Getting a Kick Out of Live Well

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HHSA North Coastal Family Resource Center employees have been playing soccer together and were their division's regular season champions. Front row (l to r): Alejandra Mejia-Rios, Rosa Torres, Veronica Chicas, Kristina Hernandez, Robert Hood. Back row: Eduardo Hernandez, Robin Dunbar, Jose Aguero, Noe Quiroz.

A group of co-workers from HHSA’s North Coastal Family Resource Center leaves behind the eligibility forms, phone calls and cubicles and take to the field every Sunday during the City of San Marcos’ co-ed indoor soccer season.

They do it for stress relief, to share a few laughs and to bond with co-workers. But it’s more than just fun and games.

It’s serious competition and they’re not messing around.

The team was second half regular season champions with a 7-3 record and finished as runners-up in the playoffs.

“Last season we made the playoff and lost in the first game,” said Noe Quiroz. “We’re making progress.”

There are 15 players on the team. Nine of them are HHSA employees and the rest are family members.

“So we were able to not only bond with our teammates, but their families as well,” said Kristina Hernandez.

Hernandez was the catalyst for starting the team.

They were all inspired by the County’s Live Well San Diego initiative and discovered several co-workers previously played or were interested in taking up soccer.

“It was not difficult to form a team,” said Hernandez. “Some players were playing for the first time, so we would have practices to form better chemistry amongst us.”

“The chemistry here at work helped out a lot and has helped us on our communications skills,” said Robin Dunbar.

The whole office has gotten into the spirit and has been very supportive of the team.

“I just started in this office last July and I didn’t know anyone but I really got to know all my co-workers through soccer,” said Robert Hood. “You get to let loose on the soccer field and our co-workers come out and cheer us on.”

One co-worker, Benno Davis, has really gotten into supporting the team. Hood said he’s their biggest cheerleader.

“He’s a fanatic,” agreed Eddie Hernandez. “He’s even brought a megaphone to the games.”

The encouragement is needed because it can get quite rough-and-tumble out there. Almost every player on the team has been injured at some point.

“There’s lots of sprinting and running around,” said Jose Aguero. “It’s very fast-paced.”

Rosa Torres pointed to a bruise on her shin. “This bruise is from last Sunday.”

Eddie said the first question they get asked on Monday mornings isn’t if they won or lost, it’s if they’re sore.

The bottom line according to Hood: “It’s just for fun and to get out of the office and run around for an hour.”

The team won’t get much rest, either. They have to have their paperwork in for the next half-season in just two weeks.

The team with their second place trophy from the playoffs last weekend..

Our 'Guardian of Water' Has a Sister

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This Guardian of Water stands in Yokohama, Japan, San Diego's sister city.

This Guardian of Water stands in Yokohama, Japan, San Diego's sister city.

She may stand tall and proud in front of the County Administration Center here in San Diego, but the “Guardian of Water” has a twin sculpture that resides nearly 5,600 miles away. And County employee Ellen Heigert recently got an up close look at it while in vacation in Yokohama, Japan.

This Guardian of Water stands on the west side of the SD County

This Guardian of Water stands on the west side of the SD County

“It was an accidental stumble,” said Heigert, who works in the Health and Human Service Agency’s Behavioral Health Services. “We took the water taxi that loops around the bay and happened to disembark at the foot of the park where the statue is located.”

The “Guardian of Water” sculpture fountain sits on the harbor side of the County Administration Center and was designed by local artist Donal Hord, who sculpted it over two years from a 22-ton granite block from a Lakeside quarry. It features a figure of a pioneer woman holding a water jug — symbolic of San Diego’s guardianship over one of its most precious resources — and was dedicated on June 10, 1939, in a ceremony at the new Civic Center (now the CAC).

In 1960, a replica of the “Guardian of Water” was sent over to Yokohama, Japan, as a gift from the San Diego-Yokohama Friendship Commission and emphasizing the sculpture’s significance in San Diego history.

“I was very surprised to see that San Diego had followed me across the Pacific!” Heigert said. “The park in which the statue is located was beautifully landscaped with spring flowers; and that particular day was sunny and clear and many people and dogs were enjoying the outdoors.  The boardwalk there is similar to the one on Harbor Drive and takes you right into the heart of the city.”

Yokohama gave San Diego this Friendship Bell in 1958.

Yokohama gave San Diego this Friendship Bell in 1958.

It was actually a gift exchange, and you may be familiar with the other half. In 1958, Yokohama sent San Diego a 6-foot-high bronze bell housed in a pavilion structure typically seen in Japan. The “Friendship Bell” has no clapper inside and weighs nearly 2.5 tons and was dedicated in 1960. You can check it out on Shelter Island at 1401 Shelter Island Drive.

Read more about the “Guardian of Water” and how it came to be and check out a documentary from the 1930s on it.

Lunch Honors Employees That Keep County Afloat

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They keep the County afloat and Wednesday, 340 County administrative professionals took to the seas for a lunch honoring all they do.

The annual Administrative Professionals Luncheon was held aboard the Inspiration Hornblower; and as it circled the bay, the admins enjoyed a three-course meal, heard from guest speaker Richard Lederer and took part in a raffle for prizes.

Chief Information Officer Mikel Haas spoke to the group of admins with appreciation for all they do.

"You run this County," Haas said.

The event was put on by the Finance & General Government Group and headed by Committee Chair Leslie Albrecht.

Check out the slideshow above for photos from the event or view the gallery here.

Hiking Their Way to Friendships, Fulfillment

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 Some members of the hiking club take a break for a photo on a recent outing at Daley Ranch in Escondido last month.

Sande Pence hadn’t been with the Department of Environmental Health long when she got to talking with a co-worker about one of her favorite topics: hiking.

Pence, a Supervising Environmental Health Specialist, has always been drawn to the outdoors. So had co-worker Brita Lum, then an Environmental Health Specialist. Both yearned to get back into the activity, after years of focusing more on other parts of life: marriage, children, careers. But they didn’t want to take the trails alone.

“We said how great it would be to have somebody to else to hike with,” Pence said.  

They agreed to go together sometime.

Nearly six years later, the duo continues to hit up the trails of San Diego County—and beyond—on a regular basis. Their passion has spread. Pence and Lum formed a hiking club and now dozens of current and former co-workers in DEH, Agriculture, Weights and Measures and the Department of Public Works join them on monthly hiking adventures. The group has hiked so many trails that they’ve started to double back and do the same ones a second time. They’ve done the well-trod trails at Torrey Pines State Reserve and Cowles Mountain, but then moved to more enterprising hikes like at Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve near Julian, the Cuyamaca and Laguna Mountains and the County’s Hellhole Canyon Preserve near Valley Center.

These aren’t just casual walks. While the tone is fun and casual, the group is serious about getting a good workout. Hikes usually run at least three to five miles, but some have gone a lot farther. A few years ago, a group even made it to the summit of Mt. Whitney, the tallest peak in the lower 48 states, in the Inyo National Forest.

Last month, about 10 hiking club members met at 8 a.m. on a Sunday morning at Daley Ranch in Escondido. Under hazy skies, they showed up in comfortable exercise clothes, some with hiking poles, maps and jugs of water. From there, the group hiked about seven miles, doing a big loop across the ranch’s beautiful, rocky green terrain.  

Their next hike will be at Rattlesnake Canyon in Poway on May 10.

Members of the club have ventured far beyond just hiking, into other types of exercise, too. They go on bike rides together, and some even participate in a triathlon together once a year.

This all adds up to a lot of calories burned. And in some cases, dramatic health improvements.

“We’ve seen people’s bodies and health transform,” said Mary Lou White, a member of the group and a Rural Generalist for DEH. The group has helped inspire one member with diabetes to get out and exercise.

A combination of exercise and better eating have helped Pence to lose 50 pounds since she co-founded the group. She got so into bicycling that she now rides her bike to work every day from her home in Escondido to the DEH office in San Marcos. The changes have pushed down her blood pressure and cholesterol, and she is no longer at risk for diabetes or high blood pressure like before.

“I think for me anyways, having motivation and support from people who have similar interests helps me stay, on track and stay focused,” Pence said. “I think it is part of my success.”  

Lum, who left her position at DEH in 2010 to focus on caring for her children, said it was her love and appreciation for nature that initially drew her to hiking. The friendships she has formed with others who share that same enthusiasm has been the biggest benefit.

When you’ve hiked “endless miles” with a person you get to know “all the little things about them,” she said.
And “it is incredibly therapeutic talking to people who may be struggling with the same issues that you have or have had in the past,” she said. “Not only is it good for your physical health but your mental health as well.”

Lum, who is training for a marathon now, said after she and Pence finish a big hiking trip together, “we literally feel like the mountain has washed us clean. It’s the best feeling ever!”

There’s a quote by the iconic naturalist John Muir that perfectly sums up what Pence said draws her to the outdoors and what inspired her and Lum to set off on hikes in the first place. It’s from Muir’s 1918 book, “Steep Trails,” a collection of his writings about traveling the American West: “But in every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.”

For more information, or to join the hiking club, contact Sande Pence at Sande.Pence@sdcounty.ca.gov.

A view from the hiking club's most recent outing at Daley Ranch in Escondido last month.

March of Dimes: Blazing Trails for Babies

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Whether you plan to walk in the March for Babies 5K at Balboa Park this Saturday, donate to a participating co-worker or organize a fundraiser, your support of the March of Dimes makes a huge difference.

But do you know about the nonprofit’s trailblazing history? Are you familiar with where your donations go?

The 76-year-old organization has a long and distinguished record of working to improve the health of mothers and babies--and being at the forefront in doing so. Turns out, the March of Dimes has funded some of the biggest medical advances of the 20th and 21st centuries. Research it helped fund has been recognized with 13 Nobel Prizes.

County employees are again participating this year in the March of Dimes' biggest annual fundraiser, the March for Babies. This Saturday, the organization will hold its second local 5K walk of the year at Balboa Park, starting at 8 a.m. Another 5K walk took place April 12 in Oceanside. When it began in 1970, the event was the first charitable walk held in the U.S. To register for one of the events or make a donation to your group’s team, visit the March for Babies page on InSite.

Founded by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1938, the March of Dimes' original mission was to end the polio epidemic. With that goal achieved by the 1950s, the nonprofit’s focus shifted to discovering the genetic causes of birth defects. It also worked to promote newborn screenings and educate medical staffs and the public on healthy pregnancies. The March of Dimes supported research for surfactant therapy to treat newborn’s respiratory problems, helped initiate a system of regional neonatal intensive care for premature and sick babies and helped dramatically reduce birth defects by encouraging mothers-to-be to take folic acid.

In recent years, the March of Dimes has focused on preventing the increasing problem of premature births. It launched a multi-year campaign to raise awareness and research the causes. According to the March of Dimes website, the rate of premature births in the U.S. has risen by 36 percent over the past 25 years. Each year, more than half a million babies are born too soon.

Each year in San Diego and Imperial Counties, nearly 8,900 pregnant women receive late or no prenatal care. Of the 47,910 babies born, more than 9 percent are born pre-term.

In an effort to prevent such premature births, the March of Dimes funds research to look for its causes. The organization also supports legislation to improve care for moms and babies.

Among the nonprofit’s initiatives making a difference locally:

  • A three-year grant totaling almost $150,000 called the Scripps Mercy Family Practice Residency Program aimed at improving perinatal care for underserved women in the San Diego border region. The grant helps provide education and clinical services to pregnant Latina women in South County.
  • Funding for three research grants at UC San Diego and the Salk Institute that total $813,000.
  • A $6,875 award to three organizations that focus on professional education and bereavement support for newborn intensive care unit families.

For more information or to participate, visit the March of Dimes page on InSite.

10 Plants to Perk Up Your Workspace

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For many of us, working in a small space indoors can get a little… gray. But a couple experts have some plants and tips for County employees that can help perk up your workspace and make it a little more colorful.

Master Gardeners Laura Starr and Lisa Rini offered a list of plants that fare well indoors. They both note that no plant will do well indefinitely in an office environment, due to the lack of natural light and fresh air. But there are steps you can take to ensure the plants live as best as they can.

There is no Countywide policy regarding having plants at your desk, but be aware a department or site may have guidelines about bringing in something green.

Aside from making things more aesthetically pleasing, Starr said some of the plants below have been shown to clean the air. All are inexpensive and pretty easy to get.

 

1. Sansevieria

 

2. Dracaena

 

3. Golden Pothos

 

4. Bromeliad

 

5., Spider Plant

 

6. African Violet

 

7. Anthurium

 

8. Chrysanthemum

 

9. Phalaeonopsis Orchid

 

10. Peace Lily

 

Master Gardener Office Plant Tips:

  • All-things H2O: NEVER let a plant sit in water. Always have a drainage hole in the container to avoid overwatering. Rini said plants should be watered one time per week. Moisture meters can be purchased for about $6-$10 and can help you decide if your plant is thirsty or not. And remember, water only! No dumping soda or coffee into your plants.
  • Don’t over-fertilize: You need to follow your plant’s label carefully to ensure the plant doesn’t get burned by the fertilizer. There are many online articles that can offer up recommendations for fertilizer.
  • Scrub them down: Wash down the leaves periodically to rid the plants of dust and dead leaves.
  • Let there be light: The fluorescent lights in an office should provide enough light for these plants, but if possible, set the plant near a window.
  • Regulating temps: Air conditioning and heat can be drying to plants, especially the flowers, so make sure your plant is not placed directly in front of a vent.
  • Check for pests: Check your plant carefully every week and note any changes — webs, sticky substances, ants and insects. If the problem cannot be easily groomed off of the plant, it may be best to replace the plant.

If a plant is starting to decline, rotate it out of the office and into an outside, shaded garden. When it starts to flourish again, move it back onto your desk and repeat as needed.

Sounds like too much work?  There’s no shame in simply replacing the plants periodically (especially if you like flowering plants).

The Master Gardener program is overseen by the UC Cooperative Extension, which staffs the County’s Farm and Home Advisor Department. If you have questions about your office plant, please feel free to contact the Master Gardener hotline at 858-822-6910.

Probation Employee Group Serves Families of Sick Kids

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Some 20 members of the Asian Islander Probation Association recently prepared and served a free lunch for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House of San Diego.

The association served 150 family members at the “home away from home” for people whose children are receiving care in nearby hospitals for life-threatening illnesses.

“We have been working with the Ronald McDonald House for the last six or seven years. We enjoy talking with the families,” said association president Rosa Pagala, a retired probation officer. “We don’t tell them we’re probation officers, we just want to help these families who are going through a really, really tough time.”

Serving families at Ronald McDonald House of San Diego is the employee group’s signature event; they volunteer there on an annual basis, she said.

“The gratitude expressed to the volunteers made it a worthwhile event,” said member Irene Lilly, supervising probation officer. “They were very appreciative.”

The Asian Islander Probation Association (AIPA) was started 12 years ago and has increased cultural awareness throughout the Probation Department through its strong commitment to professional development and community service.  AIPA often partners with the Probation Department during the Juvenile Hall Open House and through the VIP Golf Tournament.  In addition, AIPA cooperates with the Probation Officers Association (POA) by assisting them with their annual summer picnic.

To learn more about the Asian Islanders Probation Association, contact Pagala at  rosapagala@hotmail.com.