LEARN ABOUT THE HISTORY of Temescal Valley, meet your neighbors, and enjoy a day of fun and cold, refreshing watermelon at the 9th annual Temescal Valley Community Faire. The fair will be held on Sept. 27 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Temescal Driving Range, 23100 Temescal Canyon Road. Admission is free.

The fair will feature live rock music from the band Nightshift and performances by The Heirs Force Bike and Skate Stunt Team. Children will enjoy bouncers, a giant slide, a petting zoo, bungee run, an obstacle course, rock climbing, clowns, and a petting zoo. Games and crafts for children and adults will be offered, as well as the opportunity to win prizes.

Enjoy 25¢ hot dogs, snow cones, sodas, popcorn and cotton candy. The star culinary attraction, of course, is tons of delicious, cold watermelon. The event gives area residents a chance to meet their neighbors, business owners, developers and others, and find out more about Temescal Valley.

The area has a rich history: Temescal Valley was home to American Indians, Spanish and Mexican settlers, and Englishspeaking pioneers long before the cities of Riverside and Corona were established. The fair offers area residents a chance to learn about county resources available to them and the planning of future parks and schools in the area. Fair-goers can also learn how they can be a part of the Temescal Heritage Foundation. For more information, please visit www.rivcoeda.org or www.temescalvalleyfaire.com.

A Prescription for Health and Safety in Mead Valley

ABOUT 1,000 PEOPLE attended the 2nd annual Mead Valley Health and Safety Fair in mid-September to learn how they could keep themselves and their families healthier. The event was held on Saturday, Sept. 13, at the Mead Valley Community Center. The fair’s purpose was to provide accessible healthcare information to area residents by getting them in touch with service providers. Riverside County Regional Medical Center officials conducted free health screenings and dental exams. The hospital also gave away bicycle helmets in an effort to increase cyclist safety. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department also was on hand to offer safety advice. Although the focus was health and safety, numerous other county departments participated in the event, including the registrar of voters and workforce development. Other participating organizations included Planned Parenthood and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The day included a performance by a band and dog races. Children had plenty to do. They participated in races and made fingercasts and had the chance to check out fire trucks, a book mobile and a mobile recreational vehicle. The Health and Safety Fair used to be part of the Mead Valley Community Fair but was so popular that it broke off into its own event. “It was very successful. People walked away with a lot of important information and hopefully they’re utilizing the county and community agencies,” said Khylia Cadile, marketing specialist for the Riverside County Economic Development Agency. For more information, please visit www.rivcoeda.org.

“One-Stop Shop”for Health

THE LAKE ELSINORE FAMILY HEALTH CENTER meets the healthcare needs of area residents by providing immunizations, checkups and other services. The center at 2499 E. Lakeshore Drive is open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Immunizations and school physicals are available to all residents. No appointment is necessary to receive immunizations. The Lake Elsinore facility is one of 10 family care centers in the county offering much-needed services, including adult and child immunizations, school physicals, pregnancy testing and counseling, and prenatal care.

Other medical services offered at the family care centers include comprehensive medical care for children and adults, primary care, family planning, teen clinics, cancer screening, tuberculosis skin testing and nutrition. Dental care is only available at the Don Schroeder/Rubidoux Family Care Center. Medi-Cal, Medicare, and private insurance are accepted and a sliding fee scale is also available. Additional public health services provided at the family care centers include the WIC Supplemental Nutrition Program, public health nursing, disease control, and HIV/AIDS. Call 1.800.720.9553 or visit www.rivcoph.org to make an appointment.

Riverside County also conducts an annual influenza vaccination campaign during the fall. Clinic dates and locations will be available at www.rivco-diseasecontrol.org beginning in October.

DOG-toberfest

ONE OF THE MOST exciting annual events for Riverside County Animal Services is the DOG-toberfest celebration at the Skip Fordyce Harley-Davidson & Buell dealership in Riverside. This year’s DOG-toberfest is Saturday, Oct. 18, and Sunday, Oct. 19. Skip Fordyce plays host to Animal Services’ employees and shelter dogs in an effort to find lifetime, loving families for homeless pets.

DOG-toberfest includes the ever popular K9 Costume Contest, demonstrations, chili cook off, a Wiener Dog Fun Run and a brand new event this year called the Puppy Poo Caper. Check out Animal Services’ Web site for updated event times: www.rcdas.org Jennifer Dabney, wife of Skip Fordyce coowner Jay Dabney, is the spectacular volunteer behind DOG-toberfest’s success. Jennifer founded a nonprofit charitable organization called Death Row Dogz to raise awareness about the plight of shelter animals. Through her partnership with Animal Services, the DOG-toberfest extravaganza has saved more than 100 dogs in the past three years.

The Skip Fordyce/Buell dealership is located at 7688 Indiana Ave., Riverside, 92504 just off Highway 91 between Jefferson and Madison Streets. Call Nicole Warrington for more: 951.358.7334.

seeks to improve foster care system

New approach brings a team effort to placing and caring for foster children

THE PLACEMENT OF A CHILD into the foster care system is never easy, but the Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) is developing new approaches to ensure children who need foster care find good homes and have a better chance of staying in a stable environment.

The Family to Family program seeks to partner DPSS with parents, community organizations and staff to bring a more family-centered approach to the foster care system. The program, dubbed F2F, aims to improve child safety and child health, reduce the number of times a foster child is moved to a new foster home and maintain connections between family and child. Such a neighborhood-based approach is aimed at driving home the message that the health and safety of children is everyone’s responsibility, regardless of whether a child lives with its birth family or is in the foster care system. Such community partnerships bolster the mission of Child Protective Services and provide children with much greater access to community resources. DPSS believes the program will reduce the amount of abuse and neglect of all children, including children in foster care, and cut down on the number of times children are re-introduced into the foster care system.

The program is built around the development of locally-based resources to support families by creating teams to assist foster parents and case workers in making the best decisions for children. F2F also calls for using available data to chart progress, make decisions and determine when changes are needed. More information about the program is available at the Foster Parent Recruitment Hotline – 1.800.665.KIDS.