Mimi Pollack

It is not always easy being a Latino or Hispanic performer in the entertainment community. Many times the roles that are offered to actors are limited, as are jobs for directors, producers, stagehands, and technicians.
Amigos Del REP founding members Herbert Siguenza, John Padilla, and Dave Rivas wanted to find a way to change that and showcase Latino actors, playwrights, producers, etc. They decided to form a group under the umbrella of the San Diego REP and Amigos Del REP was born. It is a voluntary community council, and once a month, they give free one night performances or staged readings.

In fact, El Henry, the 2014 award winning play sponsored by both the San Diego REP and the La Jolla Playhouse, had been a reading given by Amigos Del REP four years earlier.
In the Time of Butterflies was another play that started as a reading and was later picked up and produced by the San Diego REP.

In the 2016 season of the San Diego REP, the first and last productions will be plays highlighting Latino performers, including Manifest Destinitis and Into the Beautiful North.

Today, there are eight members in the core group of Amigos Del REP and three producers, Dave Rivas, John Padilla and Sylvia Enrique. Siguenza has become an adviser. Danielle Ward is the liaison representative. It is a labor of love for the dedicated Rivas, Padilla and Enrique who also have day jobs in other fields.
Amigos Del REP has grown and fosters a large family of actors. On their Facebook page, they have headshots of the actors, along with information on each one. There are also experienced stage managers and technicians to cover all aspects of producing a play.

In addition to highlighting Latino actors and playwrights, educational outreach is another important factor. Their goal is to nurture and expose all kinds of Latino talent.

One of their most successful endeavors has been Historias Tenebrosas [Spooky Stories] which has grown into a two night production for both Halloween and Dia de los Muertos [Day of the Dead]. Rivas is the producer and the goal for both nights is to be a cultural event that entertains, educates and enlightens.
The event showcases the similarities and differences between Halloween and Dia de los Muertos and is open to families of all ages. Historias Tenebrosas will be at the Lyceum Theater October 31st and November 1st and starts at 7:00 PM.

Another highlight will be the reading of the play El Cipitio at the Lyceum Space Theater on October 17th at 7:00 PM. Herbert Siguenza will team up with fellow original Culture Clash member, Ric Salinas. This play is based on Randy Ertll’s novel, “The Life and Times of El Cipitio”, and was written by Siguenza, Salinas, and Ertll. El Cipitio comes from a Salvadoran folktale, and both Siguneza and Salinas are Salvadoran/American. Siguenza will direct. With the talented Siguenza and Salinas at the helm, this play should also be picked up by the San Diego REP in an upcoming season.

Finally, Amigos del REP wants to reach out to the community, not only by giving free performances, but also by finding and showcasing future Latino/Hispanic/Chicano talent. For the 2016-2017 season, 20 plays were submitted and 12 were chosen. Hopefully, this will continue to grow, the goals of Amigos Del REP will be reached, and Latino culture will become more a part of the main stage and entertainment community.

For more information and upcoming readings/plays/performances, the website is or on the Amigos Del REP Facebook page,

I walked into the exhibit at the New Americans Museum at Liberty Station with no intention of writing a story. I was just there as a guest at the opening reception of Project Vision. However, the story moved me so much that I changed my mind. As an ESL teacher who has worked with many Sudanese refugees, how could I not tell the story of the 8,000 paper clips?

The Israeli sculptor and TED fellow 2010, Raffael Lomas, has a new exhibit called, “8000 Paper Clips and One Skype Call. It is an artistic encounter between the artist and some South Sudanese refugees that were deported from Israel to Southern Sudan, and are now living in Uganda. The exhibit is basically a wooden house frame with 8,000 paper clips as its walls. The house was a way for Lomas to do a project and connect with the refugees while telling their story. It includes a very interesting 30 minute film by filmmaker, Nitsan Tal, which explains how the project came about.

It is also about how artistic endeavors can bring about social change. In this exhibition, Lomas explores what he calls, “social practice”.  The curator, Olga Sureda, defines it as, “A practice that could be defined as socially engaged art, developed through collaboration, participation, dialogue and immersive experiences.”

She goes on to explain that, “The exhibition acts as a multi-medium guide to express the story of the project, and a glimpse into the life of a refugee, with the aim to emphasize the barriers that have been broken during the project in its entirety.”

As Linda Caballero- Sotelo explains, “The exhibition is a lens into the global issue of human displacement, deliberate and/or forced. The 8,000 paper clip house is a metaphorical ‘home’, constructed of the simplest materials, paper clips, as a reminder of the fragility, but nonetheless resilience of the human spirit in its quest to build a better future….”

Lomas wanted to find a concrete way to help the Sudanese that were deported to Southern Sudan. Some of the children had been born in Israel and it was a complete shock to them to return to their “home country” when they considered Israel to be their home.

Because Southern Sudan was still in so much turmoil, many of the children did not go to school, so about 100 children, who mostly spoke Hebrew, were sponsored by the Israeli foundation, Come True, so they could attend boarding school in Kampala, Uganda.

In the summer of 2014, Lomas and his team went to visit them in Uganda. They worked with the both the students of the NIAAD Academy and the other deported children, and collaborated on making the paperclip house together.

As Osvaldo Romberg, senior curator of the Slought foundation in Philadelphia puts it, “This project demonstrates the generosity and social engagement of Lomas’s artistic endeavors…. The project manages to be a humble gift to the children living in Kampala and to the refugee community in Tel-Aviv, as well as an unquestionably strong critical statement aimed at the current Israeli leadership who failed to take responsibility for its actions towards the community of political immigrants and guest workers.”

Hopefully, Lomas’s Project Vision and the foundations that helped, including Come True, Inspiration, and Brit Olam will have a positive impact on the lives and futures of these Sudanese children.

The exhibit runs from August 4^th through August 25^th at the New Americans Museum in Liberty Station.

As you turn onto Hollister Rd in Imperial Beach, and go into the Tijuana River Valley, you feel like you are in a different world. It feels like the dusty countryside in Mexico, and a place where non-conformists live. This is where you will find Ferdinand’s Familia, a sanctuary for large and small animals, run by an unusual couple.

Ferdinand, the peaceful bull, is a good symbol for this place that was founded by vegetarian peace activists, Michael Pratt and Janice Jordan. They have shared the same vision in life for 19 years. Both are members of the San Diego Peace and Freedom Party.

Ferdinand’s Familia first started in 2008 in their home and with rental stalls. However, as word got out and they began to rescue more neglected and abandoned animals, they realized they needed a larger property of their own and the present sanctuary opened in 2012.

They received 501C3 status and are now a non-profit with five board members. Pratt and Jordan are the managers. He is the PR person who likes to tell each animal’s story and she is the adoption “tsar” as he calls her. They have combined their vegetarian peace activism with rescuing animals and providing them good homes. This fits in with their colorful backgrounds.

In 2004, Native American activist Leonard Peltier ran for president with Jordan as his running mate. In 2006, Jordan ran for governor of California.  She has since semi-retired from politics. She is a social worker and is currently working with the organization, Crossroads, which helps women recently released from prison integrate back into society. She really has two jobs as working with Ferdinand’s Familia is also a full time job.

Pratt trained as a biologist. He has worked in the biotechnology field for the last 30 years. He is also a retired cage fighter/wrestler/ mixed martial arts expert and coach. Like Jordan, his number one passion nowadays is the sanctuary which is partially funded with his money.

One can see the passion that Pratt has for both the sanctuary and biology when he talks about Bella, a very friendly and gentle all white pony. He explains that Bella is not an albino; her coloring is just white with very tiny specs of black that have white hair growing out.

Like the majority of the animals there, Bella is a rescue pony. Pratt rescued her from a terrible hoarding situation where she was being held for collateral for payment of hay. Today, she lives a good life and is pregnant. Pratt is eagerly awaiting the baby.

Pratt is the intense ambassador for his sanctuary. Talking a mile a minute, he loves to show visitors around, explaining the history of each animal and how they were rescued. One can see how much pride he takes in giving the animals a good home. Indeed, the horses there were very friendly although not all were suited for riding. Nevertheless, after hearing some of the horror stories, it was evident that they have come a long way in their trust of humans thanks to Pratt, Jordan and some loyal volunteers.

He has gotten his horses in a variety of ways, such as from hoarding situations, owners that could no longer care for the horses, and people who have gone to prison. The sanctuary is a public partner with the San Diego Humane Society and the Department of Animal Services in Bonita.

Besides the horses, the sanctuary also has llamas, goats, and sheep. In fact, this place has some of the friendliest llamas and goats I have ever met!

I was particularly taken with a sweet and soft llama/alpaca named, Asia, who followed me around, wanting to be petted. Llamas normally do not like to be touched much, but because they got Asia when she was just a baby, she likes human contact.

Asia is a lucky girl who was rescued as a baby from a ranch where the neighbor’s loose dogs roamed around. These dogs attacked and killed Asia’s mother when the baby was just two weeks old. The rest of the herd surrounded Asia and protected her during the attack. After that, Pratt went out there and rescued Asia, two Shetland ponies, and an angora goat.

Asia was still very young and she needed mother’s milk, so Pratt’s other llama Bhu, stepped in to feed and take care of her. Pratt calls her the best mom ever. Bhu and Asia are now inseparable.

The goats there were also very sociable, staring and crowding around us. My favorite goat was a little black and white fellow named, Rudy.

Finally, this sanctuary welcomes visitors and sponsors. Sponsors can “adopt” one of the animals there and come by and take care of it, and spend as much time as they want interacting with their adoptee. For many, this is a way of enjoying a large animal while taking care of it, but without the worries of housing it. Donations of any kind are very welcome as are volunteers who want to come and help.

Although I didn’t meet any that day, they also have dogs and cats up for adoption that they keep at their home in Bonita. They have their own brood of wolf-dogs and foster others. They have 16 cats, and Jordan proudly noted that people always comment on how friendly their cats are. They have pictures of the dogs and cats up for adoption on their website.

Kudos to this couple for their grassroots efforts, and all they have achieved in helping animals in need.  Sometimes flying blind and learning along the way, they have opened an exemplary sanctuary in Imperial Beach.

For a private or group visit or to find out about becoming a sponsor or volunteer, visit their website and Facebook page. With advanced notice, they also welcome school children to come and visit.

www.ferdinandsfamilia.org

In East County, there is place that welcomes all cats, no matter the age or condition. Friends of Cats in El Cajon is a haven for kittens, adult and senior cats, FIV positive cats and even cats with bad habits or psychological problems! They welcome them all with open arms and take good care of them, providing a safe environment.

Friends of Cats first opened its doors informally in 1929 in Pacific Beach. In 1959, they moved to Bonita until they were flooded out. They then moved to their present place in El Cajon in 1971, and have been going strong ever since, thanks to their dedicated staff and volunteers In fact, Friends of Cats was only run by volunteers until 1971.

Now, they have a small staff of nine full time and four part time employees. Janet Bianchini is the shelter manager and has been there five years. She is ably assisted by the amiable Terry Hogan who is the board treasurer and cat ambassador as he has been helping out at the shelter for 27 years.
The shelter is divided up into areas. They have the office cats and all the healthy kittens and adult cats in one building. They are called the “adoptables”. The kittens are kept in a separate area from the adult cats. I noticed that there were many black cats among the adults, including some very beautiful and nice ones, but unfortunately as Bianchini explained, “Black cats are always the last ones to be adopted”.

In the office and laundry area, some of the permanent or resident cats help out in the office or sleep on freshly dried towels. Chubby Gus and 18 year old Ginger like to greet everyone as they come in.
In a separate structure, they have the hospital cats, cats that need to be monitored and quarantined. There is also the Cozy Cottage, which is like a nursing home for old cats to live out the rest of their lives comfortably.
Next, they have the area for shyer cats, cats that are still feral and need to be worked with to build up their trust in humans. Then, they have the Lodge or the P and B room as Terry calls it. P is for pee and B is for bites as these “bad boys” can be unpredictable.

Finally, they have the Annex which is another structure for cats with AIDS [FIV] and feline leukemia. They are kept in separate areas. For this article, they really wanted to get the word out that cats with FIV can live a long life and do not transmit their FIV to humans. They usually just need to be the single king or queen of the house.

The day that I visited, there were some very sweet cats in FIV area waiting for their forever home. Cat whisperer Dan Goldstein takes care of these cats and they all seem to adore him, including Boris who likes to be held like a baby.

Right now, the shelter has 269 cats. They do all this good work surviving on donations. Besides money, they always need towels, blankets, food, beds, cat toys, litter pans, etc. They are also signed up with Amazonsmile and have an Amazon wish list.

All the cats are fixed or spayed, including the kittens when they are old enough as there are too many unwanted kitties out there.

The adoption process is fairly simple. You need to complete an application form. Kittens are $100, cats 1-7 are $75, and cats over 8 are $35. The cats come with all their vaccinations, plus a free 10 day vet visit.
They also welcome volunteers, but those who are 16 or under have to be accompanied by an adult. They need help with laundry, landscaping, and socializing the cats, etc. The good news is volunteers don’t have to clean kitty litter boxes!

www.friendsofcats.org

Life for dogs in Mexico is not very good, except for the lucky ones who have responsible owners. There are so many street dogs roaming about! These street dogs have a very poor quality of life, and because they are not neutered, the problems continue.

However, there are two Jewish brothers, Adam and Josh Prater, who along with Adriana Garcia were inspired to try and make a difference for street dogs in Baja. They found a 50,000 square foot space that was available to them in Tijuana, so Baja Dog Rescue began informally in 2008, and in 2010, it came became a non-profit  organization dedicated to rescuing and finding loving homes for homeless dogs.

Although they mostly rescue Baja dogs, they have since grown and now also take in dogs from both sides of the border. They have rescued 300+ dogs.

Both brothers work day jobs and the rest of their time is dedicated to the organization, so they are always on the go. Josh is a chemical engineer and Adam came from a technological, corporate background, but left it because he wanted to make a difference in the world and felt he could do that by working with his brother helping the animals. Today he works as an administrator helping people interface with government programs on a state, local, and federal level. Between their day jobs and Baja Dog Rescue, they basically work 24/7.

Their non-profit organization  has a full time hospital/medical center that is open 7 days a week where they take care of the dogs they have at the facility, in addition to about 1,000 dogs externally. This no kill facility is often referred to as “The Sanctuary”.
They have treated over 500 dogs with Parvo with a 90-95% success rate and with distemper with a 75% success rate. They have helped many dogs with various ailments and diseases and even manufacture their own flea, tick, and deworming medication.

Poppy is one such dog. This sweet girl was abandoned in front of the facility completely covered in ticks. As Adam says, “She was more tick than dog.” She was also full of worms and anemic. It was obvious she had been neglected and unloved.  The ticks were so bad that she contracted Ehrlichia, a canine typhus.

She is now being cared for and is on the road to recovery and hopefully finding a loving home, but her story is one of many dogs, and the expenses to care for so many dogs continue to go up. This organization relies on donations and the help of volunteers on both sides of the border. They have made great strides in healing sick dogs and have one of the best track records in curing distemper and parvo, but it is hard to keep up that good work when more money is being spent than is coming in.

Baja Dog Rescue now has seven full time employees, and many volunteers, including Cece Vaquera. As Adam stresses, “We truly are a cohesive group doing this and there really is not one person that is more the leader than the other. It really does take a group effort to make this all happen and no one person could do it without the others.”

Indeed, they always need donations and more volunteers are always welcome. Prospective volunteers can email info@bajadogrescue.org for more information.

They have a pet adoption event every Saturday from 10:00 to 3:00 at the PETCO in the Point Loma area on Sports Arena Blvd.

The problem of homeless dogs in Mexico won’t go away anytime soon, but thanks to organizations like Baja Dog Rescue, and the dedication of all the people that work/volunteer there, at least some of the lucky ones have a fighting chance.

For more information their website is: www.bajadogrescue.org