by April | Community, Volunteerism
HEART doing our monthly community service and helping less fortunate families at the Season of Love -Block Party
Thousands of people turned out for the community block party hosted by New Seasons Church in Spring Valley Saturday.
The church partnered with “Feeding America San Diego”, Boar’s Head, Walmart, and Ralph’s to feed thousands of people during the “Seasons of Love” Thanksgiving event.
Those who attended the block party got to take home a free Thanksgiving meal, along with clothes, shoes, and baby gear.
“The church is suppose to help those in need. We want to be the example of the church giving back to the community. We shouldn’t always take from the community, we should give back to the community,” Dr. A.B. Vines, senior pastor of the New Seasons Church said.
Always looking for opportunities to serve our community our young men believe that giving back is the root of success and makes you understand just how lucky you are.
by April | Education, Uncategorized
In an event accented by hands-on workshops, class lectures, laboratory visits, campus tours and interaction with UCSD faculty and undergraduates, hundreds of pre-college students and their parents got more than just a savory taste of university life this month when they attended Dare to Dream College: The African Experience at UCSD.
“As an African American,” said one parent who participated, “I think this event not only challenged young Black students to dare to dream college and to go after that dream, but also challenged parents to get involved, and stay involved, in preparing their children for higher education –starting in early childhood.”
Indeed, the message of early academic preparation and active parental involvement were important goals when UCSD Student Educational Advancement (a division of Student Affairs) joined with the California Student Opportunity and Access Program (Cal-SOAP) of San Diego and Imperial Counties in sponsoring Dare to Dream College. The event was not only intended to help enhance college-going rates of African Americans in San Diego, but to also provide an opportunity to showcase the academic and career opportunities UCSD has to offer.
And from UCSD, the event enjoyed the participation and support from the Chancellor’s Office, faculty, staff, Student Affairs, the Black Student Union and other undergraduates. “It was truly both a community and university effort,” report Loren Thompson, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Student Educational Advancement (SEA), and Linda Doughty, Director, Cal-SOAP.
The event immersed 4th through 12th grade students in various interactive activities with faculty, staff and undergraduates based upon students’ grade levels and academic interest. These included workshops on why college is important, how to develop “mental toughness ” for college, a debate with the UCSD Black Student Union on overcoming peer pressure.
Meanwhile, parents attended informative and motivational sessions that addressed their particular needs and concerns including workshops on how to be advocates for their children’s education, negotiating college for their children, and a special stage reading and panel discussion on how to speak to children about the importance of college.
Dare to Dream College is an annual event and to follow up with event attendees for inclusion in additional college preparation activities.
by April | Volunteerism
H.E.A.R.T. entered a world of imagination…a Willy Wonka themed Walk and an fun-filled festival for kids. We want children, adults, adults who act like children to come out and have an absolutely scrumdiddilyumptious time benefiting San Diego Center for Children and the extraordinary programs that help thousands of children and families every year in San Diego County.
Imagine a Walk where everyone is wearing a costume, oompa loompas are directing you which way to walk, candy and Wonka-sized lollipops everywhere. Basically every small child’s fantasy, and admit it, yours too. We want you to imagine the unimaginable, and help us turn an ordinary walk in to something extraordinary. So come walk with us and enjoy a little nonsense on Saturday morning.
With our support we helped thousands of children and families across San Diego County get the hope and healing they need. Let’s come together as we help San Diego Center for Children restore the joy of childhood. One Oompa Loompa at a time.
by April | Education
Through the hard work of Joanne Fields and many others, the San Diego Organizing Project and District E Trustee Cabinet presented the Invest in Schools Not Prisons Community Festival. In California it costs $62,300 per year to imprison someone, but just $9,100 per year to teach a child. A powerful short video from Californians for Safety and Justice challenges us to “do the math” when it comes to expanding the criminal justice system or investing in schools seen on the right of our website endorsing The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act
The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act of 2014 is a voter initiative for the November 2014 California ballot that will change sentencing for low-level nonviolent crimes such as simple drug possession and petty theft from felonies to misdemeanors and direct financial savings to K-12 schools, mental health treatment, and victim services. This reform maintains the current law for registered sex offenders and anyone with prior convictions for rape, murder or child molestation.
Details of the Act
- Stops wasting prison space on low-level nonviolent crimes: Changes the lowest level nonviolent drug possession and petty theft crimes from felonies to simple misdemeanors. It authorizes resentencing for anyone who is incarcerated for these offenses and poses no threat to public safety. These changes apply to juveniles as well as adults.
- Keeps rapists, murderers and child molesters in prison: Maintains the current law for registered sex offenders and anyone with prior convictions for rape, murder or child molestation.
- Stops government waste and redirects hundreds of millions from prison spending to K-12 and treatment: California counties will save hundreds of millions annually and state prison reductions will generate between $750 million to $1.25 billion in savings over the next five years alone. Those savings will be shifted into K-12 school programs (25%), victim services (10%) and mental health and drug treatment (65%).
- Protects public safety: Focuses law enforcement resources on violent and serious crimes, and directs savings to programs that stop the cycle of crime. Prisoners may only be released if they demonstrate that they are no longer a threat to public safety.
- Reduces the collateral consequences of felony convictions for low-level crime: Reduces the barriers that many with felony convictions for low-level nonviolent crimes face to becoming stable and productive citizens, such as employment, housing and access to assistance programs and professional trades.
H.E.A.R.T. did our part by helping with event setup as well as providing a booth advocating education. The festival was a family-safe day with music by Tribal Theory, Lyrical Groove, DJ Miki Vale, and the Thunder Squad Drumline. it also included free community resources, community marketplace,including The Blue Heart Foundation, Pat On The Back Foundation,FANCY Teen Girls Expo, Ground-Up Youth Foundation, Heartbeat MUSIC Academy, INC., Lincoln High School Cheerleaders, Father2Child, Alton Lister, Jeff Harper-Harris, Shaun Manning, Elizabeth Libbi Nichols, Torrion Dedmon, The Lyrical Groove, Tribal Theory, Dona Gonzales, Chef Rick, Tywnot?, Akroz, Imagine Media Group, San Diego Organizing Project & the SDUSD Board Trustee Marne Foster – District E Cabinet with all our support we made the Invest in Schools Not Prisons Community Festival a success.
HEART doing our monthly community service and helping less fortunate families at the Season of Love -Block Party
