The long-awaited renovations at the McKinley Park Rose Garden are nearing completion, and the garden is expected to be open by April – just in time for spring weddings in the park. “The process feels like it’s taken forever,” University of California Master Gardner Ellie Longanecker said Wednesday. The rose garden was scheduled to be closed from September to mid-February for renovations, including a new irrigation system, accessible walkways, planter curbs, new signs and handicap-accessible parking spaces near the garden entrance. The work has been extended until the end of March or early April, Longanecker said, because of problems with the new irrigation system that created delays in

The Salvation Army of Sacramento is looking for some volunteers to coach in its youth basketball league (13 and under, 10 and under, and 7 and under).   League organizers are seeking individuals with a basketball background and experience managing youth activities. Games are all played at The Salvation Army Ray Robinson Oak Park Community Center (located on the corner of Alhambra and Broadway). For more information, please call 916-469-4620.

“It’s getting cold out here.” Kelsey Cottle uttered this while ringing The Salvation Army bell outside Macy’s at Sunrise Mall.  Yet her fellow bell ringers did not care--they were having the time of their lives. “Yeah, they’re having fun,” Cottle said. Meet Carl Virgin and Eulogio Lizarraga--the jubilant bell ringers. Both have cerebral palsy and are confined to wheelchairs, but they do not let it deter their efforts to give back. “It just a good time for them to get out and people to see them,” said Cottle, who is Carl’s personal attendant through S.T.E.P. (Strategy To Empower People) services. “It’s great that they get to see them so happy and that they can do this (volunteer) like e

Prelude to the Season 2011 - Arts & Minds Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to all our sponsors, volunteers and guests! On October 14, 2011, Prelude to the Season debuted the theme “Arts and Minds” to recognize the unity of creative pARTerships. The event began with a video greeting from Congresswoman Doris Matsui and a welcome speech by Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson. The lineup featured entertainment by jazz duo Clemon Charles & Mike Wilson; the cast of Cosmo Cabaret’s current show, “Bingo!”; dancers from I Can Do That!, an arts and education group that works with young people of all abilities; a short film by BVA Volunteer Jayson Carpenter on the work of Heart to Heart

More than 200 handbags were up for grabs during the October 15 Helping Handbags luncheon and auction. Hosted by The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary, a volunteer group made of local business women and retirees, the event had nearly 500 attendees pack the Radisson Hotel grand ballroom to check out the seventh annual live and silent auctions. “It exceeded my dreams,” said Laurel Speier, Helping Handbags event chairperson. “You could see the ladies here in attendance had a lot of fun.” More than $75,000 was raised. All of the proceeds will go to Salvation Army’s programs for women and children in the Sacramento area. “Many of us here are blessed to have (comfortable) lives,” Speier said,

On Wednesday, Hawaiian Chieftain, a two-masted sailing ship modeled after typical European merchant traders from the late 18th century, tied up at Front and L streets in Old Sacramento. Tower Bridge is nearby, and the ship’s sails can be seen extending high into the sky when walking down the docks toward the water. For most of the year, the Hawaiian Chieftain sails with the brigantine called Lady Washington along the West Coast. The Lady Washington is the official ship of Washington and has appeared in many films, such as, “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl”, “Starship Enterprise” and “Star Trek Generations”.The two ships are owned by the Grays Harbor Historical Seapo

In a survey given to 375 homeless people in 2009 and 2010, the Sacramento Housing Alliance found that 30 percent of the homeless population reported that transportation was the largest barrier to employment and a new program is planned to help. Paratransit’s Mobility Training and Job Search Shuttle for the Homeless, commonly known as Wheels to Work, launched Wednesday morning at the Volunteers of America Family Center, 470 Bannon St. Wheels to Work is a program dedicated to providing homeless and low-income earners with transportation and mobile job training by means of two large vans. The vans are designed to give homeless men and women access to job training and transportation that is

The smell of chocolate truffles, orange cream and strawberries flooded the KVIE commercial kitchen Wednesday morning as Women’s Empowerment graduates were hard at work. Making 1,200 desserts for 550 people was no easy task, but the 10 women took on the challenge with smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes. The desserts are for the 10th Anniversary Celebration of Independence Gala that benefits Women’s Empowerment, a Sacramento non profit that helps homeless women find jobs and housing for their families. The gala is Thursday from 5:30 - 9 p.m. at the Grand Hyatt, 1215 J St. The women worked diligently to make the perfect cheesecake bites from a recipe of one of the graduate’s grea

One hundred and fifty planes from across the Unites States and Canada will be wowing crowds expected to be upward of 150,000 this weekend according to California Capital Airshow Executive Director Darcy Brewer. The sixth annual airshow – and biggest show to date – will be honoring the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, the 100th anniversary of naval aviation and the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11. The 2011 California Capital Airshow will take place from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Mather Airport, 3745 Whitehead St. in Mather. People came from seven different countries last year to see the show, and Brewer said they are expecting those numbers to continue to grow. “It really is a

Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue Group & Sanctuary is hosting its 11th annual Kibble & Bids™ event, one of the Sacramento area's premier fundraisers.  This year's theme is "Golden Harvest".  It will be held at the Antique Truck Museum, a part of the fascinating Heidrick Ag History Center at 1962 Hays Lane, Woodland, California.  The date is Saturday, October 8, 2011.  The event will go from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. Be greeted by friendly Golden Retrievers as you enter this exciting museum of antique trucks.  Sip premium wines, craft beers, and non-alcoholic beverages. Taste samples from some of the area's outstanding restaurants and caterers, while strolling through the exhibits.   Live ba

“There was a lot of weed growing. It was really dirty.” That is the way 16-year-old Brianna described the playground area at The Salvation Army Oak Park campus. “Just didn’t look good,” she said. But that changed on Saturday when Brianna and nearly 20 other youngsters from The Salvation Army youth, church and education programs volunteered to help spruce things up. In a community event called “Together We Grow”, the kids, along with Salvation Army staff and other volunteers, worked collectively to take out the weeds, plant vegetable seeds and clean up all of the playground area. “We’re giving young people a good example of working together,” Luisa Lose, Salvation Army community center

The Salvation Army of Sacramento County is looking for volunteers on Friday, July 29 and Thursday, August 4 to help with the set-up of its new transitional housing facility.  The 35-unit complex, located near I-80 and Watt Ave., will provide reduced-cost transitional housing for working families with children. Volunteers are needed to help unload boxes of furniture, move them into the units, assemble beds and tables, and collect packaging for recycling. The weather will be warm, but there is a lot of shade outside and air conditioning inside!  Lunch will be provided along with plenty of cold water. Dress: Volunteers must wear closed toed rubber soled shoes. No flip flops or sandals, pl

There’s a nationally known canine rescue organization right in Sacramento’s backyard, and its motto is, “Rescue; the compassionate alternative”. That organization is Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary. Since its inception in 2000 as a non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing and finding homes for abused, abandoned, or surrendered Goldens and Golden mixes, Homeward Bound has found homes for over 6,500 dogs. In 2010 alone, we “re-homed” (A canine rescue term for placing dogs with an adoptive family) over 850. Homeward Bound depends entirely on volunteers. There are no paid positions. Most of these dogs come from Northern California and find homes in our region; howe

When City Council members approved the 2011-12 budget in June, they said that the city’s community centers would not be closed – but the centers won’t receive any city funding to keep them open, either. Now, a team of people at the city’s Neighborhood Services Department, along with the Department of Parks and Recreation, are trying to keep the 15 community centers in Sacramento open by partnering with nonprofit and community-based organizations. Late last year, Neighborhood Services had already begun looking for ways to make the idea work when it sent out “requests for proposals” seeking groups interested in overseeing the centers and providing the financial backing needed to operate th

A German delegation came to volunteer at The Salvation Army’s Family Services facility in Sacramento on June 30. The visit was set up by the Northern California World Trade Center, which is hosting the three member party. The group is made up of two state parliament members, Markus Blume and Roland Theis, and the mayor of the town Monheim am Rhein, Daniel Zimmermann. They, along with nine other volunteers, spent nearly two hours creating 342 food boxes in the Salvation Army warehouse. “People here (the volunteers) are really excited to contribute and help others,” said Blume, member of the Bavarian State Parliament. “We’re really happy to come out and help in some way.” Sacramento was t

Today, the kids from The Salvation Army’s day care and summer day camp programs had a chance to see Stuart Little. Not the movie, but an actual live production, performed by the American River College Theatre Arts Department. The performance took place at the Salvation Army’s Oak Park campus. “It’s great that we can bring this to a warm and friendly environment,” said Tracy Martin Shearer, director of the play. “That’s the thing about the arts; it brings joy, entertainment, education and excitement.  We often find that more than half of children watching had not seen a play until our performance." The latest presentation was part of the theatre arts department’s “Children’s Theatre Tour

On May 21st at Sacramento City College, Sacramento Steps Forward will be hosting its 4th annual Sacramento Homeless Connect event. In addition to the over 800 homeless guests and 60 service providers in attendance, 500 community volunteers participate as well. Volunteers provide help at important stations like housing or health services, serving lunch to guests, guiding guests to services, checking guests in at the intake station or participating in the job readiness fair. There are many positions available, and folks can sign up to volunteer at Hands-On Sacramento. This is a very popular event, so sign up as soon as you can! Volunteer positions tend to go quickly. Community volunteers

Spring break is usually associated with traveling and having fun. Well, a group of college students took that concept to a whole another level. Twenty-five students from the Energy Service Corps spent their time off to help weatherize different facilities throughout the state of California. The latest was a stop at The Salvation Army Center of Hope shelter in downtown Sacramento on March 25. “We decided to come here because they (Salvation Army) have done so much for the community,” said Abbygail Williams, Energy Service Corps member and UC Davis student. “The students just wanted to give them back something in return.” This weatherization event was part of the Energy Alternative Sprin

Nearly 50 volunteers descended on Tahoe Park this past Saturday morning for the first “Clean-Up Day” of the year. The stormy weather and gray clouds were no deterrent to the men, women, and children who participated in the Tahoe Park Neighborhood Association’s event. Friends and family members broke up into about a dozen teams and were given a wide berth to attend to whatever section of the park they wanted. Some teams patched the worn-out sections in the jogging path. Other teams weeded the tree trunks and spread fresh mulch around their bases. Even more teams cut suckers and low lying branches on the pine trees. Eleven year resident Ray Duke found the event to be well organized and als

The Maidu Museum & Historic Site in Roseville is an oasis in suburbia. Saturday marks the one-year anniversary of a new museum building, which replaced the temporary modular building that housed the Maidu Interpretive Center. The new museum is the final component of a plan put into motion several years ago to establish a permanent testament to Maidu culture in Roseville. The 30-acre site features Maidu grinding stones and petroglyphs, as well as indigenous plants and animals. The city of Roseville purchased the land from the federal government in 1969 for $100 per acre, according to the program from the museum's opening ceremony last year. The property borders the bedroom and commercial