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RIVERSIDE, CA—- The much-anticipated 11th annual My Hair, My Health Festival will be back in-person on Sunday, August 28, 2022, from 2pm-6pm at Fairmount Park after being virtual for the last two years.  The event, located at 2601 Fairmount Blvd., Riverside, CA 92501 will feature music, dancing, hair demos, dynamic guest speakers, historical reflections, interactive activities, a kids’ corner, contests, raffles, food, and more.

This powerful festival is a celebration of beauty from the inside out and aims to raise awareness about hair and health as well as empower African American girls, teens, and women to be proud and confident in their crowns.  The goal of the event is to remove the stigmas impacting mental health, as it relates to women’s hair within the black community.

“There’s a lot of healing that needs to be done with how black women across several generations have cared and felt about their hair than most even realize,” My Hair, My Health Committee Member, Reverend Bronica Martindale emphasized.  “We want to create a safe space that encourages one another to look at the beauty within ourselves and each other and leave this event feeling empowered inside and out.”

The event is open to the entire community, as this sponsored event is free to attend and open to all ages. To reserve your tickets, visit www.MyHairMyHealthCali.com.

The festival will feature a Royal Welcoming by vocalist Mirraje and dynamic keynote presentations by two leading mental health and wellness educators, Dr. Sayida Peprah-Wilson, Psy.D and Dr. Janiel L. Henry, Psy.D. The conversation will touch on how women can take care of their hair in active settings, inform them on the harmful ingredients to avoid in black hair products, and share resources and apps like DeTox Me, Environmental Work Group, Think Dirty, and ClearYa that help women make healthier decisions when buying products and caring for their hair.

Hair demos will be provided by two My Hair, My Health Champions, Linita Hawkins, M.E.A. CEO of Lovely Locs, and Shor Denny, MS Founder & CEO of Community Now with her presentation entitled “Breaking Down the Lie”.

Committee Member Terri Akens shared, “My Hair, My Health is a breath of fresh air, in a society that pushes a standard of beauty that denies the natural beauty we were born with. This event was created to remind us of our greatness allowing us to tap into what is really important, positive self-image, living a healthy lifestyle, sisterhood, and love for one another.”

Entertainment will be provided by DJ Mystique and the Unspeakable Praise, who will delight attendees with a Circle of Life praise dance.  The Kids’ Corner will include coloring, drawing, and storytelling.  The coloring pages will depict African American girls rocking their natural hair with positive affirmations displayed.  Storytelling will include a reading of “Timmy Tut and the Pyramid Adventures”,  read by Davil Jackson. This book is co-authored by James Woods, aka “Dat Yoga Dude” and Davil Jackson.

This event is sponsored by the Riverside Community Health Foundation and IEHP, and made possible by the My Hair, My Health committee members including founding members Phyllis Y. Clark, Founder & CEO of Healthy Heritage Movement, Terri Akens, Director of Community Health Programs at Riverside Community Health Foundation, Eryn Young, MPH, Program Director for Just Muv Consulting, Rev. Bronica Martindale, and Teslyn Henry-King, MPH, MPA, RD, Program Coordinator for San Bernardino County Department of Public Health Nutrition along with, April Gillis, Project Coordinator at Healthy Heritage Movement, and the new 2022 committee members Carla Towns and Shavon Johnson, both from Delta Sigma Theta San Bernardino Riverside Area Alumnae Chapter.

My Hair, My Health is a celebration of beauty and wellness from the inside out.  It is a movement encouraging African American women to define and promote a standard of beauty that is uniquely theirs.  If you need mental health services or for more information about My Hair, My Health please contact Healthy Heritage at (951) 293-4240 or visit them on their Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Myhairmyhealth. 

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- More than 110, daughters, sons, granddaughters, parents, and grandparents from throughout the Inland Empire enjoyed canapés, tea, and cake at the first American Girl Doll “Tea Party” in two years, thanks to the San Bernardino City Library Foundation.

The multi-generational American Girl Doll Tea Party took place recently at Dr. Mildred Dalton Henry Elementary School, complete with a book signing from the school’s namesake and author Dr. Mildred Dalton Henry herself.

In opening his school to host the Tea Party, Dr. Christopher Tickell, Principal said he plans to make this a signature event of his school for the foreseeable future. “ I was so excited to be a part of such an amazing event. To see so many people working so hard together to make something special for our community. I look forward to hosting this tea again and again and again.”

San Bernardino City Library Director Ed Erjavek, and Library Foundation President Arlington Rodgers, Jr., welcomed the families to the celebration. San Bernardino City Council member Kimberley Calvin, School Board member Dr. Gwen Dowdy-Rodgers and Kim Knaus, Senior Field Representative for Board of Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr. joined the festivities.

Families—complete with fathers, mothers, and grandparents—came from San Bernardino, Riverside, Rialto, Hesperia, Redlands, and Rancho Cucamonga to attend the American Girl Tea Party in San Bernardino. Four children won American Girl Dolls and books in the event’s free raffle.

Cheryl Brown former Assemblymember (retired) and San Bernardino City Library Foundation Board member and committee chairperson and President Arlington Rodgers, Jr., served as emcees and led the afternoon with information, food, and fun.

Canapés and tea were served by youth and adult volunteers including Black Voice newspaper publisher Dr. Paulette Brown-Hinds, Jordan and Peyton Brown, Isabell and Olivia Lee ,San Bernardino City Library Foundation board members Mary Kay DeCrescenzo, Vice President, Operations, Debra A. Fields, Secretary, and Arlington Rodgers, Jr., President. The annual event attracts children and their parents from the Greater San Bernardino Area.

Lynn Summers presented the University of California’s local Master Gardener/Master Food Preserver program members who taught the children the oldest secrets on food preservation, making seed paper, pickled vegetables and gave all participants free milkweed plants.

Milkweed plants are the favorite food of Monarch butterflies. The children were asked to plant them to draw butterflies to their yards and help renew the butterfly population.

Angela Encinas , Children’s Librarian described how The San Bernardino City Library allows children to check out an American Girl Doll kit. It includes ethnically diverse dolls, a carrying case, accessories, a book about the doll and a journal. Children checking out the dolls are encouraged to write about their playing with the dolls in a journal. She included a reading of one of the journal pages and the author was in the audience, imagine the surprise on her face after hearing her words two years after she wrote them.

“Another great success of the day included The Girls Scouts obtaining enough sign-ups to start a new Girl Scout Troop in the Mt. Vernon area, the first new one in many years,” said Knea Hawley, Girl Scout executive.

The doll collection and the annual tea are both made possible thanks to the generous support of the people and organizations of San Bernardino that take delight in giving children entertaining educational experiences.

Foundation President Arlington Rodgers, Jr., says, “Our deepest gratitude to our generous Foundation Partners who made the afternoon tea possible: Dr. Christopher Tickell, the Irvine Foundation, Dr. Paulette Brown-Hinds, the University of California Cooperative, Extension Master Food Preservers and Master Gardeners of San Bernardino, the Westside Action Group, Mary Kay DeCrescenzo, Debra Fields, Edison International, Amazon, the Inland Empire Community Foundation, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, the Friends of the Library, Johnnie Ralph, Shelby Obershaw, Dameron Communications and Evy Morales.

Planning for next year’s American Girl Tea Party begins next week. If you are interested in joining the planning, please call Stacy at (909) 381-8211.

About the San Bernardino City Library Foundation

The mission of the San Bernardino City Library Foundation is to make sure that our public libraries continue to be places where everyone in the community can gather, learn, grow, and interact.

Since 1995, the San Bernardino City Library Foundation has provided the San Bernardino Public Library system with the financial support it needs to provide new books for patrons, offer free tutoring for all academic levels, provide patrons with access to e-books and audiobooks, and provide innovative programs like a Makerspace and the American Girl Doll program.

https://play.americangirl.com/

Board members include Arlington Rodgers, Jr., President; Cheryl R. Brown, Vice President, Community Relations; Mary Kay DeCrescenzo, Vice President, Operations; Debra A. Fields, Secretary, Dr. Chris Tickell, Treasurer Evy Morales and Timothy Prince, Director.

YUCAIPA, CA— For Lauren Valdez, Crafton Hills College was the perfect place for her to make connections and discover opportunities. About two years ago, the now 18-year-old Redlands resident made the choice to take the California Proficiency Exam and start her college career at the Yucaipa-based college.

“I was going to Redlands High School and just felt it wasn’t the best choice for me,” said the youngest member of the Class of 2022. “But I couldn’t go to a four-year university because I did not have the A-G requirements needed, so the plan was to do my general ed courses at Crafton and then transfer to a four-year university.”

But Valdez found more at Crafton, she said, including that sense of belonging that she did not experience while attending RHS. Crafton, she explained, “was the closest community college to me, but when I got here, I absolutely loved it here and there were so many opportunities for me.”

Those opportunities included having her first two years of college paid for through the CHC Promise Program and diverse course offerings, including Chicano studies.

“It was just balanced,” she said.

Valdez has plans to attend UCLA in the fall and hopes to receive a bachelor’s degree in political science and a minor in gender studies. But what she really wants to do is become a poet.

As for others who might want to follow in Valdez’s footsteps, she has some words of wisdom for you. “I think my advice would be to try it. It couldn’t hurt because it can only help you if you go for it,” she said. “If you work hard and stick with it, you’ll see the reward at the end.”

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Starting Saturday, August 20, San Bernardino’s westside community now has a free, monthly food distribution opportunity that runs from 9 a.m. to noon at Arroyo Valley High School. Saturday’s event is the first of three taking place through Monday at locations across the San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) boundaries as part of partnerships with non-profit organizations.

For months, Chief Communications Officer Ginger Ontiveros worked hand in hand with representatives from the Pure Land Foundation to bring this much-needed distribution to a segment of the school district community not currently served by other food distributions.

“Food insecurity remains a significant challenge for our community and many of our students,” Ontiveros said. “We hope by partnering with Pure Land, our families and our students will have a new opportunity to receive healthy food once a month right in their neighborhood.”

SBCUSD currently partners with Pure Land Foundation, Tzu Chi Foundation and Loma Linda University CAPPS for regular food distributions at Pacific High School, Del Vallejo Leadership & STEAM Academy, and other locations. The Arroyo Valley High site adds both a new location and additional days to the District’s efforts to ensure our families have access to healthy food.

One date in September, leading to one year of service for one Mr. Cardinal City winner and one Miss Cardinal City winner to represent San Bernardino High School (SBHS).

It may seem like Mr. and Miss Cardinal City are just about pageant night, but that is far from the truth. The September 24, 2022, pageant will be preceded by many days of preparation. The Mr. Cardinal and Miss Cardinal contestants will spend days practicing their opening number and hundreds if not thousands of hours performing community service before the big night. And although only one Mr. Cardinal City and one Miss Cardinal City will be crowned, they will each have a court to help them fulfill their duties.

The Mr. and Miss Cardinal City pageant is the brainchild of Jaime Rios, who wanted to bring positive attention to both SBHS, where he has worked for more than 20 years, and the entire San Bernardino community. He also wanted to empower the young men and women of Cardinal City, named for the school’s mascot. That is why the focus of the entire process is on academics, social skills, and community service.

“I am looking forward to attending the pageant to see the impact it makes on our student participants,” said newly appointed SBHS Principal Anna Sosa. “When I was a teacher, it was wonderful to see some of my students find their voice, build their confidence, and experience the value of giving back to the community.”

The school is asking local businesses and individuals to help make the pageant and the reign of both Mr. and Miss Cardinal City a success by donating time and resources. Any donations are welcome, from cash to bottles of water. To become a sponsor, contact pageant director and bilingual school outreach worker Jaime Rios at (909) 881-8217.

The pageant is set for Saturday, September 24, 2022, at 6 p.m. at Sturges Center for the Fine Arts, 780 North E Street in San Bernardino.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Support the San Bernardino County Library through the Friends of the Library as they offer a BUY ONE GET ONE BOOK SALE event. All proceeds made from the sale will be used to fund special events, materials, and programs at the library branches.

From August 22nd-28th, buy one book and receive a second book of equal or lesser value 50% off at the following branches:

• Newton T. Bass Apple Valley Branch Library, 14901 Dale Evans Parkway, Apple Valley | (760) 247-2022
• Barstow Branch Library, 304 East Buena Vista, Barstow | (760) 256-4853
• James S. Thalman Chino Hills Branch Library, 13180 Central Avenue, Chino Hills | (909) 590-5380
• Crestline Branch Library, 24105 Lake Gregory Drive, Crestline | (909) 338-3294
• Fontana Lewis Library and Technology Center, 8437 Sierra Avenue, Fontana | (909) 574-4500
• Hesperia Branch Library, 9650 7^th Avenue, Hesperia | (760) 552-6050
• Joshua Tree Branch Library, 6465 Park Blvd., Joshua Tree | (760) 366-1430
• Lake Arrowhead Branch Library, 27235 Highway 189, Blue Jay | (909) 337-3118
• Phelan Memorial Library, 9800 Clovis Road, Phelan | (760) 868-3053
• Rialto Branch Library, 251 West 1^st Street, Rialto | (909) 356-2570
• Yucaipa Branch Library, 12040 5^th Street, Yucaipa | (909) 790-3146
• Yucca Valley Branch Library, 57271 29 Palms Highway, Yucca Valley | (760) 228-3244

In support of the Countywide Vision’s Vision2Read literacy campaign, this program will help to improve literacy among children, by inspiring an excitement to read, providing a variety of reading materials, and a special incentive.

The San Bernardino County Library System is a dynamic network of 32 branch libraries that serve a diverse population over a vast geographic area. The County library system strives to provide equal access to information, technology, programs, and services for all people who call San Bernardino County home.

The library plays a key role in the achievement of the Countywide Vision, by contributing to educational, cultural, and historical development of our County community.

For more information on the San Bernardino County Library system, please visit http://www.sbclib/org/ or call (909) 387-2220.

SAN BERNARDINO — Three schools in San Bernardino County were awarded Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Teacher Advocacy Awards.

“I applaud the three AVID school site teams that have demonstrated exceptional leadership in serving our students, their schools and communities,” said County Superintendent Ted Alejandre. “They are making an incredible impact on the lives of students to ensure success throughout their educational journey.”

The AVID College Readiness System assists first-generation college-bound students and aims to close the achievement gap by preparing all students for college readiness and beyond.

The Teacher Advocacy Award recognizes and supports outstanding California AVID teachers and site teams each year. This awards program encourages the implementation of AVID schoolwide and allows for sharing of best practices and professional learning by awardees. Each site is awarded $10,000 to be used to further AVID implementation at their schools.

The three schools awarded a 2022 AVID Teacher Advocacy Award are:

• Piñon Hills Elementary, Snowline Joint Unified School District
  • Site team members include Dr. Shannon Avery, Georgina Coonce, Angela Stepp, Nicole Lain and Diane Johnston.
• Vernon Middle School, Ontario-Montclair School District
  • Site team members include Kim Tovar, I-Esha Scott, Bradley Diamond, Kristen Schneyer, Gilbert Correa, Michelle Araneta, Belinda Chicon-Brown and Regina Kranzer.
• Sequoia Middle School, Fontana Unified School District
  • Site team members include Christine Clark, Lisa Hayes, Antonio Viramontes, Ryan Murphy and Tammy Devries.

The sites were nominated by their district director at Riverside, Inyo, Mono, San Bernardino (RIMS) AVID.

Each of these three sites has been a model for the RIMS AVID region. They were showcased to visitors from other area sites and used for trainings.

At the elementary level, AVID includes implementing schoolwide strategies where all students are deliberately taught the structures to help them continue to be successful throughout their school experience.

At the secondary level, AVID students are enrolled in an AVID elective class where they are given support to navigate their most rigorous classes as well as access to AVID schoolwide strategies for all teachers and students to utilize.

Both utilize a collection of instructional strategies associated with the AVID College Readiness System to teach students skills in the areas of writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization and reading (WICOR).

For more news and information, visit the SBCSS Newsroom and follow us @SBCountySchools on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. #transforminglives.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA —Rep. Pete Aguilar joined local seniors to highlight the passage of the historic Inflation Reduction Act, which will lower the price of prescription drugs and cap out-of-pocket costs for Medicare beneficiaries. He wasjoined by representatives of the AARP California, SEIU Local 2015 and the California Alliance for Retired Americans.

“After decades of fighting, Congress finally passed a bill to lower the costs of prescription drugs for millions of seniors across the country,” Rep. Aguilar said.

In addition to cutting the costs of prescription drugs, the Inflation Reduction Act will invest $369 billion in clean energy tax credits to address the climate crisis and reduce carbon emissions by 40 percent by 2030. The Inflation Reduction Act also contributes $300 billion towards paying down the national debt, which economists say will help cool inflation.

The bill is fully paid for by closing tax loopholes, increasing tax compliance for the wealthiest individuals, implementing an excise tax on stock buybacks, and creating a 15 percent corporate minimum tax. The Inflation Reduction Act creates no new taxes on families making less than $400,000 per year or any small businesses.

President Biden is expected to sign the Inflation Reduction Act into law this week.

High school students — Would you like to get involved in the community, but don’t know where to start? Looking to improve your college application? Considering joining our First District Youth Advisory Council!

Members of the Youth Advisory Council will work directly with me and my staff on issues that directly impact the youth of San Bernardino County. Members will attend regular monthly meetings and get involved in local volunteer and community service activities. They may also have the opportunity to present to the County Board of Supervisors.

Each month we explore a different topic with an engaging guest speaker. Subjects have included teen mental health, crime and education. All First District high school students are invited to apply, providing they can attend the monthly in-person meetings at our Apple Valley office. Teachers are encouraged to spread the word to their students.

For more information, please contact Samuel Shoup at 760-995-8100 or email Samuel.Shoup@bos.sbcounty.gov.