• Earth Day 2023 Wildomar Style

Saturday, April 22, 2023 saw one of the largest gatherings of volunteers since The Great Day of Service ten years ago in 2013.

Some of the volunteers that assembled at Wildomar Elementary School.

The volunteer count topped 80 individuals, 84 to be more precise, and they stuffed over 60 bags of litter, weeds, and debris. Also, a CR&R roll-off bin that held half the debris from the cleanup on Arnold St. (It's going to take another bin to get the rest of the dead trees out of the public right of way).

Volunteers removing the suckers from the bases of the olive trees on Grand Ave.

Big thanks to the Bread of Life Church, Elsinore High Earth Club, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Leave No Women Behind, US Bank, and Wildomar Beautification Volunteers. 

Thank you to Diamond W Excavating's Wally and Paula Willette for all the work on Arnold St.

The areas cleaned included Wildomar Trail from Cervera to Grand, Palomar from Gruwell to Arnold, Arnold St, and Grand from Wildomar Trail to Sheila. 

Various sponsors that made the cleanup possible include CR&R, Pam's Donuts, Paula & Wally Willette of Diamond W Excavating, and Matthew Russell of Bemus Landscape. 

Matthew Russel of Bemus Landscape donated his time and expertise to cut down the dead trees that were in the public right of way on Arnold St. 

Individuals that donated include Daphne Meza, Debi Sutherland, Jasmine Bearden, and Bridgette Moore. 

Many Wildomar residents are familiar with the work put in by the Wildomar Beautification Volunteers and how much litter, debris, illegal signs, and graffiti they've abated since they came upon the scene. 

When you see WBV around town or at a park event, please come up and say hello... you won't be obligated to pick up any litter. 😊  Photo by Keith Jared

Here's a rundown of the 2023 WBV stats year-to-date through 4-22

130 Volunteers

979 Volunteer Hours

733 Bags

39 Trash Cans Full

27 Illegal Dumps Cleaned Up

5 Trailers full of branches and weeds

24 tires

79 Graffiti Removals

6 Shopping Carts 

...and more.

Nate from US Bank mows down some substantial weeds in the public right of way on Arnold Street. 

Wildomar Rap opinion time

In our world where it's common to hear concerns about how fragmented our society is becoming, volunteering for a common cause is a great way to tear down the silos we often find ourselves in.

Wildomar is our shared community. Community is more than just the roads we all drive on, it's partial ownership by all. Expecting others to do the work has become normal, but it doesn't get things done.

If we all do a little, then our neighborhoods, our community, our town, our city looks all the better and something that we all can be proud of.

If you have been on the sidelines, I encourage you to volunteer for the betterment of the whole community. It's a truly honorable thing to do, sets a good example for others, plus it gives a great feeling of accomplishment too. 😊

Working for the betterment of the Wildomar community.

If you would like more information about Wildomar Beautification Volunteers, please check out their Facebook page at this link. 

• Volunteer Group of the Year: Wildomar Beautification Volunteers

In the most recent issue of Supervisor Kevin Jeffries' newsletter he announced that Wildomar Beautification Volunteers were selected as this year's Volunteer Organization of the Year, and last of the original Wildomar city council members, Bridgette Moore, was selected as Volunteer of the Year.

The group will be honored at the April 26th Board of Supervisors Meeting.

Early on a Saturday morning, getting ready to beautify Wildomar.

Link to Supervisor Jeffries' Newsletter

If the font is too small to read on the image, here it is again. 😁

Supervisor Jeffries has selected the Wildomar Beautification Volunteers as the First District Volunteer Organization of the Year. 

In July 2020, Wildomar Councilwoman Bridgette Moore asked Mayor Pro Tem Joseph Morabito if he would accompany her on a litter pick up. They quickly saw that once a month would not make a dent so they planned for every week. Residents started joining in and a movement was started! The residents have created this wonderful group and have about 20 dedicated volunteers that are out in the community consistently. 

In 2022, they started picking up litter everyday. In addition, they have adopted 4 miles of the I15 freeway within the City. 

Their totals for 2021: Hours 1, 323 hours Bags 1,352

Bridgette spends countless hours out in the community cleaning and organizing daily events, supplies, and encouraging others to get involved in the community. 

Thank you Bridgette for all you do in the community. 

Bridgette and members of the Wildomar Beautification Volunteers will be honored at the April 26th Board Meeting during our Volunteers of the Year Presentation.

Link to September 2020 Blog About The Group

Bridgette has always been kind enough to include me (Joseph Morabito) as one of the founders of WBV. 

Yes I was there, much like the McDonald's brothers were there at the start of McDonald's, but it was Ray Kroc that made it a household name, and it's Bridgette Moore that breathed life into Wildomar Beautification Volunteers.

Ok, here's the reverse angle of the story... before Covid hit, there were a couple of residents that had been picking up litter on their own, most notably was Kathy Bundy and Jerry Orchard. I'm aware of a couple of others that regularly picked up litter, but they had been flying below my radar at that time.

In early 2020 a couple of friends and I went and picked up a couple of bags of trash at what used to be the Baxter/Central curve. I wrote a blog about it, but it didn't become a regular thing by any means. 

Then in the Summer of 2020, after a lot of chatter on Facebook about trash on our roadways, Bridgette asked if I'd join her in picking up litter in town, I said, "Sure." 

We thought that we'd pick up from McVicar to Grand and all the way to Clinton Keith. We were rookies then and had no idea how much time it actually took to pick up trash. We barely made it to Grand and back to the creek before we ran out of time.

We realized that once a month wasn't going to do anything, so we upped it to every other week, and then weekly. I remember the first time that other people joined in. I believe that it was Ann White and another person.

I was pretty regular with picking up trash on a weekly basis until the weather changed in December and it was barely light outside at our start time (great excuses, right? 😅). I went MIA until late January, and when I returned about eight weeks later, I saw how there were many new volunteers ready to make Wildomar beautiful. 

This is where things really changed. I was concerned that we couldn't keep up the pace of weekly, and was trying to lobby for twice a month or even monthly. I'm glad that Bridgette didn't listen to that and now the group has a couple of dozen regular members, all with great personalities and stories of their own, plus many others that come now and then. 

Not only is it a weekly thing now, there are some in the group that go out several times during the week, and the impact of all the volunteer hours really shows as Wildomar roadways continue to look better and better.

Thank you Bridgette Moore for having the tenacity and sticktoitiveness to take this from its humble beginnings to the point that you can take a week or two off and the group won't skip a beat. 

If you'd like to join the Wildomar Beautification Volunteers (even just one time), please reach out to either Bridgette or Joseph... but mostly Bridgette. ☺

Here's a link to the group's facebook page if you'd just like to take a look at what we do. 

 

• Wildomar Beautification Program

The city of Wildomar has started a beautification program. Part of that includes 10 free garbage bags a month if you sign up. 

This photo was taken outside of Yellow Basket where 13 of us showed up at 7:30am to collect garbage from the side of the roadway along Clinton Keith. As it happened to be, it was World Clean Up Day!

Here is the press release from the city:

Wildomar’s ‘Community Beautification Program’ starts on Monday and residents can help! Published on Sep 11, 2020 13:13 On Monday, September 14, 2020, the City of Wildomar is launching a Community Beautification Program, “Keep It Clean,” which will allow residents to obtain up to 10 free bags per month to help collect litter throughout the city. Those wishing to participate will need to fill out a waiver (http://bit.ly/KeepItCleanWaiver) prior to obtaining the litter bags. The bags can be picked up at the Wildomar Cemetery (Monday thru Friday, 8:00 am – 3:00 pm); we will allow exceptions of more bags for group pick-ups if needed. Once filled, the bags can be left at the roadside and will be collected by the City’s Public Works Department every Monday, or can be collected sooner if the resident contacts the City through the Public Works Online Service Request Portal: (http://www.cityofwildomar.org/government/departments/public_works). The bags that will be available on Monday are the “pilot program” bags and will soon be replaced with bags donning the City’s logo as well as “Keep It Clean, Community Beautification Program.” This program is 90 percent funded by sponsorships from Southern California Edison, CR&R, Waste Management and Burke, William and Sorenson LLC, the City’s legal consulting firm. The remaining 10 percent was covered by the City’s General Fund. For questions regarding this program, please contact Daniel Torres at (951) 678-2451 or at dtorres@cityofwildomar.org

After filling out the online form, you can go to the cemetery to pick up 10 bags per month. These are some very large bags, and pretty sturdy too. 

Going over the ground rules. Safety first!

While there, you'll get a piece of paper with a QR code to use after you're finished collecting trash for the day. The idea is to leave the bags on the side of the road, and then use the QR code to let the city know precisely where the trash bags are. They'll come by the next business day to haul them away.

The QR code sends you to the proper city website and from there you can add the location. You do need to create an account first, but it only takes moments to do, and you can use a pen name if you prefer that to what's on your birth certificate.

There are no age restrictions when it comes to developing community spirit.

Of course you don't need to be part of a concerted effort to pick up litter. Even if you just picked up a few pieces that may be along your street, that would be a benefit to many.

A group photo before we all fanned out in different directions.

In action along the northern side of Clinton Keith just west of Stable Lanes Rd.

**OFF TOPIC**

Isn't that just a stunning view of the hills? Wildomar is indeed a beautiful place to live.

This is what it looks like when using a geotagging app.

Be sure to join the growing Facebook group.

If you'd like to be part of the larger effort, still not an official city endeavor, and backed by Mayor Pro-tem Bridgette Moore and Councilman Joseph Morabito please search for Wildomar Beautification Volunteers on Facebook.

This is a work in progress

So far Bridgette and Joseph (that's me to the uninitiated) have gone out for an hour once a weekend for about the last ten weeks, except one, to pick up litter. She's such a good leader that she even bought the vests you see in the photos above... she's going to wash them between uses too. 

We envision this becoming a bi-monthly event. No pressure to attend, and even if you were to come out just once a year, that would be great. It will also be a great way for students to get community service hours.

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It is great wealth to a soul to live frugally with a contented mind.
– Lucretius

Based on Lucky Lucretius's words, Wildomar Rap is about the wealthiest entity within several country miles.

This blog was produced for viewing on a desktop or a laptop. Though it's been optimized for smartphones, the formatting can look odd on a smartphone or if you get this delivered through email (such as missing video links). Link to proper format.

• RSO Volunteer Meeting Recap

It was a very well attended volunteer meeting at the Lake Elsinore Station (home of Wildomar Police), I'd say about 50 were there. 
 

Link to past blog encouraging participation in this program

It was standing room only, with a few late comers peering in from outside.
Photo courtesy of Natasha Johnson.

It was asked how many were from Lake Elsinore, Wildomar and the county areas. All were represented with about a dozen coming from Wildomar. 

We heard from Captain Lujan, Lieutenant Kent, Deputy Salcido and volunteer coordinator David Vawter  as they explained the volunteer program in greater detail.

Captain Mike Lujan, who serves as both Wildomar's and Lake Elsinore's police chief, answers questions. Deputy Salcedo looks on (left side of photo) as does David Vawter.

Though there was a volunteer program in the past for Lake Elsinore, this is essentially a new program for the station, and a first in Wildomar.

From the RSO website: LINK

Citizen Volunteers

• Citizen volunteers do not require the special law enforcement training of a Reserve Deputy Sheriff.

• Volunteers do not carry a weapon or make arrests. They do act as essential "eyes and ears" in service to the community while working with Sheriff's staff.

• Volunteers may work in a myriad of assignments including within their own neighborhood, at a correctional facility, in patrol operations, clerical support, investigations, accounting, computer entry and many more.

There are two levels of volunteers

Level 2 clearance isn't enough for patrolling, but is enough for work around the station, including helping with paperwork.

Level 1, where volunteers will be allowed to drive around in pairs, comes only after a thorough background check, and 40 hours in a volunteers academy (five consecutive Saturdays of eight hour classes). 

Both levels are expected to put in a minimum of 12 volunteer hours a month. 

Link to Lake Elsinore Station facebook page.

There are 29 questions in the pre-investigation questionnaire. Suffice to say, RSO isn't interested in having the criminal element in the volunteer program.

First question(s) in the initial application
1. Have you ever committed any of the following acts?
a. Arson, b. Burglary, c. Robbery, d. Homicide, e. Forgery, g. Kidnapping, h. Extortion, i. Embezzlement, j. Rape, k. Any other forcible sex act, l. Any violent assault, m. Wife beating.

They get easier from there, but after those, I'd sure hope that'd be the case. ☺

There was a bit of confusion among some of the attendees when it came to the point of the program. Yes, the volunteers can "patrol" their own neighborhoods, but many seemed to have no interest in any other duties.

Wildomar's "police station" is better known as the Lake Elsinore Station... since that's where it's at.

Lake Elsinore City Councilwoman Natasha Johnson was in attendance and she responded to those that were only interested in their own neighborhoods. 

She mentioned that one of the biggest concerns that she hears from her constituents is police response times. She tried to make the point that if a volunteer is available to help with traffic control at an accident site, for example, that frees up a sworn officer that can then respond to calls... possibly in the neighborhood of the volunteer.

I got the point, but there were a few that seemed only interested in cruising around their neighborhoods in a volunteer patrol car... which currently, there is only one for the entire service area. 

They really were just interested in an amplified version of Neighborhood Watch. This program is for those that would like to volunteer to assist our local police. Which does allow for patrols in your own neighborhood, but how long would that really take?

About two-thirds through the meeting, Wildomar resident Kenny Mayes asked a pretty important question: paraphrasing "If I were to sign up, would I have to get a haircut?"

The group had a good laugh at that, but the answer came back that all volunteers would have to comply with the department's grooming standards... which would ace me out too since I have a beard.

If you have interest in citizen volunteer patrols, or helping at the station, please call the non emergency phone number and ask for more information. (951) 245-3300

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The less we know, the more we suspect. 
– Josh Billings, American Humorist

Wildomar Rap suspects none of us actually knows all that much.

This blog was produced for viewing on a desktop or a laptop. Though it's been optimized for smartphones, the formatting can look odd on a smartphone or if you get this delivered through email (such as missing video links). Link to proper format.

• Volunteer Orientation Meeting

This isn't for everyone, but if you're so inclined as to volunteer with our local police (yes, Wildomar Police are actually Riverside Sheriff's Department) this is your chance to take that step.

If you qualify, you could be driving a car like this.

The meeting will be at the station in Lake Elsinore Wednesday evening (Oct 2, 2019) at 6:30pm 

From the FaceBook event page:

The Lake Elsinore Station is actively recruiting volunteers to assist with everything from front office paperwork to citizens on patrol. This is a great way to make a positive impact on the area you live and love. If you would like to serve the cities of Lake Elsinore, Wildomar or the surrounding county areas.

We will be having a volunteer orientation at the Lake Elsinore Station on Oct 2 at 6:30 pm to discuss all volunteer programs including Volunteers, Explorers, and Posse.

If your interest is more geared to the paperwork side of it, that type of service would be at the station. If you think you'd like to be a volunteer out in the community, citizens on patrol, your territory would be in the area of your choice.

In other words, if you're from Wildomar, you won't be "assigned" to another service area.

Keep in mind that they don't turn over the keys to just anyone. There are qualifications and protocols to adhere to, all of which will be gone over at the meeting.

So, if you've thought that you'd like to be a volunteer with citizens on patrol, I highly encourage you to attend this meeting to see if you make the grade.

Also...
Volunteering is opened to young people from ages 14 to 21 under the Explorers Program... this program will be addressed at the meeting too. This is a great first step for kids that think they'd like a career in law enforcement.

From a recent Lake Elsinore Station FaceBook post:
Do you know someone between the ages of 14 and 21 who is interested in law enforcement or giving back to the community? 

A look at the brochure.

If so, the Lake Elsinore Sheriff Explorer Post is the place to be. Please contact CSO Brown at 951-245-3300 for more information.

One more nudge of encouragement from me on this

Many people aren't in a position to donate time, and that's understandable... we live in a busy world. But if you have the time, the desire and the aptitude to volunteer, the community would be grateful for your efforts.

Community policing can go a long way in curbing some of the quality of life issues our area faces. Hope to see you there.

If you are a FaceBook user, please go to the event page to RSVP (though that isn't necessary). If not, please contact Sergeant Garcia at (951) 245-3300 (leave a message if you're sent to voicemail).

To follow Lake Elsinore Station on FaceBook, click the photo below. They post many updates, and often with a bit of humor too. ☺

Link to FaceBook page.

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We were all taught to respect authority even when we think that authority might be wrong. For isn't it obedience what holds a society together? 
– E.G. Marshall (CBSRMT)

Wildomar Rap respects authority, even if I've just been pulled over and think I've done nothing wrong.

This blog was produced for viewing on a desktop or a laptop. Though it's been optimized for smartphones, the formatting can look odd on a smartphone or if you get this delivered through email (such as missing video links). Link to proper format.

• Lights On Afterschool

There is an after school program at Wildomar Elementary called THINK Together. This week there was an assembly for parents called Lights On Afterschool to share what the program has been up to and what it's about.

In attendance was Melissa Melendez of the California State Assembly, representing the 67th district. She spoke to the kids for about ten minutes about what a member of the assembly does.


She spoke about Wildomar Elementary's Lights On Afterschool event and after school program THINK Together, that she had been a latchkey kid and what that was like, and she then took some questions from the students.

"Is it fun to make laws?"
You could tell she was trying to put a good face on the typical political sausage making that goes on in Sacramento.

"What are your children's names?"
Angelo, Paulo, Sophia, Rocco, Carlo...
(looks like someone is Italian).

"Do you work a lot?"
Which was greeted by chuckles from the audience as she said, "Yes, yes I do," with a wry grin, as she then elaborated. She then asked if the parents had any questions, and there weren't any. It was my first time to hear her in person and she really made a good impression.

There is no point for more details about her in this blog.
This isn't about her, it's about THINK Together at Wildomar Elementary.

Students from Wildomar Elementary's THINK Together program performing a song.

•    •    •

I had a conversation with April Watkins, one of the coordinators of the program at Wildomar Elementary, about the after school program.

 WR:  Tell me about THINK Together.
 AW:  THINK Together is a non profit organization that provides an extended learning day to students at no cost.

 WR:  How long has THINK Together been at Wildomar Elementary?
 AW:  I've been here for three years, and I believe it started at Wildomar Elementary back in 2009.

 WR:  What about volunteer opportunities?
 AW:  We have several volunteer opportunities ranging from sitting down and reading books with the kids; to helping with homework; coaching soccer; coaching basketball. Volunteers on field trips are big need. We have to keep a 7 to 1 ratio on field trips, and I would love more parent volunteers to go on field trips with us.

 WR:  What are the requirements for volunteers?
 AW:  Volunteers go through a finger printing process through THINK Together. They fill out an application online at www.thinktogether.org/ . The finger printing is done at no cost to the volunteer. It's a live scan fingerprint like also used at the school district. A TB Test is also required. After that, they go through a volunteer orientation. 

 WR:  What about non parent volunteers?
 AW:   We really haven't had any non parent volunteers, except when the Rotary Club volunteered to help us go on a field trip. Some of the other THINK Togethers [at other schools] have non parents helping coach teams. In a THINK Together situation it wouldn't be much of a concern because a volunteer is never allowed to be left alone with kids, a paid staff member always has to be there —if there is a volunteer or not.

 WR:  What is Lights On Afterschool?
 AW:  Lights On After School is the national day to raise awareness for after school programs, and the funding that's required to run them. Whether it be Boys&Girls Club, THINK Together or any other organization that provides after school programs. 

 WR:  Who do potential volunteers contact to help out?
 AW:  Volunteers go to thinktogether.org/ and fill in the application. Once that's done, our volunteer coordinator contacts them and helps them through the rest of the steps. It's pretty easy. 

 WR:  How many students are in THINK Together at Wildomar Elementary?
 AW:  We have 110 students, and the grant only funds us for 84. The school district has given us extra funding for an extra staff member so we can accommodate a full extra class. There are 40 students on a waiting list, and we don't have much turnover during the year.

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Another bit of entertainment by the students of  Wildomar Elementary's THINK Together program was a drum and jump rope demonstration. Seeing such things almost allows me to remember what it was like to be in elementary school.

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We don't always have the answers to all our problems but we should know from right and wrong.

Wildomar Rap still isn't available on Netflix, but is available at Facebook.