The Price of Community

Leprechauns and Shamrocks

2009-03-17T22:55:39Z

Today our beautiful city is full of leprechauns, shamrocks and merriment. To honor our wonderful Irish friends, I offered you an Irish Blessing:

" May you live a long life
Full of gladness and health,
With a pocket full of gold
As the least of you wealth.
May the dreams you hold dearest,
Be those which come true,
The kindness you spread,
Keep returning to you."

Happy St Patrick’s Day!

Returning to his roots, and planting seeds for the future

2009-03-17T04:54:58Z

For Ricardo Robles, it's like coming back home. This is Robles' old classroom and he shows the students in the class where he used to sit. The class is called Spanish for Hispanics. McClatchy High School, in Land Park, has a 26 percent Latino population.

The teacher, Mr. Rodolfo Orihuela, explains that he created this class so the students, who are already fluent in the Spanish language, can get an opportunity to learn about their heritage.

To break the ice Robles asks the students to draw the person nearest to them.

"It does not matter if you can't draw, just give it a try" says Robles. After they spend 5 minutes drawing, he asks them to give the drawing to the person they drew.

"The object of the exercise," he said "is to make you want to talk to that person and also to highlight that we can't all be good at everything. We are all unique."

After the drawing exercise, Robles shares his background. "I graduated from McClatchy in 2001 and from Sac State in 2008." He tells the students that he is an entrepreneur, explaining that he takes calculated risks and recognizes hidden opportunities.

The students all look at each other as if to ask "what is an entrepreneur?" Robles addresses the question in the air and explains that he is an example of an entrepreneur by telling the students, "I can start a potential business with no capital by leveraging my business relationships. I use smart ways to get customers to my business and create awareness."

Robles shares his experience with Global Entrepreneurship Week. He first came across the concept last year and decided to participate. GEW is a week-long event, with activities everyday that are geared toward entrepreneur. He had 30 days to put together the event and had close to 800 participants.

He was told that it couldn't be done, but he says he leveraged what he calls, Quality Human Capital. He says that the people who are influencing you right now, whether it's a book, your teacher, your friends, etc. these people are your Quality Human Capital.

He engaged the students by asking them questions to get them to start thinking about setting goals and the importance of having direction and control over their lives.
What are five things that you value most in life?
Can you tell me in 30 seconds or less, what is the most important goal for you right now?
What would you do if you won a million dollars tomorrow? What would you change? What would you buy? Who would you see?

As the students wrote down their answers, Robles told them just the fact that they were writing it down meant that they could achieve it. There were no limitations.

Robles continued with questions like, what would you do and how would you choose to live if you were told you only had six months to live? Who would you see? What have you always wanted to do but been too afraid to try?

He also asked, looking back to the things that you have done in your life, what type of activity has given you the greatest feeling of importance?

Robles came up with the idea of "trust in the rock" based on an idea from the book, "The Secret." He explained that trust without studying does not happen, you need to go through the process. Through the work that you do, you can accomplish anything.

He adds that the rock has no special power, but it is a tool to remind you what you are grateful for. Each of us has the ability to create our own life, he said, and that everything we are and will be results from the choices we make today.

Mr. Orihuela is happy to see former students like Robles returning and sharing their success with his classes.

"As a teacher you let them go knowing that they are not complete. But when [students like Robles] return and you see their transformation, it's the greatest [feeling]."

Another reason to go out to dinner

2009-03-03T23:31:04Z

Taylor's kitchen, next door to Taylor's Market in Curtis Park is the newest addition to the Sacramento dining experience. Dark woods and low warm lights lend a chic ambiance, and the open space does not interfere with the feeling of intimacy.

It was nearly 8 pm on a rainy Saturday night and the place was buzzing with excitement. There were round tables with plenty of people in upbeat conversation. One table had a large group to celebrate grandma turning 91. As I scanned the room, I recognized many familiar faces.

I arrived at the Kitchen earlier than my dining companions. Jay Donnelly, the head waiter, greeted and welcome me. Donnelly shared, "this is our 26th night open."

The staff seemed relaxed and engaging, yet extremely professional. Donnelly invited me to wait at the bar , where I found the atmosphere was very lively. I immediately engaged in conversation with John Hamilton, of Kelley & Associates, and Marie Acosta, Director of La Raza Galleria Posada. The couple used to live in Land Park and moved away recently. According to Kelley Taylor's Kitchen is their way of coming back to "the hood." They love the place and come to dine here often.

Then John and Makiko, my friends, arrived and we chose to sit at the counter so we could watch Chef John Masia, who has worked for Biba and David Berkley, make our dinner. Masia shares with us that is their "busiest night yet, we have turned the tables twice so we had served about 120 people tonight."

My friends just celebrated their Valentine Day dinner here and comment as to how much they love the place.

The menu is small and seasonal with a diverse wine list. Fernando, our waiter shared "I have gotten to know a lot of our clients because they come back 2 or 3 times a week,"

And I can see why, I personally loved the food and the superb dining experience.

Taylor's Kitchen is located at 2900 Freeport Blvd and is open for dinner from Wednesday through Saturday from 5:30 to 9:30 pm.

Pictures credit: John Claro Onate Photography

Independent Bookstore thriving in Landpark

2009-02-28T00:56:25Z

One of the things that identifies our community spirit is our conscious patronizing of local entrepreneurs. In my endless search to shop locally, I came across a beautiful bookstore: The Avid Reader at the Tower.

Avid Reader is located on Broadway near the intersection with Land Park Ave. You will recognize the location since it used to be the now defunct Tower Books.

The owners, Stan Forbes and Alzada Knickerbocker, have over 28 years of experience in the industry. They have been at this location since April 2007.

"Landpark loves independent stores," comments Knickerbocker. "We are still here and that's a good thing." she said.

They credit their success to their customers. "We know our customers by name and they know we appreciate their support," Knickerbocker said. "For example our customers could buy their newspapers from the newsstand out-front but instead they come into the store and know that their personal copy has been reserved."

The inside is very fresh and inviting. Nice brick walls remind you of the age of the building yet the surrounding colors are crisp white with nice blues. Forbes credits Knickerbocker with the color scheme. "I visited Greece few years ago and fell in love with their blues and whites," she explains.

The store has a wide array of books and periodicals. Nice local section and they host events to promote local writers. They also provide the space and the books for a local book club that meets once a month.

Avid Reader is an example of great community support. Thanks Landpark! Avid Reader at the Tower is located at 1600 Broadway.

The Best thing about Landpark is...

2009-02-25T00:21:42Z

That's right, Landpark! William Land Park donated to the city of Sacramento over 166 acres of land in the year 1926. Today Landpark is a gorgeous park that includes, a picnic recreation area, a pond, a 9 hole golf course, jogging trails, an amphitheater, Fairytale Town, Funderland Amusement Park, and The Sacramento Zoo all set in the heart of Sacramento's downtown area.

The Sacramento Zoo is a non-profit organization, something that the average Sacramentan may not know, says Lauren Kraft the public relations coordinator for the Sac Zoological Society. The Sac Zoo houses animals of endangered species with the higher purpose of caring and protecting them. They are primarily an educational and conservation zoo.

The Zoo has not seen sharp changes in their attendance. They are primarily a weather driven environment and family oriented. That make them a prime destination for families in Sacramento looking for wholesome entertainment. Today is a beautiful sunny day and during my short visit I saw lots of children and their parents enjoying the ground of the zoo. In 2007 they had over 500.000 visitors due to their temporary penguin exhibit. We are small and rely on temporary exhibit to create variety in our zoo, adds Kraft.

A permanent new addition coming this Spring 2009 is the Conservation Carousel, a carousel that will have 32 lifelike animals. Each animal is hand carved from wood and then hand painted. It will surely prove to be a favorite among our local children.

In addition to the carousel the zoo is already working on what's coming up in 2010. They raised funds for the past 3 years, 1.5 millions dollars to be exact, for the new Giraffe Habitat Renovation Project. The current habitat is over 50 years old and is no longer adequate. The new exhibit will house not only the current 3 female Giraffes but also a male Giraffe, creating the potential for breeding. It will have stalls for each Giraffe and the Barn will house the veterinarian facilities as well as the storing of their food, among other things. The Zoo have done extensive research by visiting other exhibits and habitats around the country. Kraft says that when the new Giraffe Habitat is completed it will be a state of the art facility in the nation.

Remember that our support and contribution help preserves the world we live in for future generations. Come visit and support our Zoo, animals need your help.