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SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes hosted a Non-Profit of the Year Award Ceremony on Thursday, October 26th in Rialto, CA to honor and celebrate the Non-Profit of the Year nominees from her district. The ceremony was held at the Rialto Community Resource Center in the City of Rialto, which operates as a co-working space for community based organizations in the Inland Empire.

In total, 19 Non-Profits were nominated from throughout the community for the Non-Profit of the Year award, which recognizes local non-profits for accomplishments in their respective service sectors and for their dedication to improving the lives of others in the 47th Assembly District. Nominees came from a variety of different service organizations ranging from veteran services, mental health advocacy and environmental justice.

“Our community would not be the same without the hard work and dedication of our non-profit sector,” said Assemblymember Reyes. “Our non-profits in San Bernardino County only receive approximately $3 per capita compared to the statewide average of $119 per capita. We must do more to support our community based organizations, so they can provide the essential services our population needs.”

Among the awardees was United Nations of Consciousness who was recognized earlier this year as the Non-Profit of the Year for the 47^thAssembly District. United Nations of Consciousness operates at the Anne Shirrells Park Community Center in San Bernardino, providing afterschool programs, advocacy for youth of color and male mentoring services to name a few.

Non-Profit of the Year Nominees for the 47^th District:

Bloomington Community Health Center

Cedar House Life Change Center

Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice

LightHouse Social Service Center

Center of Employment Training

Fontana Resources at Work, Industrial Support Systems

Fontana Veterans Resource Center

Honor Flight – Inland Empire

Friends of Blue Mountain

Mental Health Systems

Pathways From Boys To Men

The Brightest Star Foundation

National Council of Negro Women, Inc.

Rialto Family Health Services

San Bernardino Community Service Center, Inc.

Rescue A Generation

African American Health Coalition

Project Fighting Chance

United Nations of Consciousness

LOS ANGELES – The Metrolink regional rail system today marked a quarter century of transforming Southern California in a unique ceremony where riders joined regional officials in focusing on the future of mobility in Southern California.

“With roadways congested and at capacity, the future of mobility lies in public transportation,” said Metrolink Board Chair Andrew Kotyuk, a San Jacinto Councilman. Kotyuk noted that for many Southern California residents, Metrolink is the only stress-free alternative to slogging through traffic.

Metrolink, which covers a 538-mile swath through six counties, acts as a relief valve taking pressure off Southland freeways. Each weekday Metrolink riders travel more than 1.3 million miles, enough to journey to the moon at least five times. Metrolink service removes 8.7 million car trips annually. And that’s good for traffic and air quality.

In the past 25 years an additional 2.7 million tons of additional carbon dioxide would have been emitted if it wasn’t for Metrolink taking cars off the road.

“For 25 years, Metrolink has eased our commutes, connected our communities, and helped bring Southern Californians closer together,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Chair of the Metro Board. “Now, it’s time for us to build on the progress of the last generation – with a new era of bold investment that will bring a wealth of new transportation options to our region.”

At the ceremony dignitaries lauded Metrolink for its national leadership role in advancing safety and green technology.

It was the first commuter rail agency in the United States to install and operate Positive train control (PTC) during regular service on all hosted lines. This GPS-based safety technology, introduced in 2015, can stop a train and prevent train-to-train collisions and derailments caused by speeding and unauthorized train movement.

Metrolink also was the first major commuter rail agency in the nation to purchase new Tier 4 clean air operating locomotives that produce less emissions, generate more horsepower and are safer than older diesel models. Tier 4 locomotives will reduce PM and NOx emissions by up to 85 percent over standard diesel engines. When all 40 of these Tier 4 locomotives are in service it will be equivalent to reducing the annual emissions of 31,320 vehicles.

And Metrolink helps drive the economy. Its staff dispatches nearly 50 million pounds of freight each year on Metrolink owned track used by BNSF and Union Pacific.

Passenger fares and fees paid by the railroads cover 44 percent of Metrolink operating costs, the highest of any Southland public transit agency.

But Metrolink is more than statistics, more than just powerful locomotives and steel track. Metrolink Chair Kotyuk pointed out that for 25 years Metrolink has knitted together dozens of far-flung communities in the sprawling Southern California region from Lancaster and Ventura to Irvine, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Riverside, San Bernardino and Oceanside.

The diverse riders that take Metrolink to work, school or to explore Southern California, are a family who bond over long distances. The average Metrolink commuter travels 36 miles one way and crosses county lines.

They share a common frustration with driving in traffic and are thankful for the Metrolink alternative.

“When I look out the window to the right and see the 10 Freeway, I’m so glad not to be one of those stuck in traffic,” said Hasan Ikhrata, executive director of the Southern California Association of Governments, a sentiment expressed by a fellow Metrolink rider, Steve Dooner, who recently started taking Metrolink from Moorpark to work in Burbank after tiring of stop-and-go traffic driving the I-5.

“I now come home relaxed,” Dooner said with a smile.

 

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- “Black Minds Matter,” an eight-week public course designed to increase the national consciousness on issues facing African-American boys and men in education, will be held by Cal State San Bernardino’s Black Faculty, Staff and Student Association.

The public course, which started Monday, October 23, from 4:20 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and will be held at the same time on subsequent Mondays through December 11 in the Santos Manuel Student Union Theater, draws parallels between issues faced by black males in society and ways that black minds are engaged in the classroom.

“Through this lens, we will engage research on black students in education (from preschool to doctoral education), emphasizing strategies and practices that can support their success,” said Kathryn Ervin, a CSUSB professor of theater arts. “Like the Black Lives movement, the course provides an affirmative statement that Black minds do matter.”

Ervin added the “Black Minds Matter” course encourages educators to see their classrooms, offices, schoolyards and campuses as sites for civil resistance.

The course will employ the three tenets of the Black Lives movement: loving engagement, collective value and restorative justice, all of which are the framework for enhancing outcomes for black boys and men in education.

Visit the Black Minds Matter website at jlukewood.com/portfolio/black-minds-matter to learn more.

RIVERSIDE, CA- Extraordinary leaders will be recognized and awarded at the Theta Pi Sigma (TPS) Inland Empire alumnae chapter observance of the 95th Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. Founders’ Day on Sunday, Nov. 12, 2 p.m., at the Moreno Valley Conference & Recreation Center in Moreno Valley.

Receiving Sigma Gamma Rho’s coveted Beacon of Enduring Light Award is the 12^th Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Judy D. White. Heralded by the community as a “history maker and stereotype breaker,” Dr. White describes herself as a servant leader and has added value to every position that she has ever held.

As a past educator, teacher, principal, assistant superintendent, deputy superintendent in San Bernardino City Schools and Superintendent of Moreno Valley Unified School District, Dr. White is known for increasing graduation rates, empowering students through internships and facilitating a citywide adopt a school process.

According to TPS President Deborah Moore, annual award recipients are not lightly selected. “Our Beacon of Enduring Light Award recipients,” explains Moore, “are men and women whose achievements meet the requirement of proven sustainable impact that will be felt for generations to come.”

In addition to the honored, the event will feature Gwendolyn Lorraine Dowdy-Rodgers, San Bernardino City Unified‘s board of education member, as the keynote speaker for the event’s theme “Spiritual Fitness: Fit to Serve.”

Also, being honored as community Torchbearers are impactful leaders representing each of the five historically African American fraternities: Kevin Hall, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.; Dr. Mel Palmar, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.; Vice Admiral USN (ret) Edward Moore, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc.; Danny Tillman, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.; and Damarea Parker, Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc.

Tickets are $55 each for the Founders’ Day observance and can be purchased through Eventbrite.com by entering “Theta Pi Sigma Chapter Founders’ Day”; by contacting the chapter at thetapisigma1922@yahoo.com or 951.777.4148; or by contacting any of the chapter members directly. Proceeds will help fund scholarships for Inland Empire youth and other community support efforts. Donations can be made via Eventbrite as well for those unable to attend.

The festive event will also feature the inspirational sounds of songstress Tahera Christy and praise dancer Meosha McAfee.

COLTON, CA- On October 17, 2017 Mayor Richard A. DeLaRosa, alongside the City of Colton’s City Council presented Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes with the keys to the City and proclaimed her a “Key Supporter” of all the citizens within the City of Colton, throughout the Inland Empire Region and the State of California. Assemblymember Reyes was recognized for being a strong and vocal advocate for the people of the Inland Empire and the City of Colton. In her first legislative year in office, she successfully obtained $500,000 from the State of California for a new Colton brush fire engine. The funds have been received, the fire engine has been ordered and it will be delivered to the City of Colton early next year.

Assemblymember Reyes was also recognized by the Fire Fighters Association as an Honorary Colton Firefighter. Mayor DeLaRosa and the City Council presented a proclamation emphasizing that Assemblymember Reyes has been a visionary and continues to serve with great passion, unselfishly giving her time, never losing sight of her ideals, while promoting public service.

“I am so proud and humbled by this honor. As a public servant, I do not serve to be recognized, rather to help others. It is my goal to serve the 47th Assembly District with resources and opportunities,” said Assemblymember Reyes.

Mayor DeLaRosa shared, “the City of Colton is thankful to have Assemblymember Reyes as our representative. This fire equipment will assist our fire department in saving lives and property in our community.”  

By Naomi Riggins

The Community Initiatives for Visiting Inmates in Confinement (C.I.V.I.C), the Inland Empire-Immigrant Youth Collective and the Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice presented the #SchoolsNotPrisons tour to Adelanto. The “#SchoolsNotPrison Art and Music Festival” show was held on Friday, October 20 at the Adelanto Stadium. These shows are free, community events. 

At Friday’s show, there was an estimated 1,000+ concert-goers in attendance that came out to support Immigration reform. The MC for the evening was Comedian Cristela Alonzo and performances consisted of Los Rakas, Ceci Bastida and Buyepongo and fan favorite 8-year-old DJ Liva on the turntables, along with her dance crew. Grammy-Award-Winning R&B Artist Miguel blessed us with hits such as, “All I Think of is You” and “Adore,” as well as “Shockandawe,” and “Skywalker,” which are songs from his latest album War and Leisure.

Prior to the event, a press conference was set up directly across from the Adelanto Detention Center, which is the largest outsourced private detention center in California ran by GEO Group. Event organizers and community activist, along with Miguel, passionately spoke on the unethical mistreatment of immigrant detainees.

Miguel stated, “I’m hoping to shed whatever light I can on the families dealing with the cruel and unjust treatment in Adelanto.”

There are over 200 immigration detention facilities in the United States, most are located far from major cities and can house several thousand detainees at one time while awaiting approval requests from the immigration courts to continue living in United States. Currently, Adelanto has approximately 1,600 detainees awaiting judgment.

There have been reports of serious mistreatments of the detainees, such as lack of medical care, withholding medication, physical violence, sexual abuse, discrimination, sanitary conditions, lack of a bed, water, or food and forced to sign documents. The immigration courts have no due process, which means detainees have no idea how long they are going to be there; it could be days, months or even years.

The Community Initiatives for Visiting Inmates in Confinement (C.I.V.I.C) and #SchoolsNotPrions are calling for the closures of immigration detention centers and private-run facilities such as the Adelanto Detention Center. To take a stand today against Immigrant prisons sign this petition www.change.org/immigrantprisons.

LOMA LINDA, CA- Modern Healthcare, the industry’s leading source of health care business and policy news, research and information, has named Angela Lalas, MBA, senior vice president for finance at Loma Linda University Health, to its list of Up and Comers for 2017.

This year, the publication selected 15 outstanding individuals from among thousands of health care executives in the United States age 40 and younger. In choosing the 37-year-old Lalas, it reported that she has provided financial oversight for the $2 billion, 1,071-bed academic health system. 

The publication also pointed out that under her financial leadership, the hospitals have improved financial performance for two consecutive years, citing an increase in combined net operating income from $14.4 million in 2014 to $104.7 million in 2016.

Lalas has previously been recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review as a Rising Star in Healthcare — in both 2016 and 2017 — and one of 150 Hospital and Health System CFOs to Know in 2016.

Loma Linda University Health president, Richard H. Hart, MD, DrPH, said the latest honor for Lalas is a testament to her knowledge and ability to navigate the financial challenges in the health care field.

“Angela is a leader who exemplifies excellence, integrity and professionalism in everything she does,” Hart said. “She is a valued asset to this organization, and we are proud of her accomplishments.”

Lalas, who grew up in a Seventh-day Adventist family, told the publication that her choice of career in health care was a matter of faith, and that it is in the health care industry that she is able to positively impact the most lives. “I help support our providers in delivering top-quality care through faithful fiscal stewardship,” she said. 

She added that she is honored and humbled to be chosen to represent Loma Linda University Health on the Modern Healthcare list. “I am so grateful to God for blessing me with the privilege of serving with an outstanding team of mentors, colleagues and coworkers here at Loma Linda,” Lalas said.

The complete list is available at  www.modernhealthcare.com/community/up-and-comers/2017/.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- When Alma Lopez of Moreno Valley was a student at San Bernardino Valley College, she received guidance and encouragement from English instructor Dolores Moreno and counselor Laura Gomez.

Today, she works alongside them both as an English instructor and Co-Coordinator of the Puente program with colleague Elizabeth Banuelos, who is also a former student and mentee of the program.

At 19 years old, Alma knew that she wanted to work with adult learners at the community college level, but she was far from certain about her future. After a “disastrous” year at another local college, Alma switched schools to attend Valley.

“I didn’t seek academic counseling while I was at Chaffey,” Lopez said. “I didn’t feel any kind of connection to the campus. I knew I had to change when I came to SBVC. I had to do things differently if I wanted to be successful.”

It was the right move for Lopez, who “loved” her time as an SBVC student.

“I was always a quiet person in high school, and I slowly came out of my shell by being involved in student government, MEChA, working in the library, successfully completing my year in Puente, studying abroad in Spain, and being selected Homecoming Princess?—?I still can’t believe that one! Because I wasn’t involved in high school, it was important to me to be involved with my college.”

Lopez had wanted to study history, then sociology, but being a member of Puente, a program that works with under-represented students to make them leaders and mentors, and working with English Professor Dolores Moreno, made Lopez switch her focus to literature when she transferred to UC Santa Cruz. There, she earned her bachelor’s in literature, then her master’s in English from UC Riverside, and was excited to return to SBVC as an adjunct instructor in English in 2007. She became a full-time instructor in 2012, and earned tenure in 2016.

“SBVC is my home,” Lopez said. “SBVC is also my mother’s home?—?she studied at SBVC from 1955 to 1957 before transferring to the University of Redlands to earn her BA and her lifelong teaching credential. That’s my favorite part?—?these are my stomping grounds.”

Lopez has also enjoyed forging new relationships with her former professors and counselors, who are now her colleagues, and jokes that she “can even call them by their first names now. I can’t express how much it means to still have Laura Gomez and Dolores Moreno as my support system. They helped me realize my potential and claim my education when I was a student. They continue to offer their support, encouragement, and consejos as I navigate through my career.”

She also credits Dr. Horace Alexander and Prof. Colleen Calderon with her success, as their “passion for their subjects helped plant the teaching seed in me, too.”

For students who, like her, knew what they wanted to do after college, Lopez has some suggestions: Get to know your professors, get involved with student associations in your chosen field, and attend academic conferences. Most of all, “Don’t give up on your dream,” she said.

Lopez appreciates that she was able to come full circle.

“That I get to teach at my alma mater and my mother’s alma mater is one of the largest blessings of my life,” she said. “SBVC has saved me several times. I must give back what I have been given?—?I must.”

Alma Lopez (left) and Elizabeth Banuelos (right), SBVC’s Puente Coordinators, are both alumni of the program they now lead at San Bernardino Valley College.

Alma’s colleague in the Puente program, Elizabeth Banuelos, has a similar story.

Banuelos, who lives in Fontana, attended four colleges during her educational journey, but it was her experience at San Bernardino Valley College that made her return as a counselor to inspire others.

A native of Tijuana, she had moved to San Bernardino from Perris, and went with her mother to enroll in college classes at SBVC. Once she arrived, she was blown away by the kindness she encountered.

“Everyone was so warm, so it created a positive impact to stay at SBVC,” Banuelos said. As a first-generation college student, she said it took a “strong village” of faculty, staff, and tutors to help with her “success not only in academics, but in life as well.”

While an SBVC student, Banuelos was part of MEChA and Puente, which work to promote and increase the number of under-represented students at colleges and universities. She credits Laura Gomez and Mary Beth Barrios?—?another Puente counselor?—?for being the mentors who prepared her to succeed in higher education, including the possibility of transferring to a UC.

After continuing to work with Puente’s outreach program, she witnessed firsthand the incredible impact community college counselors make in the lives of so many students. “I was able to connect to my own experience, and decided to enroll in a counseling program,” she said.

Banuelos earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Riverside, and went on to receive a master’s degree from the University of Redlands. When she completed her counseling internship at Chaffey College, she felt inclined to return to the positive environment at SBVC.

Banuelos applied for an adjunct counselor position at SBVC, and has held that position on campus for the past two years. She also serves as a co-coordinator for the Puente program. “My experience at SBVC was remarkable,” she said. “I found it to be the most positive higher education environment I have experienced in my life. Everyone was willing to go above and beyond to support me in many ways.”

She now loves welcoming students into her office so that she can give the same encouragement she received as a student years ago. Banuelos says the counselors are making students “feel that this is a place that is so involved in their success, making a positive impression of faculty and staff, and reassuring students that they can and will complete their goals at SBVC.”

She also finds enjoyment from working alongside the same faculty members that helped her as a student, including her former counselor Laura Gomez, who “has been so supportive of my professional journey,” Banuelos said. “Laura has been a very important person in counseling and she has been so helpful since day one. Even if she has appointments booked, she will make the time to give a smile and answer any questions or share advice.”

Banuelos wants students to always keep their eyes on the prize, to know that it is possible to finish their degrees and find their dream jobs.

“I enrolled for my first semester in college somewhere else and SBVC made a difference between giving up or staying motivated to achieve my goals,” she said. “Everyone makes a difference. Please, let’s make a positive impact!”

LOS ANGELES, CA- On Thursday, October 12 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, celebrities gathered to support the The Eva Longoria Foundation’s (ELF) work to empower Latinas through education and entrepreneurship. Attendees included: Eva Longoria, Terry Crews (“Brooklyn Nine Nine”), Felicity Huffman (“American Crime”), Melanie Griffith,  Mario Lopez, Jaime Camil (“Jane The Virgin”), Angelique Cabral (“Life In Pieces”), Edward James Olmos (Blade Runner), Bernard David Jones (“The Mayor”), Chandler Kinney (“Lethal Weapon”), Eva Gutowski (Influencer/YouTuber), Ana Brenda Contreras (“Blue Demon”), Eva LaRue (“CSI: Miami”), Robin Antin (“The Pussycat Dolls”), Kendall Schmidt (“Big Time Rush”), Diana Maria Riva (“Man With A Plan”), and Alex Meneses (“Telenovela”).

Guests arrived at The Four Seasons Beverly Hills for cocktails and h’ors d’oeuvures followed by a sit-down dinner and program. Mario Lopez introduced Eva Longoria, who spoke about the foundation’s work to reach girls facing education inequality, and language, immigration and economic barriers. Bernard Boudreaux, Director of Corporate Responsibility for the Target Corporation, and the event’s premiere sponsor, spoke about Target’s continued support for the foundation’s programmatic work reaching low-income Latina girls in south Texas. Actress Alex Meneses introduced participants in ELF’s Latina mentorship program at Gertz-Ressler High School in Los Angeles. “Jane the Virgin’s” Jaime Camil spoke about the importance of supporting minority women business owners, and a local Latina entrepreneur spoke about receiving capital from the foundation’s microloan fund.  Together Longoria and Mario Lopez orchestrated a Call-to-Donate and gave closing remarks. Other event sponsors included College Track, The Gilbert and Jacki Cisneros Foundation and Somos Healthcare. 

The Eva Longoria Foundation was established in 2012 by actress, activist and philanthropist Eva Longoria. Latinas are a rapidly growing group with extraordinary potential, yet they disproportionately lack educational opportunities and face economic challenges. Latinas will make up nearly 15% of the United States population by 2060, and their success is critical to the future of the country. However, nearly one-third of Latinas live below the poverty line. By providing Latinas with the resources to succeed in school and business, the foundation works to improve their lives, empower their communities and shape the national conversation about leveling the playing field for minority girls and women.

If you would like to donate to the Eva Longoria Foundation, please visit www.evalongoriafoundation.org/donate.

RIVERSIDE, CA- Each year, the NAACP Riverside Branch hosts a luncheon on Veterans Day to recognize and honor our brave heroes of war. The 47th Anderson Copeland Memorial Veterans Recognition Luncheon will take place on Friday, November 10 at 11 a.m. (Veterans Day) at Mount Rubidoux Seventh Day Adventist Church located at 5320 Victoria Avenue in Riverside.

Special guest speaker will be retired United States Air Force combat nurse, Lieutenant Colonel Sandra Jones. Decorated war heroes and other special invited guests from various military branches will also be present.

Veterans and their families will be treated to a complimentary southern-style lunch. Additionally, all veterans will also be honored with a special medal as a small token of appreciation for their dedicated service to our country. For information call (909) 229-4825 or (909) 456-0786. Visit www.Naacp-Riverside.org.