Chamber Chatter
Exchange student, employment start summer fun
Parlez vous Francais?
The family of Renee Anns, owner of Wire Pro’s Electric, Inc., in Alpine probably will this summer as they as they host an exchange student from France.
Charlotte, 17, will arrive July 11 for a month-long visit, Anns said.
“She likes to cook, very athletic and sociable,” the mother of three busy daughters described the guest. “We tried to choose a student that would be a good match.”
Anns; her husband, Don, and their three daughters ---- Brittney, 15; Delaney, 11, and Brooke, 10 ---- had a good experience two years ago with their first foreign exchange student, a girl from Japan.
“It was fabulous,” Anns said.
She said the visit went so well her family decided to host another student from a different country.
Although the young people come here to learn about American culture, Anns said, they also get to try things they want to do.
“Everybody that comes here, they want to go to the beach,” she said. “That’s at the top of their list.”
Well, that and shopping, Anns said.
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Twenty-year-old Jenna Burton had a job ready when she graduated in June.
The daughter of Mary Burton of J & M Real Estate in El Cajon had a 97 percent grade after her full-time, 10-month course at the California Hair Design Academy in La Mesa, her mom said.
She said Jenna passed her board exam and started working right away as an assistant at Millicent & Co. in La Mesa.
“She loves it,” Mary Burton said. “She’s doing exceptionally well, high praise already.”
And Jenna has a goal. Burton said her daughter wants to own her own salon some day, tentatively titled Viva Glam.
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A lead clinical laboratory specialist is the newest member of Sharp Grossmont Hospital’s elite “40-Plus Club Hall of Fame.”
Joanna Ihnatowitz, who has worked 40 years at the La Mesa hospital, is the third employee to join the rarified ranks of very, very long-time employees.
The first two hall-of-famers are Bill Mentall, a stock clerk in receiving with 45 years at Sharp Grossmont, and hospice nurse Elaine Keily, a 42-year employee, said Sandy Pugliese, the hospital’s community relations manager.
“We have 401 employees who have worked 20 or more years as of May 1,” Pugliese said.
So what keeps people coming back to jobs that are sometimes very tough in many ways?
“It’s a sense of family,” Pugliese said. “Many of our employees already live in East County. They bond in mission and in spirit, and that keeps them here.”
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Chamber News
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Benefit Dinner Honors Essay Winners
Forty smiling Alpine students enjoyed the 6th Annual Essay Contest Winners Dinner on May 31 at the Alpine Community Center. Presented by the Education Committee of the Alpine & Mountain Empire Chamber of Commerce, the dinner is an annual benefit to raise money for classroom learning materials for local schools. The proceeds are distributed through the nonprofit Alpine Chamber Community Foundation.
Five-year-old Carson Opper stood proud May 28 under the weighty load of his new blue and black backpack, filled with goodies.
He was one of 40 students who had just been honored at the 6th Annual Essay Contest Winners Dinner, a benefit fund raiser for Alpine schools presented by the Education Committee of the Alpine & Mountain Empire Chamber of Commerce.
Carson’s smiling father, Chad Opper, stood behind his beaming Creekside Early Learning Center student at the Alpine Community Center.
“Proud daddy, definitely,” Opper said.
Proud also described the other dads, moms, brothers, sisters, grandparents and teachers shared a hot dogs and hamburger feast with the winning students.
The 40 boys and girls wearing their prettiest and most handsome outfits wrote the best essays out of 1,067 entered this year ---- a record number of contenders.
In addition to being a major community event, the dinner raised money that will be donated through the Alpine Chamber Community Foundation to buy classroom items that aren’t covered by school budgets.
The partnership effort involving the schools, the Chamber and its members, the Foundation and the community has raised more than $50,000 during the past five years.
The major sponsor for this year’s dinner was the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians.
The supporting sponsors were Albertsons, AIG --- American General Life & Accident Insurance, Alpine Country Day Schools, Alpine Auto Repair, Alpine Kiwanis Club, Alpine Special Treatment Center, Alpine Stagecoach Lions, Alpine Union School District, Anytime Septic Service, Barona Ranch Resort & Casino, Cal Pacific Mortgage, California Bank & Trust, Dan Smith’s Alpine Gas & Diesel, Kamps Propane, Liars’ Club Tavern & Grill, Soroptimist International of Alpine, State Farm Insurance ---- Laurie Hallihan, and Village Carpets & Flooring America.
During the dinner ceremonies, the Alpine Chamber also recognized last year’s Junior Miss Alpine, Amanda Hay, and Little Miss Alpine, Samantha Fortin, for their gracious service during a year filled with events.
Noting that it was “an honor to be involved” in the schools’ essay contest, Charlie Brown of Viejas Enterprises told the crowd of about 200 people at the dinner that the student winners always talk about teachers.
And teachers received kudos again this year as students read excerpts from their winning essays about “Why I Like My School.”
“I like teachers because without teachers we couldn’t learn anything,” wrote Zachary Shoemaker.
On sometimes lined paper, the students also praised school principals, custodians, their classmates, libraries and recess at Creekside; Alpine, Shadow Hills and Boulder Oaks elementary schools and Joan MacQueen Middle School.
“The kids at Boulder Oaks are like my family and an extremely happy family,” Rhianna Speck said in her essay.
The other winners were C.J. Iglinski-Stanard, Jack Werland, Lauren Nguyen, Riley Bromma-Diplock, Siena King, Charlotte Kehder, Sierra Rury, Abby Williams, Sophie Allred, Andrew Tompkins, Aleja Quisumbing, Leslie Sanchez, Nicole Swanson, Hailey Garner, Casey Kline, Macy Knight, Shelby Wray, Isabella Koch, Wendy Moreno, Jillian Kleine, Cedar Hobbs, Ashley Mares, Emma Casamassima, Grace Richter, Maddison Medina, Ryan Kelly, Stephanie Rowsell, Alex Geyer, Katie Wall, Dani McCabe, Carlie Valdes, Nicole Desimone, Ryan Ramos, Lindsey Kraemer, Nicholas Vilett, Katie Menzies and Aseret Sperry.
The youngsters also received recognition certificates from state Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the State Assembly and State Senate, and San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob.
“I think it’s marvelous, because children need recognition and when they’re recognized they never forget it,” said Saundra Swanson of El Cajon, grandmother of two-time winner Nicole Swanson, 6. “I think they strive to get that recognition again.”
Post Office Offers Free Services
 Businesses can find many free mailing services on the web site of the U.S. Postal Service, according to Susie Hinson, a small business specialist for the agency.
Hinson and Alpine Postmaster Kitty Van Winkle pushed thatpoint home at the April 8 Hot Topics Networking Business Breakfast of the Alpine & Mountain Empire Chamber of Commerce.
“The only things you really need to come to the post office for are registered mail, a passport or a money order,” Hinson said later. “Everything else you can do on line.”
She said free services by computer include priority envelopes and priority boxes, delivered free.
For those who have labels on line, Hinson said, there are rebates and incentive discounts by hitting the “all products and services” icon on the web site at http://www.usps.com/.
“By doing your labels on line you get free tracking information,” the small business specialist added.
When it comes to stamps, the best buy is the “Forever” stamp featuring the Liberty Bell, because it’s good even when the postal rate goes up ---- as it did recently.
“We also offer 8 to 10 percent off on international mailings,” said Hinson. “All the custom forms can be done on line.”
In addition, the Postal Service can provide customized stamps featuring whatever a person or business would like, and those are good to send regular mail, she said.
Hinson offered her phone number at (858) 674-0555 for business or customer service information.
The area Postal Service number for compliments, complaints or issues is (858) 674-2670.
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