Great Valley Center August 2010 Media Advisory

Great Valley Center Monthly Media Advisory, August 2010
What’s going on in the Central Valley? 

 

Regional Story Ideas:

• The California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley will discuss the Valley’s application for federal Sustainable Communities grant funding in a conference call Aug. 6 at 8 a.m. The Partnership is helping to reconcile differences between Valley COGS and a compact of nine large cities in the valley, which both intended to apply for funding. For more information, click here.
  

• Universities and community colleges are experiencing a dire situation. During a time of decreased resources and funding, enrollment is increasing due to high unemployment. How is your local university, college or community college coping?

• Two groups of regional leaders in the Central Valley head for the Sierra this month in an experience which can be life changing. The Mountain Valley and Great Valley chapters of the American Leadership Forum are taking their new classes to the Sierra Buttes for five day wilderness experiences, part of a year-long effort to build stronger networks of leaders in the Sacramento and Northern San Joaquin Valleys and improve quality of life for their regions. Contact Bonnie Ferreira of Mountain Valley at (916) 920-5669 or mail@alf-mvc.org and Manuel Alvarado of Great Valley at (209) 522-5103 or malvarado3@ucmerced.edu.
  
  
• San Joaquin Valley Blueprint award nominations. The Blueprint Awards recognizes outstanding achievement in quality development while celebrating projects that reflect the Blueprint principles. The program is open to all San Joaquin Valley jurisdictions in the counties of Kern, Kings, Tulare, Fresno, Madera, Merced, Stanislaus & San Joaquin. Nomination deadline is Aug. 27. For more info, visit http://www.valleyblueprint.org/feature/2010/06/2010-blueprint-awards.html.
  
  
• The California Exposition and State Fair wraps up Aug. 1. How did the new timing of the fair affect your local fair? This year, the state fair was held at the end of July instead of the usual time at the end of August. The change was made to accommodate school districts that moved their first day of class to the last week of August. Some local fairs changed their dates to occur before the State Fair.
  

New at the Great Valley Center

• The Great Valley Center will hold its Great Valley Leadership Institute Sept. 29 to Oct. 3 in Modesto. The Institute is an intensive, 4 ½-day experience that provides key insights to help newly elected officials reach their full leadership potential. GVLI provides an unmatched opportunity to access world-renowned faculty from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Considered for participation are bright, motivated elected officials, serving on boards of supervisors, city councils, and school boards, who have been in office at least one year.  For more information on participating in this program, contact Angelina Ceja (209) 522-5103 or email angelina@greatvalley.org.
  

Upcoming Events:

• Valley Futures Forum, Innovations in Designing for Pedestrians: Revitalizing Communities Through Increased Walkability, with Paul Zykofsky, associate director at the Local Government Commission in charge of community design, climate change and health programs. From 5:00 to 6:45 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 19 at the Great Valley Center, 201 Needham St., Modesto. Communities in California and the rest of the nation are recognizing that creating walkable communities is a great way to revitalize downtowns and neighborhoods while achieving broader community goals of reducing vehicle miles traveled, greenhouse gas emissions, and improving health by supporting routine physical activity. This presentation will look at some of the innovative techniques and strategies that communities are using to create complete streets and design safer and more enticing environments for pedestrians.
  

Interviews:

The staff at the Great Valley Center has many areas of expertise; take a look at our staff page here: www.greatvalley.org/about_us/ staff.aspx. GVC staff members are available for interviews about any of the topics listed in this advisory or other regional trends and happenings in the Central Valley. GVC staff members are also available for live interviews and presentations. If you are interested in speaking with or scheduling GVC staff to come to your television or radio studio, give us a call.

About Us:

The Great Valley Center is a nonprofit organization working in partnership with the University of California, Merced to improve the social, economic and environmental well-being of California’s Great Central Valley.


Don’t forget the Great Valley Center’s website www.greatvalley.org and blog greatvalley.blogspot.com for story ideas, sound bites, and more.