Awareness

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) El Dorado County launched a new website that will provide users with a better experience with more information on mental health events, meetings, programs and research.

NAMI is dedicated to mental health awareness and improving the quality of life for people with mental illness and their families through support, education, and advocacy.

Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity’s Journey of Hope is a group of philanthropic-minded cyclists traveling across the country to help people with disabilities, and they'll be in Carson City on Friday, June 16.

Since 2014, Western Nevada College has hosted the group as they make their annual journey across 32 states, 12,000 combined miles of cycling.

Dear Community,

Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless (TCH) would like to thank the many community members and volunteers who helped in the clean-up and closing of the South Lake Tahoe Warm Room in early May. The Rotary Club of South Lake Tahoe arrived with their moving van and efficiently packed and moved our belongings into storage. Kim, William, and Lily Demus; Michelle, Brian, and Kelsey Hogan; Dave Huber; Matt, Miri, and Addie Lucksinger; Kathi Jensen; Guy Lease; Christine O'Farrell; and Randy Volgelgesang were all on hand to do the heavy lifting and moving.

On behalf of the Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless (TCH), I would like to thank our community for your support through the second winter of the South Lake Tahoe Warm Room project. Our organization received donations from over 200 different individuals and businesses and benefited from over 60 volunteers who provided over 1600 volunteer hours.

The snow is melting, water is flowing, and wildfire fuels are growing. Despite all the moisture, the wildfire threat remains a concern. Preparing your home and community now is more important than ever. June is “Wildfire Awareness Month” in the Lake Tahoe Basin, and members of the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team are continuing last year’s campaign by asking all Tahoe residents and visitors to “Think First to Keep Tahoe Fire Safe”.

Construction season has started in the Tahoe basin and the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District will utilize the warm weather and their student’s summer exit to complete projects that were approved under Measures E and U in 2014.

Auerbach Engineering Corporation was selected through a competitive bid process to provide Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) services for the Tahoe Lake Elementary reconstruction and the Rideout/Tahoe Lake Elementary temporary relocation projects.

This June is wildfire awareness month at Lake Tahoe. It also marks the 10th anniversary of the Angora Fire, the most destructive wildland fire in memory at Tahoe.

An illegal and abandoned campfire started the Angora Fire on June 24, 2007. The fire quickly spread toward Meyers, stoked by strong winds and forests overgrown with hazardous fuels. In a few days, the fire burned 3,100 acres and destroyed 254 homes.

Life isn't always easy and sometimes people just need someone to talk to. Everyone can benefit from some sort of support and it can be as simple as a cup of tea with a friend, a walk around the block or a conversation.

The "You Matter, I Sill Listen" campaign was started last year by Sabrina Owen, manager of El Dorado County Mental Health programs in South Lake Tahoe, to help people be that needed a little support.

Law enforcement agencies and volunteers around the country participated in Drug Take Back Day on April 29, taking tons of medications off of the streets.

Both Douglas County and the City of South Lake Tahoe took part. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office had their Citizen Patrol volunteers staff five locations both at the lake and in the valley. They didn't measure the drugs in pounds, but in box fulls.

Staff was able to turn in 18 boxes of medications, which was more than last October’s collection.

As fire season heats up across the country, a group of over 1,000 partners of wildland firefighters have joined together to raise money for those who are injured on the job with a Virtual 5k run/walk. Run or walk five kilometers wherever you wish. 100 percent of the proceeds from this event will go to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation's Fallen and Injured Grant Fund.

The Nevada Division of Tourism recognized outstanding members of the state’s rural tourism industry at the VolunTourism Awards Dinner April 27 in Elko. The awards ceremony was a highlight of the state’s annual Rural Roundup conference.

“Tourism is a significant component of rural Nevada economies,” Claudia Vecchio, Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs director, said. “It is a $2.3 billion industry that continues to grow thanks to the efforts of the tourism professionals in rural Nevada. It is our pleasure to recognize those efforts with this year’s VolunTourism awards.”

Participants in El Dorado County Wellness Center programs will have a chance to show off their artistic skills in the “Each Mind Matters” art exhibit hosted by the Tahoe Art League from May 1 to May 5. The exhibit is in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month and will be kicked off with with an artist's reception and awards ceremony in the school's Commons on May 1 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The public is invited to attend.

Most places take just one day to officially "Pay it Forward" but one person in the South Lake Tahoe community has made it his goal to cause a ripple effect of kindness through the community for a whole week.

International "Pay it Forward" day is on Friday, April 28 and more than 80 countries and 70 cities across America have made proclamations to join the global initiative and make a difference by creating a huge ripple of kindness across the world. Small acts of kindness, when multiplied by millions of people, can literally change the world for the better.

The arrival of mosquitoes in El Dorado County communities is delayed this year due to the long and wet winter, but health officials are taking Mosquito Awareness Week of April 16 through April 22, 2017 to remind the public to protect themselves. As warmer weather approaches residents should be aware of the serious risks mosquitoes present to their health, including West Nile, Saint Louis encephalitis, and potentially dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses.

The 9th annual World Autism Awareness Day is Sunday, April 2, and the Tahoe Tot Spot is holding a fundraiser to assist families with access to enrichment for those who cannot afford it.

On April 2, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Tahoe Tot Spot is having a celebration in recognition of autism.

"We will celebrate with free entry for all kiddos rocking the spectrum or special needs," said Tot Spot owner Jen Bloch.

Raffles tickets are being sold to the entire community and attendance on April 2 is not required. They are $1 each, 6 for $5, 13 for 10$, 25 for $20.

Raffle Prizes:

In society, we are inundated with advertisements and daily messages infused into our culture that justify alcohol as acceptable and normal. This substance is glorified as a method to enhance dining experiences, celebrations, entertainment, sporting events, and holidays. Alcohol itself is not the problem. A drink to accompany a meal or celebratory time is a much different choice than to completely dissociate from reality and manipulate others to achieve a “good time.”

May the frost be with you! Special Olympics Nevada and Northern California will host the annual South Lake Tahoe Polar Plunge fundraiser beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 18, in the icy waters of Lake Tahoe at Zephyr Cove Resort. The 2017 Polar Plunge will feature a “space odyssey” theme and raise funds and awareness for Special Olympics and its athletes.

The Vagina Monologues returns for its 15th year in South Lake Tahoe on February 25 and 25 for two shows at the Beach Retreat & Lodge. The unforgettable event is two evenings of sharing prose, pain, love, laughter and life. The cast is made up of a diverse group of community members including students, mothers, daughters, sisters new-to-the-stage and seasoned performers.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - Palliative Care is a new medical specialty focusing more broadly on improving life and providing comfort to people of all ages with serious, chronic and life-threatening illnesses.

Learn more about it during the next Barton Health lecture on February 1 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Lake Tahoe Community College Board Room located at One College Drive in South Lake Tahoe.

To the community:

I am so proud to have been part of the Bi-State Women's March on Saturday. And I am proud that Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe sanctioned the opportunity for 500 women, men and children to march, not as a protest, but in unison to affirm that "women's rights are human rights".

The annual 'Ability Bash" fundraiser at Squaw Valley on January 28 will wrap up a week-long Military Sports Camp for disabled veterans. The event will honor the veterans as well as the participants with disabilities who work with Achieve Tahoe throughout the year.

Achieve Tahoe is a provider of winter and summer adaptive sports instruction at all ability levels for adults and children with disabilities. The Ability Bash will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the resort's conference center.

The students at Mt. Tallac High School in South Lake Tahoe have learned how to give back to others in their community, and not in the normal food and money drive way.

What started last year with a rap song to raise funds for Christmas Cheer and now morphed into an annual project where more students can be involved in making a community-wide impact.

"As a school we chose people and organizations to give to," said school Principal Holly Greenough. "Since most of our students don't have the means to donate food and money we showed alternative ways they can give back."

Grant funds in the amount of $504,230 were awarded to agencies and groups across rural Nevada to be used to develop, promote and improve tourism to and within the State of Nevada, and some is headed to the South Shore.

The Lake Tahoe Visitor's Authority (LTVA) was one of 27 in the Reno-Tahoe Territory to get a portion of $132,295 awarded to the area.

LTVA is getting $6,000 for digital advertising and social media for the AMGEN Women's Cycling Race and a $15,000 grant to promote events through the purchase of

Major impacts to communities in El Dorado County were made possible through $264,905 in grants for 2016/2017 from the El Dorado Community Foundation.

Funding for the came from community members who invested in the foundation through Donor Assisted Funds. Those donating to the fund were able to engage in a new process this year by reading the grant proposals (55 were received) and the year-end reports of the non-profits applying for them.