Happily Divorced And After

By Naomi Bonman

SAN BERNARDINO, CA-Balling for a cause to take back our youth by bringing awareness to the affects that bullying has among our kids is the reason why several of the Inland Empire’s finest in the music industry will be coming together. On Saturday, October 17 at Arroyo Valley High School in San Bernardino AV Lmkr, The Finatticz, Audio Push, The Rejects, and Dirty Birdy will be battling it out in the court for the young ones.

According to the National Education Association, an estimated 160,000 students skip school every day in hopes to avoid their aggressors. Bullying statistics also report that 1 out of every 10 students that drop out of school does so because of repeated bullying, and an estimated 64% of students have been bullied but do not report it.

Our community will not just be entertained through sports, but they will also be gaining knowledge in a fun and interactive way by getting up close and personal with each celebrity throughout the day. Other special guests include Vvs Vision and 99.1 KGGI.

The event will be held from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 at the door. Arroyo Valley High School is located at 1881 W. Base Line Street in San Bernardino.

Victorville rapper, Justified, with his two daughters at “Daughters Lives Matter”.

By Sheri Stuart  

COLTON, CA- Award-Winning Street Positive, a division of 4Positive Knowledge, has launched a national social engagement campaign promoting the importance of healthy father/daughter relationships. The “Daughters Lives Matter” campaign is dedicated to helping young girls avoid the destructive effects associated with child maltreatment, including sex trafficking, dating violence, and drug and alcohol abuse.  Individuals and families from both Riverside and San Bernardino County gathered at Fiesta Village Family Fun Park in Colton to take part in the Sept. 19 kick-off, which included remarks from civic leaders and elected officials who expressed the importance of family/community involvement in the lives of all children.

“The dialogue was powerful and helped raise community consciousness in terms of safety,” said Joe Paulino, chief of police for the San Bernardino City Unified School District. “We’re mindful that our daughters’ lives matter and their safety is important.”

Founder and CEO of Street Positive Terry Boykins

More than 400 people attended the campaign launch, which included the recognition of six distinguished women for their proactive efforts to support fathers and daughters throughout Southern California’s Inland Empire Region. Award recipients included: Acquanetta Warren – Mayor of Fontana; Josie Gonzales –

Individuals and families from the Inland Empire Region

San Bernardino County Supervisor, 5^th District; Pastor Karen Sykes – Cross Word Christian Church; Cheyenne English – Women Who Hide; Susana Zamudio-Riverside Unified School District; and Patricia Nichols-Butler-Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County.

“It was a great event and we are so grateful to have been a part of it,” said Michelle Kapuscinski, owner of Fiesta Village Family Fun Park. “We’ve worked with Terry Boykins and Street Positive over the last eight years. It’s been incredible to watch the programs expand.  We look forward to an even bigger event next year.”

Carolyn Tillman, Special Assistant to the Superintendent of San Bernardino County Schools

Colton Mayor Richard A. DeLaRosa

Kenneth Young, Riverside Superintendent of Schools

HAWTHRONE, CA— October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the Richstone Family Center is hosting a community event honoring the victims, survivors, and advocates who inspire change on Tuesday, October 6 at 8:30 a.m. The event will be held at The Richstone Family Center located at 13634 Cordary Avenue in Hawthrone, and will include special guest speakers, such as: Victor Rivers the National Spokesperson for the National Network to End Domestic Violence. Along with Victor, speakers include Steve Tabor, Associate Superintendent of Pupil Services; Lieutenant Meehan LA County Sheriff’s Department; and Jenny True, Crisis Counselor of Centinela Valley Union High School District.

For over 40 years, the Richstone Family Center has been dedicated to preventing and treating child abuse and trauma; strengthening and educating families; and decreasing violence in families, schools and communities. Each year, Richstone serves thousands of children and families through programs including: Counseling, home visits, and case management. They also provide Early childhood education programs; an After-school enrichment program; Domestic violence support groups; Parent education; anger management classes; and Transitional housing for young women exiting from foster care.

Mark Collins on the field (then)

SAN BERNARDINIO, CA- Former New York Giants defensive back and San Bernardino native Mark Collins will return to Pacific High School on Friday, September 25 to celebrate the Super Bowl’s 50th anniversary by presenting his alma mater with a gold football.

Collins, who graduated from Pacific High in 1982, is returning as part of a special NFL celebration honoring every high school in the world that has produced a player or coach who appeared in a Super Bowl. Collins was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 1986 NFL draft. He played for the Giants from 1986 to 1993.

Mark Collins (Now)

The NFL estimates that over 3,000 players have played in the Super Bowl, along with 52 coaches. The league invited some of those 3,000 players to personally deliver the gold football to their individual high schools.

Collins’ homecoming will take place at noon on Friday during a special student assembly in the Pacific High Auditorium. It’s been 33 years since Collins graduated from Pacific High, a school he continues to support by participating in the development of the District’s Athletic Strategic Plan. The plan aims to increase student participation in sports by providing state-of-the-art facilities and academic support to athletes.

For Principal Hector Vazquez, Collins’ return to Pacific is an opportunity to remind all students, not just athletes, that setting goals and believing in themselves will take them far in life.

“Mark Collins is an amazing role model for our students,” Vasquez said.  “He’s proof that great things are possible when you set goals, work hard, and persevere.”

Kim Carter

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Time for Change Foundation (TFCF) under the leadership of Kim Carter has been named a 2015 CNN Hero!  The CNN Heroes initiative is a year-long initiative that honors everyday people for their selfless, creative efforts to help others.  The campaign is now in its ninth year.

In the past eight years, CNN Heroes has received more than 50,000 nominations from more than 100 countries.  Since 2007, the campaign has profiled more than 200 CNN Heroes.  They‘re working in more than 80 countries around the world, helping hundreds of thousands of people.  Follow CNN Heroes on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.  To view the CNN Hero Award video please visit www.Timeforchangefoundation.org and click on the CNN Heroes button.

“I’m happy that CNN is shining an International spotlight on our organization.” says Phyllis Scott, TFCF Case Manager. Kim Carter, Founder and Executive Director of TFCF stated, “I am so grateful that I answered God’s call on my life.  My homelessness, substance abuse and incarceration experiences fuel my passion to help others succeed.  It’s that calling that started Time for Change Foundation.”

To celebrate, the organization is hosting a “CNN Watch Party” to celebrate the success of the community. The event will be held at the Feldheym Library at 555 West 6th Street
in San Bernardino on October 8 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lunch will be provided by Kim Carter and the TFCF Team.

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

“You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” [Matthew 7:4].  I want you to know that in my years of ministry I have seen church folks judging each other, criticizing each other, running each other down, talking on the phone about each other and the list could go on and on. Just because you say you know the Lord, dress up on Sunday, go to church, read Scripture, sing and shout does not mean you are totally right with God. You do all of these activities on Sunday then turn right around on Monday and judge and criticize one another. That should not be! We are to have judgment that only comes through the Spirit of God. We have wrongly judged another person and have sinned in the process. In our rush to judgment, in our haste to make sure someone else takes the blame, in our zeal to find the guilty party, we have violated the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” The words are simple and clear. They are plain and unambiguous. But because they are familiar we tend to forget about them. Listen, we are not to be faultfinders.  Proverbs 11:12 tells us, “It is foolish to belittle a neighbor; a person with good sense remains silent.”  The Message is even more pointed: “Mean-spirited slander is heartless; quiet discretion accompanies good sense.” Don’t you know that faultfinding is the “venom of the soul?” It destroys your joy, drains your happiness, and prevents you from having close friendships. Truth be told, you criticize others in order to bring them down to your level. Or worse, you try to tear them down to prove they are really beneath you. What a spiritual vulture you are. Like the vultures of the air that live off dead, rotting flesh, you thrive on the mistakes and sins of others. You ought to repent!

Jesus said, “Judge not!” But oh, how we break this command: Blowing small things all out of proportion; Maximizing the sins of others—their faults, foibles and their petty ways. Coming to quick, hasty, negative conclusions; Making mountains out of molehills. Getting involved in situations where you should not be involved. Passing along critical stories to others; having a strong bias to find others guilty; adding aggravating remarks when telling a story. Dismissing an unkind remark by saying, “I was only joking.” Saying something critical and then trying to cover it up. Being unkind and then quickly changing the subject. Telling too many people about what others have done to us; Taking pleasure in condemning others; Telling the truth in order to hurt, not to help; Putting others down in order to make yourself look better; Minimizing your sins while magnifying the sins of others. That’s why Jesus said in verse 5, “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” Judge not lest you shall be Judge!”

Hey, who can argue with Jesus—right? The verse is taken to mean nobody has the right to judge anybody for anything at any time. The problem… The verse has a context. When Jesus spoke these words on the slopes surrounding the Sea of Galilee, He wasn’t saying never to judge. He simply warned about doing it the wrong way—by telling us how to make judgments the right way. And believe me, it ain’t easy. Christian love is not blind. God never says, “Ignore the faults of others.” But He does say, “Take care of your own faults first.” Look in the mirror! Ask God to show you your own sins. The familiar words of Psalm 139:23-24 come to mind: “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” If we would pray that way and mean it, we would do a lot more confessing and a lot less judging. And that my friend is God’s message for us today!

Lou Coleman (left) and Executive Director of SBETA, Mr. Ernest B. Dowdy, Jr. (right)

By Lou Coleman

As a Christian, what do you do when life is coming down on you hard; when there seems to be no way out? When you are worried or afraid? When you are in distress? What do you do when you are facing such monumental obstacles? How do believe beyond your ability to understand how your problems can be solved? The answer lies in the Word of God.

In [2 Chronicles 20] Jehoshaphat was the King. As King everything would fall on his shoulders. When a great multitude came against Judah to do battle, Jehoshaphat determined to seek God for help. Key Verse: 17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.

The reason I am writing this is to remind you that the battle you are facing is not yours, but God’s. Yes, the battle is the Lord’s, but we have a part – and that is to trust and believe His promises in the face of hopelessness and what seem to be impossibilities.  Faith demands that we turn over all our problems – all our critical situations, all our fears, all our anxieties – into the hand of the Lord.  When we have done all we can do and we know our battle is beyond our power, we must submit all into His hands.

If you will hold fast to your faith – trusting Him, resting in His promises, rejecting all lies of Satan coming into your mind – then expect God to come by His Spirit into your situation and bring an expected end to your particular battle.  He will move heaven and earth to deliver you and make a way.  The way out is to trust, trust, trust!  “He makes wars to cease” (Psalm 46:9).

I want you to know that God’s testimony was on the line at the City Council Meeting on Monday, September 21^st in reference to whether or not the City will continue to run SBETA or the County. God had made promises to the nation of Israel.  Jehoshaphat claimed the promises that God made. On this day the Executive Director of SBETA, Mr. Ernest B. Dowdy, Jr., claimed the promises that God made. Jesus said, “Come to Me all who are heavy laden and I will give you rest,” (Matt 11:28). “I am with you always, even to the ends of the earth,” (Matt. 28:20). He said that His words will not pass away (Mark 13:31). He said that He would raise you up on the last day. (John 6:40). He said that whatever you asked in His name would be given to you. (John 14:14).  Because of whom God is and what He has already done for you, you can trust Him even more for the future and have no fear that He will continue to uphold you, love you, and continue His wonderful loving plan in your life. To God Be All The Glory! United We Stand…. Divided We Fall!

By Naomi K. Bonman

LOS ANGELES, CA—Like the old saying goes, laughing is a good source of medicine. It has the magic tip in making one forget about their current worries. On Sunday, September 27, The Mentortainment Group will be collaborating with Sickle Cell Disease Foundation of California, AEOM PR, AND Crack Em’ Up Comedy to present the 2^nd Annual Comedy for a Cure: A Benefit and Awareness Show for Sickle Cell Disease. The show will be held at The Comedy Store located at 8433 W. Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood.

The host for the night is comedian and sickle cell survivor, Six Foota Slim. He will be telling his story as well as keeping you entertained between each set of comedians. Those that will be blessing the stage for the evening include London Brown, HBO Ballers; Edwonda White, Def Comedy Jam; and DC Ervin, NBC Last Comic Standing. In addition to laughing your butt off, there will also be a special what’s Da Count Awards Presentation as well as a red carpet hour hosted by Lacora Stephens.

Patrons interested in attending must be 21+ to enter the building. You can get your tickets now and save 5 bucks at $25 or purchase your tickets at the door for $30. A portion of the proceeds will benefit The Sickle Cell Disease Foundation of California. For more information, please contact Melinor Moore at nmoore@aeompr.com, Nichelle Murdock at nichellemurdock@gmail.com, or Kelvin Taylor atthementortainmentgroup@gmail.com.

By Naomi K. Bonman

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA- Calling all readers, authors, and book lovers! 3 Women Voices will be presenting a day filled with enlightenment and, knowledge on Saturday, September 26. Renowned authors from in and around the Inland Empire will be gathering together to speak, sign their books, and enlighten guests at Rancho Cucamonga Central Park, David Dreier Hall (East & West) located at 11200 Base Line Road in Rancho Cucamonga. The event will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Featured guest and authors include: Angela Alexander, Lori Bryant, Annette Hubbard, Susan Goodson, Lisa M. Black, Torrian Scott, Eliza Shansey Green, Don Coffeen, Shamilla Pennington, and Alex Byron. In addition to words of encouragement and enlightenment, there will also be entertainment from Comedian Mel Austin and Gospel Recording Artist Marlo Wells.

PASADENA, CA- Jack and Jill of America Foundation, Inc. is co-sponsoring a free college fair at the Pasadena Convention Center on Wednesday, September 30 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Local students and parents will have the opportunity to meet with over 200 college and university representatives. They can attend college prep workshops on SAT versus ACT, college sports recruiting and writing a personal essay for college applications.

Jack and Jill of America Foundation, Inc. is the philanthropic arm of Jack and Jill of America, Inc.  Since 2008, the Pasadena Chapter of the organization has brought representatives from several colleges, including historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), to Pasadena to expose more area residents to a broader array of college options.  The Jack and Jill-sponsored events have always included information regarding admission requirements and financial aid.

“While we are an organization for mothers, when we started out, it was our fathers’ auxiliary that took the lead on organizing our college fair,” says Annette Starks, Foundation Chair for the Pasadena Chapter.  “As our event grew, we moved the venue from Polytechnic High School to Pasadena City College to the Pasadena Convention Center.”

In recent years, Jack and Jill has expanded the number of students reached by partnering with Pasadena Unified School District on the event.  Additional sponsoring partners for this year’s event include the City of Pasadena, Pasadena City College, Pasadena Educational Foundation and Pasadena Learns.