Local

The Benjamin E. Jones Community Resource Center provided turkeys, clothing and job opportunities to hundreds of people on Saturday during our annual holiday event

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Hundreds of local residents in need received clothes, job opportunities and Thanksgiving turkeys with all the trimmings on Saturday, November 23 at the annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway hosted by the Benjamin E. Jones Community Resource Center in San Bernardino. 

The center provided more than 300 turkeys received through donations by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino and other organizations. 

In addition to receiving holiday meals, clothing was available for purchase for just a $1 and staff from ARC Staffing agency was in attendance to meet with those interested in pursuing job opportunities in the area.

“As a small organization, we are proud to be able to offer comprehensive assistance to our community during the holidays,” said  Paul E. Jones, CEO of the Resource Center and the Pastor of Zion Elect New Generation Ministry in San Bernardino. “Our mission is to transform communities; one life at a time, and the additional services offered this year offers new opportunities to those in need”.

During the event, more than 50 people found new job opportunities.

Write by Naomi K. Bonman

On Saturday, November 23, the Inland Valley News celebrated it’s 22nd Annual Celebration of Excellence Awards Gala & Charity Auction. The celebration was held at the Ontario Convention Center in Ontario, California.

This year’s honorees were Hilda Kennedy, founder and president of AMPAC Business Capital; Josie Gonzalez, Supervisor 5th District San Bernardino County; Joseph Williams, Trustee San Bernardino Community College District; R. Michelle Decker, Chief Executive Officer, The Community Foundation; Michael G. Rademaker, CEO & Founder MGR Real Estate; George Jones, Esq. Kathy Patoff; Monk Hines; Sherie Rodgers; and Alise Clouser.

The proceeds from the event went to support the Morrow Pancreatic Health Foundation (MPHF). The MPHF will provide prevention, education and awareness around pancreatic related illnesses to underserved communities and populations that are prone to inadequate healthcare.

For more information and to view more photos, please visit www.inlandvalleynews.com.

Be a Santa to a Senior kicks off in Redlands

REDLANDS, CA—- The holiday season is also the season of giving and a time to share smiles with those around you. As you gather to drink hot cocoa and sing carols with family and friends, it’s important to remember there are seniors in your community who would love to celebrate, too. However, many seniors live alone, without someone to share this special time.

Home Instead Senior Care is once again offering the Redlands community a chance to spread joy to local seniors. Through the Be a Santa to a Senior program, community members can give a senior a special holiday gift. Since the program’s inception in 2003, the Be a Santa to a Senior program has mobilized more than 60,000 volunteers, provided approximately 1.2 million gifts and brightened the season for more than 700,000 deserving seniors nationwide. Last year, more than 800 local seniors received 3,200 gifts.

“The Be a Santa to a Senior programis all about including seniors in the joy of the holiday season,” said Geneva Labate, owner of the Home Instead Senior Care office serving San Bernardino County. “A simple gift shows them they are a loved and vital member of our community.”

Be a Santa to a Senioris a true community program, with generous support from Southern California businesses, nonprofit organizations, retailers, numerous volunteers and members of the community. The Home Instead Senior Care office serving Redlands has partnered with local organizations to help with gift collection and distribution.

It’s easy to help. Visit one of the participating locations listed below and look for the Be a Santa to a Senior tree on display from November 12 to December 17. Each tree will be decorated with ornaments featuring seniors’ first names and gift suggestions. Holiday shoppers can choose an ornament, buy the requested gift and return it to the store with the ornament attached. There’s no need to worry about wrapping — community volunteers and program partners will wrap and deliver the gifts to local seniors in time for the holidays.

“While it may seem like a small act of kindness, it can really make a difference for someone this holiday season,” said Labate. “Watching seniors open the gifts they received through Be a Santa to a Senior and seeing the smiles and appreciation on their faces is one of my favorite parts of the holiday season.”

Be a Santa to a Senior trees can be found at the following locations:

• Alta Vista Credit Union, 1425 W Lugonia Avenue, Redlands, CA
• Jose’s Mexican Restaurant, 33527 Yucaipa Blvd., Yucaipa, CA
• Redlands Chiropractic, 620 Alabama St, Redlands, CA
• Redlands Sewing Center, 422 E State St, Redlands, CA
• Jake’s Bistro and Brew, 12170 4th St., Yucaipa, CA
• Blossom Grove Alzheimer’s Special Care, 11116 New Jersey St., Redlands, CA
• Jose’s Mexican Restaurant, 950 S. E St, San Bernardino, CA
• Alta Vista Credit Union, 1425 W Lugonia Ave, Redlands, CA
• Dream Dinners, 1404 Industrial Park Ave, Redlands, CA
• Linda Valley Assisted Living, 25393 Cole St, Loma Linda, Ca.
• Jose’s Mexican Restaurant, 2094 W Redlands Blvd., Redlands, CA
• Mi Cocina Mexican Restaurant, 27961 Highland Ave, Highland, CA
• Mission Commons Gracious Retirement Living, 10 Terracina Blvd., Redlands, CA
• Martha Green’s Eating Room, 107 E Citrus Ave, Redlands, CA
• Carlson Chiropractic, 529 Cajon St, Redlands, CA
• La Loma Federal Credit Union, 26151 Mayberry St, Loma Linda, CA
• Beaver Medical Group, 2 W. Fern Avenue, Redlands, CA
• Arrowhead Aftercare, 27007 W 5th Street, Highland, CA
• Beaver Advantage Health Center, 1600 E. Citrus Avenue, Redlands, CA
• Beaver Medical Group, 1690 Barton Road, Redlands, CA
• Beaver Medical Group, 33758 Yucaipa Blvd., Yucaipa, CA
• Cotton Gin Fabric, 411 E. State Street, Redlands, CA
• Golden Oaks Senior Living and Retirement Community, 33398 Oak Glen Road, Yucaipa, CA
• Highland Care Center of Redlands, 700 E. Highland Avenue, Redlands, CA
• InnovAge PACE, 410 East Parkcenter Circle, San Bernardino, CA
• Somerford Place, 1319 Brookside Avenue, Redlands, CA
• The UPS Store, 25745 Barton Road, Loma Linda, CA
• Villas at San Bernardino, 2985 North G Street, San Bernardino, CA
• Wildwood Canyon Villa, 22951 Colorado Street, Yucaipa, CA
• Yucaipa Senior Center, 12202 First Street, Yucaipa, CA
• Home Instead Senior Care, 461 Tennessee Street, Suite O, Redlands, CA
• Epic Management, 1980 Orange Tree Lane Suite 103, Redlands, CA
• Epic Management, 1615 Orange Tree Lane, Redlands, CA

For more information about the program, visit BeaSantatoaSenior.com or call (909)-370-0343.

For more information about how you can help seniors in your community, visit imreadytocare.com.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- Assistant County Fire Chief Dan Munsey will serve as the new Fire Chief for the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District effective immediately following his appointment by County Chief Executive Officer Gary McBride, with concurrence from the Board of Supervisors.

Munsey, who has served with County Fire since 1995, succeeds Mark Hartwig, who left the department in February to accept a job as fire chief for Santa Barbara County. Deputy Fire Chief Don Trapp has served as interim chief since Hartwig’s departure.

Munsey’s appointment concluded a nationwide recruiting effort that began shortly after Hartwig’s departure and yielded a broad field of applicants.

“There were several outstanding candidates,” McBride said. “But the Board and I concluded that Assistant Chief Munsey offered the best combination of the traits we were seeking: the leadership skills and commitment to operate County Fire effectively and professionally, and the ability and desire to work productively with public safety agencies throughout the county.”

“Being chosen to serve as fire chief for this organization is a tremendous honor,” Munsey said. “This is a team of highly skilled, dedicated professionals who serve a great community. I am excited about this opportunity to lead them and provide them with the tools and the environment they need to help County Fire fully achieve its great potential.”

In his most recent assignment as Assistant Chief, Division 11, Munsey was responsible for rescue operations, fire, and emergency medical response in the High Desert region, which is the largest of the five regions served by San Bernardino County Fire.

Munsey began his career in the fire service in 1995 as a paid-call firefighter. He became a full-time firefighter in 1998, where he was assigned to Lake Arrowhead. He has worked in every division of County Fire, promoting to captain in 2004, battalion chief in 2008, and assistant chief in March 2014.

Munsey holds a master’s degree in public administration with an emphasis on business and government and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Grand Canyon University. Munsey is the current president of the Operations Section of the California Fire Chiefs Association and president of the Hi-Desert Water District Board of Directors. He has been active for a decade in the Rotary Club of San Bernardino, Victorville, and Yucca Valley.

In 2013, Munsey graduated from the San Bernardino County Management & Leadership Academy, a program that provides comprehensive management and leadership training to county employees. Participants gain theoretical and practical knowledge of public service management and leadership practices, with specific emphasis on understanding their application within San Bernardino County government.

The San Bernardino County Fire Protection District has about 1,000 employees, covers approximately 19,000 of the county’s 20,105 square miles, and serves more than 60 incorporated municipalities and unincorporated communities within four Regional Service Zones – Mountain, North Desert, South Desert and Valley – including the City of Grand Terrace, City of Hesperia, City of Needles, City of San Bernardino, City of Twentynine Palms, City of Upland, Town of Yucca Valley, and unincorporated areas. Additionally, County Fire provides contractual fire protection services to two cities: Adelanto and Fontana, via its independent fire protection district.

County Fire is a community-based, all-hazard emergency services organization providing emergency mitigation and management for fire suppression, emergency medical services, ambulance services, hazardous materials response, arson investigation, hazard and terrorism/weapons of mass destruction abatement, and technical rescue, including water-borne, flooding and mudslide, and winter rescue operations.

FONTANA, CA—EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK (ENN)—- Fontana Unified School District was named Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) district of the year for the West End and East Valley regions of San Bernardino County during an awards ceremony on November 14.

The district also had two platinum award-winning schools – the highest honor bestowed by the California PBIS Coalition – and 14 other silver and gold medal schools at the event.Harry S. Truman Middle School and Citrus Elementary School were Fontana’s platinum-winning schools.

The districts’ other gold and silver schools honored during the ceremony were: Alder (silver);Cypress (gold); Date (silver); Fontana High (gold); Dolores Huerta International Academy (gold); Juniper (silver); Jurupa Hills High (gold); Live Oak (silver); Mango (silver); Randall Pepper (silver); Sequoia (gold); Sierra Lakes (silver); Southridge Tech (silver); and West Randall (silver).

They were among a record 186 schools and programs from the West End and East Valley regions of San Bernardino County that received recognition for their platinum, gold and silver awards at the ceremony, which was held at the Way World Outreach Church in San Bernardino.

The event was hosted by San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools’ PBIS program.

For a list of all the schools and district recognized at the awards ceremony, visit County Schools’ website.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— — Southern California Edison (SCE) donated to Young Visionaries Youth Leadership Academy (YVYLA), to help give support to their S.A.M. Program, which stands for Student Achievement Mentor Program. Most of SCE grant funding is targeted to help meet the needs of diverse ethnic groups, seniors, people with special needs, women, low-income, and gay and lesbian populations groups that are often under-served.

A donation of $5,000.00 was donated to the Young Visionaries SAM Program. Young Visionaries Youth Leadership Academy’s Student Achievement Mentoring (SAM) is a program designed to address and reduce suspensions through effective implementation of positive behavior support systems. SAM is a goal-oriented program designed to support the educational and professional aspirations of all students. The Program increases the completion of developmental courses, retention and graduation rates. To accomplish this, the program increases exposure to educational, professional, and civic opportunities.

The Student Achievement Mentoring Program through mentoring works to:

• Improved Self Confidence and Self Esteem

• Increase Motivation

• Broaden horizons and experience of students

• Raise Achievements and Aspirations

• Build Relationships

• Establish Employment Development Skills

• Support to Graduation

The City of San Bernardino is home to a diverse and prominently minority population: 66% Hispanic, 14% African American, 13% White, 4% Asian, and 3% other. 23% percent of the population is foreign-born. In San Bernardino, the 2016 median household income was $39,472, compared to $63,783 for the State. Unemployment has remained above both state and national levels since the 2008 financial crisis, and the 2018 unemployment rate for the City was 5%, compared to 3.9% for the county, 4.6% for the state, and 4.1% for the United States.

Young Visionaries Youth Leadership Academy has large annual outreach events for the San Bernardino community. For example, February, “Hearts for Hygiene” at this event YVYLA collects 200 bags of hygiene and distribute them to the youth in our programs that need hygiene. June is Young Visionaries Annual Youth Conference, this conference average up to 300 youth in attendance. The month of August the youth group has an annual “2000 Backpack and School Supplies” giveaway, the month of November is a Thanksgiving event giving out 1000 Thanksgiving Turkeys and boxes of food to 1000 families in need. During the month of December for Christmas YVYLA has their annual 1000 Toy giveaway to 1000 community youth.

“We would like to thank, Southern California Edison for their generous donation and recognizing the need in our community” says Terrance Stone, CEO and Founder of Young Visionaries Youth Leadership Academy.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- Over one thousand teachers got extra help for their classrooms at the first I.E.’s Largest Teachers Appreciation Day event held at Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County (CAPSBC) on Saturday, October 26. Teachers from all over San Bernardino County chose from over $1 million in new school supplies donated by the Family and Kids Foundation.

The event was open to elementary school teachers from all school districts. CAPSCB and Young Visionaries Youth Leadership Academy provided warehousing, sorting, and distributing the items, as well as publicizing the event to teachers and lending a hand as attendees browsed through the materials and chose items for their classrooms.

Assemblymember Eloise Gomez-Reyes stopped by to support the event and presented certificates of appreciation, saying, “This event celebrates the joy of teachers who work tremendously hard to provide the best learning experience that will prepare all students to have successful futures.”

CAPSBC board member Dr. Margaret Hill said, “These items go a long way in helping teachers who reach into their own pockets to purchase materials so they can offer their students the finest classroom experiences. With this wonderful donation from the Family and Kids Foundation, we were able to provide an unlimited amount of school supplies to all teachers that participated.”

Established in 1965, CAPSBC works with our low-income communities to address barriers to economic stability. This is accomplished under an array of services and assistance programs including food/nutrition, home energy, and family development. For more information on CAPSBC and its programs, visit their website at www.capsbc.org.

By John Coleman, Community Photographer

For many years the Riverside NAACP Chapter, Anderson Copeland Memorial,  the Kansas Avenue Seventh Day Adventist Church, Armed Forces Commitee  and the Rubiboux SDA Church have cooperated, annually, in presenting a special Memorial Day, Veterans Recognition Luncheon. 

The public was invited.  Those who serve or served in the military were invited to wear their uniform or symbols.

The 2019 observance was held on Monday, November 11, 2019, at the Cross Word Christian Church, Education Building in Moreno  Valley.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Options For Youth (OFY) hosted a Grand Opening for its third campus in San Bernardino on November 5, 2019. The event brought together community partners and the local residents to celebrate with a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by the San Bernardino Chamber of Commerce, tour the new facility, and learn more about the non-profit OFY-SB public charter school program.

For its contribution to the San Bernardino community, State Senator Mike Morrell’s office presented Options For Youth – San Bernardino (OFY-SB) a Certificate of Recognition at the event. OFY-SB’s Principal Ileana Arroyo said the school’s goal was to “provide alternative paths of academic excellence and overall success for those students whose unique needs have not met solutions in a traditional high school environment.”

OFY-SB has been working with the San Bernardino City Unified School District for the past ten years, educating students in grades 7-12 who are facing social, emotional, and academic challenges in traditional public schools. OFY-SB has helped underserved students by providing a flexible and customizable lesson plan, tutoring and sports, and by encouraging students to re-engage with their community through volunteer work with Ronald McDonald House, Walk for Kids, Helping Hands Pantry, Community Gardening, Angels Closets in Redlands, and Red Cross Blood Drives.

The OFY-SB campus is located in the El Dorado Plaza by the Walgreens Pharmacy. The campus space features a large open communal room with several SGI (small group instruction) classrooms on the outer perimeter.

For more information, visit https://ofy.org/

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- Ms. Madeline Farlow, one of the community leaders and employee of the Employment Development Department spent time with Social Lites, Inc. of San Bernardino Beautillion Knights on a beautiful fall afternoon on Saturday, November 2, 2019 at the Center for Youth and Community Development.  Ms. Farlow addressed goal setting, importance of professional appearance and role-playing with the participants in soliciting for ads for scholarships. 

The 53rd Beautillion Scholarship 2019-2020 program under the leadership of Mrs. Tina Darling, Beautillion Chairperson is now in progress.   Its’ not too late for young men seeking scholarship opportunities to participate in this scholarship and personal development program. 

Community leaders who have spent time with participants include Dr. Samuel Gibbs, Mr. Richard Blacksher, Dr. Rose Culpepper and Bessine Little, City Council Woman, 6^th Ward. 

Weekly meetings are on Saturdays from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Center for Youth & Community Development (formerly Boys and Girls Club of San Bernardino) located at 1180 W. 9^th Street, San Bernardino, CA  92411.  The program will commence on March 28, 2020 at the National Orange Show of San Bernardino.

For more information, please telephone chairperson, Mrs. Tina Darling at tribicu2@msn.com or Ms. Lisa Blacksher, President at lisasocialities@gmail.com or Mrs. Bettye Brewster, Business Manager, bettyebrewster@yahoo.com