On Saturday, September 21, the Redlands’ Boy’s and Girls Club held its annual ‘Day 4 Kids’ event. Check out some of the photos below:

Photo Credit: John Coleman, Community Photographer

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By Rob Falkenberg, CEO, UnitedHealthcare of California

Open enrollment season is here, a time when more than 18.3 million people in California and millions of Americans across the country will have the opportunity to select or switch their health insurance plan for 2020.  

To help guide you during this important time, here are some tips that may help lead you to better health and cost savings.

Tip 1: Know your open enrollment dates

• For the more than 178 million Americans with employer-provided coverage, many employers set aside a two-week period between September and December when employees can select health benefits for the following year.
• For the more than 64 million people enrolled in Medicare, Medicare Annual Enrollment runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 each year.

For most people, changes made during this time will take effect Jan. 1, 2020.

Tip 2: Understand your options. When it comes to selecting a plan, one size does not fit all. Take the time to understand your options so you can find what will work best for you. A good first step is to make sure you understand health insurance lingo, such as premium, deductible, coinsurance and out-of-pocket maximum. If you need a refresher, check out UnitedHealth Group’s Just Plain Clear Glossary (in English, Spanish and Portuguese) to learn and understand health care terms. And if you’re eligible for Medicare, make sure you’re familiar with the difference between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage as you weigh your options.

Tip 3: Anticipate next year’s health expenses.  When reviewing your options, plan ahead. Maybe you are expecting a significant health event next year, such as a surgery or having a baby. If so, then it’s even more important to compare the “total cost” of your plan, not just your monthly premium. Plan designs vary, so also compare deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums.

Tip 4: Check to make sure your medications are covered

Even if you don’t expect to change plans, it’s important to make sure your prescription drugs will still be covered next year. Costs can change from year to year, and how much you pay for generics vs. brands may differ among health plans.

Tip 5: Ask about well-being programs. Many health plans now offer financial incentives that reward you for taking healthier actions, such as completing a health survey, walking, going to the gym or not using nicotine. Also, many Medicare Advantage plans offer gym memberships and wellness programs for members at no additional costs.

Tip 6: Don’t forget about specialty benefits

Additional benefits, such as dental, vision, hearing, disability or critical illness insurance, are often cost-effective coverage options that can help protect you and your family from head to toe. For Medicare beneficiaries, some may be surprised that Original Medicare doesn’t cover prescription drugs and most dental, vision and hearing services, but many Medicare Advantage plans do.

Tip 7: Try the convenience of virtual visits. If you are busy juggling kids’ schedules or work travel, or simply prefer to connect with a doctor from the comfort of your own home,  consider choosing a plan that includes 24/7 virtual visits. It may be a convenient, lower-cost way to talk to a doctor about minor health issues, and all you need is a smartphone, tablet or computer. Often, telehealth is available to members of employer-sponsored, individual and Medicare Advantage plans.

For more helpful articles and videos about open enrollment and health care, visit UHCOpenEnrollment.com.

Monthly labs to K-12 students and community give insight into the art of filmmaking

SAN BERNARDINO, CA.– San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC) is giving K-12 students and the community a glimpse into the art of filmmaking with its monthly lab series.

The Inland Empire Media Academy (IEMA) series was developed to help students find their voice and develop an appreciation for the art and craft of film and visual storytelling. Labs, free to elementary, junior and high school students and $15 for members of the community, are held on Saturdays and participants can expect to receive a broader knowledge of film, TV and media production.

“This is a great way to learn about everything that goes into making a movie or TV show right here in San Bernardino,” said IEMA Director and SBVC Radio, Television and Film (RTVF) Instructor Lucas Cuny.  “It also gives people a chance to work with state-of-the-art technology and learn about the RTVF program here at SBVC.”

Held on October 26, “Set Tech 101” educates students on how to set up and break down all film and television set equipment. SBVC’s Kevin Lyons will teach participants how to set up a dolly, 12×12, c-stand, light stand, tripod, camera, sound equipment, as well as the right way to wrap a cable.

The series runs through November, goes dark in December and restarts in January 2020. All labs are from 1-5 pm in SBVC’s Media and Communications Building, Room 142. Registration is at valleycollege.edu/academic-career-programs/degrees-certificates/radio-television-film/film-festival/index.php. 

SAN BERNARDINO, CA—Recently, Congressman Pete Aguilar announced a federal grant of $3 million has been awarded to the San Bernardino Community College District (SBCCD). The funding comes from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) and will be matched by SBCCD, bringing the total investment to $6 million.

These funds will be used to renovate and modernize two buildings housing the San Bernardino Community College District’s Institute for Local Economic Advancement and Development (iLEAD) initiative. The first building, in northern San Bernardino, will house the iLEAD Innovation & Entrepreneurship (IE) Accelerator. Here students will receive hands-on career training in coding, 3D printing, digital media, machine technology, and construction. The second facility, in Downtown San Bernardino, will provide job training to formerly-incarcerated individuals through the iLEAD Center for Re-Entry & Access to Transitional Employment (CREATE) Program. The EDA estimates that the programs will create 369 new jobs, support 893 current jobs, and spur over $120,000 in private investments in the community.

“With this investment in our community, the EDA is recognizing the potential for growth within San Bernardino. I’m proud to announce this funding, which will create hundreds of good-paying jobs in our region and help continue the economic growth we’ve seen in the past few years,” said Aguilar.

“Whether a young student wants the skills to jumpstart their career or a formerly incarcerated adult wants a second chance at a better life, our partnership with the EDA will help open new doors of opportunity,” said San Bernardino Community College District Chancellor Bruce Baron. “We look forward to putting this investment immediately to work and continue building a stronger workforce for the Inland Empire.” 

As Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, Aguilar helps determine federal funding levels for agencies such as the EDA. In addition to his role on the Appropriations Committee, Aguilar serves as a Chief Deputy Whip in the House Democratic Caucus.

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— SAN BERNARDINO, CA— Brenda Dowdy, homeless education project manager for San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools, will receive the 2019 Sandra Neese Lifetime Achievement Award at a national conference in Washington, D.C.         

Dowdy will be honored at the 31st annual National Association for the Education of Homeless Children Conference on November 3.         

For the past 13 years, Dowdy has worked in County Schools’ Children Deserve Success program, working with liaisons of the county’s 33 school districts in homeless education to provide services for students from pre-kindergarten through college.          

San Bernardino County is home to more than 33,000 students identified as homeless as defined by the federal McKinney-Vento Act.         

Dowdy has led efforts through County Schools to provide backpacks with school supplies, clothing, emergency food and personal hygiene items for students. She has run tutoring programs to help students with homework. She also has helped raise and coordinate distribution of college scholarships for high school graduates annually.         

For the past 14 years, Children Deserve Success partners with community organizations to host an annual holiday celebration for more than 200 students and their families.

A celebration of global culture and community

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— LOS ANGELES, CA—- On September 28, 2019 from 11am to 6pm nearly four thousand women congregated at Grand Park in Downtown, Los Angeles for the fourth annual Head Wraps in the Park Festival made possible by Red Bay Coffee Roasters.  The event is a celebration of culture and the brainchild of Fatima Dodson, a local business owner in Los Angeles. The concept for the festival originated from the desire and need to create a safe space for women of all ethnicities to celebrate wearing head wraps. Head wraps, also known as “goddess wraps”, are a garment of choice associated with the natural hair movement in the African-American community. Goddess head wrapping is a global tradition ranging from South Asia to Africa. It is an art form that bridges cultures and also wonderfully displays creativity in textile arts & crafts. Originating in Sub-Saharan Africa, head wraps are an African beauty statement. Worn on the head and symbolizing a crown, the head wrap either covers hair completely or ties as a headband around the forehead to reveal the hair. There are many ways that someone can tie a head wrap, making it versatile enough to fit most personal styles.

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The annual event draws women from around the world. “The event is appreciated by the community and provides the opportunity to celebrate African culture and beauty,” says Fatima Dodson. 

Red Bay Coffee, the black-owned sustainable specialty coffee company with headquarters in Oakland, California, is a proud sponsor of the Head Wraps in the Park festival. Since its founding in 2014, Red Bay has been at the forefront of the fourth wave of coffee—a firm commitment to ensure coffee production is not only high quality and sustainable, but also a vehicle for social unity and economic empowerment. Red Bay Coffee’s Public Roasteries serve as hubs for building community and bringing Beautiful Coffee to the People.

“People are in need of a sense of courage and positivity. When Fatima invited us to support Head Wraps In The Park, we were happy to help. We source our coffee beans directly from countries such as Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Mexico, and Colombia–all with a rich history of creativity and expression. Celebrating culture truly resonates with us,” says Keba Konte Founder and CEO at Red Bay Coffee.

The arts and culture festival will included experiences for all ages. Event highlights included panel discussions, heading wrapping bars, live DJ, food and beverage trucks, photo and art exhibits and so much more. Red Bay Coffee and Head Wraps in the Park also supported a social media head wrap contest with cash prizes given to winners. A special moment was captured when attendees gathered and organized for a photos in the shape of the continent of Africa.

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ABOUT RED BAY COFFEE ROASTERS

Since 2014 Red Bay Coffee Roasters has been building a global community through a commitment to bringing Beautiful Coffee to the People and ensuring economic opportunity with a team that values diversity and inclusion. Red Bay Coffee envisions a world in which specialty coffee is a vehicle for social restoration and environmental sustainability.  Red Bay Coffee’s commitment to producing the best and most beautiful coffee starts by building and maintaining real relationships with the farmers and cooperatives that harvest, process, and prepare some of the best green coffee in the world. Red Bay Coffee believes in fair relations and prides itself on creating value streams that emphasize experience and ethics, not just supply and demand.  

In 2016, Red Bay Coffee established its first public roastery and production headquarters in the Fruitvale District of Oakland, California. Since then, Red Bay Coffee continues to spread its footprint throughout the United States through several locations and directly to customer’s doorsteps nationwide. Red Bay Coffee Roasters was founded by Keba Konte, a renowned local artist and successful food entrepreneur with deep roots in the San Francisco Bay area’s specialty coffee and hospitality industry. Konte continues to foster his vision of using Red Bay Coffee as a platform to create a culture of equity, where all people are celebrated, in addition to bringing greater opportunities for those historically marginalized and/or left out of the specialty coffee industry, particularly people of color, the formerly incarcerated, women and people with disabilities. www.redbaycoffee.com

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)—- SAN BERNARDINO, CA—-  The San Bernardino Public Library will be hosting a visit from award-winning author and poet, Kwame Alexander and musician Randy Preston on Tuesday, October 22, 2019. This free all-ages event will be held at 6 pm in the Bing Wong Auditorium at the Feldheym Central Library, 555 W. 6^th Street.

Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, and the New York Times Bestselling author of 32 books, including The Undefeated, illustrated by Kadir Nelson; How to Read a Book, illustrated by Melissa Sweet; Swing; Rebound, which was shortlisted for the prestigious Carnegie Medal; and his NEWBERY medal-winning middle grade novel, The Crossover. Some of his other works include Booked, a National Book Award Nominee; The Playbook: 52 Rules To Help You Aim, Shoot, And Score In This Game Of Life; and the picture books Surf’s Up; Acoustic Rooster and his Barnyard Band; and Out Of Wonder, which won the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award.

A regular contributor to NPR’s Morning Edition, Kwame is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including The Coretta Scott King Author Honor, The Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Prize, Three NAACP Image Award Nominations, the 2017 Inaugural Pat Conroy Legacy Award, The Dominion Energy Strong Men and Women of Virginia, and the 2018 NEA Read Across America Ambassador.

Kwame’s belief in the power of poetry and literature to inspire, engage, and empower young people is the guiding force behind his appointment as the inaugural Innovator-in-Residence at the American School in London. Kwame is the Founding Editor of VERSIFY, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers whose mission is to Change the World One Word at a Time. He’s led cultural exchange delegations to Brazil, Italy, Singapore, and Ghana, where he built the Barbara E. Alexander Memorial Library and Health Clinic, as a part of LEAP for Ghana, an international literacy program he co-founded.

Randy Preston is a singer-songwriter, educator and storyteller, who grew up on 3 different continents.  Raised in England and Kenya, he gained a deep appreciation for the lore, the myths and the legends of the places he has lived.  This love of words and storytelling led to reams of bad poetry, a degree in English Literature, a mildly successful Christian rock band, and culminated in an 18 year teaching career, from the high school classroom to the university lecture hall.

Most recently, Preston has been touring with Kwame Alexander visiting schools and special events to entertain and engage people through catchy music and interactive storytelling. He’s written original songs for Kwame’s latest novels in verse REBOUND, SOLO, and SWING.

Books will be available for purchase at the event. This free program is sponsored by the California Library Literacy Services.

You can reserve free tickets at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/newbery-award-winning-author-kwame-alexander-tickets-74045822047 or call the library at 909-381-8238 or 909-381-8250.

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- Bullying and violence in our communities were top concerns on Monday night. Over 200 community members joined with Assemblymember Reyes and Chief Joseph Paulino of the San Bernardino City Unified School District Police at Arroyo Valley High School to share their frustrations and concerns on important community issues in San Bernardino. 

The goal of the Community Healing Forum was to provide a safe space for the community to express their concerns to community leaders. The main topics discussed were bullying and student safety.

“It was clear to me that bullying is a main concern to parents and our community. When parents drop off their children at school they expect them to be safe from bullying and other trauma that impacts their children,” said Assemblymember Reyes. “These conversations are difficult, but they are the first step to healing and finding solutions to the community’s concerns.”  

The Community Healing: Protecting the Next Generation event was the first in a series of community healing events that Assemblymember Reyes is planning throughout the 47th Assembly District. These events will tackle issues of poverty, gun violence, student safety, homelessness, government transparency and more.

Many partners joined to ensure the community was heard including: Moderators Dr. April Clay, Clay Counseling Solutions and Mary Valdemar, Ch.I.C.C.C.A.A. The panelists in attendance included: Abigail Medina, SBCUSD School Board President; Gwen Rodgers, SBCUSD School Board Vice-President; Jason Anderson, San Bernardino County District Attorney; Horace Boatwright, Deputy Chief San Bernardino County Sheriff; Michele Mahan, Lieutenant San Bernardino City Police Department; Sergio Luna, Director of Organizing Inland Congregation United for Change; and, Terrance Stone, Executive Director Young Visionaries. 

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY—- About 1,200 county residents registered to vote last week, pushing the total number of registered voters in San Bernardino County past the one million mark for the first time ever.

More than 75 percent of eligible county residents are now registered to vote.

The Registrar of Voters processed the registration records submitted last week and determined which were new voters and which were updates to existing voter records.  The Registrar of Voters confirmed today that the one million registered voters’ milestone was achieved on Wednesday, September 25, 2019.

“It’s great to see this level of interest in voting in our county. Voter participation increases our community’s influence on regional, state and federal issues,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Curt Hagman.

As the County celebrates this milestone, we encourage voters to share their thoughts on social media about why it is important to register.

The registrar may share or retweet non-partisan posts that tag the Registrar of Voters and use #VoteReady and #SBCountyCounts in an effort to reach more than 330,000 potential voters in San Bernardino County still not registered to vote.  

Eligible citizens may register or re-register online at SBCountyElections.com. Voter registration applications are also available at the Registrar of Voters office in San Bernardino and throughout the county at post offices, city clerks’ offices, county libraries, and the Department of Motor Vehicles. A map of these locations is available on the Registrar of Voters website.

Likewise, 16 and 17 year olds may now pre-register to vote if they meet all other eligibility requirements. On their 18th birthday, they will be automatically registered to vote so they will not miss an election.

Finally, the Registrar of Voters encourages voters and potential voters to be #VoteReady for the upcoming Presidential Primary Election on March 3, 2020.

Voters can verify their registration status by visiting SBCountyElections.com and logging into the My Elections Gateway application. Any voter who wants to update their name, address, or party affiliation will need to re-register to be #VoteReady.

For more information about registering, re-registering or pre-registering to vote, visit the Registrar of Voters website at SBCountyElections.com, or call (909) 387-8300.

Fontana, CA — Zeta Sky today announced its commitment to National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM), held annually in October.

To mark the occasion, Zeta Sky will be hosting the Inland Empire Cyber Security Summit on October 17th, 2019 at the InTech Center in Fontana.

Click Here to Register (Please RSVP by October 15th as catered lunch will be provided)

Attendees will hear from the FBI – Cyber Crime Unit about the latest and greatest threats against businesses and employees, how to avoid being the next victim, and simple ways to build awareness in your company.

You’ll also hear from Guest experts from Datto, representatives from Citrix, and Cyber Insurance specialists.

This will be a great opportunity to learn from industry professionals, network with your peers, and bring actionable steps to help secure your business!

“Cybersecurity is important to the success of all businesses and organizations. We are proud to have such a strong and active community helping to encourage proactive behavior and prioritize cybersecurity in their organizations – Adrian Francoz, CEO of Zeta Sky”