For the holidays, Plates Cafe and Catering is serving Christmas cookies, baked and prepared by the women in St. John's Shelter Program for Women and Children. St. John's provides shelter, education and childcare to homeless women with children. As part of the shelter's six- to 12-month training program, Plates Cafe and Catering, located at 14 Business Parkway, serves as an on-the-job training site for the shelter, where the women perform restaurant positions such as cooks, waitresses and hostesses, Stuart Edgcombe, 46, Chef at Plates Cafe and Catering, said. "It's more than just cooking," Edgcombe said. "It's teaching them life lessons." Teresa Kamekona, 39, said her experience at Plat

UC Davis Extension recently announced the launch of its new program, Sustainability Studies, a multidisciplinary unit that combines aspects of green building, sustainable design and energy. Recognizing the integrated nature of sustainable solutions, this unique collaboration allows students from a variety of sectors, including energy, planning and policy, environmental and water resources, and public health, to access practical, timely training and flexible certificate programs. “UC Davis Extension has been providing the knowledge and tools to confront issues of sustainability for three decades, but to respond to today’s unprecedented challenges, professionals need cross-training to be ef

Everyday, millions of conversations take place across the country. Employers ask, teachers tell, and friends talk. Communication, it is said, is the key to success. For many people with developmental disabilities who cannot speak, the lack of basic communication is an ever present barrier in developing relationships, finding a job, being hired, or performing a job optimally. Other than a few exceptions, people who cannot talk do not work. An inability to effectively communicate with peers, employers and support staff most often leads to stereotyping, social rejection and failure in the workplace. Frustration caused by an inability to express basic needs becomes a “behavior problem” to be f

The first annual Fit Crawl on Saturday had 38 "crawlers" ride bicycles to five locations for a 20-minute preview of different fitness methods. Downtown locations included Pipeworks for rock climbing, Fleet Feet to learn about proper running shoes and technique, Ultimate Fitness for in-ring training and bag work, Asha Yoga to try the styles of yoga and Bodytribe, for a fresh take on fitness training. The Crawl was put on by the California Task Force on Youth and Workplace Wellness, and sponsored by PepsiCo.  The $35 ticket included bike rental, loaned from Bikes and Bites.  The Wellness Task Force, in existence since 2002, focuses on fitness and nutrition in schools and the workplace. Exe

                                                         BLACK PARALLEL SCHOOL BOARD March 25, 2010 PRESS RELEASE                                             FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Black Parallel School Board (BPSB) Faye Kennedy (916) 484-5025 fayek@springmail.com. Participate in the 2010 “Candidate Forum” Sacramento, CA.…The Black Parallel School Board (BPSB) invites you to participate in the” Candidates Forum” Saturday, May 1, 2010 from 11:00am to 1:00pm. The forum will be held at our regularly scheduled meeting, Oak Park United Methodist Church, 3600 Broadway, Sacramento, CA 95817. Please check-in and arrive by 10:45 am. The purpose of the “Candidates Forum” is to stimul

 "Block the leg!  Kick the inside!  Knee, knee!" The fervor of audience commentary, at times simultaneously, made it difficult to hear individual commentary, unless it quieted down for a moment.   On Saturday, Sept. 19, male and female warriors sparred in front of an energetic audience at the first amateur "Muay Thai Origins: Battle at the Wat" tournament in South Sacramento.  Promoted and sponsored by Andy Kensamphaph, founder of Sacramento's Muay Thai Lao Kickboxing Academy, the event took place at Wat Lao Saoputh Buddhist Temple in South Sacramento.  As a non-profit fundraiser, all proceeds went to the temple. South Sacramento resident Tommy Prongfah brought his children to show the

The Regional Water Authority (RWA) is pleased to announce the River-Friendly Landscaping, Green Gardener Training Program. The Green Gardener Training Program is a 10-week series providing high quality training to professionals on how to “garden green.” Attendees will learn landscape principles that can assist in reducing urban runoff, conserving water, and reducing solid waste, including: Conserving water, protecting the soil and reducing the use of pesticides. Many classes will include both indoor and outdoor hands-on components. Creating a healthier garden for your client and a healthier work environment for yourself and your employees. Offering a list of River-Friendly Landscaping

The Rancho Murieta training facility was a disaster scene this past week. Firefighters collaborated on an Urban Search and Rescue mission to carefully extract victims stranded in cars crushed under debris. The victims in this case, mannequins, were successfully removed from the wreckage. Firefighters treat this simulation as an actual disaster so they will be prepared when they get the call. For the past four years, firefighters from all over California have been gathering in the Sacramento area for a heavy equipment and rigging training course that culminated this past Wednesday. L.A. City, L.A. County, Oakland, Elk Grove, Roseville, Sacramento City and the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire

Start snorkeling today. Seems simple enough! Why do I need a class to, “Learn to Snorkel?” Snorkeling may seem easy enough, except when you realize you are in the Ocean and there is a problem. I found that “Education today” and practice really allowed me to enjoy my trip to Mexico. Training allowed me to solve my own problems. I saw so many other “cruisers” who hated the experience, because they had an issue and didn’t know there was a simple fix. My training allowed me to learn in a pool; make mistakes and solve problems. I found out that taking a snorkeling class before my cruise to the Mexican Rivera helped me really enjoy my days on the beach and in the water. The instructor told me

Announcing the opening of  Le Soleil. Le Soleil is a life, career and spiritual training ground for progressive adults looking to enhance their personal and professional lives, located in the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento and Lake Tahoe.    Le Soleil is the brain child of Rebecca Echevarria. Rebecca is an ordained minister in both the Christian and Buddhist traditions and our lead consultant (life coach). She has studied religion, philosphy and leadership extensively. This background enables her to work with Executives, Soccer Moms, and everything in between. She has written books on escaping the cult mentality, parenting and dealing with adversity. Her core beliefs are that each in

Do you love trees? Do you want to volunteer to improve your neighborhood's tree canopy? You can play a key role in helping the Sacramento Tree Foundation educate neighbors about the multiple benefits of trees, tree planting, pruning basics, and tree care. Learn how increasing the urban tree canopy can improve our built environment, health and save energy. Join a series of classes to learn tree care, pruning, planting techniques and more from area professionals in a weekly series of hands on class activities, discussion and field trips presented by the Sacramento Tree Foundation’s new LEAF (Leading Education Awareness in Urban Forestry) Program. New classes start for 8 weeks on Tuesday eve