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Leona Valley Sertoma

Mar 25 2022

April Rock of Leona Valley

Community Matters

April and Luna
April and Luna Rock giving back

Hi, I’m April Rock and this is my daughter Luna. We are honored to be part of the Sertoma mission! You are invited to contact me so I may tell you why Sertoma Rocks!

I always considered myself a city girl until my amazing 9-year-old daughter and I moved to Leona Valley.  What an incredible town!  Even when living a fast-paced corporate city life, Luna and I always made certain to stay involved. Connecting in every community we are part of provides us with a deeper understanding for that community. For this reason, it was only natural to get plugged into Leona Valley and Sertoma, just made sense.

Creativity & Entrepreneurship

Previously, I have volunteered as a Girl Scout troop leader for two years. I have even filled a lead role for the nonprofit NextUp, planning community events for a network of executive women in San Francisco.  I have played in a kickball league and, a roller derby league. In fact, before relocating I was elected the PTA Vice President of Luna’s school.

My number one focus is to be a mom.  And since moving to Leona Valley, I have dug deeper into my creativity and am currently building a steel fabrication and stained-glass design business. Additionally, I just started my own YouTube Channel called “Sunday Sips & Salads” where I pair wine and create a nice, delicious salad. Tune in to check it out, I’d love to hear what you think!

Even though most everything in my life has changed within the last year, I continue to follow my passion and support the community. As an active member of the Leona Valley Sertoma chapter, I have met the kindest men and women working together to achieve a common goal. I am absolutely thrilled to have been trusted by them to manage a variety of responsibilities. Among a favorite is being empowered to communicate the heart-felt need to be part of something bigger than myself.  I am here, where I am supposed to be, helping out this amazing community.

April Rock & Luna’s Swap

Trading in my heels and business suits for Carhart and Cowboy boots, public transit for dirt roads and city lights for stars has been the best decision we have ever made. Sometimes when life hands you lemons you make the sweetest and best tasting lemonade you’ve ever had.  It’s nice to be home. 😊

Written by Editor · Categorized: Sertoma News · Tagged: community, Leona Valley, Leona Valley Sertoma, volunteering

Feb 13 2022

A BBQ Brisket – Texas Style

A BBQ Brisket – Texas Style

A LITTLE NOTE: Most of the time the recipes I have shared in the past were from my “Main Line Recipes” railroad cookbook, but this particular recipe is from the March, 2019 issue in the Food Network Magazine. I am guilty of changing just a few of the ingredients. I was intrigued by the FNM recipe because it included a brisket which served a purpose for a St. Patrick’s Day meal. I think you will like it.

Editor’s Note:
Looking to put an American twist into your St. Paddy’s Day celebration? Well, this Texas style brisket is sure to give you a zing as you dance an Irish jig. I would like to also take a moment to remind you that St. Patrick’s Day is just over a month away and your Leona Valley Sertoma will once again be hosting their annual traditional St. Patrick’s Day dinner. For more details about this upcoming event, please click here. – Jan

A BBQ Brisket Texas Chili

One – 2 ½ Lb. Brisket – One Tsp. Smoked Paprika – Two Tsp. Ground Cumin – One Clove Garlic, Minced – Salt & Pepper to Taste – Two Tbs. Vegetable Oil ~~ Cover the brisket on all sides with seasoning – Brown on all sides in the oil. Drain meat from oil – Place meat in sturdy foil and bake @ 350 degrees until tender about three hours or more if needed.
Brown one cup diced onion, one red & yellow bell pepper diced in one Tbs. oil / drain oil. Add one can each of black, white kidney beans, one large can each crushed and diced tomatoes, one small can tomato paste, three cups beef broth, two cups water, three Tbs. dark brown sugar, one Tbs. apple cider vinegar.
Remove brisket if tender, remove fat and chop into small pieces – Add all ingredients together in a large pot – Add ½ cup BBQ sauce and simmer until all flavors are married – Garnish with shredded cheese, chopped scallions, chopped cilantro and serve with tortilla chips of choice…. Bon Appétit from Granny Jan

For a downloadable pdf copy of the recipe click this link: A St. Patrick’s Day Brisket

bbq-brisket-texas-chili-2022

Written by Jan Clark · Categorized: Sertoma News · Tagged: Leona Valley, Leona Valley Sertoma

Jan 14 2022

2022 Sertoman of the Year Award Recipient

2022 Sertoman of the Year Award

The 2022 Sertoman of the Year Award represents one of two awards presented annually by Leona Valley Sertoma. The second is the Service To Mankind Award presented to a worthy individual in our Lakes and Valleys communities. For more about these awards we encourage you to visit Sertoma International website.

Dave joined Leona Valley Sertoma around 2007 and has since been an active in our mission of “Service to Mankind”. He is a loyal Sertoman and is always available to lend a helping hand and we are eternally grateful for his service. His many years of personal, physical and monetary sponsorship, when organizing fundraising events makes Dave more than worthy of the  2022 Sertoman of the Year Award.

As the 2022 Sertoman of the Year Award recipient, Dave Millard joins a stellar group of dedicated Leona Valley Sertomans.  Check out past recipients of the Sertoman of the Year Award at: Leona Valley Sertoman of the Year Recipients.

Dave Millard, 2022 Sertoman of the Year Award Recipient

Dave was born in Northridge, CA and grew up in the San Fernando Valley with two siblings. His mother was a race car driver and his father worked on the space shuttle engines for Rocketdyne. David met his high school sweetheart, Laurie in 1976, graduating Sylmar High School in 1977 and in 1978, they married.

Dave Millard, 2022 Sertoman of the Year Award recipient
Dave Millard, 2022 Sertoman of the Year Award recipient

Dave went to work for Air King and the decision to leave family and friends, and move to Portland, Oregon, in 1979 with the company. In Portland, he also worked as a cook at Denny’s. They welcomed their first child, Brianna Brandy Millard on October 6, 1980, followed on January 14, 1983, by the birth of their second daughter, Jessica.

They moved back to California 1984 to help Laurie’s parents when Laurie’s 17 year old brother died. He and Laurie lived in San Fernando and eventually divorced in 1991 and Dave moved to Nevada where he worked as a cook for the Indian Casinos.

In 1993, Dave moved back to California and started his greatest adventure called AC Dave Heating and Air. Spending a lot of “family time” with their two daughters led to Dave and Laurie reuniting and they remarried on November 27, 1999. Their daughters Brianna and Jessica served as bridesmaids. In 2002, his Jessica gave birth to his first grandson, Dean, who became Papa David’s buddy.

Sertoman of the Year Award recipient, AC Dave shown in 2015, as he contributes $300 for turkey fund.
(l to r): Dave Millard, Juanita Kirkpatrick, treasurer, and Cathy Toso, president.

In 2005, while living in Valencia, Dave’s business tools were  stolen. This led them to sell their home and, in 2006, move to Lake Elizabeth, where Dave opened AC Dave Heating and Air serving the Lakes and Valley communities. On November 24, 2007 his second grandson, Daniel Christopher was born to Brianna. Daniel is affected with autism leading Brianna face many struggles of her own. Sadly, on March 30, 2014, Brianna lost her life on Hwy. 138 near Llano. Members of Sertoma at the time of their loss, Dave and Laurie are very thankful for the support of their Sertoma family.

Around 2016, the Millard’s started a non-profit called “Brianna Brandy Millard Smith’s Happy Children Memorial Fund” to honor their daughter’s memory with the goal of helping families in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. Dave and Laurie have been able to help 14 families and remain dedicated to honoring Daniel’s mother.

 

Written by Jan Clark · Categorized: Leona Valley, Leona Valley Sertoma, Sertoma News · Tagged: Leona Valley, Leona Valley Sertoma, Sertoma, Sertoman of the Year

Jan 12 2022

2022 Service to Mankind Award Recipients

2022 Service to Mankind Award

The 2022 Service to Mankind Award has been awarded to a richly deserving pair of Leona Valley residents, the first time we have had co-awardees. Bob Nimesgern and David Clayton are the co-owners of Jack’s Place, our meeting place and local rest in the Leona Valley. Both Bob and David are so deserving of their awards, as they have unconditionally helped us raise funds for our St. Patrick’s Day dinner by preparing the dinner at Jack’s Place and providing
ALL proceeds pertaining to the event dinner only (not dinners off the menu) to Sertoma.

They also allowed us to host the November 20, 2021 Mini Gala at Jack’s Place while absorbing the cost of entertainment, the ABC license and no charge for the use of their business facility.  This 2 1/2 hour event was a HUGE success with proceeds going to support veterans and our local scholarships.

~

The Leona Valley Sertoma presents two awards annually, the Service To Mankind Award is presented each year to an individual within our Lakes and Valleys communities, while the Sertoman of the Year Award is presented to a member. For more about these awards we encourage you to visit Sertoma International website.

Bob Nimesgern, 2022 Service to Mankind Award Recipient (as told by his sister, Jen)

Bob Nimesgern holding his 2022 Service To Mankind Award.Bob grew up in the suburbs of San Diego as the second of four children. In elementary school, he won 1st place in a cake decorating contest. From elementary to high school he worked a bicycle paper route. His first vehicles were a Vespa, followed by an orange VW Rabbit. He worked at Buffums restaurant during high school. He saved his money for trips to Boston to visit an aunt starting in the 7th grade, which sparked Bob’s love of traveling.

While studying at Grossmont College he traveled to France and Mexico. In 1995, Bob visited a friend in London and decided to move there for new adventures. He got a job at a French Patisserie and shared a flat with several people from Australia and South Africa. While in London, he traveled Europe with his roommates and all are still friends to this day.

After returning home from London, he graduated from Scottsdale Culinary School. He landed a job at Delmonico Steak House at the Venetian in Las Vegas as the executive pastry chef. After a few years, he got an itch to travel again and took 10 months off to live in Bali. Bob has traveled extensively visiting over 40 countries, including Israel, Jordon, Ukraine, Turkey, South Africa, Namibia, Morocco, Tunisia, Djibouti, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Guatemala, Cook Island, Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. His travels have undoubtedly influenced his culinary culture and creations.

He returned to the US and continued working in Las Vegas for a couple years. After 13 years of living and working in Las Vegas, he wanted a change of pace and moved to North Carolina. He worked at the University of North Carolina and spent a few summers working at a restaurant in Martha’s Vineyard.

In January 2019, Bob left the East Coast and moved to Leona Valley to be closer to his nieces and nephew, which is how he met Dave. Six months later, they purchased Jack’s Place together and the rest is history.

David Clayton’s 2022 Service to Mankind Award Recipient (as told by his Mom, Guyla, and sister, Sarah)

David Clayton holding his 2022 Service To Mankind Award.David was 2 years old when he moved to Leona Valley. He received his first tractor at 3 years old where he had his first rattlesnake encounter. Growing up he was involved with AWANA, choir, piano and 4H. In 4H he held all the offices and worked the 4-H food booth at the Fairgrounds for several years. He was always busy doing brush clearance for families in the community, rescuing people and their cars in ditches all over town and any and all projects he saw that needed to be done.

He worked for Ramsland feeding the cattle on Ritter Ranch for a few years before moving to Russia for a bit to help build orphanages. When he came home he started work at Burger King, then on to Medical record copying.

David finally decided to follow his dreams and moved to Arizona and went to Scottsdale Culinary Arts School. While there he worked in the Hospitality Hotel industry, a bagel shop and eventually customer service for IBM and AMEX.

Moving back to the AV in 2002 he purchased a commercial bakery called Anna’s. He became quite active around the Antelope Valley sponsoring fundraisers. He became active in LVIA and served on the Board for several years.

After a few odds and ends jobs around town he and Bob finally became the very proud owners of Jack’s Place, which they continue to use to “serve” our community and the surrounding communities.

As you can see David has always had the Gift of Hospitality!!

Written by Jan Clark · Categorized: Leona Valley Sertoma, Sertoma News · Tagged: Leona Valley Sertoma, Sertoma, Service To Mankind

Oct 18 2021

Leona Valley Sertoma Hosts December Events

Leona Valley Sertoma Hosts December Events

Nobody needs to remind you that 2021 began pretty much the way 2020 ended, which is to say “not so great”, to put it mildly. However, Leona Valley Sertoma is determined not to let 2021 go out without some sense of normalcy as they host their annual 2021 Holiday Dinner, formerly called the Senior Christmas Dinner, and their 2021 Outdoor Holiday Food & Toy Drive. This is an opportunity for our Seniors to once again get together to swap stories, laugh, and enjoy good food. The Food and Toy Drive is an opportunity to once again help our neighbors who very well might not have the means to serve up a Christmas dinner or put toys under the tree this Christmas. We have all suffered in various ways due to the pandemic, but some more than others. If you have the means, we ask you to open your hearts to helping those less fortunate and we offer these events and our way to help. – thank you

Please Mark Your Calendar as Leona Valley Sertoma Hosts December Events

Leona Valley Sertoma Hosts FREE Holiday Dinner

Leona Valley Sertoma December event volunteers serve guest at the 2013 Senior Christmas DinnerSunday, December 5, 2021 ~~ from 1p.m. to 3p.m.
Leona Valley Community Building ~ 8367 Elizabeth Lake Road

All Senior’s (55 and Older) are invited to enjoy a FREE Meal INDOOR or OUTDOOR

If you need a ride or would like dinner delivered call:
Juanita Kirkpatrick 661-270-0588 or Charlene Moore 661-816-5177

*** PLEASE bring a canned good for our annual “Holiday Giving” distribution ***

Toys, toys, and more toys.
Toys, toys, and more toys.

Leona Valley Sertoma Hosts their Annual 2021 Outdoor Holiday Food & Toy Drive.

We hope people can out-do our 2020 Holiday Food and Toy Drive.

Saturday, December 11th from 10a.m. to 2p.m. at Hemme Hay & Feed (Corner of Elizabeth Lake Road and 90th Street West)
Sunday, December 12th from 10a.m. to 2p.m. at Hemme Hay & Feed (Corner of Elizabeth Lake Road and 90th Street West)

*** Grateful for ALL “In Date” NON PERISHABLES and children’s toys. ***

Laurie Millard and Daniel in front of the firetruck. Come out and get your picture with the firetruck as Leona Valley Sertoma Hosts this December events
Everybody loves a firetruck

Fire Station 140’s fire truck will be on Elizabeth Lake Road across from Jack’s Place for photo opportunities.

Santa arrives in style at the Leona Valley Sertoma 2011 Senior Christmas Dinner
Santa at our 2011 December event

 

 

 

 

IN ADVANCE, WE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION.

As we close out 2021, the Leona Valley Sertoma Hosts December Events is a reminder that getting back to normal is up to all of us. We look forward to seeing our community come out for these events, but more importantly, we want to see the good people of all our Lakes and Valleys communities come together and begin anew to look out for each other.

Sertoma wishes everyone a beautiful and joyful Holiday Season.

As always, we encourage you to share this post using the “Share ” button below this post and if you are not signed up to receive new posts, you can do so in the right-hand column. We hope you will!

www.leonavalleysertoma.org

Written by Tom · Categorized: Sertoma News · Tagged: Leona Valley Sertoma, Senior Christmas Dinner, Volunteers

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