Hat giveaway educates public about skin cancer
WATSONVILLE — Watsonville-based American Hat Makers is hosting the 10th annual Hat Day in the Sun on Thursday, June 22 at 1 p.m. at its headquarters on 125 Aviation Way in Watsonville.
Hat Day in the Sun is an annual national public awareness campaign dedicated to educating people about how the right headwear can protect against skin cancer, sun damage and premature aging.
“It is not about giving away free hats. It is about educating our community about the dangers of skin cancer — really relevant in a beach community,” said Hannah Watrous, VP of Marketing and Branding for American Hat Makers.
One free hat per customer, and supplies are limited. Last year, American Hat Makers gave away nearly 500 of its wide-brimmed, sun protection hats.
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CHP offering traffic safety classes
APTOS — The California Highway Patrol is offering traffic safety classes for senior drivers.
The Age Well, Drive Smart Program is designed to provide drivers with the keys to driving safer and driving longer. This program is designed as an educational tool for mature drivers. Topics of discussion will include:
• How to tune up driving skills.
• Refreshing their knowledge of the rules of the road.
• Learning about normal, age-related physical changes and how to adjust to them.
• When it may be time to limit or stop driving.
• Understanding the alternatives to driving.
Age Well, Drive Smart classes are approximately two-and-a-half hours long and are free of charge. These classes are geared toward drivers age 65 and up, but they are open to anyone who feels they can benefit from this information.
The next class will be held Tuesday, June 27 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Aptos branch of the Santa Cruz Public Library, 7695 Soquel Drive.
In addition, due to popular demand, another class will be held on June 30 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Aptos Library.
Space is limited. For information, and to make a reservation, call the Santa Cruz CHP Office at 662-0511.
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Ham radio course to begin
MARINA — A six-week ham radio licensing course will begin June 20 at CSU Monterey Bay.
Emergency communication, experimentation, contesting and education are a few of the foci of amateur radio.
Parking passes will be provided for attendees of this class series.
The class will run Tuesday evenings from 7-9 p.m.
Tickets for class seats are available on Eventbrite at www.eventbrite.com/e/amateur-radio-licensing-class-technician-tickets-35095037201?aff=es2
For information, contact Louis Arbanas at NJ**@AR**.net.
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Golf tournament benefits American Cancer Society
PACIFIC GROVE — The seventh annual Brady-Cheney Charity Golf Tournament will take place June 24 at Pacific Grove Municipal Golf Course to benefit the American Cancer Society.
Sign-ups are coordinated by Jack Cheney, a resident of Royal Oaks who will manage all of the tournament details.
More than $10,000 has been raised by this event to benefit cancer research over the previous six years.
The tournament, a foursome scramble, will begin at 9 a.m.
Trophies and prizes will be awarded. Side games include longest drive, mulligans and closest to the pin. Golf cart is included.
The tournament fee is $100 per person. To reserve a spot in the tournament, email Jack Cheney at ja********@ya***.com or call 595-0707.
Business sponsors for individual holes are asked to contact Jack.
For additional donations to the ACS, visit tinyurl.com/y8k6bdbq.
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Monterey County Free Libraries program a finalist for national award
CASTROVILLE — Monterey County Free Libraries announced that the Arts and Literacy Program at the Andy Ausonio branch in Castroville has been chosen for recognition as a 2017 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award Finalist.
The award is by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and its partner agencies, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The Arts Literacy Program, as it is also known, has been in existence for eight years. It is a program that introduces children to art and artists, and has the support of MCFL (the parent library system), the Friends of the Andy Ausonio Library group, the Haynes Foundation, and the Arts Council of Monterey County. MCFL provides the venue and staff support for the program, and the Friends of the Andy Ausonio Library have been consistently paying for the art supplies since the inception of the program.
The program originally started by library volunteer Virginia Baillie-Suzuki who ran the program for two years, and is now run by local artist Su Chesterman.
NAHYP reviewed 342 applications from 46 states, the District of Columbia, and two U.S. territories, and the Arts Literacy Program’s selection as one of the 50 Finalists distinguishes it as one of the top arts- and humanities-based programs for youth in the country.
“We are so happy that this wonderful program that has been transforming young lives in Castroville for so many years is finally getting the recognition it deserves,” said Jayanti Addleman, MCFL’s Library Director. “You go to one of these monthly programs and you see the concentration of the children, you see how serious they are about researching the art form or the artist, and then you see the pride and enjoyment in the finished product, and it simply warms your heart. This is also very exciting for us as the NAHYP is a highly prestigious award.”
If selected as a winner, MCFL hopes to expand the program and bring in other local artists to present the monthly programs and possibly organize trips to museums for the participants.
MCFL’s application is currently being reviewed for a 2017 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award by a national jury composed of arts and humanities field experts. Award winners will be notified by the end of June. If MCFL’s program is selected as a winner, they will receive a $10,000 one-time award and an invitation to accept the award at a ceremony in Washington, DC. MCFL will also have the opportunity to participate in the 14th annual NAHYP Awardee Conference, Aug. 2-4 in Washington, DC.
