Loves justice, embraces change: Green to Salsa to benefit Social Justice Fund of Ventura County
July 21, 2010
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
To show how much he loves justice and embraces change, Santa Paula’s own Doug Green will shake his groove thing when he assumes his Chile Verde persona Sunday and cooks up some hot-hot-hot Salsa dancing.
Green will be featured in the Dancing With Our Community Stars competition benefiting various nonprofit charities and organizations, held at the 17th Annual Oxnard Salsa Festival. He will be making the famous Latin dance moves to benefit the Social Justice Fund of Ventura County, which he serves as a board director.
“We’re having a blast getting the word out about the Social Justice Fund,” said Margaret Rulon-Miller, who also serves SJFVC board of directors. The Social Justice Fund for Ventura County, hosted by the Ventura County Community Foundation, represents a new generation of community-driven philanthropy.
SJFVC uses the resources of progressive donors and the organizing power of grassroots groups to address poverty and inequality. Social justice, said Rulon-Miller, embodies the principles of fairness, equal treatment, human rights, having a voice in decisions that affect the community, and access to opportunities to create a quality life.
The fund strengthens social justice by “creating change, not charity.” Raising awareness of the fund is ready made for the Salsa Competition, which will be held July 25 at 1 p.m. at the festival held at Plaza Park, 5th and “B” streets in Downtown Oxnard.
Rulon-Miller said Green is dancing with Vanessa Hernandez. “She is wonderful and they are practicing hard... there will be a preview Friday evening” at Ventura’s House of Dance (3007 Bunsen Ave. #C), and a Salsa lesson for the public will be offered from 7:30 to 8 p.m. There is an $8 admission charge. “Then they’ll show their stuff,” with Green following Hernandez’s moves and maybe making a few of his own.
Rulon-Miller said Green is new to the dance competition: “This is his first time and he’s dancing his buns off... they are practicing hard. Salsa is very difficult stuff and Doug’s practicing three times a week. They’re looking to be the champions... they want that vote.”
With the SJFVC, Miller-Rulon said Green “represents a new generation of community philanthropy, promoting fairness, equality and human rights. There is a place for charity, but we concentrate on change” by giving grants to organizations that focus on community organizing and grassroots efforts.
“We like to focus,” Rulon-Miller noted, “on groups that build leadership ability.” The SJFVC is “a community of individuals that get together in every way,” with about 40 people involved in the Giving Circle of the nonprofit organization.
Sunday’s Dancing With Our Community Stars will start at 1 p.m., and Rulon-Miller is placing her money - and hoping others will also - on Green coming out on top and winning the lively dance competition by donating to the SJFVC. “We want to be that dancing champion” in both categories, actual Salsa hot-hot-hot footwork and the amount of monetary donations.
“Doug will be the champion... he’s up against all sorts of talented competitors, but he and Vanessa are going to win.” Rulon-Miller conceded that Green has some “formidable competition, but we know he’s going to dance himself to the top!”
To make a donation to the SJFVC and support Green’s quest to shake his groove thing to the top of the Dancing With Our Community Stars competition, visit:
https://sojust.givezooks.com/donations/new?parent_id=salsa-vote-for-doug-green-1-1-vote-july-25th&parent_type=Campaign. To learn more about the Social Justice Fund of Ventura County, visit: www.vccf.org and link up.
There is no admission to Oxnard’s Salsa Festival, held Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.