Whether your child is a high school senior or moving on from preschool or kindergarten, graduation is a major milestone. Our friends in Connecticut ( think Stew Leonards, YUM), have some great ideas to make graduation special even though the big day will now likely be celebrated at home.

 

 

• Organize a photo shoot: Get together with friends to hire a professional photographer and organize a socially distant photoshoot for graduates in their caps and gowns. If your school district is not providing the graduation gear, you can order it online or be creative and make your own!

• Organize a car parade: On what should have been their graduation day, have your child and their friends decorate cars and slowly drive around the neighborhood honking and celebrating. Or invite friends and family to drive (and honk!) by your house in honor of your graduate.

 

Graduation this year may not look the way any of us planned. But with a little creativity, you can honor your child's accomplishments, bring together the important people in their life, and focus on celebrating. Congratulations, graduates!

 

About the Connecticut Children's Medical Center

 

The Connecticut Children's Medical Center is a nationally recognized, 187-bed not-for-profit children's hospital in Hartford, Connecticut. Ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best children's hospitals in the nation, they foster a patient- and family-centered environment with a focus on research, education and advocacy.

Connecticut Children's serves as the primary pediatric teaching hospital for the UConn School of Medicine, has a teaching partnership with the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University and is a research partner of The Jackson Laboratory.

 

 

The history of Connecticut Children's spans more than 100 years. Founded as a 10-bed hospital for children who suffered incurable conditions like cerebral palsy, spina bifida and polio, Connecticut Children's is now one of only two freestanding children's hospitals in New England and the only freestanding children's hospital in Connecticut.

Over the years, Limoneira has benefited from several young and eager minds through various internship programs. This is a valuable exercise- sharing projects and endeavors with students provides new perspectives and critical thinking. Limoneira was fortunate this past spring to partner with Global Trade Central Coast and we benefited from the recommendations that our two interns, Hai Trieu Tod Ta (Todd), and Troy White shared with us on our Fresh Focus™ office and home fresh citrus delivery program. Our thanks to Todd and Troy and also to Adilene Polis, Brandon Church and Kristin St. Cyr from Global Trade. 

 

California is a global trade and logistics powerhouse, with 2017 exports hitting $171.9 billion in American-made goods, the majority of which were manufactured products. It's estimated that more than 800,000 jobs are supported by California's exporting and importing of goods and services, licensing of technology and intellectual property, and investments across international boundaries - including logistics, finance, marketing and management of business processes to support trade.

 

According to Adilene Polis, Regional Director and Project Director,

Global Trade is an area of tremendous growth, especially in the Los Angeles region. Some of the largest areas of growth are in technology, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and e-commerce. Each of these areas is experiencing a shortage of workers and have a large number of international customers.

Over the next five years, more than 21,430 new job openings will be created. Additionally, the industry will need more than 69,910 replacement workers.

 

   

Hai Trieu Tod Ta 

(Todd) has worked in the insurance industry for more than 20 years. Originally from Vietnam, Todd studying international Business at Moorpark College.

      

 

Troy White is from Ventura and is studying Business Marketing at Moorpark College and plans to transfer to California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo.

When people think of jobs in Agriculture, they may think of working in a packinghouse or processing center or perhaps in accounting, but Ag has changed substantially over the decades. Limoneira's original packing house was built in 1917 and our newest packinghouse was built almost 100 years later. It's loaded with the latest technology (from the control center filled with operators viewing sophisticated screens) to increasingly sophisticated optical scanners, automated bin fillers, palletizing equipment, carton formers and more.

 

Logistics, Global Food Safety Protocols, Deep Water Probes, Drones and advanced water and solar technology require special skill sets and training.

 

If you or someone you know is thinking about agriculture career options, we encourage them to browse the more than 250 career profiles at Ag Careers which were created as a resource to increase learning and understanding around the great variety of opportunities in agriculture and food. 

 

Students can browse the career profiles and select a pathway of interest. Each Career Profile contains an overview, job responsibilities, required education, recommended high school courses, potential employers, job outlook, and professional organizations to join. There are also current career opportunities live on AgCareers.com related to each Career Profile at the bottom of their respective pages. 

 

For more information, please visit AG Careers website!  .

 

 

About AgCareers

 

The AgCareers.com mission is to provide global talent solutions in agriculture and food. They strive to "Feed the World with Talent" in the industries they serve. Their passion is agriculture, demonstrated by their investment in time and resources engaging with candidates and employers in the industry. They work to build the pipeline of talent to the industry by expanding knowledge about the breadth of career opportunities in agriculture. 

June is all about "Dads and Grads," and Limoneria Spokesperson Megan Roosevelt, RDN has created multiple ways to honor them and their accomplishments with delicious treats even if traditional gatherings are on hold.  

 

For a helpful demonstration, you can watch Megan make the recipes here on the Limoneira YouTube channel. These scrumptious recipes will be added throughout the month of June, with new videos uploaded every Friday.

 

From a hearty Breakfast Sandwich to Lemon Almond Cookie Dough Bites, take a look at this month's great new recipes. 

 

Breakfast Sandwich  - a satisfying and healthy start to Dad's day! 

Ingredients:

1 Limoneira classic lemon

½ avocado

1 English muffin

1-2 eggs

Pinch of sea salt

2 slices turkey bacon

 

Directions:

 

Orange Grapefruit Juice  - a refreshing beverage to pair with the Breakfast Sandwich

Ingredients:

1 ½ Limoneira navel oranges

½ Limoneira grapefruit

Fresh mint

 

Directions:

 

Lemon Almond Cookie Dough Bites  - Super easy tasty treats for both Dads and Grads! 

Ingredients:

1 Limoneira classic lemon

2 cups blanched almond flour

3 tablespoons coconut oil

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

 

Directions:

 

Don't forget to subscribe to Limoneira's YouTube Channel - additional easy, healthy recipes, as well as green living tips, can be found there. 

 

To find out more about how you can order fresh lemons and oranges, direct from the Limoneira Ranch to your door, click here.

Amanda Garrity from Good Housekeeping notes that on a typical Father's Day, you might celebrate the father figures in your life with a fun cookout, tickets to a baseball game, or even a visit to a theme park. 

This year, however, is different than most due to the coronavirus outbreak. While some states have lifted their stay-at-home orders, many local businesses are still not up-and-running, which means it's harder to follow your normal traditions like Father's Day brunch at his favorite restaurant or a matinee showing at the nearby theater. Still, your special guy - dads, grandpas, fathers-in-law, uncles, and so forth - deserves to be celebrated in a big way, which is why we've rounded up a number of Father's Day ideas that are appropriate for quarantine.

 

 

Serve a hearty brunch

 

 

Start his day with a feast fit for a king, complete with scrambled eggs, bacon, and a build-your-own bagel spread. Round out the meal with a morning cocktail because it's a holiday after all (as if you needed an excuse).

Plan a family game night

 

 

If he's a stickler about screen time, give dad what he really wants this Father's Day: quality bonding time with the whole family. Once you convince everyone to step away from their screens, battle it out over a few board games, or see how well you can work together with complicated jigsaw puzzles. Just let dad pick which game he wants to start with.

 

Organize a beer tasting

   

Just because he can't hit up his favorite craft brewery, doesn't mean he can't enjoy their offerings in the comfort of his own home. Pick up a beer tasting flight in advance, and then pour a mix of lagers, ales, and IPAS from local breweries. That way, you can support local businesses while helping him discover new favorites.

 

Host an outdoor movie night

 

 

Drive-in movie theaters are great and all, but can you snuggle up in your PJs and roast s'mores while you watch? Exactly. Shine a projector against a blank wall, and pick one of dad's favorite movies to watch. For a true theater experience, serve popcorn, candy, and a special after-hours drink for your #1 guy.

Laugh your way through Netflix's comedy specials

 

 

Even if you can't go to an actual comedy show, you can still laugh your day away with some of today's top comics. You're guaranteed to find something on Netflix that'll give him a good chuckle, no matter if he prefers the comedic stylings of John Mulaney, Trevor Noah, Adam Sandler, or Wanda Sykes (or all of the above).

Need additional ideas? 

Check out the other creative selections on

Limoneira's Website.

Paige Shelton:

 

"I grew up down street on Cummings Road from Limoneira Ranch and currently still live there. I grew up walking and running in Limoneira Ranch and loved enjoying the beautiful ranch. I am currently a first year teacher at a middle school in Camarillo and my 6th grade students are learning about Environmental Science and Climate Change. Due to this distance learning, I have been trying to include local examples of the impacts on the environment as well as solutions that are taking place in our county to create energy in a way that is renewable. I took a virtual field trip to The Ventura River Preserve last week to discuss the steelhead trout and the Matilija Dam and my students loved it! I was talking with my mom and we remembered you all have a solar panel farm and thought it would be a cool video to show my students a solution that can be implemented to help decrease our carbon dioxide emissions and get energy in a renewable way."

During VCEDA's (Ventura County Economic Development Association) May Board meeting, Vanessa Bechtel, the CEO of the Ventura County Community Foundation (VCCF), shared the extensive and comprehensive steps that VCCF has taken to support the thousands of people in need during these challenging times.

 

In collaboration with many others, the VCCF launched the Ventura County Rapid Response Fund and activated the 805 UndocuFund COVID-19 fund and immediately awarded the following grants: 

 

 

 

$25,000 to Future Leaders of America to support staffing needs related to the 805 Undocufund. Within the first 24 hours of the application being open more than 1,700 applications were received. 

 

During VCEDA's board meeting, Vanessa shared that the need is unprecedented and that VCCF has received millions in requests for support and will do all that they can to help. It will take all of us collaborating together, which is why VCCF is not assessing any administrative fees and 100% of funds contributed will help those who need it most.

 

She also noted that she has received hundreds of emails from local community members stepping forward to help their neighbors during this time. It is heartwarming and reinforces the fact that Ventura County is a resilient and generous community.   

 

For more information or to donate please visit VCCF.

Kelly Thornton is a Nutrition Services Program Manager at H-E-B, an important grocery chain (and Limoneira customer) based in Texas. She is originally from Denton, Texas, and completed her bachelor's and dietetic internship at the University of Texas at Austin in 2012. For the past ten years, she's worked in the medical industry in various capacities, most recently with Centene, a Medicare/Medicaid/ACA insurance provider, where she managed a team of RNs, RTs, CDEs, and RDs who provided telehealth services to members. During her time at Centene, she helped drive process improvement initiatives and worked on numerous program implementations and integrations. Kelly completed her MBA at the University of North Texas in 2018.

She works with regional leads and store dietitians to ensure that HEB is delivering a delightful customer experience in-store and via telehealth. She also partners with their Senior Manager, Stacy Bates, RDN, CDE to create product partnerships and collaborate with various providers. 

Her advice for other RDNs or LDNs thinking about moving into a retail role is to get connected. Join professional organizations, follow companies and industry professionals on LinkedIn, and research new health and wellness trends, products, and services.