by April | Education, Mentoring
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. My experience on the UCSD tour was truly amazing. Brandon Rosete stated “This tour made me realize that college is the start of “the real world” this is where we can see who we truly are and truly capable of. I am ready to be a young man now with all my peers. We have a long journey ahead of us.”
“As an African American,” said parent Tammy Blevins “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.
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
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,” reported 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 ” and equally important… overcoming peer pressure. “The tour was really intriguing, I enjoyed the campus and the interaction I got with people on campus and enjoyed the information we received. I would like to thank UCSD for the opportunity to have me and my blue heart brothers on campus” Kaori McGowan would later say.
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by April | Community, Volunteerism
Sunday October 30th, 2016 – We participated in a the 2nd Annual Hip Hop 5K a 3.1 mile walk/run through Southeast San Diego. Along with hundreds of local residents as well as visitors. All sorts of people participated 
with us as we ran/walked together through our neighborhoods in a show of solidarity, health and innovative thought. We want to create a spark of creativity and forward thinking in the community.
The overall goal of this 5k is to create a surge of positive energy and forward thinking in the residents of southeastern San Diego. We intend to accomplish this by demonstrating the wonders of physical activity, creativity and imagination with a combination of ART, FITNESS, CULTURE and COMMUNITY. Through this event we hope to rejuvenate the spirit of the people.
The entire vision for this project was carried out through the hard work of Dawud Hassan an extraordinary man who continuously works to better the local community… We look forward to running and volunteering again next year.
by April | Education
The Blue Heart Foundation and CSU San Marcos have agreed that a supportive partnership and a guaranteed admission would provide a valuable pathway for students from an outstanding program with a proven track record to join our campus community. With this MOU agreement we will demonstrate our commitment to academic excellence and student success, while creating a diverse educational community and learning environment. CSUSM will provide an open and welcoming culture which will enhance and support the successful completion of an academic degree.
We were treated to a campus tour with our new partner CSU San Marcos. We also officially signing our Memorandum of Understanding agreement that will allow us to begin generating a pipeline of our students to attend this forward thinking institute of higher learning. As we toured the campus many parents were in awe that we were chosen as a preferred partner… One Blue Heart Parent – Tammy Blevins stated this is such a wonderful opportunity for our young men.”
Our day included a Meet, Greet and Celebration of our Partnership with Carol McAllister, Karen Francisco-Butler and Rosa Barr-Hailstork. Followed by an Admissions Information Presentation – Rivian Anderson/Araceli Bazan and Financial Aid Presentation – Sergio Solis. ” It’s one thing to meet and talk about all of the programming, mentoring and services the foundation provides, but it’s another to see how utterly prepared, smart and tenacious they are in person.” Director of Admissions Carol McAllister would say and later continued ” I hope they enjoyed the day and know that we are here for them. We look forward to a long wonderful relationship.
We then had a Campus Tour led by PRIDE Ambassadors Araceli Bazan & Rivian Anderson followed by a visit to SBSB Computer Labs where our seniors officially applied to CSU San Marcos with the assistance of Dr. Geoffrey Gilmore. Each senior was fully prepared, completing their application on the spot, which thoroughly impressed the entire admissions staff.
The tour closed with a visit to the Campus Dorms and lunch in the Commons, I must say this was one of the most amazing campus tours yet and we are excited for what the future holds.
Our agreement can be viewed by clicking HERE
Photos Courtesy of Heartfelt Imagez (www.heartfeltimagez.com) and Jess Kunert photography (jesskunertphotography.com)
by April | Career Development, Education, Mentoring
Saturday Oct. 15th – The Blue Heart Foundation held it’s monthly workshop which focused on both personal and professional development. This month Taryell Simmons of Connect2Careers focused on Creating an Elevator Pitch – Elevator pitches are brief, rehearsed introductions that give potential employers a “highlight reel” of a person’s experiences and aspirations — answering the common “tell me about yourself” interview question. Participants learned to build a pitch that included their passions, goals and qualifications, then practice their pitch individually and in groups.
Our Professional Development portion focused on Real Estate, facilitated by Derrick Luckett, President of DESTINY-SIX-FINANCIAL. Mr. Luckett’s interactive workshop focused on credit health and keys to home ownership. He also provided a powerful overview on redlining and how it impacts communities and wealth redlining is the practice of denying services, either directly or through selectively raising prices, to residents of certain areas based on the racial or ethnic makeups of those areas.
While some of the most famous examples of redlining regard denying financial services such as banking or insurance, other services such as health care[ or even supermarkets, can be denied to residents (or in the case of businesses like the aforementioned supermarkets, simply moved impractically far away from such residents) to carry out redlining. The term “redlining” was coined in the late 1960s by John McKnight, a sociologist and community activist. It refers to the practice of marking a red line on a map to delineate the area where banks would not invest; later the term was applied to discrimination against a particular group of people (usually by race or sex) irrespective of geography.
During the heyday of redlining, the areas most frequently discriminated against were black inner city neighborhoods. For example, in Atlanta in the 1980s, a Pulitzer Prize-winning series of articles by investigative-reporter Bill Dedman showed that banks would often lend to lower-income whites but not to middle- or upper-income blacks. The use of blacklists is a related mechanism also used by redliners to keep track of groups, areas, and people that the discriminating party feels should be denied business or aid or other transactions. In the academic literature, redlining falls under the broader category of credit rationing.
Finally, we were treated as Jay King of Club Nouveau stopped through and present on entrepreneurship… Mr. King started his career over 30 years ago (King rewrote music business history when he manufactured, distributed, marketed & promoted the Multi-Million selling #1 R&B and Top Ten Pop hit ‘Rumors’ by the Timex Social Club on his Indi label Jay Records in 1986). He knows what kind of talent, infrastructure and support that is needed to create a successful brand as well as business.
Building real synergy and networking opportunities between local communities and businesses are critical to the success of ones business, sharing his expertise as a marketer, visionary and businessman who was one of the music industry’s first black executives. We were honored that he would stop by to mentor our young men and guests
by April | Community, Volunteerism
We had an amazing day supporting San Diego County Fire Fighter’s as they climb the Hilton stairs in memory of the 403 Emergency Responders who paid the ultimate price on 9/11. Rising early Saturday morning, young men from the Blue Heart Foundation set out to volunteer at a stair climb held to honor firefighters, police and other emergency personnel killed in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001.
The San Diego Firefighter 9-11 Memorial Stair Climb challenged firefighters, police, military personnel and civilians to ascend 110 stories at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel. It began at 7 a.m.
Each year, approximately 100 firefighters die while serving their communities. Many more die from cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders, stroke, and other injuries and illnesses suffered as a result of their service. But we worked together to honor these sacrifices and care for the firefighters who assume these risks and the families who share them.
Each volunteer assisted by helping with setup, passing out water and then taking the trek up the stairs to challenge themselves as well as pay homage to those that paid the ultimate price that day. We climbed in the memory, and honor of the 343 FDNY Brothers, 23 NYPD Brothers and Sisters, and 37 Port Authority Brothers and Sisters, and to raise awareness of the sacrifices made by firefighters everywhere.
Funds raised benefited FirefighterAid (formerly the San Diego Firefighters’ Benevolent Fund,) the 501(c)(3) charity which cares for Firefighters and families through sickness, distress, and death.
“As an African American,” said parent Tammy Blevins “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.”
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
