by April | Mentoring
Along with Outdoor Outreach, we headed out to Big Bear for a weekend away from the city. We reserved two cabins for the weekend to focus on teambuilding wrapped around a Saturday learning to snow board and snowboarding. Thank to the instructors at Outdoor Outreach whom we are thrilled to be a partner we will had an exhilarating time away from the city!
Traveling to Big Bear the air was filled with excitement as this would be each young man’s first opportunity to see the snow and even better snowboard. Though the ride was tight with each passing mile we grew more excited for what the weekend had in store. As we hit the snow OO made sure that we were equipped with the necessary clothing, gloves and gear, It was now time to hit the mountain. After an hour of fundamentals the guys began to get the hang of it and they were soon hitting the intermediate slopes. The entire day was full of non stop fun along with great conversation.
By introducing our young men to the outdoors through exciting and joy-filled weekend, we both work to inspire underserved youth to see possibility and opportunity in their lives. We realize that through these positive types of events you began to see attitude and behavioral changes which help them become successful adults. We conquered the mountain, ate good food, saw the city and believe that these memories will last in these young men’s lives forever. Thank you Outdoor Outreach for the opportunity we appreciate the opportunity!
by April | Community, Volunteerism
We joined thousands at the 37th Annual – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade. Continuing the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Sunday, January 17, at 2:00 PM the Harbor Drive- Embarcadero. For one of the largest celebrations of its kind in the United States in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The parade is filled with dazzling floats, phenomenal High School Bands, Drill Teams, College, Fraternities, Churches, Peace and Youth organizations.
Spectators along Harbor Drive enjoyed a crisp, sunny afternoon by the water, cheering a long line of floats, high schools bands, civic groups and other participants in what is often referred to as one of the country’s largest celebrations in honor of King.
There were 96 entries in the parade this year, from elected officials such as state Sen.Toni Atkins and San Diego City Councilwoman Myrtle Cole to the San Diego Black Panthers to local enforcement agencies and unions. Also marching were school bands including UC San Diego and San Diego State University, as well as Morse High School and Clairemont High School.
This parade is coordinated by the Zeta Sigma Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., the oldest African American fraternity in America, founded in 1906 at Cornell University in Ithica, New York. Dr. King was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha.
by April | Community
Our Annual Christmas Awards breakfast took place Saturday Dec. 10th, 2016 at the Sheraton– Mission Valley with the goal to celebrate this holiday season by honoring those that serve our community and bringing educational awareness to San Diego’s foster and underprivileged youth during a festive Christmas celebration.
Over the past 10 years it has been our opportunity to give and receive the gift of service. We invite youth and families of San Diego to partake in a morning of joy, gift giving and celebration. This year we have grown larger than ever with over 400 families & children attending this celebratory breakfast. Many children and teenagers come from a variety of programs which include which include foster and area group homes
This year we honored Community Activist of the Year Awards going to Mathew Gordon (District 4 Community Representative), Aaron Harvey (Community Activist) and Tasha Williamson all of which have directly impacted young people’s lives on a regular basis.
We also honored administrators Staci Dent (Principal – Horton Elementary) and Lan Jefferson (All In San Diego) both of which have greatly impacted our student’s lives at both grade school and collegiate levels. Finally, sticking with our theme of education we will honored our shining star Shane Lawrence, Mercedes Tiggs as our Guardian Scholar of the Year for overcoming monumental obstacles to graduate from college along with a and Gerard Henry as Father of the Year. We also had awards for children from both the Heartbeat Music Academy and the H.E.A.R.T (Higher Education And Rising Together) mentoring program. This was a wonderful Christmas event benefiting San Diego’s Foster and underserved youth and encouraging them to attend and complete college.
by April | Community, Volunteerism
This year the young men of The Blue Heart Foundation’s mentoring program HEART (Higher Education And Rising Together) participated in the Annual San Diego Black Police Officers Association Thanksgiving Dinner drive. One of our core values is volunteerism, we feel its important to give back and serve our community regularly. But, don’t just use the hoiliday season to volunteer here are seven reasons to volunteer year round.
1. Mentoring younger kids – Mentoring younger kids is probably my favorite way to volunteer. I like to encourage other people to follow suit, however, I always let them know that mentees need consistency. You should always be there for them. Your mentoring is greatly appreciated and you can’t just decide when to go there. After all, it will be dispiriting for kids to never know when you’ll show up.
2. There’s always need – This is another great reason why you should volunteer the whole year round. There’s always somebody going sick or hungry, or somebody in need of clothes. Moreover, there is some organization that really needs your help. You don’t have to help every single day, but make it a rule to volunteer at least a few times a month.
3. Organizations rely on volunteers – There are many non-profit organizations that rely heavily on volunteers. It is important for these organizations to retain a great amount of volunteers the whole year round. There are environmental projects, animals, and people in need of their services anytime of the year.
4. It keeps you real and humble – Nowadays it is popular to be a volunteer. Some people do it in order to become famous, while others sincerely enjoy helping people in need. Volunteering is known to have a certain way of making everyone accountable for the way they act. Volunteering keeps you real and humble. I believe every person needs that.
5. Natural disasters occur year round – You know, natural disasters occur the whole year round and there are lots of families which get displaced when the disasters do happen. If you live in an area which is prone to floods, hurricanes, tornados, etc. make sure you look into when exactly these natural disasters tend to happen. Then, take every necessary step to help the food bank and local shelter stock up on food and other necessities in advance.
6. Inspire others to volunteer – If you enjoy helping people in need, why not inspire others to do the same? When you see someone donating some money in the grocery line to those $1 or $3 funds, perhaps you get inspired too. Inspire your family members, friends or coworkers to volunteer too. Explain them all of the wonderful advantages of volunteering.
7. It’s a great feeling – When you only volunteer during the holiday season, it can put you at a huge disadvantage for the rest of the year. Try to help out your favorite charity monthly and you will see that you will become much happier person. Volunteering gives us an amazing feeling. Even if you can only volunteer one day, it still counts. Your assistance will be highly appreciated, I promise.
In 2017, I hope you will volunteer the whole year round and help many people. You can give more than you think, remember it. Are you going to volunteer this year?
The Annual San Diego BPOA Thanksgiving Dinner drive benefited over 100 families, other amazing organizations that participated in this beautiful event that were Phi Beta Sigma, NFLPA, Sigma Gamma Rho, Brothers United and the San Diego Police Dept and was a great way to kick start the holidays
by April | Community
Watching the San Diego State Aztecs dominate Hawaii 55-0 after tailgating was a perfect way to celebrate the 2016-2017 SDSU homecoming . The young men participating in the H.E.A.R.T. mentoring program were truly in for a treat on this early Saturday evening. The victory in front of an announced crowd of 41,761 at Qualcomm Stadium showed flashes of how good the team could become.
The same could be said of the young men of H.E.A.R.T. of which young men with unlimited potential will come together and devote themselves towards aspirations of a higher education. Many of these young men could “fall through the cracks” due to lack of resources and/or opportunities afforded in the public education system. What we address are the other needs that young men need to make better decisions, learn to be goal oriented as well as focus on character development. Julien Moore would later say ““It’s nice to experience extraordinary things and have fun and just enjoy life after a long days work.” arriving shortly after completing his SAT Test earlier that day.
The exciting piece is that this was a complete effort as families came together in an opportunity to get to know each other better. There is nothing more critical than the support of family within Blue Heart and on this day many parents took the time to build a stronger more supportive familial bond.
This is an exciting time in these young men’s lives and we are looking forward to watching and tracking the growth of these 25 young men as they work to achieve success together. Be sure to watch their growth and cheer them on as they strive to reach their potential and beyond. Kaori McGowan summed the day up perfectly ” I had an absolutely amazing time hanging with my fellow brothers of blue heart this weekend at the SDSU game , it is the fun activities like this that bring us together as one big family.”
Traveling to Big Bear the air was filled with excitement as this would be each young man’s first opportunity to see the snow and even better snowboard. Though the ride was tight with each passing mile we grew more excited for what the weekend had in store. As we hit the snow OO made sure that we were equipped with the necessary clothing, gloves and gear, It was now time to hit the mountain. After an hour of fundamentals the guys began to get the hang of it and they were soon hitting the intermediate slopes. The entire day was full of non stop fun along with great conversation.
By introducing our young men to the outdoors through exciting and joy-filled weekend, we both work to inspire underserved youth to see possibility and opportunity in their lives. We realize that through these positive types of events you began to see attitude and behavioral changes which help them become successful adults. We conquered the mountain, ate good food, saw the city and believe that these memories will last in these young men’s lives forever. Thank you Outdoor Outreach for the opportunity we appreciate the opportunity!
