Great bank

I go to Washington Mutual Bank at Pacific View Mall.

The people who work at the bank have great services and are helpful, friendly and nice to me.

— Grant Roberts, Ventura

Great Big Brother

On behalf of the board, staff and the youth we serve across Ventura County, I wanted to personally thank Star Publisher George Cogswell for being brave enough to put himself forward to dance at the Salsa Festival. Mr. Cogswell is competing in two categories, the local celebrity raising the money for his charity, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County, and also as the best dancer.

Mr. Cogswell is a Big Brother and spends a lot of his free time being a role model and quiet hero to a young man. In the short time that George has been in Ventura County, he has made quite a name for himself, but no one thinks he is more important than his "Little Brother," Vincent.

Thanks to the valiant effort that George is putting forth, and his personal goal of raising $10,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters, we will be able to serve many more youth in Ventura County. Please contribute to his campaign and vote for Vincent's Big Brother.

Keep on dancing, George.

— Lynn West, CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County

Prevent homelessness

Thank you to all the generous people who stopped at our Homeless Prevention (Ventura Social Services Task Force) Booth at the July 4th Street Fair in Ventura. They donated $420, most of it in small bills.

All of the money donated goes to assist people who are at risk of losing their home due to a one-time inability to pay the rent or mortgage.

More than 15,000 people in Ventura earn less than $25,000 per year, placing them at risk for homelessness. For these neighbors, an unexpected medical bill or car-repair expense can make it impossible to pay their rent. The Ventura Homeless Prevention Fund has helped 50 people to remain in their homes this year. It is much more effective to prevent homelessness, rather than try to help after a family is evicted and has to come up with extra money for deposits and other moving expenses.

If you would like to donate to this worthwhile cause, you can send a check to the Ventura Homeless Prevention Fund or VHPF, c/o United Way, 1317 Del Norte Suite 100, Camarillo, CA 93010. Checks should be made out to UWVC/VHPF.

We so enjoyed talking with everyone who stopped by. Thank you for your interest in preventing homelessness in Ventura.

— Debora Schreiber, Co-secretary, Ventura Social Services Task Force, Ventura

Great firefighters

On behalf of Butte College, I'd like to thank those in your fire departments who responded to the Humboldt Fire in Butte County. They not only saved Butte College from serious and devastating destruction, but they protected our communities we all live in.

Without their great efforts, many more people would not have homes to return to, and much of our campus would not be available for providing education to those in our community. We're very grateful for all of their help — they're the greatest!

— Diana Van Der Ploeg, Butte College president, Oroville

Kind mortuary staff

I recently attended a funeral service at Santa Clara Mortuary in Oxnard for a family friend. While at the services, I was so amazed at the wonderful service that was given to the family.

They made sure that every detail was right and that everything went smoothly. I know that funeral homes do not get recognition very often, but this was so wonderful to see.

I have been to many funerals and this was amazing. The gentleman working the visitation at night was always making sure that everything was OK with the family, making sure that they were comfortable and everything was as they wanted it.

Same goes for them two gentlemen working the church service. I was so happy to see my family friend get treated with such respect and kindness. This is a soft subject for some, but the staff at Santa Clara Mortuary deserves a sincere "thank You."

— Jason Smith, Ventura