Learning for Life, Planning for the Future by Albert DeSilver Financial literacy, wellness, and good old fashioned knowledge not only help us avoid costly problems, but are essential to a balanced life in this day and age of fast-paced technology. I haven’t written a check or handled cash in years. A few years ago I hadn’t even heard of Venmo, and now I use it every week. By next year more than 100 million people will be using Venmo and other apps for day to day financial transactions. Even Crypto is going mainstream with almost 30% of American adults owning some form of Cryptocurrency. As we get older, it’s more important than ever to not just balance the books, but to also consider our estates, our legacy and what will happen with all the stuff we’ve accumulated over the years. This is precisely why we have put together an amazing series of events to support our community in all things money-related. We’re calling it Learning for Life, Planning for the Future . From financial literacy reminders, to estate planning, healthcare directives, and legacy giving, we have gathered together an incredible array of exceptional professionals to help you gain even more clarity about money, finance and your legacy. And best of all these events are FREE and open to the public. We hope to see YOU at one of the upcoming events below. Please review the schedule and let us know if you have any questions. June 18, 2025, 5:30 - 6:45 pm Financial Wellness Refresher Workshop with Financial Wellness Special- ist Ricky Flores.” July 14 and 21, 2025, 1:30 pm both days. (A two-part presentation) Health Care Directives explained - An opportunity to create and complete your own Health Care Directive by David Lakes, PhD and Mar- ian Cremin, LCSW, Medical Social Worker who is Certified in Lifestyle Medicine. Upcoming Fall events are presented in partnership with the Nicasio Valley Fire Department (NVFD)and the Nicasio Ladies Auxiliary October 23, 2025, 6 pm. Well Being at the End of Life, Medical, Psychological, and Legal perspectives. A medical perspective by Stephanie Marques MD October 30, 2025, 6 pm A psychological perspective by LeeAnn Bartolini PhD November 13, 2025, 6 pm A legal perspective by Dakota Whitney JD and Martha Howard JD Questions about this event or Legacy Giving? Contact Development Coordinator, Albert DeSilver at adesilver@sgvcc.org
Why We Give by Zachary Goodman
I give to the San Geronimo Valley Community Center because it anchors me in this unique, wild, and wonder- ful place. When my family moved to the Valley a few years ago, I was struck by the feeling of being both big and small at the same time. Nature, sky, open space and privacy are grounded by the people-focused, physical presence of the Community Center. It made us feel part of something bigger from the very beginning. The Community Center brings people together across generations and backgrounds, offering stability, support, and celebration. Whether it’s youth programs, senior lunch, the food pantry, or an art or music event, the Community Center is here, holding space for everyone.
In the end, it’s really about people and belonging. I see it in the way the Community Center meets people where they are, with care, respect, and heart. Giving to the Community Center and serving on the Board of Directors is my way of showing appreciation and ensuring that we can continue to connect the threads, be deeply anchored here, and thrive.
Tonight’s Sky by Rich Lohman
dusty, gaseous nebulae, regions where new stars are being formed. The first one, and probably the brightest, is the Lagoon Nebula. But as you con- tinue to move upward you’ll find others: the Trifid, the Swan and the Eagle Nebulae. I suggest you look these up online to see more detail of their structure and beauty. But just with your binoculars you can appreciate what they are! Take your time. It can be magical! Returning down to the constellation Scorpius, I’d like to highlight the Super Red Giant star, Antares, the heart of the scorpion. Not nearly as bright as the Red Giant Arcturus, higher to the west, but both are in their latter stages of life, indicated by their reddish color. The name, Antares, means “rival of Mars”, its color being similar to that of Mars. Antares has an astounding diameter of 700X that of our Sun! To give perspective, if Antares replaced our Sun, its surface would extend out past the orbit of Mars! Because of that size it also gives off 76,000X more light than our Sun! Why don’t we see it so bright? It’s 550 light years from us. Finally, don’t forget the Perseid Meteor shower on the night of August 12-13. A mere 7% moon should give us a chance to see lots of “shooting stars”!
Summer 2025
As you read this piece in early June the sunsets are coming later and later, and we have to wait until well past 9 pm to appreciate the beauty of the night sky.
But that starts to change after the night of the Summer Solstice, June 20th this year. On that date our Earth has its maximum tilt towards the Sun, bringing us those long, warmer days. At this time of year our Earth, in its annual orbit around the Sun, is also situated in a position between the Sun and the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way. That means that our night sky is dominated by the Milky Way. I’d like to spend most of this writing sug- gesting ways to appreciate that view more. The attached image shows our view of the night sky as we look due south. Unfortunately, we won’t have this particular view until around midnight in early June. But as the days move along we’ll have this view earlier, and by July 4th we’ll have that view at around 10 pm. The two constellations, Sagittarius and Scorpius (or Scorpio) are quite low in the southern sky, but on a clear night, here in our dark valley, you’ll recognize the swath of white extending upward from the spout of the “teapot”, which is quite easy to find. The Milky Way seems to be the steam coming from the teapot, and we sometimes can’t distinguish it from ordinary clouds. This view is quite beautiful just with the naked eyes, but I suggest you use a pair of binoculars to more fully experience what is there. I recommend 7x50 or 8x50 binoculars, but even those ending in 30 can do a pretty good job. Start at the teapot spout and SLOWLY scan upwards, and slightly to the left, along the white swath. Just above the spout you’ll be looking directly into the very center of our galaxy. That center itself contains tens of millions of stars, and according to professional astronomers, it also con- tains a giant black hole. The center is so dense that we can’t distinguish individual stars without large telescopes, but as you scan further upward you’ll begin to see some individual stars. And from time to time you’ll see dense, cloudy clusters of light. Some are clusters of stars, but others are the
Any questions: Contact Rich Lohman, richneal@pacbell.net
SGV Community Center Stone Soup Page 11
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