community

Today we continue up the road on US Route 395 to Mono Lake, 750,000 years old and an ecological marvel in the dramatic eastern shadow of the Sierra Nevada.

Nothing at Mono Lake is all that impressive, at first, especially if you’ve been smitten by the eastern Sierra Nevada’s craggy granite peaks, crystal-blue lakes, and all that snow and blue sky. Big, gray lake sprouting freeform white towers of tufa, or calcium carbonate, giving the place a craters-of-the-moon look; highly alkaline, salty water; sometimes an odd smell complete with flies and the endless swirl of seagulls; and a sparse day-old stubble of sage all around. 

On 7/13 we visit Chico Theater Company to talk with director and actors from "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change," a collection of musical theater sketches about contemporary life and love.  We also talk with a teacher from Yuba City High about a ceramic mural made by her students, a mural about the life-cycle of salmon, for display at the Feather River Fish Hatchery. 

Growing up, Jacob Peterson was the beneficiary of some support from a community member outside of his family. This person helped Jacob down the path to his eventual college education, and one day he looked back and thought maybe he could give that same gift to others. As the executive director for the Junior Leadership Development Program, that's exactly what he aims to do. 

Allison Boyer started Purses for Primates when she was in seventh grade. The nonprofit group doesn't seek to arm apes with purses — it cleans up old purses and sells them, donating the profits to Orangutan Outreach. 

The Celebration Foundation generates funding for cancer-related services in Butte County through its biennial Celebration. 

The foundation was started by Charlene Mikeska, a breast cancer survivor who started volunteering for Marin County's Stepping Out To Celebrate Life. Like Stepping Out, The Celebration is a gala and fashion show featuring breast cancer survivors. 

The North Valley Community Foundation's president and CEO Alexa Benson-Valavanis and director of community engagement Jovanni Tricerri share what their organization does, and how those involved benefit their communities.