Former and current members of Montgomery NBL championship teams will assist Fitchie in the half-day camps.

Each session goes for four days with grades two-through-six in the morning and grades seven-through-nine in the afternoon.

In addition to the June 4 camp, sessions will begin June 18 and July 9.

The cost per session is $115. Each camper will also receive a Vikings basketball and shirt.

For more information or to sign-up, e-mail tomfitchie@att.net

The Santa Rosa city council convened Tuesday addressing public concerns and comments in its consideration of adopting Sonoma Clean Power.

The issue of Community Choice Aggregation and the creation of  clean power for the city has been met with mixed responses from the community. Advocates for clean power point to the advantages of developing a local, green alternative to PG&E, which include retaining funds within the county as well as providing residents a choice for their power supplier. Still, others have highlighted the potential risks in adopting the measure, which include concerns over regulation and hesitation over where the ‘green’ energy comes from.

Santa Rosa Mayor Scott Bartley was adamant in addressing representatives of the Joint Powers Authority in saying that the city should have a voice in the formation and execution of any plan going forward.

“I want someone from (the city) to be a part of this,” Bartley said.

A number of cities within the county, including Rohnert Park and Windsor, have already approved the creation of their own clean power.

During the public comments, a number of residents stepped forward representing local businesses as well as government agencies inside and out of the city to speak for and against the measure. The mayor announced that a separate time and place would be arranged for members of the public to voice their concerns on the subject.

The council meeting also heard reports on the on-going Community Media Lab and the launch of a new website and application for Santa Rosa residents, “MySantaRosa.”

Santa Rosa native Jack Herrguth received the second annual GILDA Award May 18. (Photos by Vince Bucci)

Santa Rosa native Jack Herrguth was surrounded by family and friends Saturday, May 18, when he picked up the Second Annual GILDA award at the Fresh Canvas Party in Santa Monica, a fundraiser for the Cancer Support Community – Benjamin Center.

The award is a tribute to comedian Gilda Radner, who was a client of the Cancer Support Community until her death from ovarian cancer in 1989.

Herrguth graduated from Cardinal Newman High School and studied screenwriting at the UCLA School of Theatre, Film and Television. His early credits include WB sitcom “Sister Sister,” CBS reality shows “Survivor,” “Amazing Race” and “Big Brother.”

In 2005 he moved to Comedy Central, developing  ”Krod Mandoon & The Flaming Sword of Fire,” “Nick Swardson’s Pretend Time” and, most recently, the critically-acclaimed “Nathan For You,” which was just renewed for a second season.

About the same time, Herrguth was diagnosed with testicular cancer and also joined the Cancer Support Community. Since 2007 he has been in remission.

Jack Herrguth, center, with comedians Nick Swardson, Andy Kindler, Jonah Ray and Kumail Nanjiani (left to right).

“When I was growing up, Gilda was one of my comedy heroes,” said Herrguth. “I used to watch her every week on Saturday Night Live. To be given an award bearing her name is an amazing and humbling honor.

“For the longest time I tried to avoid talking about my cancer, but when I finished my treatment, I knew I had to deal with the emotional and mental stress of the experience. The Cancer Support Community gives cancer patients and their families a place to be with others who are going through similar experiences. It is very comforting to know you’re not alone.”

Comedians Nick Swardson, Andy Kindler, Jonah Ray and Kumail Nanjiani kept Herrguth company at the celebration, as did relatives from Santa Rosa.

Jack Herrguth’s family shared the occasion with him at the Museum of Flying in Santa Monica. They are, from left, brother Ken Herrguth, sister Kim Byrn, wife Jennifer Herrguth, twin daughters Eliza and Ava, son Jackson, mother Jean Herrguth and sister Lori Gamber.

Here are the 10 books on their 2013 calendar (January excluded for assembling the list and December being reserved for poetry). All possess the soul-enriching, pen-to-paper flourish one would expect of the veteran bookworms.

1) “The Tehran Triangle” – Tom Reed & Sandy Baker
Co-written by one of the book club’s own members, this fictional thriller throws the reader into a dramatic world of spycraft and intrigue.

2) “Beneath the Marble Sky” –  John Shors
This work of historical fiction details the remarkable lives of those responsible for the creation of the Taj Mahal (complete with love, betrayal and war).

3) “Gone Girl” – Gillian Flynn
A New York Times bestseller, this psychological work of fiction unravels a marriage gone horribly wrong.

4) “The Night Circus” – Erin Morgenstern
Most recently read by the club, this fantasy novel provides an imaginative competition between two embittered rival magicians.

5) “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet” – Jamie Ford
Published in 2009, this historical fiction bestseller writes of love and friendship during the Japanese interment of World War II.

6) “The Fig Eater” – Jody Shields
Beginning with a brutal murder, this detective novel is rich with detail of 1910 Vienna.

7) “Doc” – Mary Doria Russell
Straight out of the old west and inspired by the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, this work of historical fiction provides a colorful likeness of Dr. John Henry Holliday.

8) “Women Gone Wild” – Jane Futcher
A memoir of a cityslicker-turned-country gal, this true and engaging story contains all the humor and turbulence you’d expect from moving off the grid.

9) “Polio: An American Story” – David Oshinsky
This work of nonfiction is a startling depiction of a nation gripped by terror from disease and its race to find a cure.

10) “The Tiger’s Wife” – Téa Obreht 
Critically-acclaimed, this novel tells the tale of a young doctor and the unraveling of the mysterious death of her grandfather by way of an intriguing story.

Police encourage everyone to “Tip a Cop” at Applebees, 2250 Santa Rosa Avenue, on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. As a fundraiser for the Special Olypmic’s Torch Run, enjoy a pleasant night out over a meal with Santa Rosa’s finest. All the tips raised by employees will be donated directly to the Special Olympics and are tax-deductible donations. Info: 543-3600 ext. 8367.

Rootz Underground Road to Cali Roots Festival 2013 kicks off this Thursday at 10 p.m. over at Society: Culture House, 528 Seventh St. Enjoy the laid back rhythms and jams at this Reggae fundraiser with tunes provided by Dirty Dub Band, DJ Sizzlak, and DJ Dinga. Tickets: $12 at the door.

Play “Bocce 4 a Cure” at the Julliard Park Bocce Courts, 46 S. A Street, at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday to help raise money for diabetes research. The double elimination tournament will include food and beverages, cash prizes, and doubles matches (if notified ahead of time). Preregister for priority start. Entry: $40 singles, $80 doubles. Info: 376-8687, brownpapertickets.com.

The nightlife fun is rocking at “Hella Gay Prom VII: Arabian Nights,” a costumed dance party for LGBTQQI youth at Monroe Hall, 1400 W. College Ave., at 7 p.m. Dancers ages 14-24 are invited to attend the substance-free event, complete with dancing, refreshments, and competitions. Dancers are requested to wear appropriate attire covering all private areas. Picture IDs will be required at the door. Tickets: $20 presale, $25 at the door. Info: 568-5830, posimages.org.

“Waiting,” an exhibit of paintings by John Norall, continues 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday until June 20 at the Steele Lane Community Center, 415 Steele Lane. Norall’s watercolors and pastels explore all the ways we wait:  for the mail, for an inspiration or a bite. More info: srcity.org/arts.

Send your Santa Rosa events listings to santarosatowns@gmail.com.

Karyn Sanchez, 4, plays with a hula hoop at A Special Place preschool.

By ASA HESS-MATSUMOTO / Town Correspondent

Children don’t forget the tears their mothers shed.

A little girl runs across a playground just off Highway 101, her father taken away in handcuffs just weeks earlier. Nearby, a boy naps under a comforting back rub, his mother incarcerated on a cocaine charge.

Many of the 30 children at A Special Place preschool, only a few of whom have reached their fifth birthdays, have witnessed the pain and screams domestic violence brings. Here they can receive the help they need.

“All it really takes is one person to come into a child’s life to make a difference,” Teri Porter said.

As director of A Special Place, Porter supervises the county’s only preschool staffed and equipped to help children 3 to 5 identify and work through their emotional traumas.

Antonio Velasquez, 3, plays at a water station at A Special Place preschool. (Christopher Chung / The Press Democrat)

The school was founded by the YWCA’s Sonoma County chapter in 1978 as part of its model domestic violence program. The agency provides victims with housing, counseling and courtroom support. The therapeutic preschool is funded with state Title 5 money and has become a critical juncture of childcare assistance and psychology.

On-site therapists connect with the children on a one-to-one basis, following them in and out of the classroom. The children, typically uncomfortable or unable to articulate their emotions, are often observed through art and play.

Most of the children at A Special Place are referred by child protective services or YWCA support programs like the Safe House. Some come from foster homes or have been displaced from their original families. Still others are enrolled by parents who find the preschool’s program appealing.

As a mother of two and former director of Petaluma’s Tiny Tots preschool, Porter has many years of experience working with younger children. Though she loves the work, it always is bittersweet when another child from a broken home joins the class.

“If they can connect with a teacher or caregiver who makes them feel loved, valued, nurtured and safe, then those pathways can connect and they can form attachments later on in life,” Porter said. “They can experience empathy and compassion.”

Research has identified experiences from the youngest stages of childhood as critical in forming our base interactions and behaviors. While developmental damage done by domestic violence may not be visible until years later, by then it has become a behavioral scar, imprinting the child’s sense of trust, acceptance and belonging.

“Children who come from a home of domestic violence are more at risk to become abusers or victims,” Porter said. “If we get children at the time where their brain is developing very rapidly, give them the support and nurturing they need, we lessen that likelihood.”

Madeleine Keegan O’Connell, CEO of the Sonoma County YWCA, recalled a child and mother housed at the YWCA’s safe house for battered women. The child, who had seen the father choking the mother, similarly choked the mother to get what was wanted.

“They’re little sponges at that age, absorbing the good, the bad and the ugly,” O’Conell said.

For Porter, it comes as a relief to see the children through to kindergarten, guiding them from hiding beneath a table to cap-and-gown graduations.

“This feeds my soul,” Porter said. “I feel privileged working with children in a window of time where I can make a difference in their lives, in giving parents permission to be parents.”

More information about A Special Place is available at 303-3547, ywcasc.org.

Incarcerated with her family at age 17 for being a Japanese American, activist and author Nakano has since promoted full rights of citizenship and equality for all through her labor and work.

As a freelance writer and editor, Nakano published a children’s story, “Riko Rabbit,” in addition to regular articles detailing the experiences of life within a concentration camp. Her book, “Japanese American Women: three Generations,” included the struggles that Japanese American women faced in the country they were citizens of.

Within Sonoma County, Nakano has served as a board member of the Japanese American Citizens League for over 30 years. Her work in organizing and chairing the Hate Crimes Workshop in Sonoma County has helped spread awareness and report abuse, connecting many with sought-after resources. Nakano additionally assisted in leading the effort to establish the Sonoma County Commission on Human Rights, serving as their first chair in 1992.

The awards ceremony is scheduled to take place Friday, 5:30 p.m. at the Friedman Event Center during the ACLU’s annual awards dinner. Tickets are available at the door.

While inviting city residents’ concerns, Cooper also plugged her agency’s recent program, “Love Me, Fix Me.” The mobile spay/neuter program that began earlier this year seeks to provide a convenient, low-cost surgical service for pet owners across the county. In coordination with the Community Foundation Sonoma County and other supporters, Cooper said she hopes to provide around 2,400 surgeries through this effort.

Each month the city holds an open meeting over coffee with local leaders, including its 12 department heads. Residents are encouraged to visit the city’s website or subscribe to its newsletter in order to learn who the next leader will be.

For more information, visit the city of Santa Rosa’s community engagement website.

The Santa Rosa chapter of  Bicycles for Humanity will be collecting mountain bikes on Sunday, May 19,  to aid rural communities in Namibia and Uganda.

Bikes that need work will be refurbished before being shipped to Africa and  distributed to health care workers in rural areas where malaria and AIDS have reached epic proportions.

Volunteers will be at Redwood Covenant Church (3175 Sebastopol Rd.) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to accept the bikes.

Since 2009, the Santa Rosa chapter has collected nearly 1,500 bikes for distribution.

Additional information is available by e-mailing b4hsantarosa@gmail.com or visiting bicycles-for-humanity.org/santarosa.

Scottish Country Dance classes come back to Sonoma County at Monroe Hall, 1400 W. College Ave., on Monday at 7 p.m. Everyone is invited to come learn the precursor to American Square Dancing, full of exuberant flourishes and kicks as it was performed in the villages and ballrooms of Scotland for centuries. Lessons: $8 general. Info: 257-6322, santarosascottishdancers.org.

Amy Cooper hosts Coffee with a Local Leader Wednesday at 9 a.m. at SOCO Coffee Company, 1015 4th St. Join other members of the community in asking questions of and about the Director of Sonoma County Animal Care and Control. Learn about the new Love me, Fix me program and discover how the city can become more unified in its effort to care for its animals. Free to attend. Info: 543-3023, ci.santa-rosa.ca.us.

The first community skin cancer screening hosted by the Northern California Dermatology Society occurs at the Vista Health center, 3569 Round Barn Circle, on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. The drop in screenings will be conducted by a board certified dermatologist and serves as an effort to increase the public’s understanding of skin cancer. No treatment can be offered on site, but recommendations will be made for follow-ups if indicated. Screenings are free. Info: ncdsderm.com.

A Community Bike Swap & Bike Skills Rodeo rides out Saturday at 9 a.m. over at the Sheppard Elemetary School, 1777 West Ave. The event will include new pedal-powered rides for trade or purchase, skills exposition, raffle, and more. Those interested in donating a bike for the swap should arrive early for mechanic’s assessment. Event is free to attend. Info: 889-9559, bikesonoma.org.