Sacramento – DaVita Inc. (NYSE: DVA), a leading provider of kidney care services for those diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD), today announced that Janis Schwarz, JoAnn Plitt and Michael Colvin, Sacramento residents, will ride to raise money for kidney awareness in the 2010 Tour DaVita® bike ride through Washington. On Sept. 19, Janis, JoAnn and Michael will ride alongside DaVita® teammates (employees), family and friends riding a total of 250 miles over the course of three days. The ride will kick-off in Tacoma and end in Shelton – all in the effort to raise awareness and funds in the fight against CKD.

A silent epidemic, CKD affects 31 million adult Americans, with more than 360,000 individuals suffering from kidney failure and currently on dialysis. The chance that an American adult has CKD is almost as high as an American woman’s risk of getting breast cancer, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognize CKD as a major public health problem that not only reduces the quality and length of life, but is also expensive to treat.

“To be among a group of people so dedicated to this cause is truly inspiring,” said Schwarz. “This is an opportunity for us to push ourselves physically for all of our dialysis patients who struggle physically every day. We are  proud to be a part of this dedicated team of kidney care advocates and we are confident that together we can make a real difference.”

To participate in the 2010 Tour DaVita, each rider raised a minimum of $750 in donations and paid his/her own travel expenses. The participants’ individual fundraising combined with DaVita and other corporate sponsorships is expected to contribute more than $700,000 to The Kidney TRUST™, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization working to prevent kidney disease through public education and awareness across the United States .

For more information about the 2010 Tour DaVita, visit www.tourdavita.org.

Special to Valley Community Newspapers

SACRAMENTO — On August 25, 2010 the Sacramento County Airport System closed the sale of $128.3 million in tax exempt Series 2010 Senior Revenue Bonds.  The sale secured the final portion of debt financing anticipated to be needed to complete the Big Build at Sacramento International Airport. 

Co-Senior underwriters Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan managed the sale of the bonds offering maturities ranging from 2012 to 2040 at an average interest rate of 4.8%.  Due to the favorable interest rates and the ability to sell the bonds as exempt from the Alternative Minimum Tax, the final debt service on the bonds will be $400,000 – $500,000 less per year than projected. 

 The bond sale was popular with both retail and institutional investors.   Roughly three times more orders were received than could be filled during pricing.  

 “This last bond sale provides remaining capital needed to fund the Big Build construction program,” said Roger Dickinson, Chair of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors.  “The revenue bonds associated with the Big Build enable investors to see their investment develop and mature as both a tangible facility and financial gain.”

Senior and subordinate lien bonds totaling $945,105,000 have been sold to support the $1.1 billion Big Build construction program.  Previous bonds sold to support the Big Build were sold at average rates of 5.8% and 5.4%.

Sacramento International Airport was the 37th busiest North American Airport during the year ended June 30, 2009 with approximately 9.2 million passengers.  The Sacramento County Airport System is responsible for planning, developing, operating, and maintaining four of Sacramento County’s airports: Sacramento International Airport, Executive Airport, Mather Airport and Franklin Field. For more information on the County Airport System, visit www.sacairports.org.

Special to Valley Community Newspapers 

Sacramento - In recognition of the substantial ongoing support of Crocker Art Museum capital campaign co-chairs Mort and Marcy Friedman, the Crocker will name the position of the director in their honor—the Mort and Marcy Friedman Director of the Crocker Art Museum. The Friedmans have not only donated 10 million dollars to the Crocker’s capital campaign, they have inspired the local community to support the Crocker and Sacramento’s growth as a prominent center for arts, culture and education. Both have been active as Board members and have dedicated countless hours to the Museum. 

Lial A. Jones, the Mort and Marcy Friedman Director of the Crocker Art Museum, states, “Building a great art museum takes great leaders who possess the vision, determination and action to ensure the goal becomes a reality. The Crocker’s unprecedented campaign success is the result of incredible community leaders. While the Friedmans didn’t seek personal recognition, the Museum wanted to be certain that they were acknowledged and honored. Naming the directorship of the Museum is a way to convey the gratitude we at the Crocker feel for the enormity of the Friedmans’ support. Their passion for the Museum has helped re-shape this institution in a way that will benefit the community for generations to come.”

The Friedmans’ tremendous generosity and dedication to the Crocker expansion is testimony to their passionate commitment to enhancing the quality of life for Sacramentans and the standing of the city on the national scene. Their extraordinary contributions to organizations in the region also encompass active support of higher education, which includes funding student scholarships and speaker’s programs at California State University, Sacramento. They are also ardent supporters of Capital Unity Council and Mosaic Law Congregation. Together the Friedmans have been named Sacramentan of the year by the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce and Philanthropist of the Year by the National Society of Fundraising Executives.

Special to Valley Community Newspapers 

Rob Barnard, Vase, 1994. Stoneware, wood-fired, 9 3/4 x 6 in. Promised gift of Josseline and Rob Wood.

Sacramento – The Crocker Art Museum has received a gift of 37 works by ceramist Rob Barnard, one of the foremost practitioners of the wood-fired tradition. The collection, given by Rob Wood, brings to the Museum a fully developed view of Barnard’s studio practice up to the present. This generous gift enhances the Crocker’s ceramics holdings, contributing to its status as an international destination for the research and exhibition of contemporary ceramics.

 Collector Rob Wood first became aware of Barnard’s work in 1988 and met Barnard later that year during the artist’s solo exhibition at Washington, D.C.’s Anton Gallery.  Wood has been collecting Barnard’s work since that time. “What struck me about Barnard’s work then, and continues to resonate with me today, is just how complex ‘simple’ can be,” Wood said. “Barnard’s work is the physical manifestation of that riddle. It is everything the early 21^st century is not—profoundly minimal, quiet and restrained—yet it is also unmistakably a product of our time.”

Barnard began studying pottery at the University of Kentucky in 1971. He went on to study under the distinguished Kazuo Yagi at Kyoto University of Fine Arts in 1974. He has participated in numerous juried and solo exhibitions in the United States and Japan. Currently, he is a lecturer in ceramics at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

“We are deeply appreciative of Mr. Wood’s generosity in making this gift to the Crocker Art Museum,” said Diana L. Daniels, associate curator, Crocker Art Museum. “Rob Barnard has been an influential maker, author, and advocate for ceramics appreciation. This gift makes us the first major museum to receive a thoughtfully developed survey of Barnard’s production.” An exhibition and catalogue of Barnard’s work is being planned.

“As one of the premier institutions in the United States committed to the field of international ceramics, the Crocker Art Museum is the obvious choice for this gift,” said Wood.

Rob Barnard, Jug, 1997. Stoneware, wood-fired, 10 1/2 x 4 in. Promised gift of Josseline and Rob Wood.

On October 10, 2010 the Crocker Art Museum will celebrate the public opening of its dramatic 125,000-square-foot expansion designed by Charles Gwathmey and Gwathmey Siegel and Associates Architects. The new Teel Family Pavilion complements the 125-year-old Crocker’s historic structures and more than triples the museum’s current size, enhancing its role as a cultural and educational resource for Sacramento and California’s many visitors. Extensive new galleries enable the Crocker to present an expanded program of traveling exhibitions and exhibit significantly more of its permanent collection, which has grown by more than 4,000 objects in the past decade.

Special to Valley Community Newspapers

They’re all over town – utility poles plastered with signs and notices for yard sales, political campaigns and lost animals. But the signs and handbills posted on utility poles are more than an eyesore. They’re also a serious hazard for utility workers who climb the poles.

Nails, staples, tacks, and screws used to post signs can cause serious injury to utility workers who climb the wooden utility power poles every day. This is a particular problem during election season.

When the signs fall off or are removed, the fasteners often remain in the pole, causing utility workers to get cut or injured. Nails and staples can obstruct climbing gear, causing workers to slip or fall as they climb. And even the tiniest puncture in a line worker’s rubber gloves can expose them to severe shock from power lines.

When advertising for a political candidate, lost pet, garage sale or other event, avoid posting signs on power poles.

Special to Valley Community Newspapers

There will be considerable anticipation along with a few tearful goodbyes when Sacramento State’s newest students embark on their college journey at 8 a.m. Friday, Aug. 27 during the University’s annual Move-In Day.

About 1,600 students, 1,100 of them freshmen, will move from home into Sacramento State’s residence halls, aided by more than 250 volunteers. Students, parents and volunteers will be climbing up stairs and winding their way through hallways carrying all sort of items – from clothing to computers and binders to big-screen TVs.

The other 500 students will move in throughout the weekend, primarily taking up residence at American River Courtyard, the suite-style residence hall that opened last fall for students over 21 years of age or sophomore on up.

“This is the day we all look forward to,” said Housing and Residential Life Director Michael Speros. “It’s really rewarding to help our first-year residents get started on a new and exciting chapter of their lives.”

Milestone to house homeless is ahead of three-year goal

SACRAMENTO – Today Mayor Kevin Johnson announced that‘Sacramento Steps Forward’ has provided permanent housing for over 1,168 families, a milestone that is ahead of a three-year goal of 2,400 by November 2012.

“I ran for mayor to make Sacramento a city that works for everyone. In these challenging economic times, I am proud to announce that the city, county and federal governments partnered with the faith community and service providers to house an unprecedented number of families,” Johnson said.

“This is regional collaboration at its best– working to give a hand up to the least among us. Building on this achievement, together we can step forward and end homelessness in the Sacramento region.”

‘Sacramento Steps Forward’ is a united and regional initiative to find comprehensive solutions to the long-standing issues involving homelessness. Johnson launched the initiative last November. It also provides leadership and oversight of the 10-year Plan to End Homelessness which was adopted by the City and County in 2006.

The initiative is guided by five goals: permanent housing, empowering services, regional advocacy, sustainable funding, and real accountability.

Mayor Johnson also discussed the need to ensure a safety net is in place on the way to permanent housing, which includes an effective blend of emergency shelters, transitional housing and prevention, with goal being to empower individuals and families to be successful and self sustaining.

Johnson was also joined by members of the faith-based community and private donors to celebrate the ‘One Day to End Homelessness’ Campaign that recently reached its $400,000 fundraising goal.

The campaign was a one-time opportunity that asked citizens to donate one day’s worth of their rent or mortgage payment to the Sacramento Region Community Foundation in order to leverage federal dollars needed to support those less fortunate in the Sacramento region.

The campaign officially began in March, where over 80 faith-based groups asked their congregants to make donations during their weekend services.

For every dollar privately raised, the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) of Sacramento County has received $4 in funds from the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Emergency Contingency Fund.

HPRP will now receive $1.6 million in matching funds, allowing up to 1,800 eligible families and individuals to be served in Sacramento County.

“This is a huge achievement, but we don’t want to stop here. We will continue to raise funds and create awareness for an issue that affects so many in our region. Together with the Mayor’s leadership, the support of service providers, and the faith community, we will find a way to meet the challenges of homelessness one person at a time,” said Pastor Rick Cole of Capital Christian Center.

HPRP currently employs a “Housing First” strategy to prevent and curtail homelessness in the Sacramento Region. It is a cost-effective and proven solution that prevents the near-homeless from losing their homes and shortens the time homeless families and individuals displaced by the economy spend in shelters.

In Sacramento County, three HPRP providers–Salvation Army, Lutheran Social Services, and Volunteers of America–were chosen to provide four core HPRP component services: Screening and Assessment, Financial Assistance, Housing Locator Services, and Stabilization Services.

Mayor Johnson is currently chair of the Policy Board to End Homelessness in Sacramento and focusedon finding long-term, comprehensive solutions that will end homelessness in our region.

Since taking office, Johnson has lead the progress to end homelessness by facilitating the closure of ‘tent city’, finding solutions for winter shelter, and reaching an accord with ‘Safe Ground’ members, an advocacy group that has brought attention to homelessness in our community. His campaign slogan, “A City That Works for Everyone,” was designed with the homeless population in mind.

For more information about Sacramento Steps Forward, go to: www.sacramentostepsforward.org