Out & About
By Jessica Laskey
May 2024
College Campaign
Tri Counties Bank supports student ambassadors
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Tri Counties Bank has launched a fundraising campaign to support the Student Ambassador Program in partnership with the Foundation for California Community Colleges.
The bank made a $50,000 contribution and will hold fundraising events and volunteer activities throughout the year to fund the ambassador program, which trains students in peer-to-peer outreach. Ambassadors connect fellow students to food, housing and other resources to reduce the stigma of getting help.
A 2023 survey by the Community College League of California found two-thirds of California community college students struggle with food and/or housing insecurity and roughly one in four faces homelessness.
“As a single parent who had to balance education with childcare responsibilities, I’ve seen firsthand how access to food and housing resources can transform lives,” says Yuriko Curiel, Student Ambassador Program coordinator.
Tri Counties Bank’s 50th anniversary initiative encourages donations through tcbk.com/50 and plans to offer a new checking account that will benefit the FoundationCCC. The bank will also provide financial education training to student ambassadors and other community college students.
For information, visit tricountiesbank.com/50.
GOLF FUNDRAISER
Better Life Foundation will hold its 10th annual Sunday on the Green benefit May 5 at Ancil Hoffman Golf Course in Carmichael.
Proceeds from the 18-hole shotgun tournament will fund the blood cancer research programs of Dr. Joseph Tuscano, director of stem cell and bone marrow transplants at UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center—and hero of Nicki Heupel, Better Life Foundation’s founder.
Toscano treated Heupel’s husband Loel, who had non-Hodgkins lymphoma, which prompted the Heupels to start Better Life Foundation.
“The Better Life Foundation sees itself as ‘seed investors’ for Dr. Tuscano and his team,” Heupel says. “Our funding enables them to do important preliminary research for new therapies right here in Sacramento.
“The discoveries from this research can in turn result in funding from larger national grants, which allows them to continue their research for non-toxic cancer cures.”
Following the golf tournament, participants will enjoy a patio party with food, wine, live music, a raffle, live and silent auctions, and more.
The nonprofit’s 2024 fundraising goal is $500,000. For information, visit sunday-on-the-green.eventlify.com and betterlifefoundation-ca.org.
PARK CONCERTS
The Carmichael Recreation and Park District summer music series is moving into spring and autumn for the comfort of audiences and performers.
Concerts in the Park takes place Saturdays in May and June, and Fridays in September at Carmichael Park.
“It’s not safe for people to spend extended periods of time in outdoor activities in high temperatures,” Recreation Services Manager Alaina Lofthus says. “We’re concerned not just for the audience, but also for the musicians.”
“Spring Saturdays” feature Dyana and The Cherry Kings on May 4, Keep on Truckin’ on May 11, Maya Latin Tribute Band on May 18, Locked-N-Loaded on May 25, AKA Live on June 8 and Wasted Space on June 15. Spring concerts are 5:30–7:30 p.m.
For “Fall Fridays” concerts, visit carmichaelpark.com/concerts-in-the-park.
POETRY BOOK
Gabrielle Myers, Inside Sacramento’s Farm To Fork columnist, has released a new book of poetry, “Break Self: Feed.”
Myers describes the book as a meditation “on eroticism and relationships with searing language play.”
“Break Self: Feed” was a finalist for the Catamaran Poetry Prize for West Coast Poets in 2020. Buy the book at finishinglinepress.com/product/break-self-feed-by-gabrielle-myers.
MILK MEETUP
Mothers’ Milk Bank invites lactating mothers to join a Milk Meetup on Friday, May 3, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at McKinley Park.
Donated breast milk is critically important for infants born prematurely before their mother’s milk has developed, babies who face specific health challenges, and those adopted or born through surrogacy.
Eligible milk donors include lactating mothers who produce more milk than their baby needs, who have lost a child postpartum and need help transitioning from lactation, and who wish to support equal access to breast milk.
Potential donors are screened per internationally recognized guidelines. Donated milk is pooled, pasteurized and tested before distribution to hospitals and families.
In 2023, more than 2,000 Mothers’ Milk Bank donors provided 1.64 million ounces of milk to babies across the country. The nonprofit hopes to enlist 5,000 new donors this year.
Start the screening process and learn more at the Milk Meetup. For information, visit mothersmilk.org.
CITY HALL ART
A new art exhibit, “When I Can,” is on display at the Robert T. Matsui Gallery inside City Hall at 915 I St. from May 10 through Aug. 30.
“The exhibition aims to celebrate the creative endeavors of individuals who persist in their artistic pursuits while juggling various responsibilities, whether within or outside the traditional workplace,” exhibit curator Bridgètt Rex says. “When they can, artists continue to create while balancing work and life responsibilities.”
Rex is the city’s 2024 Emerging Curators Fellow. The yearlong Emerging Curators Fellowship, administered by the Office of Arts and Culture, provides guidance and funding for one fellow each year to curate and present two exhibitions under the guidance of a curatorial mentor. This year’s mentor is Faith McKinnie.
ALL ABOARD
The California State Railroad Museum and its foundation have launched their weekend excursion train rides on the Sacramento Southern Railroad.
Train rides take guests on a 6-mile, 50-minute roundtrip excursion along the Sacramento River levee aboard a historic locomotive. No. 402, the museum’s oldest operating diesel electric locomotive, built in 1939, returns this season.
Train rides depart weekends at 10 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 1 p.m., 2:15 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Regular enclosed coach seating is $18 for adults and $10 for youth. First-class is $28 for adults and $20 for youth. Children 5 and younger ride free.
First-class sells out early, so purchase tickets in advance. For information, visit californiarailroad.museum.