They’ll stick by your side through thick and thin, smother you with kisses and generally be your best friend…if you’ll let them. They are the cats and dogs that often get overlooked for their younger or livelier cage-mates, but still got a lot of love to give. Well, the Butte Humane Society is on a mission to adopt out as many of these passed-over pets to as many loving homes as possible by participating in Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable Pet Day.
A program of national awareness that was originally created by petfinders.com, it’s a campaign normally held on August 12th for the amazing “less adoptable” animals in shelters across the country. The idea is to help “less adoptable” pets to find a new home by offering special adoption rates to stir up interest. What makes these animals “less adoptable” you ask? Well in my book, absolutely nothing. But animals that seem to have the hardest time finding a home are those that are considered seniors, animals with special needs, black animals, animals that suffer from breed stereotypes and animals that can be the only pet in the household. Breed stereotypes refer to dogs such as Pitbulls, German Shepherds, or Rottweilers who often get stereotyped as more violent breeds, however if raised by a loving family and treated right, these breeds often become some of the most loyal pets. For instance, in the UK the Pitbull is often called the “nanny dog” because of how loyal and protective of children they are.
The Butte Humane Society has participated in the Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable Pet program for the past two years, but this year they decided that one day was not nearly enough to devote to these adorable critters. So, instead of just one day, BHS has extended the event into Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable Pet Weekend. From Aug. 12-15, prospective pet owners can head down to the Butte Humane Society at any point during their regularly scheduled hours and find their very own “less adoptable” pet to take home. To help with the adoption process, BHS plans to take $25 off the adoption fees for less adoptable dogs and puppies, $20 off less adoptable kittens and are offering FREE less adoptable cats to good homes.
They also plan to bring some of these furry friends to their “Mall Cats” location in the Chico Mall. Those of you who have been to the mall recently may have seen BHS’s room full of cats and kittens; well on Aug. 14-15 they will be showcasing a plethora of friendly felines and canines as part of the “less adoptable” program. BHS Event Coordinator Lori Wells says that this presents the perfect opportunity for the whole family (including any current pets you may have) to choose a new addition to the family. The Chico Mall “has lots of great grassy areas…if there is a pet that they like they can do the meet and greet then and there,” says Wells.
Want to take a sneak peek at some of the animals up for adoption? Check out their webpage: www.buttehumane.org/page/adopt-a-less-adoptable-pet-day.php to see some pet profiles. There are plenty of animals to choose from, but some of the pets up for adoption that really need the love are Hannah, Bear, Mystique, and Chica.
Hannah is a 3-legged Border Collie/Greyhound mix who is both black and a special needs pet. Poor Hannah is four and a half years old and is the Butte Humane Society’s longest resident. She is a loving and loyal girl who’s just waiting for the right home. Bear has only been with the BHS for about a month now, but this 11-year-old Husky/Malamute is desperate to find an understanding family that can keep him comfortable in his senior years as “He’s really sad here and howls” says Wells.
Mystique is an older cat, at 8-years-old, but she is such a lover that you never even know it. She is a brown, medium-haired cat who would do very well in a quiet home with older children who could devote as much love and attention as she would to them. And little miss Chica would love to be adopted into a family as well. She is a 4-year-old black cat with a bit of a squishy face and an itty bitty stature…but you know what they say, great things come in small packages!
The Butte Humane Society is located at 2579 Fair St. Their hours of operation are 12-6 p.m. every Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat & Sun and 12-7p.m. on Mon & Thurs.  So mark the dates on your calendar, because these lovable animals would make a great addition to any home. These poor pets have had some rough times lately, why not help them find their place in your family?
By: Jess Krager

If you haven’t heard the buzz on Chico’s GRUB programs then you’re way past due for an introduction. GRUB (Growing Resourcefully Uniting Bellies) is a locally formed nonprofit organization established in 2007. Not only do they strive to minimize their ecological footprint by sustainable living practices, but they intend to nourish our community with knowledge and food and hope to deepen connections within the community. This group of individuals has been working hard to aid the community in sustainable development, and their latest project, the GRUB Community Gardens, invites the community to get in on the fun.

The Community Gardens first began with one garden back in September. This garden, located at 14th and Mulberry, was initially developed to help feed people at the Jesus Center and those who helped tend the garden. They have since expanded into a multiple-garden operation. Gardens have cropped up all over town, each with a different target demographic GRUB wants to help support. They have a garden off of West Lindo set up; most of the veggies grown here will be donated to a local food bank. They also hope to create a site off of East First Street that will become a training center for people with disabilities to learn the gardening process. The newest garden that they are currently working hard to get up and running is located in Walnut Grove Apartments off of Nord Ave. Here, they plan to take an old basketball court and turn it into a full-fledged garden, complete with raised beds, a sitting area and maybe even a small greenhouse.

Everything about these gardens is sustainable. Local businesses such as the Durham Worm Farm and Waste Management have donated compost, and Chico Food Network donates seeds. GRUB also tries to use all recycled materials to set up and maintain garden plots. For example, the garden off of 14th and Mulberry has an enclosed grow box that they threw together using leftover wood from a housing project and window panes collected by a GRUB member. They have also been able to use the blacktop from the basketball courts they dug up at the Walnut Grove Apartments.

Currently they have 14 members who live out at the “GRUB house” (a co-op located off Dayton Rd.) and seven people who keep the nonprofit programs running. Besides living by example, they have done a lot to spread awareness about sustainable practices and developed programs such as the gardens to aid the community. They want to see as much food grown in the community as possible and have been more than willing to share what they know to help that become a reality, but at the heart of things, these are community gardens that need to be worked on by the community at large, not just those who were good enough to get things started. Active member, Stephanie Elliot says, “If it is a need of the community to grow food, then we hope the community can support that need.” Anybody is welcome to take part in this amazing project. Help can come in a variety of ways; donate supplies, volunteer time during workdays out at one of their garden plots, or if you’re extra ambitious take on the garden coordinator position at a site. On Sundays, the GRUB house off Dayton welcomes community members to drop by and lend a hand, or even just to take a peek at what they are trying to do. There are plenty of ways to help out, and you can check out their web site grubchico.com for more information. The weather has been getting better everyday, and what better way to celebrate the rebirth of spring, than to get out in a garden and get your hands dirty to support the community, and of course, yourself.

By Jess krager

It was a pleasant but ordinary morning in Chico. One could sense the end of summer as fall impatiently waited on the porch. A gentle coolness hung in the air. In households all around town coffee gurgled on its descent into the glass pot as children pleaded for five more minutes with their dreams. People young, old and in between awoke to do whatever it is they do on Wednesdays in
September.
I was off to the Foundation. I had arranged for Sherry and Gary Holbrook to drop in for a visit. Our paths had crossed a few years prior to this morning through our international humanitarian work.
Sherry is the founder and director of Orphan Care International (OCI), a Chico-based nonprofit dedicated to assisting orphans and needy children around the world. One of the primary projects of OCI is a children’s orphanage they call Docsek Home in Mazabuka, Zambia. Some might call it a twist of fate that brought Sherry and Gary to Mazabuka in the first place.
In 2003, Sherry was in a quiet room at the Heathrow, London airport on her journey home from Ndola, Zambia. At the time, she was volunteering for a Canadian-based nonprofit working with orphanages there. After many months with that organization, Sherry realized the western decision-makers were quite detached from the children’s reality in the villages.
“The children would need shoes, and decision-makers thousands of miles from Africa would decide against shoes, strictly based on policy,” Sherry explained. “Worst of all, they were slowly westernizing the children without any understanding of the long-term implications. How would the children reintegrate into society when they left the orphanage?”
It was in this tired and slightly jaded state that Sherry heard her name being called from across the quiet room in the airport. It was a woman she knew from her international humanitarian circle. This woman was on her way back to the states after visiting an orphanage called the Doscek Home in Mazabuka.
For the next many hours, Sherry would learn all about the work at the Doscek Home and the incredible dedication of its owners, Shern and Tabitha Kaumba.
By the time Sherry landed again on U.S. soil her concept and motivation to establish Orphan Care International would already be in flight. She was determined to help, and help differently than her Canadian counterparts. She was eager to get home and share with Gary what she had learned about the Doscek Home and the young Zambians, Shern and Tabitha, who ran it.

Mazabuka, Zambia

(19 years earlier)
At the age of 12, Shern Kaumba was a child of the streets. His father had six children, yet he was the lone child of another mother. During those first 12 years of life, Shern was ostracized, ridiculed and eventually he was pushed out of his home.
“I had no choice but to try and make it on my own. I slept on the streets. There was no schedule. I ate if I could find food. If there was no food, I went hungry,” Shern explained.
Today, the 31-year-old Shern, shared with a quiet tone, details about his youth and the days and nights living on the streets of Mazabuka. In fact, his wife, Tabitha, now 26, also recalled seeing the young Shern on their shared village streets when she was a child.
“Even before she knew me, she cared for me,” Shern gently shared. “I remember Tabitha as a teenager, coming by and offering me food.”
After many months on the streets, feeling rejected and alone, Shern, just barely a teenager, decided to end his
suffering.
“I tried three times to kill myself. I tried to overdose with drugs, then to be hit by a train and finally I decided to throw myself in front of a truck,” he said.
Yet, each time this boy eluded death. “After the third try I thought to myself, maybe there was a reason I was still alive.”
With tears still wet on his cheeks, after being pulled to safety and away from the grill of the oncoming truck, Shern heard a woman calling to him. This would be the moment that changed his life forever.
“A car pulled up beside me and I heard a soft voice say, ‘What is wrong? Can I help?’”
That angelic voice was from a woman he would come to know as Sister Angela Daily. The woman on that same day would ask Shern what it was he needed, and when the teenager replied with “an education,” it would be so.
Sister Daily not only paid for Shern to attend boarding school but a university too. It was during these years that this young man finally learned what it meant to be loved and cared for. Shern would go on to get a teaching internship, and find the conviction to help other children living on the streets.
“There were children in the classroom that just looked differently from the others. There was a hurt inside of them,” Shern recalled. “They reminded me of where I had come from. They reminded me of my own suffering.”
That realization was the beginning of his work with orphans. A short time later, Shern would marry the woman who as a child brought him food on the streets.
That was six years ago.
“When I married Shern he was already caring for two orphans. Six months later we heard about a baby called Joshua.” Tabitha’s eyes lit up while letting Joshua’s name slip out of her mouth. She then shared the story of Joshua as we visited in my NVCF office.

“I was visiting a compound when I heard that a baby’s mother was near death. The baby’s father had died during the mother’s pregnancy,” Tabitha explained.
“There was no family left to care for the child, so I took him home. In fact, I took him straight to my parents’ home, and for three days they taught me how to care for a baby. Then I went back to Shern and our work began.”
Their work has not ceased.
Today, Shern and Tabitha care for 13 children at the Docsek Home, and have dreams of caring for many more. With new land they’ve purchased with the help of their “mother and father,” the Holbrook’s, they are working hard to make this dream come true.
“We’ve dedicated our lives to make sure no one else becomes a child of the streets,” Shern concluded.

Alexa Valavanis is the chief executive officer of the North Valley Community Foundation; a Northern California based nonprofit public charity, managing $6.5 million in assets and serving more than 400 local and international nonprofits, donors and professional advisors.www.nvcf.org. Alexa is currently working on her first non-fiction book about her work and travels in Asia.

by Alexa Valavanis

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For the last two years Catalyst has been planning the construction of their new shelter. This spring their hard work will pay off as building begins.
The shelter will be a 28-bed facility for domestic violence victims to escape to, which will be an upgrade from their current 17-bed emergency shelter.
“When we’re full and someone calls our hotline needing shelter we have to brainstorm with them other places they can go to be safe,” said Molly Heck, the shelter director for Catalyst.
Catalyst is the only domestic violence shelter in Butte County, so more space would reduce the problem of having to find other safe places, such as a hotel or an out-of-town shelter, for victims to go.
“Not only is the space going to be great because it’s more beds, we designed it based on our programs and what we need in a shelter,” Heck said.
The shelter will have a playroom for children, as well as a jungle gym and basketball court for outdoor fun. There will also be a large kitchen for cooking and quiet, peaceful areas outside.
Catalyst moved into its current location in 1985 and the house is fairly old, which can often create problems.
Having a new shelter will give the staff more time to work with the victims, rather than have to worry about plumbing or electricity trouble, Heck said. It also will create a better environment for the families.
“Victims of domestic violence need to go to a place that’s warm and welcoming and feels safe,” she said. “There are a lot of things about our current shelter that don’t feel that way.”
Catalyst has partnered with the city of Chico to help fund the project and has created programs to get the community involved.
The Adopt-a-Room Campaign focuses on local organizations or businesses that want to contribute to the long-term structure of the building, Heck said. They can adopt a room in the house and help paint and furnish the area.
Catalyst also has the Leaf of Legacy program, which allows people to donate to the organization. At the new facility this philanthropy will be honored through a piece of art that will recognize the donors.
Another way for community members to get involved is by volunteering at Catalyst.
The organization has a huge volunteer pool, Heck said. At any given time they have 20 to 50 volunteers.
Besides their shelter program, Catalyst provides a 24-hour hotline where people can call and speak with a crisis intervention counselor.
People don’t always call seeking shelter, she said. They call for other supportive services as well.
Catalyst offers legal advocacy, counseling, programs for children and community education.
“Community education is a big part of what we do,” Heck said. “We’re really committed to making sure we’re out in the community and talking to people about intimate partner violence and how to be healthy in a relationship.”
Catalyst is the only agency in Butte County that focuses specifically on domestic violence.
“We serve 130 to 150 people a year and we get around 5,000 crisis calls a year,” Heck said.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the shelter will be this spring, and the public will be invited to enjoy the festivities. Catalyst plans to move into their new home in early 2010.

For more information on Catalyst visit their website www.catalystdvservices.org or contact them at 530-343-7711.

By Kayla Cook