HELPING HANDS HAPPENINGS
PATTI BEAULIEU
May is upon us and this means a few changes for Helping Hands Thrift Store and the Furniture Barn. Beginning on May 21, we’ll be open until 4 at both Stores with donations accepted until 3.
We alter our hours to accommodate the summer season by staying open an hour longer. We’ll resume our 3:00 close just after Labor Day. This gives our summer travelers and vacationers a little longer to visit us.
We’ve now cleared our winter inventory and have started filling the racks with summer clothing, shoes, hats, etc. We had almost a month of BAG SALES that helped us empty the winter racks with bargains for everyone. The racks will be stocked daily with new merch, so come in often.
Look for special sale items the week before Mother’s Day on May 11th.
We’ll have wonderful jewelry, clothing, collectibles and other fun stuff for that special lady in your life.
April always has National Volunteer Appreciation Week and this year we gifted our wonderful volunteers with an umbrella with the Helping Hands logo emblazoned on it. We appreciate them beyond words, so this gift is a token of our appreciation for their dedication to the organization.
Please to call 209-962-7014 prior to donating to the Furniture Barn. We have limited space and may not always be able to accept your items. A call will prevent loading it up and us not being able to accept it. The Furniture Barn is open on Fridays and Saturdays from 11-3, with donations from 11-2 on those days. After May 21, the close time will be extended by one hour. The Thrift Store days are Wednesdays thru Saturday with the same hours as above.
In accordance with our commitment to support our Community, we have now pledged a yearly sponsorship to Tuolumne Trails Camp. We’re honored to be able to assist them in this way.
Enjoy this springtime and bring your visitors to downtown Groveland for a fun day of shopping, browsing and eating. We have a lot of businesses to visit, all within a few steps of each other.
DOG PARK NEWS
DORI JONES
M y name is Gem and I’m lucky enough to have been recently adopted by Bob & Mary Steinkamp. I’m a pretty (if I say so myself) little border collie with white tips on my paws and the end of my tail. In my six years I’ve had two litters and had been somewhat neglected by previous owners.
Now my new mom and dad treat me so well and I know they love me. I don’t really have a favorite toy, but my favorite part of the day is when I get to go the Dog Park—not once, but twice a day—every morning and afternoon.
I have lots of energy and LOVE to run. I literally run circles (clockwise only!) around the park and have created my own pathway around the park. My mom and dad like it because after the dog park, I come home and take a nap.
Please register or renew your dog park registration and get the gate code for 2024.
Please stop by the GCSD administration office on Ferretti Road to register (or go to the Merchant Transact system on the GCSD website: www.gcsd.org ). Bring current Rabies and Bordetella vaccination certificates, pay a $25 annual fee for up to two dogs ($10 for each additional dog), and get the gate code.
It is a great place for dogs (and people) to socialize. To keep all our dogs safe at the dog park, we ask that you keep your dog’s vaccinations current.
SOUTHSIDE COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
NANCY REGGIO – EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Spring has arrived, and we welcome it with open arms and big smiles at SCC! Our dedicated staff and volunteers feel truly honored to serve and support our incredible community in these ever-changing times.
Get ready for an exciting event — SCC’s Spring Fundraiser Golf Tournament is happening at the beautiful PML Golf Course on May 3! But the fun starts early — join us on May 2 for a fabulous Kentucky Derby Cocktail Party at the Grill. It’s sure to be an evening full of flair, fun, and fundraising — with every dollar going directly to support SCC’s vital programs!
Speaking of programs, SCC is bursting with activity and growth! At The Little House, the energy is contagious — from exercise classes and BUNCO to Mahjong, Needlepoint, Wii Bowling, and our always-popular Thursday lunches, there’s joy around every corner. The laughter and camaraderie are what community is all about — and we’re loving every moment.
Our WHEELS and WAVE transportation services are seeing record numbers, and we’re proud to now offer some Saturday rides to better serve our community. We’re committed to evolving with your needs!
And here’s some fantastic news — thanks to the generosity of the Rotary Club, we now have an AED machine installed on the WAVE bus! This life-saving device adds a whole new layer of safety, and our fully trained drivers and staff are ready if it’s ever needed. With AEDs now on both WAVE vehicles and at The Little House, we’re better equipped than ever to protect and care for our community. Huge thanks to the Rotary Club!
Looking ahead, May 2025 will
bring some fresh, exciting new offerings to The Little House — so stay tuned to
our social media channels for announcements. You won’t want to miss what’s
coming! To all of you — thank you. Your ongoing support, your spirit, your
generosity — you are what make this community thrive. We’re in this together,
and we appreciate you more than words can say.
VOLUNTEER OF THE QUARTER: TODD COX
BETH MARTIN – TRANSPORTATION COORDINATOR
Todd Cox prefers to stay out of the spotlight, finding more fulfillment in helping others than in receiving recognition. However, as a Southside Community Connections (SCC) volunteer since 2023, Todd’s quiet acts of kindness have earned him our heartfelt thanks as Volunteer of the Quarter.
As a volunteer driver with SCC’s Wheels program, he provides transportation to those in need. He also lends a hand as a “Handy Helper” with the Village on the Hill program, assisting members with simple home chores and maintenance. He’s also done home visits as part of SCC’s “Friendly Faces” program, which provides social phone calls and friendly visits or walks to brighten people’s days.
One of those people, Barbara Whittlesey met Todd last fall, after contacting SCC to find someone to provide companionship for her husband, Tom. “What a delightful man,” she said. “Thank you for giving him our name.”
Todd, who lives in Moccasin with his family and works as a local water and power electronics technician, volunteers with SCC in his off hours. “My family has been incredibly blessed,” he said. “I have the time and resources to give back as a volunteer, and I think when you’re able to do that, you should.”
“Todd is just a jewel,” said Dotty Davis, whom Todd has been driving to eye appointments in Modesto for a year and a half. “He is totally devoted to being a good person.”
Todd’s spirit of giving and dedication to helping those in need embody the essence of what it means to volunteer with SCC. We are proud to honor him as our Volunteer of the Quarter! Our volunteers are the backbone of SCC, and they help build a stronger, more connected community. If you’re interested in finding out more about volunteer opportunities with SCC, call us at (209) 962-6952 or email wheels@southsidecommunityconnections.org
WHY EVERYONE NEEDS A “THIRD SPACE”
SAMANTHA WEST – THE LITTLE HOUSE SUPERVISOR
We spend most of our lives balancing work and home, but what about a third space—a neutral zone where we can connect, unwind, and feel a sense of belonging? Sociologist Ray Oldenburg describes the third space as vital to personal and community well-being, a place beyond work and home where life happens.
Why does it matter? Studies show that people who regularly engage in a third space experience reduced stress, improved mental health, and stronger social ties. For older adults, these spaces can combat isolation, a risk factor for depression and cognitive decline. A third space is more than a meeting spot—it’s a lifeline to community and purpose.
That’s where The Little House comes in. As Groveland’s answer to the third space, it’s a welcoming hub of activities and connections.
Whether it’s a crafting class, fitness session, or a simple coffee chat with friends, The Little House provides a chance to engage, grow, and thrive. It’s a place to feel seen and supported while forming meaningful connections.
Life is richer when we make space for community. Stop by The Little House on Merrell Road and discover your third space. Your well-being and your neighbors are waiting.
LIVING THE GREAT COMMISSION IN OUR MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY
PASTOR BOB KANDELS
Greetings, A s the Pastor of Gateway Community Church, I have the privilege of witnessing the ministry of the Great Commission come to life in our mountain community. But what is the Great Commission?
“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’” — Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)
I know that the community of God is not perfect, and at Gateway Community Church, we don’t always get everything right. We make mistakes, and sometimes we misinterpret our own actions as the work of God. Yet, despite our imperfections, I am blessed to witness the beauty of transformation when someone comes to Jesus.
I see these moments in everyday life—at the local market while grabbing lunch, on Pine Mountain Lake with friends enjoying God’s creation, and on Friday mornings when a grateful smile accompanies a load of food given to a family in need. I see it in the generosity of South Side Community Service as they raise funds to provide much-needed transportation at no cost, and in the joyful interactions at Tenaya Elementary/Middle School and Tioga High School as I serve alongside our students. I see it in the heartfelt gratitude of someone who, after a Sunday worship service, shares that they have found Jesus and their life is forever changed by His unending love, forgiveness, and salvation.
This is the heart of Gateway Community Church—to welcome and serve the people of our mountain community, helping them connect with Jesus Christ through joyful worship, prayer, and discipleship. (Gateway Community Church Vision Statement)
Are we perfect in this mission? No. But by God’s grace, we will continue to pursue it! If you’d like to learn more about this vision, we invite you to join us for worship every Sunday at 10:00 AM. We would love to welcome you.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Bob Kandels
ENGAGING AND SUPPORTING STUDENTS IN LEARNING AND READING
JENNY FERRAIOLO
One of primary missions of the Friends of the Groveland Library (FOGL) is to promote literacy, and the best way to accomplish this goal is to provide resources, support, and opportunities for our Groveland area students at both the elementary and high school levels.
Recently, representatives from FOGL welcomed Tioga High School students to the Book Nook, where they received a brief tour of the space and its offerings.
They were also encouraged to choose books to take home. Six students attended and took home about a dozen books.
They were accompanied by Tioga staff member Alexa MacGregor. The students were excited to receive their books, and everyone had a wonderful time! Coming soon: FOGL has expanded its end-of- year giveaway at Tenaya Elementary. ALL students grades TK-8 will be offered to pick a book for summer reading! This event happens in late May.
In addition to the book giveaways, FOGL offers many activities and opportunities for students to read and learn to love books.
Volunteers read to preschoolers at the library every Friday morning and each year they read Dr. Suess books to the elementary classes for “Read Across America.” FOGL donates money to Tenaya Elementary School to purchase books for classroom libraries, as well as contributing funding for Stuff the Bus, which helps purchase supplies for the schools.
The importance of reading cannot be stressed enough, and it starts with young minds. To quote Dr. Suess ~ “The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” We see bright futures for our Groveland area youth, and FOGL volunteers are proud to be a part of their reading and learning journeys.
If you are interested in becoming a member of FOGL or volunteering at the Book Nook, contact Michele Roberts at (209) 962-4327 or mroberts@crossborder.com . Ask about volunteering to read or tutor too!
Tioga High School students receiving their books from FOGL
REMEMBERING NORMAN EDWARD VOLPONI
BORN OCTOBER 7, 1932, PASSED AWAY ON FEBRUARY 2, 2025
Celebration of life to take place on June 14, 2025, from 1-4 pm, at the Grill at Pine Mountain Lake, 12765 Mueller Dr. Groveland, CA 95321
CAMP TUOLUMNNE TRAILS
DORI JONES
DON’T MISS CTT’S 2ND ANNUAL COMMUNITY RESOURCE FAIR!
C TT will be holding its 2nd Annual Resource Fair on Saturday, May 24 from 12:30-4:30 p.m. Families with young children and adults with disabilities as well as seniors are invited to attend and enjoy a day of family fun.
This is a unique opportunity for connecting folks to meet with local organizations that provide services and support to people with disabilities. Some fun activities to look forward to include: arts and crafts, face painting, karaoke, a petting zoo and food.
Our line up of vendors, to date, includes:
• United Cerebral Palsy Stanislaus
• McIllwain Mobility - Demonstrating all-terrain bikes and power chairs
• Area 12 Agency on Aging
• Family Resource Network
• WATCH Resources
In conjunction with the Fair, CTT will host an Open House where families who are considering sending their child to CTT’s summer camp will get a tour of camp’s facility and learn more about how CTT can accommodate their child’s needs. Families of all abilities and all ages are welcome. This is an opportunity for everyone to get an up- close and big picture about what CTT offers and to experience first hand the magic that is Camp Tuolumne Trails.
CTT’S AMBASSADOR MEETING
CTT held its second Ambassador Committee meeting in April and welcomed several new members to this important group of community members who have committed to help spread the word about the significant and life-changing work that CTT does for a very special community of people with disabilities. Among the attendees at this meeting was Executive Director Deffria Bass-Nwoffiah and her team from WATCH Resources in Sonora. This is an organization that provides adults with intellectual disabilities the needed support to live productive and happy lives as integral members of our community.
Did you know that the average age of CTT’s campers is 38? CTT is one of the very few camps in the country that accepts campers of ALL ages. Last year, camp celebrated the birthday of an 82-year old woman, who is returning this summer.
Stay tuned for more information about this important and personally rewarding effort.
Let us know if you’d like to learn more about the important role CTT’s Ambassadors will have, please call camp (209) 962-7234. We invite you to “bring a friend” to the next meeting. Look for more details next month.
A VERY SPECIAL DONATION TO CTT
Donna was born with no arms and very short legs—effectively a quadriplegic. Before she passed away about 10 years ago, her condition had deteriorated so that she could no longer drive her adapted van. Donna lived a full life despite her disabilities. After she passed, her mother Jeanne Yaeger (now 96) from Mountain View heard about CTT and thought how much Donna would have enjoyed coming to camp. She is thrilled that CTT will use it to help adults with disabilities. Some of our campers find transportation from their group homes to camp somewhat difficult. We will offer up transport to those who otherwise might miss camp. We will also use it to transport those with mobility challenges around camp to the various activities. It will support at least 2 wheelchairs and four other passengers, plus a driver and an attendant.
A TIME OF TRANSITION
After seven years working at CTT in various capacities, Director of Operations Jacqui Montero has decided to pursue her master’s degree. Jacqui first came to camp as a summer counselor, progressed to Program Director and was named Director of Operations at the end of 2023. She has been responsible for securing summer staff, staff training, and developing and creating programs for our campers. She has been tireless in her efforts to bring CTT to a higher level, and her vast knowledge of people with disabilities and ensuring camp runs smoothly year-after-year will be sorely missed.
MEET CTT’S NEW PROGRAM DIRECTOR KAYLEE REYNOLDS
CTT is very pleased to announce that Kaylee Reynolds has joined CTT as its new Program Director. Moving from Iowa in April, she has hit the ground running and over the next few months until Jacqui’s departure this summer, she will be immersing herself in the day-to-day camp operations and CTT’s culture. Kaylee has significant experience in various leadership roles in environmental education, behavior technician and working with youth with Autism. Kaylee graduated Summa Cum Lade from Iowa State University and majored in Animal Ecology and Interpretation of Natural Resources. Welcome Kaylee!
ROTARY RED, WHITE & BLUE BALL
Groveland Rotary held its 22nd Annual ed, White & Blue Ball at camp on April 12 Attended by 80 Rotarians and their guests, a delicious meal was served and guests danced to the music of The Lack Family Band from Greeley Hill.
SUMMER PROGRAM UPDATE
On April 17, CTT staff attended the Tuolumne County Volunteer Fair. This was a great opportunity to share what opportunities exist at CTT for volunteers. In addition, we were able to promote and recruit vendors for our Resource Fair and seek Volunteers for our April 26th Volunteer Work day.
CTT already has a sold-out summer season and waitlists are forming. Over the last few weeks, CTT has been focused on job fairs and international recruiting for summer staff.
Many counselors and nurses have committed to our summer season and CTT will have its first international staff from Ireland this summer! The maintenance team is replacing decks around several of the cabins and is readying CTT’s facilities and grounds in time for our summer campers. We still have seasonal counselor positions open if you know someone who is 18+ years old, responsible, dependable, energetic and looking for a summer job who might be a good fit!
Camp Tuolumne Trails’ mission is devoted to helping those with disabilities and those who support them by providing an accommodating environment for healing, respite, education and recreation. If you’d like to find out more about CTT, take a tour, volunteer or learn more about donating and legacy giving, please call CTT at (209) 962-7534, email info@tuolumnetrails.org or visit http://www.tuolumnetrails.org Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay updated on camp happenings.
PINE CONE SINGERS: CELEBRATE MUSIC
BOB SWAN
By the time you read this, I hope you have seen our posters, and possibly been buttonholed by a Pine Cone Singer, so you know that our Spring Concert is almost at hand. And we are back to our traditional schedule: the weekend AFTER Mothers’ Day.
We know this is a busy weekend for a lot of folks, but we hope you’ll be able to join us for a bit of musical refreshment amidst all your other activities. We will be performing our usual variety of styles: jazz, pop, movie music, a couple of beautiful slower pieces. We won’t be doing any “classical” stuff this time, but we will have some solos from our talented singers. We’re having fun learning the material, and we invite you to “Come Celebrate Music”.
The concerts will be held at the Gateway Community Church on Ferretti Road at 7PM on Friday, May 16, and 2PM on Saturday and Sunday, May 17-18. Tickets are usable for any one of the shows, and are available at Premier Valley Bank, B Beautiful Salon, and from any Pine Cone Singer. Suggested donation is $15, with children 12 and under free.
If you have questions, please contact Bob Swan at 408-398-4731.
QUESO FUNDIDO
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY TOM KNOTH AND PAULA MARTELL
We are cheese lovers and this is one of our favorite appetizers to serve at parties; we highly recommend that you try it for Cinco De Mayo! We like the Oaxaca Cheese and usually find it at Grocery Outlet in Sonora or Oakdale. For all of the cheeses, it is better if you use block cheese rather than pre grated cheese, which has starch added to keep it from clumping. The starch is not good for the texture of the queso, so avoid pre grated cheese!
INGREDIENTS
1/2 lb. Chorizo Sausage (can substitute Jimmy Dean hot breakfast sausage)
1 whole medium Onion, finely diced
2 whole small Poblano or Bell Peppers, seeded and finely diced
1 lb combo of Oaxaca, Monterey Jack, and/or Mozzarella Cheese), grated Sprinkle of Chili Powder
3 whole Roma Tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped Tortilla Chips for serving
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large skillet over med high heat, cook and crumble the sausage until brown.
Remove from skillet and drain on a paper towel. Pour off any excess fat. Add onions and bell peppers to the skillet and cook until the veggies are soft and golden brown, about 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
To build the skillet, place 1/3 of the cheese in a separate medium-sized ovenproof skillet (we use a 8 or 10 inch cast iron skillet). Add half the sausage. Add another third of the cheese, then as much of the veggie mixture as you’d like (you may have a little left over.) Add almost all of the remaining cheese, the rest of the sausage, then whatever cheese you have left. Sprinkle the top very lightly with chili powder.
NOTE: Depending on the size of your skillet or baking dish, you may have some ingredients left over. Just build so that the ingredients roughly reach the top of the skillet; they’ll shrink quite a bit once the cheese melts! Place into the oven and start watching it about 4 to 5 minutes in. You want to bake it until the cheese is totally melted, hot, and slightly bubbling...but before the cheese starts to firm up/harden.
Remove from the oven, top with the diced tomatoes, sprinkle on the cilantro, and serve immediately with tortilla chips! NOTE: Be sure to have everything ready so you can serve the queso fundido pretty much right out of the oven. It’s best when piping hot! Wrap a cloth around the skillet handle so guests won’t burn themselves.
