store. Now, that program, which lets customers drop off new items like clothing and toys for local kids, has also launched online for the first time ever. Walmart customers can simply visit The Salvation Army Angel Tree Program, pick the Salvation Army they wish to support and purchase gifts for local children on the registry – all without ever leaving home. The virtual Angel Tree will continue online through December 18, 2020.

“We believe in being more than just a retailer; we believe in being an integral part of the local communities where our stores, clubs and facilities exist,” said Elizabeth Willett, director of strategic initiatives, Walmart. “We are endlessly inspired by the generosity our customers show, and proud to use our scope and scale to make it even easier for them to give, especially during this difficult year.”

Walmart and The Salvation Army have collaborated for more than 40 years to help meet the needs of people in communities across the country.

SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - Thirty feet above the shoreline near Nimbus Dam, a new lookout allows stunning observation of one of the American River’s most bio-diverse hotspots.

Completed just in time for the 2020 salmon run, the cantilevered deck is an amenity offered by the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Construction was undertaken by Orangevale-based Swierstok Enterprises.

The structure is designed to accommodate nature lovers and schoolroom-sized groups on educational visits. Rails are safety features; the amenity is ADA compliant and will soon also offer bench seats and educational panel displays.

“This is something we’ve wanted at the hatchery for years,” enthuses interpretative specialist Jason Fareira. “At last, we have a bird’s-eye view of these shallows, so students can really see what goes on with salmon and other wildlife. We also hope that fewer people will want to climb down banks now; we’re always concerned for their safety, and for bank erosion and dirt being dislodged to damage fish eggs.” The deck overlooks active Chinook nesting areas in shallows where salmon – some close to four feet in length – use end-of-life energy to leap and “walk” over riffles with bodies above water. After spawning, females hover to guard deposited eggs.

Other adults continue their mission to find mates, by climbing the hatchery’s fish ladder. At its apex, salmon and steelhead are relieved of eggs and milt so fertilization is achieved artificially. The hatchery assures migratory fish survival, in mitigation for river alterations caused by Nimbus and Folsom dams. Fry begin lifecycles -- heading downstream for the Pacific Ocean -- in spring of 2021.

From the new lookout, viewers can also observe a multitude of wildlife that follows fish upstream. Turkey vultures, bald eagles and gulls make meals of decaying salmon carcasses. Ducks and wading birds dive for salmon eggs. Otter, coyote, bobcats -- even the occasional sea lion from the delta -- join the winter rush to gorge at the river’s buffet.

The new viewing deck is located opposite Sailor Bar in Gold River. It may be accessed from the Hatchery entrance at 2001 Nimbus Road (off Gold Country Boulevard), Gold River. For information on the Nimbus Fish Hatchery, visit: https://wildlife.ca.gov/fishing/hatcheries/nimbus

Footnote: Hatchery staffers were masked in accordance with health regulations while co-operating with the Carmichael Times. Face coverings were momentarily lowered for the above photograph.

SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - Take a deep breath. Hold it, hold it, hold it... and exhale with a giant, joyful belly laugh! You are about to experience the worldwide health phenomenon known as Laughter Yoga!

Linda Kalb Hamm, a certified laughter yoga instructor, offers an hour of exercises on Zoom on Tuesdays from 6 to 7 p.m. designed to encourage its participants to laugh for no apparent reason. No mats or poses are involved, and each session involves a variety of playful laughter exercises, spontaneous giggle meditation, and guided relaxation techniques.

Laughter yoga offers one a helpful way to laugh away the worries and stresses of the day, literally an opportunity to “laugh their angst off”, she whimsically believes.

Kalb Hamm completed her undergraduate studies in sociology and psychology at U.C. Berkeley and went on to earn her Master’s Degree in Education. Whether she is working with children, teens, adults, seniors or Alzheimer’s memory care patients, as she did prior to the onset of the pandemic, Kalb Hamm says she experiences that same contagious delight of childhood as her new and continuing students discover the relaxation and joy of unconditional laughter where all are welcome to learn.

She discovered laughter yoga in 2012 as a participant in the University of San Francisco’s integrated medicine therapy program. Kalb Hamm quickly discovered that sessions of laughter yoga offered her great therapeutic value in pain relief for an injured shoulder. She soon sought to become a certified laughter yoga instructor, later conducting sessions in a variety of settings, for groups of all ages. In all, she has taught thousands of students the basics of laughter yoga and has inspired many of her former students to become certified laughter yoga instructors themselves.

Kalb Hamm had hosted in-person laughter yoga sessions in Fair Oaks and the greater Sacramento area through the social media app, “Meet Up” on the second and fourth Monday of each month from 6:45 to 7:45 p.m. at Meridian Veterinarian Care at 9712 Fair Oaks Boulevard before shifting her sessions to Zoom in mid-spring due to the pandemic shelter in place orders.

“Laughter has two sources, one from the body, one from the mind. Adults tend to laugh from the mind,” she said, and all of us “have a child inside us who is wanting to laugh and wanting to play.” Laughter yoga is based on the concept of cultivating one’s “childlike playfulness”, she explains.

"We use judgments and evaluations about what's funny and what isn't," she says. Children, who laugh much more frequently than adults, laugh from the body. "They laugh all the time they're playing.”

Participants tend to be more female, than male, she’s discovered, as men due to cultural roles and responsibilities have to work a little harder to let go of that mindfulness and laugh playfully.

Dr. Mandan Kataria, a physician from Mumbai, India, is considered the founder of and chief proselytizer for laughter yoga, a movement that since 1995 has spawned 5,000 laughter clubs - in which people meet regularly just to laugh - worldwide. This interactive form of yoga for all ages and abilities, has inspired over 7,000 laughter clubs in over 100 countries. As research on the psychological and physiological benefits of laughter continues to grow, laughter yoga is gaining prominent endorsements from the medical community (Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr. Andrew Weil), media (Time Magazine, Wall Street Journal, Psychology Today, CNN, BBC) and  celebrities  (Oprah Winfrey, John Cleese, and Ellen DeGeneres).

Kalb Hamm begins each Tuesday laughter yoga Zoom session with a series of standard warm-ups. She starts by having people clap rhythmically and chant, "Ho, ho, ha, ha, ha" several times. She then tells her Zoom participants to take a series of deep breaths, filling their lungs fully with air and then each releasing a hearty laugh.

How do you laugh when nothing is funny? Just open your mouth into a wide smile and force the breath out. You may feel silly at first, she said, but when you're enjoying the experience with a group of people on Zoom or in person who are fully committed to laughing, the make-believe version often transforms into the real thing.

Next come the individual exercises. We soon look at the individual Zoom participants who have joined us in the session and greet one another with a laugh. The presence of the web camera is soon forgotten. Kalb Hamm encourages her participants to look into other people's eyes and urges all not to worry if their laughter at the beginning feels forced. In time, genuine laughter will come, and soon all are laughing along with one another.

Laughter yoga teaches its participants how to "laugh for no reason," without relying on jokes or humor or the critical mind. Its playful, child-like exercises allow the participant to chuckle long enough to reap the health, emotional and social benefits of spontaneous laughter.

Kalb Hamm said not only do many of us need to learn this new way to laugh, which emphasizes yogic breathing, acupressure clapping and hearty belly-bursting guffaws,  but we also need to practice this form of uninterrupted laughter for at least 15 minutes to fully reap the benefits.

“The psychological rewards can be a reduction of stress, anxiety, tension and symptoms of depression,” she said. “Laughter gives us hope and optimism to deal with difficult and negative situations that may challenge us. When we laugh together, we see the best in ourselves and none of our differences really matter,” she said.

Her free weekly Laughter Yoga group is open to all who want to learn to laugh for no reason. Join allies and members of Sacramento LGBTQ Center to see how the universal language of laughter can help enhance physical and mental well-being and add more joy and sparkle to your life.

Visit Kalb Hamm’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/LaughingMyAngstOff/
or her web page at LaughingMyAngstOff.com/ to register for an upcoming Zoom session and receive the ID code and password to participate. Upcoming sessions are Tuesday, December 22 and 29, 2020 from 6 to 7 p.m. She can also be reached by email at lmaowithlinda@att.net

SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - “I said, ‘Somebody should do something about that.’ Then I realized I am somebody.” This Lily Tomlin quote epitomizes the motivation behind Janet Cottrill’s decision mid-March 2020 to address the critical need for PPEs during the Covid pandemic. Cottrill, who was not working due to health issues, hoped to make a difference in her community. She co-founded Folsom Mask Makers (FMM) with her neighbor KC Endeman, who created the FMM Facebook page. RN Karla Burgess, retired grandmother Karen Hamer, and Cathy Hamman soon joined the effort as site administrators and the group of helpers quickly grew.

To date, FMM has produced in excess of 60,000 masks, 2,650 scrub caps for medical staff and pediatric oncology patients, 1,310 visual masks to facilitate lip reading, hundreds of 3D printed face shields, and thousands of crocheted and 3D printed ear savers. These critical supplies have been donated to over 350 hospitals, medical and dental groups, care homes, schools, nonprofit and community organizations, and emergency service agencies in Sacramento, Placer, and El Dorado counties.

Burgess is the air traffic controller for this smooth-running, no-contact (porch drop off and pick up) system of volunteers. She serves as liaison in the community, fields requests, coordinates product logistics and distribution, and launches special teams as needed for additional products and customized projects to meet varying specifications. Hamer has taken on multiple roles as well, moderating the group, researching patterns, spearheading project teams, and working alongside Karla to manage logistics.

FMM has attracted nearly 3,000 members since March. At any given point there are approximately 100 seamstresses per product team in addition to the essential volunteers who donate 100% cotton fabric and elastic, wash and iron fabric, cut patterns, assemble kits, and pick up and drop off materials. What motivates this diverse team to generously give of themselves is perfectly captured in this Edward Everett Hale quote: “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”

Cathy Hamman, who learned to sew at a young age, identified FMM as an opportunity to serve her community while spending time with her mother during the Covid lockdown. Hamman, who works full-time and cares for her elderly spouse, started with sewing and coordinating kits and quickly transitioned to full-fledged supply chain management. Hamman has also served as group moderator.

Tamara Diamond Moeller is retired and struggles with medical issues, but makes a critical contribution to FMM by donating fabric.

Frances Pena Hurlbut, cuts patterns for others and has sewn over 1,100 masks since March. Retired from the health care industry, Hurlbut found sewing to be healing and a way “to escape the news of the disastrous effects of this horrible pandemic.”

Pamela Fleury, who lost her job due to Covid, volunteers by preparing fabric and driving to pick up and drop off materials. Fleury knows she can help make a difference no matter how small her role.

Judy Ashley has produced nearly 1,000 masks and scrub caps since March. Ashley explains, “It gives me the opportunity to put my long-time sewing skills to use to fill a hole in the community and in my life during this lockdown.”

Kathy Vaughn, who cares for her grandchildren a few days a week, has sewn over 1,100 masks since March. A two-time breast cancer survivor, Vaughn seeks ways to give back to her community in love and gratitude for her many blessings. FMM enables her to contribute to the health of her community.

Cary Ross was concerned about front line workers fighting Covid without PPEs and has used his 3D printing skills to produce over 300 face shields and 1,000 ear savers, devices worn on the back of the head to alleviate pressure and sores from elastic.

As more people return to work and school and Covid cases surge, the need for PPEs will only continue to increase. FMM is ramping up to meet this challenge and encourages the community to join their team. For further information about volunteering and making donations, visit the Folsom Mask Makers Facebook page.

Report under Review Prior to Submission to Board of Directors

CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - At a special meeting back in July 2020, the Carmichael Water District Board of Directors approved a contract with certified public accountants Richardson and Company for an audit of employee benefits payments.

In May 2020, the Board voted to terminate a set of employee benefits that had been granted without their approval, such as education/training benefits, deferred compensation, life insurance, and leave benefits—although they later reinstated some of those benefits. The scope of the audit was a review of benefits granted to nine exempt employees from July 2010 through July 2020.

Richardson and Company planned to compare the approved benefits offered to each position with the actual benefits received. They would also determine whether any unauthorized payments to employees indicated personal use of District funds or resources.

The Richardson and Company contract estimated that the cost of the audit would range from $39,250.00 to $81,130.00, and the District would be billed based on actual cost of services rendered. The contract further stated that “the engagement should be completed within 60 days of approval.” So, based on the date of approval, and barring “unforeseen problems,” the audit should have been completed by the end of September 2020 at the latest.

This timeline is also supported by the District’s Paid Expenditures Reports. After the audit contract was approved in July, the Paid Expenditures Report for August shows an initial payment to Richardson and Company in the amount of $29,862.50. The report for October shows a payment of $27,110.00, presumably a final payment for the completed audit.  

A total of $56,972.50 in District funds were spent on this audit, but now, even months later, the report has not yet been presented in a public forum at a meeting of the Board of Directors.

In response to an email inquiry, Carmichael Water District General Manager Cathy Lee stated that “the audit report is under review and verification for accuracy and has not been submitted to the Board or released for public review.  It will be submitted to the Board at a later date.”

This newspaper will continue to follow this topic and provide coverage of the audit report when it is released.