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LOMA LINDA, CA- Arrowhead Regional Medical Center Clinical Social Worker, Kendra Flores?Carter, was recognized this week for her work assisting women who are experiencing postpartum depression (PPD). Following an examination of evidence?based research, Carter developed and implemented a highly successful therapeutic support group for women experiencing symptoms of PPD.

“I am honored to receive this award,” said Carte r, who has been working at ARMC since 2007. “I learned through my research that one in seven women will experience PPD after giving birth, and women who experience PPD are often stigmatized and can feel shame and embarrassment.

“When I started this program about a year ago, it was just me providing the maternal depression educational materials to my patients, but now our whole team provides this education to our patients.”

Carter’s innovative efforts to educate and raise awareness also extend to collaborating with the San Bernardino County Maternal Mental Health (MMH) Work Group and Children’s Network as a means to build and strengthen relationships with community partners.

“Kendra truly embodies and carries out the mission of ARMC, and the Countywide Vision, on a daily basis, as she conducts assessments, provides counseling, and offers valuable education and resources for our patients, their families, and our community,” said ARMC Director, William Gilbert. “We believe that ARMC can serve as a model hospital for this type of education.”

Carter, who has a bachelor’s degree in psychology, obtained her master’s in Social Work (MSW) from California State University, Long Beach in 2007. She is currently working toward her Doctor of Social Work (DSW) through the University of Tennessee, and is expected to earn her doctorate in 2017.

Photo credit Freddie Washington

By Naomi K. Bonman

After a two year process of grinding it out, The Diamond Monologues finally came to life on Saturday, October 1 in Ontario, California. The Diamond Monologues has been in the works by author and now playwright, T’ana Phelice. In order for the play to be a success like it was, Phelice had to ensure that she had the right team in place and the right girls to bring the monologues to life, and it was well worth the wait!

Jacquene Richardson. Photo credit Freddie Washington

The evening began with an empowerment series with speakers Nakea Brown, Rebuild Your Laugh; and Karla Quebec, Mrs. Latina Global (Guatemala) contestant. Brown prophesied on being ‘The Message’. We each have a message that we have been called to give out to the people through our passions, gifts, and purpose. Quebec followed by giving her personal and very deep testimony of what her childhood and teenage years were like and how they formed her into becoming the strong woman that she is today. To compliment the speakers, Jacquene Richardson also gave her testimony through spoken word.

Photo credit Freddie Washington

The pieces of the puzzle would not be complete without the diamond of the show. These five ladies did an excellent job in bringing the characters of the book to life and tapping into what their character went through to relate to it and make the issue their own. The cast included: Asia Smith (Tia), T’ana Phelice (Monqiue, writer), Precious Chapman (Sheena, Director), Karina “KJ” Johns (Bernice), and Ericka Marmolej (Veronica).

For those that missed, you definitely missed a phenomenal show! But you will have another chance to see it in Los Angeles, California in January 2017. To keep updated on the exact show date and time or to purchase a book, please visit www.tanaphelice.com.

Karla Quebec. Photo credit Freddie Washington

Photo credit Freddie Washington

Photo credit Freddie Washington

Photo credit Freddie Washington

RIVERSIDE, CA- Effective October 3, Metrolink’s Pedley station on the Riverside Line will be renamed to the Jurupa Valley/Pedley station.          

The station’s name is being updated to reflect the city’s incorporation as Jurupa Valley.

When the Pedley station was created in 1993, it was located in an unincorporated area of Riverside County. In 2011, this 44-square mile region was incorporated as the City of Jurupa Valley, which encompasses the Metrolink Pedley station.

Due to the renaming of the station, ticket vending machines will require passengers to select “J” for Jurupa Valley/Pedley instead of “P” for fare media to and from the station formerly known as Pedley. 

Pedley station information seen in the Metrolink timetable, station signage, online, and other sources will be listed as Jurupa Valley/Pedley information as of October 3.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- United Nations of Consciousness is now accepting enrollment in their Youth Afterschool Enrichment Program. Program begins in October 2016. Pre-Register by visiting www.uncyouth.org

Registration is on a first come, first serve basis, with priority given to San Bernardino City Unified School District students. They are currently accepting children ages 8 to18 years old.

Stay up to date by subscribing to UNC’s text messages by texting UNCYOUTH to 31996. (Standard messaging rates apply, see carrier for details.) 

Water is essential to our everyday lives so it’s important to conserve our water supplies. Cutting water use outside is really important. If each of us changed our water-use habits even a little, we could save billions of gallons of water. Here’s a few ways you can help:

• Use a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways and sidewalks and save up to 150 gallons each time.
• Check and repair promptly your sprinkler system for leaks, oversprays and broken sprinkler heads to save up to 500 gallons per month.
• Water your plants in the evening or early in the morning to reduce evaporation and to save up to 25 gallons each time.
• Install a smart sprinkler controller that adjusts watering based on weather, soil type, amount of shade and plant type to save up to 40 gallons per day.

Be a team player. Follow your local water agency’s suggested watering days to save up to 840 gallons per week.

Metropolitan Water District’s conservation website, bewaterwise.com, offers additional tips on how to reduce indoor and outdoor water use. Love Water. Save Water.

Jon Eady

SANTA MONICA, CA- Santa Monica College (SMC) is pleased to announce that SMC grad and Santa Monica native Jonathan Eady has been awarded a Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The scholarship supports students who are pursuing a degree in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields.

Upon graduation, all SMART scholars are placed in civilian jobs in a DoD lab or facility. The DoD developed its SMART program to increase the number of civilian scientists and engineers working at DoD laboratories. In addition to covering tuition and other educational expenses, SMART recipients receive a generous cash award and health insurance allowance, as well as a monthly stipend. Summer internships are also included.

Eady is an Army National Guard veteran who completed six years of service at the end of July. He was a fire finding radar operator, “which is basically using a radar to track artillery firing around the area,” said Eady. He also served as a liaison with the National Guard’s efforts to help the homeless in the Santa Monica and Los Angelesarea. During his time in the National Guard, Eady said he often struggled to juggle his studies with his military duties, and even had to drop classes at times to meet his military obligations.

Despite the delays in his educational pursuits, Eady earned an Associate degree at SMC in General Science-Mechanical Engineering preparation this June. He transferred to California State University-Northridge (CSUN), where he is majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a specialization in Mechatronics and Robotics, and minoring in Automation and Computer Design. Eady says he chose CSUN because it has a “more robust robotics program than they have at UC,” adding that he is “proud to be CSUN’s first SMART scholarship participant.”

For Eady, who grew up with the struggles and wants of poverty, one of the many benefits of the SMART scholarship is that it includes a paid internship, with a direct path to a career. He called the scholarship “liberating, just knowing that I can take care of my mom now.” Eady recently learned that his mother had been diagnosed with bipolar schizophrenia.

The internship also gives him the opportunity to become familiar with working at a DoD facility. “It’s basically like a trial period to see how things feel,” he said. For his internship site, Eady selected the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Port Hueneme. He will be working with the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program. The LCS is a fairly new type of small, but very agile, high-tech surface vessels designed to operate in coastal waters close to shore.

Eady is a former President’s Ambassador of Santa Monica College and participant in the college’s STEM Science Research Initiative. He is also the founder of the STEM Club at SMC, and was elected by the student body to serve as student trustee on the SMC board for 2015-16.

Eady credits several of his SMC instructors for his success, especially Professor Muriel Walker-Waugh, who “got me into the STEM program and got me started on this path of success that I didn’t know was there.” SMC Academic Computing Instructional Specialist Lee Peterson, who runs the student computer lab in Cayton Center, has been “instrumental in everything,” said Eady. “His mentorship is a huge reason why I was successful.” Eady added that SMC’s trustees were all very supportive and he benefited especially from being “actively mentored” by board member Dr. Susan Aminoff.

Gaining the engineering knowledge to go into robotics is one of Eady’s dreams. “I want to understand how all this technology works, so I can have that little bit of information and the scientific literacy that’s necessary for the future,” he said. “I want to use technology to help people in some way. I’m going to try to be that person who says, ‘Let’s make our priorities our people, education, and making sure we advance ourselves technologically.’” In the end, added Eady, “It’s all public service. That’s where I’ve been my entire life.”

For more information on the SMART scholarship, visit smart.asee.org.

Karla Quebec

ONTARIO, CA- San Bernardino Author T’ana Phelice has accomplished a lot in the past two years with three book releases, and now is she gearing up to expand her brand by bringing her books to the stage. “The Diamond Monologues” will debut on Saturday, October 1 at 2455 E. Riverside Drive in Ontario, California 91761 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

“A Woman is something precious to this world, but you have to decide if you’re a pig or a pearl,” T’ana Phelice quotes.

This heart-wrenching, dramatic, and touching stage production will go into the lives of five dynamic young women. Veronica, Precious, Nicki, Tia, and Samantha are used to beauty and scandalous behavior in a means to get them ahead, but God has other plans in mind. Twisted affairs leave a few of the ladies praying for redemption, while true love leaves one facing tragedy and another with what she has finally become worthy of. Each of these ladies are at a crossroad that will either test their faith or restore the strength that they didn’t know they had. Some will make reality of their dreams, while others refuse to face reality all together.

To compliment the message of the stage production, there will be a special keynote speech from Karla Quebec of the Inland Empire Black Chamber of Commerce, in addition to other young, dynamic women speakers. The evening will also consist of spoken word, photo op opportunities on the red carpet, and light refreshments will be served for a small fee.

Early bird tickets are on sale on for $20 and after Saturday, September 24 they will be $25. Grab you tickets and your seat now at www.tanaphelice.com. Seating is limited.

RIVERSIDE, CA— More than 60 middle and high school students from California and Arizona came to the University of California, Riverside’s Bourns College of Engineering on Saturday, Sept. 10, to learn how nanotechnology and biology are increasingly being brought together to address important problems in a variety of fields. The event was hosted by UCR and the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth, or CTY.

The workshop was part of CTY’s Science and Technology series, which offers one-day experiences that connect academically gifted students and their parents with scientists at leading research institutions across the country to encourage their interest in science, technology, engineering and math majors and careers.

The workshop at UCR highlighted how nanotechnology—science, engineering, and technology conducted at the nanoscale—is being used to enhance biological systems, as well as the inverse situation, where biology is providing new means for addressing critical challenges in the field of nanotechnology. The event included faculty seminars and hands-on demonstrations, an undergraduate research panel discussion, and tours of UCR’s Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering Nanofabrication Facility and Central Facility for Advanced Microscopy and Microanalysis.

“We wanted to transform our guests into nano-bioengineers for the day so they could experience firsthand how research in this area is addressing many unmet needs, not only in biology and medicine but also in energy, electronics, the environment and numerous other fields,” said Masaru Rao, an associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science and engineering at UCR. “The students were extremely talented, very engaged, and we hope that some of them are inspired to consider pursuing educational paths and eventual careers in nanotechnology and biology.”

“This is the first time UCR has hosted a CTY event, and based on its success, we look forward to the opportunity to do so again in the future.”

Rao hosted the workshop with fellow BCOE faculty and staff, including: Victor Rodgers, professor of bioengineering; Elaine Haberer, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering; Hideaki Tsutsui, assistant professor of mechanical engineering; Monica Wilhelmus, assistant professor of mechanical and chemical and environmental engineering; Jun Wang, director of student development and international initiatives; and Rosie Zhang, professional development officer. The workshop also involved the efforts of more than a dozen BCOE graduate and undergraduate student volunteers, who served as guides, demonstration leaders, and discussion panelists.

Established in 1979, The Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth is a non-profit center that identifies and develops the talents of academically gifted K-12 learners worldwide. CTY identifies young people of great academic promise through its annual talent search and nurtures their intellect and personal growth through summer programs, online courses, and other services and resources.

Support for the event was provided by CTY, UCR BCOE, and National Science Foundation grants CMMI-1254999, OISE-1545852, ECCS-1406795, and CBET-1606181.

LOS ANGELES, CA- Real To Reel Global Youth Film Festival showcases works of youth filmmakers ages 14-23 and is spearheaded by 22-year-old co-founder Johna Rivers, an emancipated foster youth from the community of Watts, CA.  Better Youth, a mentoring and creative development agency will host its “2^nd Annual Real to Reel Global Youth Film Festival” from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Los Angeles Film School on Saturday, October 8, 2016. Actress Monique Coleman (“High School Musical”) will serve as a featured speaker for an audience of future youth filmmakers from local media literacy and media production training programs, Actor Melvin Jackson Jr. (BET’s “The New Edition Story”) and Johna Rivers (Real To Reel Youth Producer) will serve as co-hosts.

The festival will screen a diverse slate of short films by youth filmmakers from different countries. In between screenings will be acting workshops, filmmaker panels featuring industry professionals, producer and film financing panels featuring industry experts. This year’s panelists include Meg DeLoatch (Creator of Eve), Shawn Boxe (HBO’s Silicon Valley), and many others.

The festival is created for youth by youth providing an amazing platform for youth filmmakers to showcase their latest work and to receive direct feedback from the film community. The festival is free and open to the general public thanks to its sponsors The National Endowment for the Arts, The Los Angeles Film School, Final Draft, NAMAC, Girl Up, Trader Joe’s and Film Freeway. For more information, visit www.betteryouth.org.

RIALTO, CA- Youth Action Project as part of their role in the Rialto Summer Bridge to Success presented 46 Rialto youth and their parents each with $150 as an incentive/reward for completing four of a twelve week long summer incentive youth and parent development program.

Each family had the opportunity to earn the cash incentive if they agreed to complete each of YAPs youth and parent sessions facilitated by Edward Brantley and Keith Hosea. As part of the agreement each family demonstrated understanding of 7 specific habits of effectiveness and developed and presented a family vision board.

Youth Action Project is a youth development agency founded by Rialto resident Joseph Williams; its mission is to empower youth and young adults in the development of the skills and habits needed to experience economic and social success. Williams also represents the city of Rialto and Muscoy as a member of the San Bernardino Community College Board of Trustees. 

“The Rialto Summer Bridge program was both fun and inspirational, being able to see not only these young students but their parents also learning how to become more productive in different aspects of their lives.” YAP Member and youth specialist Marisa Gomez

The Rialto Summer Bridge to Success is a 12 week intensive program that targets youth between the ages of 7-16. The program is in its second year of a planned three year initiative. Resilience, culture, discipline and character development are the main tenants of the program.

“This program was great to myself and children, and I will be brining my kids back to participate until they graduate from high school” Alana Rialto Parent

The Rialto Summer Bridge is a collaboration between the City of Rialto, Rialto PD, MHM and Associates, Young Visionaries, Black Voice Foundation, The Bethune, Big Brothers and Sisters, Serge and Youth Action Project.

Joseph Williams stated, “This year’s program was so powerful; youth along with their parents were exposed to habits of effective, they had the opportunity to develop family vision board together. The whole effort was invest in building families capacity to support one another”

 For more information on the next summer session contact MHM and Associates at (951) 682-4MHM(646)  Ext.100.