JoDean Nicolette, president of the all-volunteer Mounted Assistance
Unit, swears it's true. On the days she heads out on one of her three
horses to augment the patrols of rangers in state parks, her mounts
really perk up.
"When I have my patrol uniform on, I think my horses think they're a
big deal," said the Santa Rosa family physician and horsewoman. "Horses
like to have a job. They're happier when they're working."
It was just a little lemonade stand on Calistoga Road run by seven little girls, Brownie Girl Scouts from Santa Rosa Troop 10508. On a recent Friday after school, the girls and their moms set up shop across the street from their school, Sequoia Elementary, and started waving signs.
"In a way, it didn't matter if they raised $1,000 or $10," said April Gonzales, troop co-leader and mom to Jenna, 8, a member of the troop. The day was really about learning to think about others, she said.
Each year, the Sonoma County Task Force for the Homeless gives out two awards to people or groups who endeavor to address the issue of homelessness.
This year's Marijke Byck Spirit of Community award will go to Sally Davis and Steve Birdlebough. The married couple live at Friends House, the Quaker elder community, and have been co-chairpersons of Friends of the Homeless since 2004.
Whether he's at a LunaFest meeting gearing up for the Nov. 7 debut of short films by women to benefit breast cancer research or tossing around ideas on how to combat poverty, he does so as one grateful to have been mentored, so he could, in turn, mentor others.
