Operation Freedom Paws will receive $25,000 to continue helping more veterans receive a PTSD service dog.
Todd and Ivy received $10,000 in the inaugural Visible Impact Award sponsored by Purina. Photo Courtesy OFP
By Robert Airoldi
Robert Airoldi
This year, as part of the fifth annual “Service Dog Salute” campaign to highlight the life-changing benefits service dogs can provide veterans experiencing PTSD, Purina Dog Chow launched the brand’s first-ever Visible Impact Award. In partnership with the Association of Service Dog Providers for Military Veterans, the award honors veterans and their dedicated service dogs.
In the Sept. 21 issue, we highlighted Operation Freedom Paws’s news the service dog team Todd and Ivy were selected as one of only five national finalists for the Purina Visible Impact Award.
Drum roll please . . . They won it! Pam MacDougall, director of marketing for OFP said they were “over the moon” to receive the award.
Todd was on the brink of ending his life when a well-timed conversation with a fellow veteran inspired him to apply for a service dog to manage his PTSD. Ivy, a Great Pyrenees service dog, was the companion he needed. Ivy can smell changes in Todd’s body chemistry when he gets hypervigilant, angry or anxious in crowded social situations. When entering a room, Ivy will survey the environment, alleviating the feeling of threat before Todd enters a space, and if there is something in the room that could make Todd uncomfortable, Ivy will block him from entering.
Ivy was trained by OFP based in San Martin. As a result of the award, Ivy’s owner Todd will receive a $10,000 cash prize. Operation Freedom Paws will receive $25,000 to continue helping more veterans receive a PTSD service dog.
The Poppy Jasper International Film Festival is thrilled to share their fourth annual 40 & Up filmmaking workshop, created in 2018 and designed for adults 40 and older. This program gives these adults the opportunity to collaborate creatively on a short film, learning about the process through scriptwriting, pre-production, directing, and production.
The idea behind 40 & Up is to work with people who growing up always wanted to make a movie, but never had the opportunities, resources, and equipment. This is an opportunity for people to use newer technology, learn how to tell a compelling story, and realize filmmaking is a viable career path. It tells local adult residents they are never too old to learn a new skill or follow their dreams.
To participate, you don’t necessarily have to be 40-plus, but it is a more mature class. The program usually consists of writing, directing, and editing, but this year they’re adding industry professionals in other areas to help teach the filmmaking process. Helping is: Production Designer Roger Fires, two-time Emmy nominated screenwriter Kevin Rubio, Production Manager Mary Ann Rotondi, Music Composer Randy Spendlove, Editor Gabriele Fabbro, Graphic Designer Paul Johnstone, Marketing Director Norma Garcia Muro, and the Festival Formula to demystify the film festival process.
“After coming off a successful but exhausting festival run, I really wanted to do something creative with the community and the industry professionals that we created relationships with,” said Mattie Scariot, PJIFF executive director.
They will film a short script Nov. 12 and 13 in Morgan Hill, Gilroy, Hollister, and San Juan Bautista and are seeking extras and crew members to volunteer on one or both shooting dates. Anyone is welcome. If you are interested in helping out, contact Mattie at [email protected] by Nov. 11, or follow along with social media updates and come by the location on either day. There will be a Facebook event for the shooting days.
For updates, follow Poppy Jasper International Film Festival on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.
South Valley residents, make your holiday greetings special by sending them via “Pony Express.”
Morgan Hill resident Lyn Fellows is a member of the National Pony Express California Division. She told us the group will be riding Dec. 10 from the Folsom Museum to Old Sacramento. The mochila (or saddle pouch) will carry Christmas cards more than 30 miles of the original Pony Express route.
If you would like to have your greetings carried by the Pony Express, Fellows has placed special mail chests in two locations. You can drop your addressed cards between Nov. 5 and Dec. 6 with the correct postage at one of two locations: BookSmart at 421 Vineyard Town Center Morgan Hill or at Saddles and Treasures 7641 Monterey Hwy., Gilroy
Each card or letter will be stamped with a very special Pony Express stamp before turning it over to the United States Postal Service for the final lap of delivery. There’s no charge to have your Christmas Cards carried but donations are always appreciated by this nonprofit organization keeping history alive.
More information can be found at www.nationalponyexpress.org.
South Bay Singers, a 40-voice Morgan Hill-based choral group under the leadership of Conductor Kathy Esteves Bates, will present its ‘Welcome Christmas!’ concert at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 2 at Grace Hill Church, 16970 DeWitt Ave., Morgan Hill. After a long and unwelcome delay, the group re-emerged on the stage earlier this year with Bates at the helm for their Spring Songfest — and were thrilled to perform live choral music again.
“While our first concert post-pandemic was terrific, when you add beloved holiday music to the mix — songs that have been the soundtrack of our Decembers for as far back as we can remember — it makes the prospect of performing ‘Welcome Christmas!’ all the more thrilling,” Bates said.
Concert tickets are $20 and can be purchased at www.southbaysingers.com or at the door. Children younger than 10 get to enjoy it for free.
