By: Kayla Anderson – Originally published in IVCBA’s Live.Work.Play Magazine

For many people, the holiday season means a time when we celebrate cultural traditions; reflect and set goals for the following year; tune into our religious beliefs; and help our fellow neighbors. Here are how two East Shore churches do all these things and bring support to the Incline Village community during the holidays and beyond:  

The Village Church, 736 McCourry Blvd., Incline Village 

As a member of ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians, The Village Church runs a Christian preschool and a K-5 academy for families with kids ages 6 weeks to 5th grade; operates a thrift store at the corner of Mays and Southwood in Incline Village (with very friendly staff); and keeps a food box ministry available all year long with bankers boxes full of non-perishable food. 

Some of its year-round support groups include a ministry to those who are grieving called Griefshare that meets Mondays at 5pm for 13 weeks a few times a year as well as Alcoholics Anonymous on Thursdays at 7pm. The Village Church also keeps a Care Chest, providing medical supplies and durable medical equipment like wheelchairs and walkers to the community and supports the Sierra Community House as well as Sierra Senior Services. 

“During the holiday season we participate in the Winter, Warmth, and Wellness program, and continue to offer all our programs,” says Pastor Jeffrey Ogden. 

https://www.thevillagechurchnv.org/ , Sunday Services at 8am and 10am 

Cornerstone Community Church, 300 Country Club Dr., Incline Village

The non-denominational Christian church found on the corner of Highway 28 and Country Club Boulevard hosts a variety of groups for all ages. It has a midweek kids afterschool program every Wednesday from 3:15-4:30pm, weekly men’s & women’s Bible study groups, and a group for moms of school-aged kids called Mama Bears (which meets from 10am-12pm and includes childcare).

It hosts a youth program every Sunday evening from 5:30-7:30pm for middle and high schoolers as well as its Sunday Worship Services every Sunday at 10am. As far as serving the community, Cornerstone works alongside and financially supports other nonprofits like Young Life, Foster the City, Real Choices Women’s Center, Reno/Sparks Gospel Mission, Awaken, Serve With These Hands, and Springs of Redemption Rehab Ranch.

Cornerstone keeps a benevolence ministry that helps people in need and it loves to support community activities like IVGID’s Trail of Treats [and Terror] and the Local Heroes 4th of July Celebration, putting on a special Veterans Recognition social prior to the Flag Retirement Ceremony in that same period. 

As far as during the winter months, Cornerstone Senior Pastor Brandon McCaughey says, “Our church loves to support those in need during the holidays. Every Christmas season we identify those in our community who have had major difficulties (major illnesses, accidents, or significant hardships) and collect funds for the month of December, including at our Christmas Eve services, in order to bless them and help with whatever they have gone through this year. We have a prayer team that faithfully prays for those in our church and in our community and we also offer Biblical counseling for those in need of spiritual direction and wisdom.”

Cornerstone also hosts several events for families this Christmas season. A Night in Bethlehem is an interactive family Christmas event that will transport participants back to Bethlehem. On Friday, December 13th from 5:30-7:30pm, families will get to make take home projects from their carpentry booth, metal shop, painters square, and pottery shop. They will learn about the Christmas Story with a live interactive reading and get to taste foods from biblical times. 

The church will also be hosting special Christmas Eve services at 4pm and 6pm on December 24th. Cornerstone will sing Christmas carols, hear a message of hope from the Bible, and close each service by lighting candles and singing worship to the Lord Jesus. All are welcome, but space is limited, so it’s best to go early. Overflow parking is available at the UNR Lake Tahoe campus kitty corner to the church. 

https://www.cornerstonecommunity.net/ , Sunday Services at 10am and 5pm (beginning December 1)

Saint Francis Of Assisi Catholic Church, 701 Mount Rose Hwy, Incline Village, 

St. Francis Catholic Church in Incline Village was founded in 1965 with the original church built by parishioners. As of last school year, St. Clare’s Mountain Montessori Catholic School at St. Francis had 48 students, teaching preschool through high schoolers. 

St. Francis supports the community in many ways–everything from offering its space for public concerts (such as Handel’s “Messiah” in December) to hosting Incline High School’s “We the People” program.

The St. Vincent de Paul Society also now has a chapter at St. Francis Church. It helps the broader community (without regard to race, sex, religion, etc.) in three ways: 1) Home visitation- Meeting with neighbors in need, Vincentians make holistic assessments of needs (physical and spiritual) and help directly (using funds donated by parishioners and members) with costs of rent, groceries, utilities, health care, transportation, etc.), or by referral to local agencies with the resources to address issues that the conference cannot; 2) Members of St. Vincent de Paul deliver bakery goods, deli foods, and vegetables to various locations in the North Shore year-round to those in need on a weekly basis; 3) St. Vincent de Paul sponsors special food distributions of meat, dairy, vegetables, and staples in partnership with Catholic Charities and from the conference’s own funds, in connection with the Winter Warmth and Wellness program in October and Toys for Tots in December. 

In addition to the work of the St. Vincent de Paul group, St. Francis Church invites everyone in the community as well as visitors to any of these events and regular weekend Masses:

https://sftahoe.org/, Mass Schedule: Saturday: 5:00pm (English); Sunday: 9:00am (English), 11:30am (Bilingual), 5:00pm (Spanish); Daily Mass: Tuesday – Friday at noon

Sundays from 12:30pm – 2:00pm: Youth Group Meeting; Thursday, Dec. 9 & 16, 4:30pm-6:00pm: Holiday Grief Support Group; Thursday, Dec. 16, 6:00pm-8:00pm: Twenty-Somethings Group; Sunday, November 17, time TBD: “Becoming Catholic” meetings begin; Thursday, Dec. 19, 10:00am, St. Clare’s Christmas Pageant: St Clare’s Tahoe – Christmas Program; Friday, Dec. 20, 6:30pm-8:30pm, Tahoe Philharmonic’s Classical Orchestra and Chorus presents Handel’s “Messiah”; Tuesday, December 24, 2024, 3:00pm- 4:00pm: Children’s Christmas Mass; Tuesday, December 24, 2024, 10:00pm- 11:00pm: Christmas Eve – Vigil Mass;  Wednesday, December 25, 2024, 9:00pm – 10:00pm: Christmas Day Mass (English);  Wednesday, December 25, 2024, 11:00am-noon: Christmas Day Mass (Bilingual).

St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, 341 Village Blvd., Incline Village

St. Patrick’s hosts a number of community groups on its campus weekly, including the: Sierra Community House’s food distribution program, the Knitter’s Guild, the North Tahoe Community Choir, Cafe Conversacion (for English language learners), Alcoholics Anonymous, Girl Scouts, Military Officers of America, and more. It also takes up collections for local, national, and international relief organizations. In the fall, it collected in-kind donations for the Winter Warmth and Wellness event as well as financial donations for the Community Thanksgiving Celebration 2024 and hurricane relief efforts on the East Coast.

St. Patrick’s Christmas services will be on December 24th which includes a family-friendly pageant service at 5pm and a candlelight service at 9pm. Each year around Christmas it sends out a list of local organizations to its congregation with information about them, encouraging parishioners to donate to the organization with which they most resonate.

https://www.tahoeepiscopal.org/, Sunday Services at 10am

North Tahoe Hebrew Congregation, 700 Latone Ave., Tahoe Vista

The Tahoe Jewish Community, a partnership of North Tahoe Hebrew Congregation and Temple Bat Yam, supports the Jewish residents, visitors, and supporters of Jewish life in the Tahoe Basin and the Northern Sierra. Through North Tahoe Hebrew Congregation (NTHC), it hosts various groups of co-creators of community from a religious school to a B’nai Brith Youth Organization Tahoe Chapter and book club. Additionally, it holds ritual gatherings to mark Shabbat and holidays to enjoy meals together, connect, and support each other through life’s journey. In the coming months, it will be launching a Women’s Mussar (Jewish Soul Traits) Circle and parenting conversations to support parents in navigating the rise in antisemitism. 

The “holidays” is a bit different for a Jewish community as the bulk of American society considers the winter season as “the holidays”.  While Hannukah falls around this time, it is considered a minor holiday for NTHC. It strives to support the wider community by taking part in winter clothing drives, a food drive in advance of Thanksgiving, and volunteering through United for Action to be a source of advocacy to strengthen the community. https://www.tahoetemple.org

Here are other worship services available in Incline Village/Crystal Bay; visit their websites for more information: 

New Life Church, 918 Northwood Blvd., Incline Village, https://www.newlifeincline.org/, Sunday Services at 10am. Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, December 24, 2024 5:30pm

Open Door Foursquare Church, 754 Mays Blvd. Building 6 Stes. 12 & 7, Incline Village, https://inclinevidanueva.org/, Sunday Services at 10am, bilingual

Submitted by Millie Szerman

A broad and beautiful assortment of handmade quilts and quilted goods will be on display at the Incline Village Community Center, located at 855 Alder Avenue in Incline Village, on Saturday, October 19th, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. These handmade treasures have all been crafted by members of the local quilt group, known as Bee Inclined Quilters.

“The members of Bee Inclined are passionate about sewing these quilts from donated fabrics,” remarks Millie Szerman, one of the members that make up the Leadership Committee. “We’ve all worked diligently and have more than we need in our donation stockpile. We’re pleased to be able to display these available quilted goods to our community! They’re made from donated fabrics from a variety of sources including fabric retailers and individuals.” Quilted goods such as bed quilts, quilted throws, wall hangings, placemats, microwaveable hot pads, and much, much more, will be for sale, as well.

Founded in August 2005, the group began with just four quilters for the purpose of promoting the art of quilting and giving back to the community. “We’ve lost track of just how many quilts we’ve donated over the years, and are grateful for the donations of quilting cottons we continue to receive,” explains Maggi Davis, the group’s original founder.

“This bi-annual Quilt Expo brings our efforts to the forefront of the community, and

hopefully, this awareness will spur donations so that more comfort quilts can be made and distributed to those in need.” The Bee Inclined Quilters meet the 3rd Thursday of each month at the Incline Village Library Community Room.

Over the years, the Bee Inclined Quilters have donated to such worthwhile organizations as Sierra Community House and the Reno Initiative for Shelter and Equality (RISE), as well as causes the likes of the victims of the recent Lahaina fires (12 quilts), victims of the Joplin, Missouri tornado (37 quilts), and several more -2-2-2/BEE INCLINED QUILTERS quilts to Japan following the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. The group sent quilts to New Jersey after

Hurricane Sandy, and most recently the Bee Inclined Quilters made baby quilts for Casa de Vida (home for unwed teen mothers).

For further information, if you are a quilter or would like to learn to quilt, contact Millie Szerman at MillieSz746@gmail.com or call (775) 833-3311.

Originally Published in Moonshine Ink, 07/11/2024, Written by Bill Hatfield

Local runner Adam Kimble describes his journey from casual runner to an ultramarathon career

Adam Kimble had an athletic background growing up in the Chicago suburb of Minooka, Illinois, playing baseball, basketball, and football in high school; he even played baseball at Bradley University. But he had no experience with running as a sport. That all changed a little over a decade ago when he ran his first half marathon.

“Prior to running my first race, I had no running background,” Kimble wrote in an email to Moonshine Ink. “I only ran when sports forced me too!”

READ MORE >

Written and Submitted by Jacquie Chandler of Sustain Tahoe

How did we do it?

In 2024, we recognized trash as the symptom of failed HOSTING: How the tourism industry, business and residents welcome, guide and host 15M annual travelers (60M car trips) coming to visit our US National Treasure in a forest without gates, will determine how much trash remains. And that awareness led to actions that created a Caring Culture!

1- Lake to water transit: The “Tahoe Express” train brings travelers into Truckee, w/connecting shuttles (wait times under 15 min) moving all around the Lake. Microtransit moves people from neighborhoods to transit hubs. Transit also runs from Reno, Carson and Sacramento (hwy 50) (TOT subsidized)

2- Water Ferries connect through Geo-Centers, where travelers can also get information specific to activities and assets in that region

3- Local Housing: All Short Term Rentals have onsite hosts (like a hotel) to answer questions, ensure safety and provide local housing, along with the ‘Vacancy Tax’ , has increased rentals for locals.     

4- Education: Destination Stewardship Certification Course 

One  year course provides an immersive understanding of the watersheds: Carrying Capacity, Indigenous Wisdom, TriNomics Geotourism. Graduates who stay on can live renovated hotels that now support Tahoe docents who have made it cool to care GeoTrack adventures

5- Daphnia Floating classroom: Tahoe Science class is taught on the lake. Students also host visitors on weekends to understand, connect and then care about the watershed – first hand. 

6-Caring Culture: Every photo posted is tagged #CooltoCare inspiring  walking softly so their actions are conducive to sustaining the lake (and welcomed back)

Moving here 25 yrs ago, I was unaware Tahoe was a sensitive watershed/wildlife habitat. The only ‘welcome packet’ I received was on BMP’s?. No realtor or new friend informed me that my actions were directly tied to lake clarity. Or how leading-by-example would help visitors slow down and walk softly to get a real sense of place.

After learning about the unique care Lake Tahoe required, I saw a presentation on tourism that ‘pays to protect’ and agreed to be the Geotourism Lision for the Tahoe watershed  With other concerned locals we formed Sustain Tahoe. 

For 18 years we have created and demonstrated a Destination Stewardship roadmap for sustainable prosperity that includes 100 ft of water clarity.

Yes, we have everything we need right now to build a Culture of Caring. Just imagine, it’s easy if you try. The next time you see a traveler struggling, offer some guidance, start with a caring “Hi”.

Sustain Tahoe summer events

July 8th Tahoe 4 H Camp – songs and crafts

Incline Village Welcome Center: Earth Walks and crafting on request email: sustaintahoe@gmail.com

Jacquie Chandler

Executive Director Sustain Tahoe
LinkedIn  Website

Originally Published for the Reno Ice Raiders, Written by Phillip Goodman 02/29/2024

Emily Allina does more than just stitch up Ice Raiders players (or the woeful opponents who meet Roger Hutchinson’s or Tony Tyrell’s fists). When she’s not in the rink, she’s in her brand new office in Lake Tahoe performing light wound repair or offering consultations for preventative healthcare, or she’s traversing Northern Nevada making house calls for those that don’t have the time or means to get to Tahoe. As part of her practice, Allina provides routine checkups or full lab analyses at fractions of the cost of most primary care physicians (PCPs) and health plans.

The current US model is set up like a sick-care system,” says Allina. “It’s really hard to get in to see your providers for preventative things. And even when you do there’s not much of an emphasis or there’s a pretty big knowledge gap for preventative health care or more integrated health care. What I do uses different modalities of health care using different kinds of treatments or preventative treatments. Also insurance doesn’t always cover the things you want to do for prevention.”

For example, let’s say you’re going on a trip. Some insurances won’t cover a malaria vaccination but they’ll cover your hospitalization that costs exponentially more.

Enter Allina, where an ounce of prevention can save that pound of pain. However, Allina is not advocating canceling your insurance. She is advocating seeing her before you need to implement your insurance.

“Insurance is there for catastrophic issues like if you get hurt, really ill, or need surgery,” she says. “But if you really just want to work on getting healthy and optimizing your health it’s really hard to do with any insurance system.”

So how can Allina help optimize your health right away, whether you’re as active as an Ice Raider or not?

“There’s a lot of things I can help you do to optimize your health,” she says. “First we all need to exercise and eat right. My big focus though is on injury repair and regenerative medicine so I do a lot of platelet rich plasma injections to major joints in off season. People may not need surgery but have an acute injury. It’s an option for healing and repair. Couple that with for example the men’s health for hormone balancing: making sure their thyroid is optimized and that their testosterone is optimized. Those are both important for metabolism and maintaining muscle mass and bone health to prevent osteoporosis down the road. Testosterone is hugely important for stamina, cardiovascular health, cognitive health, sleep, mood and motivation. We’re seeing testosterone declines earlier in men. But we’re also optimizing blood sugar to make sure they’re not becoming insulin resistant for early diabetes which is one of those issues that has a lot of downstream consequences for people. I’ll also check your cortisone levels which affect stress and mood. On top of that I’ll look at your vital nutrients: iron, B12, any deficiencies that cause fatigue or a sub-optimal performance. Once you’ve optimized all that then you can introduce peptide therapy which helps you release more growth hormone which can help increase your injury recovery, workout recovery, and build lean muscle mass. Peptide therapy can also help with your sleep and immune support.”

Peptide therapy doesn’t require constant visits or house calls from Allina. After your initial consultation and a review of your labs, then she can assign a therapy schedule based on your specific goals and needs. The therapies can easily be applied yourself nasally, orally, or via small insulin-like injections.

“I use a lot of these myself,” she says. “I generally try not to recommend things I would not do for myself or my family.”

Her rates as an independent practitioner will vary based on what types of services and treatments you need.

“There may be a little bit more of a cost now but you’re really going to be saving down the road a significant amount of cost because you’re going to start optimizing your health,” she continued. “Then you’re not going to be behind the ball as you get older, then paying thousands and thousands of dollars a month for medications and for specialists. With me you’re hedging for the long term.”

“It’s getting harder to see your PCP for some things so you end up going to urgent care or the ER and you still have the copay or out of pocket costs. You’ll get a better service with me, more in-depth analysis, and better follow-ups. With me you’re not one person in a big system, you’re one person in a small system with more personalized attention.”

Not only do you have the option of making an office visit if you’re in or around Tahoe, she can also come to your home or even workplace in Reno or Carson City and still take whatever samples she may need for a proper diagnosis.

“A large majority of things can be treated at home or mobily like strep throat, pink eye, mono, urinalysis, eye injuries, and more,” says Allina. “So if you’re vacationing in Tahoe and someone in the family gets hurt or sick, you don’t have to pack the whole family in the car and take them to the hospital. I can make the house call to your rental and make the diagnosis with my mobile practice.”

Even though Allina doesn’t take insurance payments, she still generates superbills that you could download from her patient portal and try to submit to your insurer for out-of-network reimbursement, depending on the case. She has also negotiated her lab prices down to one-third to one-eighth the cost of the average local lab prices. 

“A full panel of labs which is upwards of 20-25 tests can be done from only a few tablespoons of blood,” says Allina. “At one Tahoe-area hospital you’ll give 12 tubes of blood and that panel will run $2500. I can draw less blood and get the same panel of tests for $400-$500, again depending on what needs to be checked for.”

One more unique treatment she offers is ozone therapy. Per her site, “Ozone is three oxygen molecules (O3) bonded together to create an extremely potent and effective oxidant that scavenges up invading pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, and molds. Intravenous ozone (O3) therapy is used to treat a multitude of acute and chronic illnesses.”

Quick personal endorsement for ozonation: my college roomate acquired an ozonator machine. It connected to our kitchen faucet for washing and sanitizing surfaces. Veggies and fruits washed in ozonated water lasted a week longer in the fridge than the unwashed. We also washed our hockey equipment in ozonated water which removed the odors and bacteria. This writer is a firm believer in the power of O3 and wonders when ozonators will be as common a kitchen/home apparatus as the garbage disposal. You will have to call Alina to find out how 03 can clean you from the inside out efficiently and safely.

Allina’s services and capabilities extend far past the confines of the rink. 

“My goal isn’t just to treat the Ice Raiders players,” she says. “My services extended to fans and supporters. I’ll come down to Reno and do consults at your office or home but I can do procedures in my office. I’ve also got in my office an infrared sauna, and a hyperbaric chamber coming soon.”

Any patients in Reno that need more medical assistance outside her area of expertise are referred to her growing network of nutritionists, exercise therapists, chiropractors and more.

A native of Indiana, Allina made her way to Tahoe via Maine, Seattle, and San Diego. Her love of all things nature and outdoors made Tahoe an easy, desirable choice for opening a new practice in 2022. She has been a hockey fan since long before her needlework at Reno Ice. Her father was a team physician for the Fort Wayne Komets of the IHL so she would attend games with him while she was still in high school.

“I really like it,” she said about the Ice Raiders’ games and environment. “I’ve gotten to meet a lot of people and I’ve been somewhat helpful at games. It’s been more fun than I thought it was going to be.”

Like the Ice Raiders on the forecheck, it’s better to be on offense than playing defense. Don’t wait until you have to play defense with your health. Take offensive control and schedule your consultation with Emily Allina today.

Contact Emily

923 Tahoe Blvd, Suite 100Incline Village, NV 89451, US

(775) 347-3737

info@restorativehealthnv.com