Local

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Volunteers and staff from the San Bernardino Boys & Girls Club packed Thanksgiving food baskets for the underserved community on Tuesday, November 26. Over 500 food baskets were prepared and given away. Director of the Boys & Girls Club, A. Majadi, said that he was extremely proud of the volunteers and very thankful to the sponsors, and that this event was successful because of the support from the Community Action Partnership, The Westside Action Group and Stater Bros.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Young Visionary Youth Leadership Academy in partnership with the Black Voice Foundation have been awarded a major grant by the San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health to provide a resilience promotion in African-American children and their families within San Bernardino County targeting students primarily within the San Bernardino  Unified School District (SBUSD). The three year funded grant, Successfully Motivating  African-Americans in Resiliency Training (SMAART), is a 12-week, multi-year, intensive K-8 program that will be a hub of high expectations. The program will directly support the SBUSD strategic plan.
“Our goal is to support community organizations, parents and students to achieve the goal of inspiring families toward their successful future” Terrance Stone, CEO of Young Visionaries, said.
SMAART is partnered with the Department of Equity and Targeted Student Achievement, and the African-American Parent Advisory Council from the San Bernardino City Unified School District and Hardy Brown College Prep, a charter school located in downtown San Bernardino.
The program’s goals and objectives include:   reducing the risks of juvenile justice involvement; weekly lessons completed in collaboration with SBUSD schools; conflict resolution among students; effective Black parenting; mentor workshops; history and heritage that will bring greater understanding to families; and health and wellness workshops to increase awareness.

Linda L. Smith

A Profile of Courage: Linda L. Smith. On Saturday, December 21 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at The Hour Glass Wine and Art Gallery, 8200 Haven Avenue, Suite 103, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730; the screening of independent filmmaker, Reginald D. Brown’s documentary “A Profile of Courage: Linda L Smith” will be screened. Smith is the Founder and CEO of Four-D College, a vocational nursing school in Colton and Victorville.  Today, she remains the only African American to have a fully accredited career college offering vocational nursing and other allied health programs in the State of California. Light hors d’oeuvres will be served. For tickets please visit www.eventbrite.com/e/a-profile-in-courage-linda-l-smith-tickets-9251474409.

East and Be Well is back this Thanksgiving season.

FONTANA, CA – A follow up to its successful experience last year, East and Be Well is back this Thanksgiving season. The second annual, one-day event will be held on Wednesday, November 27  from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Seville Park and Cypress Neighborhood Center, 8380 Cypress Avenue, Fontana, CA 92335. Led by a socially conscious steering committee from the Inland Southern California’s business and non-profit communities, including co-founders Christopher A. Suchánek (CEO/Firm Media) and Ana Karina Suchánek, Eat and Be Well supports the underserved of San Bernardino County. Not only does this occasion provide a hearty Thanksgiving meal to the community, it provides participants access to free health and wellness resources. Last year’s  event was a success right off the bat, pulling in over 20 nonprofit, for profits, and county and government agencies together to work together to serve 1,600 plates and provide health services. The steering committee’s objective for this year’s event is to serve 2,500 plates, while maintaining the overall goal and vision of being able to “establish consistency”. According to Josiah Bruny, a member of the Eat and Be Well steering committee and founder of Music Changing Lives (MCL) the second annual event will be “bigger and better!”

Marques Houston

UPLAND, CA-  United Swag of America will be presenting a special one night only performance featuring  music sensation Marques Houston on Sunday, November 17 at The Palace, 1276 W. 7th Street, Upland, CA 91786. In addition to the music performance by Houston, there will be $3 drinks, $2 shots, food and hookah. Platinum producer Tony Touch will also be spinning Hip-Hop, R&B, Latin and Top 40 jams throughout the night. Cover charge is $15 before 10 p.m., and all guests must 21 and over to enter. Concert tickets can be purchased at www.marqueshoustonlive.eventbrite.com. For VIP tables and bottle service please call 702-409-5388.

PERRIS, CA- Thomas the Tank Engine is chugging into the Orange Empire Railway Museum for the 2013 “Go Go Day Out With Thomas” tour on November 9, 10, 11 and 16 and 17. “Day Out With Thomas” offers aspiring engineers and their families the opportunity to take a 25-minute ride with the classic story book engine and meet Sir Topham Hatt, the Superintendent of the Railroad on the Island of Sodor. According to board chairman Tom Jacobson, this is a great family event that introduces a new generation to timeless excitement of railroading. He has been lead organizer of “Day Out With Thomas” since it began 12 years ago.  In addition to the train ride, children may also engage in a petting zoo, hay bale maze, entertainment by Jules Music 4 Kids and caboose train and trolley rides. It is encouraged by museum staff that tickets be purchased early and that that families should arrive no later than one hour prior to scheduled departure. Tickets start at $19 for ages two and older. For more information and to purchase tickets, call the Orange Empire Railway Museum office at 951-943-3020 or visit www.oerm.org.

Thomas the Tank Engine Returns to the Inland Empire

(Back row, left to right: Superintendent Dale Marsden, Jones Elementary School students, WWAM Board member Juanita Webster, WWAM Board member Josh Scott and Dr. Margret Hill. Front row, left to right: Jones Elementary School student, WWAM supporter Lenda K. Winn, WWAM Sectary Aubrey Winn, WWAM President Dr. Deborah Winn, Jones Elementary Principal Ramone Valslo and CAPS Youth Leader Chevangh Green.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Willing Winn Association and Mission, Inc., (WWAM) adopted Juanita Blackly Jones Elementary School on Tuesday, November 5. The adoption ceremony was part of the Adopt-A-School program, a joint effort by the San Bernardino City Unified School District and San Bernardino Chamber of Commerce to forge partnerships between schools and the community. WWAM members are committed to implementing the It Starts At Home (ISAH) program into the school. The CAAP program at the school has already been providing tutoring and meals to students after school. ISAH will assist in being a benefit to the school by bringing in more activities such as sports and music programs. ISAH will also have a parenting education center will they will assist parents in becoming more self-efficient and getting back on their feet through basic living and life skills programs. According to WWAM, Juanita Blackly Jones Elementary School is the first school to be adopted in San Bernardino. To learn more about Jones Elementary School, visit www.sbcusd.com/jones . For more information regarding the Adopt-A-School program, visit www.sbcusd.com/adoptaschool.

IE Invaders

INLAND EMPIRE, CA- Many have thought the American Basketball Association (ABA) was long gone after the merger with the National Basketball Association (NBA) back in 1976 and that was true up until 1999 when they re-emerged and took the basketball world by storm once again. With nearly 90 teams to date the ABA has rebuilt a strong brand and they have continued to grow at a rapid pace. Outgoing President of The Riverside County Black Chamber of Commerce and now owner, Ms. Christy Lancaster didn’t know much about the ABA but thought it would be a great business venture and create many opportunities for the Inland Empire so she said “Why Not?”

Ms. Lancaster was quoted saying “This has been the best experience for me. Being able to see the eyes of so many children light up when they see a Professional Ball Player show up at their school is priceless.” The team has been extremely active in the community with outreach to local schools and grand openings since the establishment of the team including National Walk to School day which they participated in with Castle View Elementary along with Mayor Rusty Bailey and a grand re-opening of Canyon Crest Athletic Club which happens to be a Championship sponsor to the team this 2013-2014 season. Their first game is scheduled for November 9 at 7 p.m. Games will be played at Riverside City College (Wheelock Gym). They have dedicated the first game to stopping violence in our community and the Invader Girlz have been working on a special dedication in memory of Treyvon Martin and many other lost to this senseless cause . If you have lost a loved one due to violence under 18 please email clancaster@abaieinvaders.com so they can add their name to their program so they can recognize them as well.  Names and Ages must be received by November 5 by 5 p.m. Please visit our www.abaieinvaders.com for more information.

KING OF THE CAGE

HIGHLAND, CA- Here’s a ghoulish treat for your Halloween enjoyment, an evening of colorfully, tatted, caged warriors engaged in hand-to-hand, foot-to-body, and all manor of something-to-something combat. Those who love a good fight, will have to be at San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino on Thursday, October 31 to see what gets bumped in the night as the men of King of the Cage make a special Halloween visit that promises to be filled with all sorts of tricks and treats. Tickets range from $40 to $75, and are on sale now through www.sanmanuel.com.

AAAM

RIVERSIDE, CA- The Association of African American Museums (AAAM) is in final negotiations with the Riverside Convention and Visitors Bureau to host the 38th AAAM conference in downtown Riverside in August 2016. The conference will be held for three days, attracting more than 1,000 curators, historians, librarians, museum professionals and cultural leaders from 200 museums, libraries and institutes from around the globe. The Association of African American Museums (AAAM) is a non-profit organization established to support African and African American focused museums nationally and internationally, as well as the professionals who protect, preserve and interpret African American art, history and culture. Riverside is the host city and the Dora Nelson African American Art and History Museum in Perris, is the host museum in collaboration with Riverside African American Historical Society, The Black Voice Foundation and the Riverside Convention and Visitors Bureau.  To take advantage of hosting world’s foremost authorities in the preservation and promotion of African-American Culture to downtown Riverside, the Riverside African-American Festival Committee is planning to host a week long African-American Cultural Celebration to coincide with the conference.  Previous AAAM conferences were held in major eastern cities including Charlotte, North Carolina; Washington D.C.; Baltimore, Maryland; Tallahassee, Florida; Chicago, Illinois; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Birmingham, Alabama; St. Louis, Missouri and the farthest west, Denver, Colorado. The Riverside AAAM Conference 2016 is charged with raising the funds to host the conference.  The initial fundraising goal is $15,000, with a third of the funds already committed.  The committee is looking for business and community organizations, along with local leaders for sponsorships and advertising at the conference. For more information on sponsorships, advertising and promotions contact Carl M. Dameron at 909-534-9500.