gifts

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Barton Health has announced the first baby of 2021 was delivered at its Family Birthing Center, arriving at 4:33 p.m. on Friday, January 1, 2021.

Nora Mayland Kerr was born to Stateline NV. residents Dylan and Blair Kerr. Nora weighed six pounds 11 ounces at birth, measured 19 inches long, and was delivered by Dr. Clare Rudolph. Nora’s middle name is a long standing family name from her grandfather. Nora has one sibling, ten-year old sister, Emily.

As we prepare to bid the year of 2020 a fond farewell, we are celebrating Christmas as best we can during these unprecedented and uncertain times.

I could start with all the normal holiday greetings like Merry Christmas, May your holidays sparkle with joy and laughter, or I hope the magic of Christmas fills every corner of your heart and home with joy — now and always, but this year seems like so much more is needed.

The Barton Foundation’s 2020 virtual gala received overwhelming support from donors, raising a record-breaking $110,000 to benefit the Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund. These donations are immediately being put to use, helping community members hit hardest by the pandemic: those facing food insecurity and other economic hardship, as well as healthcare workers on the frontline.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The holidays will be a bit more brighter this season after the community Toys for Tots toy drive provided special gifts for 347 kids.

Toys were collected in bins located around the community as well as online via Walmart's virtual toy drive.

The presents will be given to youth from the Family Resource Center who collected applications for the Toys for Tots organizer. Now the families will be picking up a bag full of books, toys and stuffed animals.

The Soroptimist International Club of South Lake Tahoe (SISLT) has helped make the holidays a bit brighter for the men and women served by Live Violence Free, the nonprofit committed to promoting a violence-free community.

Each year the SISLT club president chooses a "President's Project" to complete during their year of service. This year, Club President Louisa Boone decided her project would be to make Christmas Stockings for the 50 women and 10 men the agency serves. Stockings were filled with beanies, socks, teas, gift cards for the men, beauty supplies and jewelry for the ladies.

Dragonfly Bagel Co. is a small batch bakery specializing in bagels. They have been operating as a pop-up for the last three years in South Lake and have recently opened their own permanent location.

Dragonfly Bagel Co. is open every day except Tuesday from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Their bagels, breads, and pastries are made by hand and from scratch. They are incredibly passionate about their baked goods and love the local community.

For gifts, try a box of bagels or gift cards.

The holidays are upon us, bringing a time to celebrate and gather. Gatherings during the upcoming holidays can be an opportunity to reconnect with family and friends, however, even small in-person gatherings are a contributor to the rise in COVID-19 cases we are seeing across the nation and in our own community. This holiday season, consider how your holiday plans can be modified to reduce the spread of COVID-19 to keep your friends, family, and community healthy and safe.

With fundraising taking on a different look due to the pandemic, many nonprofits have taken to the internet for a way to help their groups raise much-needed funds.

The Soroptimist International Club of Tahoe Sierra (SITS) has one week left on their holiday catalog. The gift catalog is full of things for the holidays from gift wrapping to gifts and kitchenware

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The American Legion Stella Van Dyke Post 795, the American Legion Auxiliary and the Sons of the American Legion of South Lake Tahoe will hold their annual Toy Drive on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020, from noon to 3 p.m. at the American Legion Hall, 2748 Lake Tahoe Boulevard, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - When Sandra Santane set out to build a "feel good" place where family moments could be created as well as a place where time could be spent for "me time," Cuppa Tahoe evolved.

"I wanted to create magic and had this idea for a long time," explained Sandra. She grew up in Holland where there were places where people would meet, talk and enjoy, and wanted that in South Lake Tahoe. She also grew up with a love of books that has stayed with her as she lived in Tunisia and now the United States. Books were both her inspiration and her escape.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - In a graduation season marked by COVID-19 social distancing regulations, high school students across the globe knew the ceremonies marking the end of K-12 school careers would be different than in years past. With daily school work moved online, graduations were moved to a virtual format.

At both South Tahoe High and Mt. Tallac High schools, graduation has been made special by social media acknowledgments, yard signs, and special bags full of gifts.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - With the Class of 2020 having a graduation experience unlike any in history, parents and faculty are trying to still create a remembrance now that traditional graduation ceremonies are canceled.

For South Tahoe High School (STHS), all 226 graduates received yard/window signs over the past few days. Principal Carline Sinkler, teachers, staff, and other volunteers visited each home in South Lake Tahoe with the signs provided by the Barton Foundation.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The generosity of a former South Lake Tahoe resident is keeping nurses and other members of the medical team at Barton Health safer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brian Gignoux, who spent grades K-10 and early adult life in South Lake Tahoe, heard how medical personnel across the globe were having problems obtaining life-saving protection items like surgical and N95 masks. His medical field friends in South Lake Tahoe were no different.

He talked to Barton RNs Siobhan Keller and Rachelle Pakes, friends of his from childhood, and asked what they needed.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It took almost a full week of the new year to welcome in the first baby born at Barton Memorial Hospital. Everett James Haen came into the world at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, January 7.

Everett was born at the hospital's Family Birthing Center to Robert Haen and Shaina Willen, MD. He weighed six pounds 15 ounces and measured 19.5 inches long.

Dear Readers:

Thank you very much for being a reader of South Tahoe Now. This has been a whirlwind of a year, and ending with another whirlwind of activity as we all prepare to celebrate the holidays with our family, friends, and loved ones. It seems like just yesterday that we finished our Thanksgiving turkeys and started thinking about shopping for gifts.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Four local families were treated to presents for their children at Fire & Ice in South Lake Tahoe on Monday. Mom even got to take home a special gift too!

Identified through SOS Outreach, the kids met with the jolly Santa Claus and were given bags of gifts to take home.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The 2nd annual Wish Tree at the Boys and Girls Club of Lake Tahoe (BGCLT) brought community members together to help make the holiday special for children.

The South Lake Tahoe Association of REALTORS® (STAR) would like to thank realtors and the local community for taking part with their donations to fulfill the wish lists of 50 children.

Holiday “Wish Tree” gift tags were crafted from the list provided by BGCLT and each child selected received two gifts, said Jana Nelson, co-chair of the program and STAR communications and public relations chair.

Tahoe Art Walk’s fun and free self-guided tour of local art takes place all along the South Shore, December 14th. Most events at 4 to 8 pm. Follow the map at TahoeArtWalk.com.

You can print out a copy of the map directly from the website. Click on the locations to get directions right on your device and to view information about special event details and times. Look for unique classes offered at special rates during the art walk too!

Location

Hope Lutheran Church of the Sierra in South Lake Tahoe is holding their inaugural Holiday Bazaar on Saturday, November 30 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Plan on getting into the holiday spirit and wanting through the church's Fellowship Hall to get unique items for everyone on your list (or for yourself too!).

The church is located at 930 Julie Lane in South Lake Tahoe and there is plenty of free parking.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A reception was held prior to Tuesday's City Council meeting, welcoming the contingent from the City of Ameca, Jalisco, Mexico prior to the signing of the official Sister City agreement between South Lake Tahoe and Ameca.

A large crowd was on hand to enjoy food, music and watch the exchanging of gifts between the cities.

Keep Memory Alive hosted its annual Summer Social and Rodeo at Shakespeare Ranch, a private Lake Tahoe estate, this past weekend to raise money to support the work of Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and its fight against neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, ALS and more.

If you have ever wondered about the idealogy behind the Native American Medicine Wheel, the class "Nature's Compass -Finding Your Center in the Sacred Wheel" is for you.

"It's more than just a cool picture, it is really Humankind's first calendar and is central to understanding the world around us on an intimate level," Terrell said.

Facilitator, Lisa Terrell, has been walking the path of the Medicine Wheel for more than 20 years. She has been a journalist and has studied under Elders who have worked with the 13 Grandmothers and Paiute Elders.

Location

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The UC Master Food Preservers are presenting two classes at the local library this June in food preservation. Teachers will be explaining each step of canning, dehydrating and freezing as methods of preserving fruit and vegetables to use throughout the year in your family’s meals.

The first of the fruit and vegetable preservation classes will be Fruit: Preserve It; Serve It class on Monday, June 3 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and the second will be their Vegetables: Preserve & Serve class on Tuesday, June 18 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Chase International’s Kili Ongoy was named Rookie of the Year by the South Tahoe Association of Realtors earlier this month. Ongoy has been with Chase since August of 2017. She serves on the association’s planning commission and was inducted as vice president.