Street flags with the Bicentennial Celebration logo will soon adorn lampposts throughout San Bernardino. The Bicentennial Celebration Committee seeks sponsors for these flags, to learn more call Erin Brinker at (951) 323-9337.
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) The City of San Bernardino’s streets will soon be sporting banners and street flags with the city’s new Bicentennial Celebration logo.
“This is a time of pride for the city,” said Erin Brinker, head of the public relations committee for the Bicentennial Celebration committee. We are proud of our citizens, our organizations and our businesses. We are proud of our history, and we look forward to the future.”
The Bicentennial Celebration committee invites businesses, organizations and individuals to be a part of the celebration by sponsoring the street flags, which will adorn lampposts throughout the city much the way holiday-themed flags do each December. In fact, these Bicentennial flags will remain in place until December.
For $300, sponsors can have their name on the street flag, below the logo. Since the committee will be installing new flags throughout the year, there’s no deadline to sign up. But it will start by adorning the most highly visible areas of San Bernardino, so quick responses are encouraged.
To sponsor a street flag, call Brinker at (951) 323-9337.
San Bernardino’s celebrated beginning took place on May 20, 1810 when Father Francisco Dumetz established a mission. Now that 200 years have passed, and 2010 has arrived, it’s time for a months-long celebration.
The logo adorning these street flags depicts the Bicentennial Celebration’s motto “San Bernardino 1810-2010: A Rich History. A Bright Future.” Throughout 2010, events are planned to remember the past, and usher in the city’s third century.
This logo is illustrated with some of San Bernardino’s best resources over the centuries, including arrowheads, orange groves, mountains, transportation ranging from a horse-drawn wagon to an airplane and a high-speed train, landmark buildings California Theater and Vanir Tower, and people.
Rabbi Hillel Cohn is the chairman of the Bicentennial Celebration Committee, and Erin Brinker is the chair of its Public Relations & Marketing and Independence Day Extravaganza committees. Other Bicentennial Celebration Committee members are Art Guerrero (chair of Neighborhood Beautification committee) Jim Smith (chair of the Community Engagement committee), Cheryl Brown (chair of the Youth Council, Intergovernmental and Arts committees), Beverly Bird (chair of the Legend of the Arrowhead committee), Steven Shaw (chair of the History committee), David Smith (chair of the Finance committee), Jane Sneddon (chair of the Parade committee) and Martha Pinkney (chair of the Gala committee.)
These members were appointed by the mayor and members of the San Bernardino Common Council. Additional community volunteers who have taken on leadership of other committees are: Trudy Freidel (Festival of Faiths), Dr. William Coleman (Leadership Cabinet), Peggi Hazlett (Mayor’s Run), Dr. Charles “Skip” Herbert (Coloring Books for Schools) and The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire (Design).
For additional details, contact Erin Brinker at (951) 323-9337.
This May, Mayor Patrick Morris will lead the city in singing “Happy 200th Birthday” to San Bernardino. San Bernardino celebrated its 199th Birthday with a party. It’s celebrating the 200th with festivities lasting from February through July. Photo by Matt Sloan
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) It was May 20, 1810, tradition tells us, when a Spanish missionary, Father Francisco Dumetz, traveled from Mission San Gabriel to the San Bernardino Valley. He named this new locale San Bernardino after Saint Bernardine of Siena who was then the Catholics’ patron saint of that particular day. Thus was born San Bernardino 200 years ago.
On May 20, 2009, Mayor Patrick Morris and other dignitaries of state and local government, cheerleaders from San Bernardino High and a couple hundred other residents, set the stage for the 2010 Bicentennial Celebration launching the city into its third century. This 199th birthday celebration featured gourmet cake prepared by students of The International Culinary School of The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire, kicking off festivities through July 4 of 2010, marking the city’s 200th year.
Rabbi Hillel Cohn, a 47-year resident of San Bernardino, and for 38 years head of Temple Emanu El, is chairman of the Bicentennial Committee, and has plans to note this historic event “in neighborhoods, on the streets, in public venues, through the airwaves and on the Internet,” debuting the celebration’s unique logo and announcing the event’s motto — “San Bernardino 1810-2010: A Rich History. A Bright Future.”
“I was asked by a member of the City Council in 2007 to get involved since I’d also worked on the previous U.S. Bicentennial,” he recalls. “The mayor and Common Council formed an ad hoc committee to begin celebration plans and start raising funds, and in July of that year I was chosen chairperson.”
The 2010 months-long festivities debut February 18 with a public performance of “Legend of the Arrowhead” at California Theater. The historical musical satire focuses on the mysterious “arrowhead” on the San Bernardino Mountains, and is produced by the city’s Economic Development Agency.
In March and April of 2010 the city will conduct numerous beautification events and spearhead the March planting of, appropriately, 200 beautiful trees. On March 17, the California State University at San Bernardino hosts the 23rd Annual Morrow-McCombs Memorial Lecture which will explore “Can’t We All Get Along?,” reflections on 200 years of the city’s religious life.
April 12 will take a look at “Indigenous Pre-Hispanic People of San Bernardino: at the university’s Pfau Library.
The following month is slated to be a busy one, too. On May 1, the San Bernardino Symphony will perform a “Celebrate America” concert at the California Theater in honor of the city’s birthday as well as for the centennial of the Community Hospital of San Bernardino.
More music will highlight May 7 and 8 with an adaptation of Mozart’s opera “Cossi Fan Tutte” at the university’s P.A. Recital Hall.
Railroad buffs will be thrilled May 8 and 9 when the celebration debuts Railroad Days at the San Bernardino History and Railroad Museum. “We’ll be bringing in steam locomotive # 3150,” Cohn says, “which actually used to serve the city.”
May 15th will launch a “countdown” celebration with an elaborate gala at the National Orange Show Events Center, with the 16th capped by a Bicentennial Mayor’s Run downtown and a Festival of Faiths at the Western Region Little League Stadium.
May 16 will also include a Youth Safety Expo at Arrowhead Credit Union Park.
There will be a Centennial Monument rededication as well as a Bicentennial Monument dedication on the 20th at Inland Center Drive and I Street.
The Bicentennial Parade will start at 7th and E Street, ending at Meadowbrook Park, on May 22, the theme being San Bernardino from its 1810 beginning and looking toward its future. Rabbi Cohn points out, “A unique part of the parade will be the Mormon church entry with relics and costumes of the city’s earliest pioneers.”
June 17-19 will see another unique event when the city introduces the “San Bernardino’s Got Talent” competition at a location to be determined.
The exciting festivities conclude on July 4th at the 66ers Stadium in the Arrowhead Credit Union Park with a fireworks display unlike any the city has previously seen.
As if all this weren’t enough to highlight the San Bernardino’s history, a Youth Bicentennial Committee is planning even more activities and events.
In a letter read at the May 20th, 2009 launching, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote, “As one of California’s oldest communities, San Bernardino has played an important role in the history of our state. I commend all of the men and women – past and present – who have made your city the fantastic place it is today, and applaud those who carry on a legacy of hard work and accomplishment.”
Rabbi Cohn is the chairman of the Bicentennial Celebration Committee, and Erin Brinker is the chair of its Public Relations & Marketing and Independence Day Extravaganza committees. Other Bicentennial Celebration Committee members are Art Guerrero (chair of Neighborhood Beautification committee) Jim Smith (chair of the Community Engagement committee), Cheryl Brown (chair of the Youth Council, Intergovernmental and Arts committees), Beverly Bird (chair of the Legend of the Arrowhead committee), Steven Shaw (chair of the History committee), David Smith (chair of the Finance committee), Jane Sneddon (chair of the Parade committee) and Martha Pinkney (chair of the Gala committee.)
These members were appointed by the mayor and members of the San Bernardino Common Council. Additional community volunteers who have taken on leadership of other committees are: Trudy Freidel (Festival of Faiths), Dr. William Coleman (Leadership Cabinet), Peggi Hazlett (Mayor’s Run), Dr. Charles “Skip” Herbert (Coloring Books for Schools) and The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire (Design).
For additional details, contact Erin Brinker at (951) 323-9337.
The 100-year-old poster Princezna Hyacinta by Alphonse Mucha is one of the most revered pieces of classic advertising posters The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire will display in its new gallery starting on its opening day, Jan. 21.
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire is opening its own 1,500 square art gallery, one of the largest in San Bernardino, and the first in the Hospitality Lane area. It will open with an exhibition of rarely-seen advertising posters from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including works by Jules Chéret and Alphonse Mucha.
The show, The Golden Age of Poster Design, runs Jan. 21 through Feb. 5, 2010. An opening reception takes place 6:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21.
“We are pleased to bring to the Inland Empire this glimpse of life from that era, as immortalized by the leading designers and illustrators of the time,” said Jonathan DeAscentis, Dean of Academic Affairs for The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. “Many of these posters are on loan from Gary Gibson, owner of The Vintage Poster Gallery of Laguna Beach, others from private collections.”
“We are really privileged to have this exhibit” said Ronald Lana, MFA, Director of the new gallery. “These artists were the original masters of graphic design and advertising.”
The posters range primarily from the 1890s to the 1930s. The featured posters include: • Pippermint Get Frere, Jules Chéret, 1899 • Princezna Hyacinta, Alphonse Mucha, 1910 • La Mason du Porte-Plume, Jean D’Ylen, 1928 • Vermouth Martini, Leonetto Cappiello, 1912 • Meton, Roger Broders, 1923 • Brittania Day, James Montgomery Flagg, 1918 • Scribner’s, Charles Dana Gibson, 1897
The posters are lithographs, a style of printing still used today to create original works of art. Today, an artist can create the work on a computer, then send it electronically to a printing press.
“Many of the posters to be exhibited are stone lithographs,” Lana explained. “An artist draws directly on the stone with grease pencils. After a process, the stone is covered with ink, which is then pressed onto paper. They could only print a few posters at a time from each stone.”
In late 19th century Europe, poster art began when booksellers displayed small lithograph posters in their store windows to attract attention to various literary works. These works of art then progressed into large format advertising posters.
“Poster art was different from the art that people were familiar with then,” Lana said. “Before this type of art developed, people went to galleries and appreciated the original art solely for its beauty. The poster was intended from the very beginning for functional use, in other words, for the street.”
Among the early masters of poster art were Paris artists Jules Cheret, who is considered “The Father of Poster Art,” and Alphonse Mucha, the orignator of the style “Art Nouveau.”
Cheret’s posters promoted operas, cabarets, circuses and a kerosene distributor whose fuel lit the gas lamps of Paris, toys and many other items sold by merchants of his day.
Alphonse Mucha was a Czech illustrator and designer who advertised many products, including theaters and cabarets. He created the most well-known poster for actress Sara Bernhardt, who became one of the most famous actresses of her time.
In the 20th century, and in the past decade, graphic design and other forms of commercial art have become essential to our lives. Most people see many forms of commercial art on a daily basis, from newspapers and magazines, billboards, t-shirts and other clothing, to television, websites, video games and movies.
The Art Institutes (a system of more than 45 colleges, including The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire) dedicates its programs to forms of commercial art.
The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degree programs in Game Art & Design, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion & Retail Management, Culinary Management and Media Arts & Animation. It offers Associate of Science degree programs in Graphic Design, Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree program in Fashion Design.
Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.
It’s not too late to start at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin January 11 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.
For more information or a tour of The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire call (909) 915-2100 or go on line to artinstitutes.edu/inlandempire.
The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), a system of over 45 education institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.
Celebrate New Years’ Eve in the elegant surroundings of the Castaway Restaurant and Banquet Center.
Sous Chef Chris Renno and Executive Chef Francisco Roman prepare a tantalizing glaze in the Castaway Restaurant and Banquet Center kitchen. They and the other chefs will create more delectable cuisine for a New Years’ Eve party open to all.
(San Bernardino, Calif) “For those in the mood for a big party, don’t miss the Castaway Restaurant and Banquet Center New Year’s Eve Celebration. Ring in 2010 and enjoy a fabulous and elegant dinner buffet, dancing to a live band, and toasting friends and family with champagne while overlooking the twinkling lights of the valley below.” said General Manager Robert Solgan.
This celebration begins at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 31. The price is just $150 per couple or $170 per couple for VIP seating.
Solgan says partygoers should be prepared for an elegant evening with a delicious menu featuring an array of delectable foods from traditional favorites to the delights created by the Castaway’s Executive Chef Francisco Roman and his culinary team.
The menu includes a prime rib carving station, Shrimp Scampi and Shrimp Diablo pasta stations, tenderloin medallions with sauce Béarnaise, fresh baked seafood medley in a lemon beurre blanc, grilled chicken with an artichoke-mushroom white wine cream sauce; and tantalizing desserts all prepared just for the occasion.
For more information or to make a holiday reservation, please call (909) 881-1502, or visit www.CastawayRestaurant.com.
About the Castaway Restaurant and Banquet Center The Castaway Restaurant and Banquet Center has an endless selection of fine cuisine prepared by Executive Chef Francisco Roman from prime rib and filet mignon to salmon, scallops and fine seafood creations to delectable desserts. It’s the perfect place for enchanting moments for everyone from couples, families and friends, to large business gatherings and weddings.
Ideally situated in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains, with spectacular scenic views the Castaway Restaurant is distinctively heralded as a popular tradition for its ambiance, mouth-watering menus, superb service, and breathtaking views overlooking the valley. Guests enjoy comfortable seating, oversized booths, complimentary valet parking, and a full-service bar.
“I’m armed,” says Angela Nwokike, who is legally blind but works as the systems change advocate for Services Center for Independent Living. She demonstrates to Claremont Mayor Corey Calaycay and Claremont City Council Member Larry Schroeder one of the tools she’s armed with, software that converts text to voice.Photo by Chris Sloan
(CLAREMONT, Calif.) Getting to work and back for Angela Nwokike of Fontana requires travel by four buses and two trains. She can’t drive because she’s legally blind.
Every day, Nwokike must read email, mail and other text to do her job at the Services Center for Independent Living in Claremont. Since she’s blind she relies on a program called JAWS For Windows® (software that translates text to voice, called JAWS because it provides Job Access With Speech) to read them for her.
She also speaks to government officials in her job, and this requires traveling to various city halls and board rooms, often at night. There she must navigate floor plans between the seats and the speakers’ podium and, as required of everyone, fill out a “request to speak” card.
For that, a personal attendant comes in handy.
As the systems change advocate for Services Center for Independent Living in Claremont Nwokike is familiar with the extra help she needs to have an independent life and a career, despite being robbed of her eyesight nine years ago through glaucoma.
For many others who are blind or suffer from another type of disability, knowing how to live an independent life is more of a challenge. Services Center for Independent Living’s mission is to help residents of the San Gabriel and Pomona valleys meet those challenges head-on.
After 30 years in business, this Claremont non-profit agency became better able to meet the needs of the people it serves by moving to a larger location at 107 Spring St. It hosted a Grand Reopening to show the community, including local elected officials Assembly Member Anthony Adams and members of the Claremont City Council, how the center helps disabled people live full, independent lives.
“We are honored to see how they provide these services to our residents that need them,” said Claremont Mayor Corey Calaycay. “We’re excited for the many more things they will now be able to do for them.”
Besides Claremont, Services Center for Independent Living also helps residents of Arcadia, Azusa, Bradbury, Baldwin Park, Covina, Diamond Bar, Duarte, El Monte, Glendora, Hacienda Heights, Industry, La Puente, La Verne, Monrovia, Pomona, Rowland Heights, San Dimas, Sierra Madre, Walnut and West Covina.
As a blind person, Nwokike continues to have a successful career. She’s armed with the right tools and an understanding of how to work with government agencies to educate them about what she needs.
As the systems change advocate at Services Center for Independent Living, Nwokike teaches others how to work with those same government agencies to bring about the changes they need. She also educates clients on ways they may not know of to use the resources they already have.
Different disabilities bring about different needs. For instance, as a blind person, Nwokike has had some scary moments when a bus was late and she waited by herself at a bus stop, not knowing if she was truly alone or in the presence of people who could harm her.
“I am armed,” she said. “I keep my cell phone close at hand, with my finger on the speed dial for 911.”
If a person is mobility impaired instead of blind, they would not have Nwokike’s difficulty in seeing what’s around her. But frequently, what they see are situations they cannot navigate.
In Claremont, not far from Services Center for Independent Living, there are sidewalk curbs that don’t have the proper cutouts for wheelchair access, Nwokike said. She’s going to ask the Claremont City Council to fix that soon, but at the Grand Opening, she already had sympathetic ears from the mayor and two city council members
Another disabled employee of this center, Corinne Garcia, serves as the assistive technology manager, helping them find the tools they need, such as Angela’s JAWS software.
“A person with severe muscle spasms might not be able to eat with regular plates and silverware,” Garcia said. “However, there are plates with lips and silverware with wide handles that can be twisted to different angles that will give spastic people the control they need to feed themselves.’
Children who don’t have fine muscle coordination might not be able to lift traditional crayons with their fingers, but Services Center for Independent Living has paperless crayons shaped like stars, leaves and pieces of fruit. All a child needs to do with these crayons is push them against the paper.
“We believe in helping people to live independently,” said Garcia. “If all you do is feed someone they aren’t independent. But given the right tools, they can be!”
There are other staff members who help the disabled people, which Services Center for Independent Living calls “consumers,” find their way around the building. Some of them meet one on one with the clientele, helping them to come up with a plan for their own independence.
Overseeing all of Services Center for Independent Living is Dr. Lee Nattress, executive director. Dr. Nattress has more than 60 years experience working in health care, beginning with the development and fitting of artificial limbs.
His past experience includes coordinating extension programs at the then newly-established University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine in the 1950s, executive director for the American Board for Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics in Chicago, and a consulting business that helped many universities around the country strengthen their medical programs.
He “retired” from a position as the director of the Office of Education and Research in the Department of Family Medicine at Loma Linda University in 1997, but has since then managed or directe
d several community-based organizations that help disabled people. He’s been the executive director of Services Center for Independent Living since 2007, and since then has strived to make government leaders and business people aware of the services this center provides.
In Claremont, at least three city council members and one assembly member are impressed with what Dr. Nattress and the rest of the Services Center for Independent Living are doing to make life better for the disabled.
“Our city feels responsible for meeting the needs of all of our residents,” said Council Member Peter Yao. “It is important for us as council members to be able to know as much as we can about our city’s organizations that can help. Now that we have seen what Services Center for Independent Living can do, we will promote its programs.”
Services Center for Independent Living is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, established in 1980 to meet the needs of east San Gabriel Valley and Pomona Valley disabled residents. Services include training in independent living skills, advocacy, helping to acquire tools to assist with mobility and other basic needs and providing information and referrals.
For more information, call (909) 621-6722. Disabled users of videophones or teletype phones may call (909) 445-0726.
Volunteers are again manning a Christmas “Sharing Tree” at Inland Center Mall. Purchasing a gift for one of the children “tagged” on this tree is one of several ways to help The Salvation Army bring joy to needy children this holiday season. (SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Local Salvation Army Corps and several businesses have joined forces to make this holiday season one the needy children of the Inland Empire will never forget.
In San Bernardino, this program is known as “Sharing Trees.” However, many other corps of The Salvation Army refer to the program as “Angel Giving Trees.”
In San Bernardino County, these programs revolve around actual Christmas trees. These trees were set up in local malls the day after Thanksgiving.
Attached to branches of the tree are cards with names of children whose families simply cannot afford to buy gifts, as much as they would love to. Shoppers who want to take part by helping disadvantaged children simply pluck a tag off the Giving Tree, read the child’s name and wish list, then head for the appropriate store for a little sharing of their own.
“Why not start a tradition with your family and select a gift for a needy child together,” Capt. Ball said.
San Bernardino Corps put its Sharing Tree in the Inland Center Mall (500 Inland Center Drive, San Bernardino) in front of the old Gottschalks location.
The Ontario Corps put trees in Ontario Mills Mall (1 Mills Circle, Ontario) in front of JC Penney’s and Montclair Plaza (5060 E. Montclair Plaza Lane, Montclair) inside the Macy’s store. The Redlands Corps put a tree at Wal-Mart (2050 W. Redlands Blvd., Redlands).
However, not all corps have actual trees. The Riverside Corps asks shoppers to call (951) 784-4490, ext. 114 to obtain the name of and requests of more than 2,000 children on its “Angel” list.
Shoppers helping the Riverside children should take their gifts to a warehouse the Riverside Corps has established at 3695 First Street, Riverside.
For the first time this year, JC Penney’s shoppers can also shop online for any Salvation Army Corps’ needy children. The website jcp.com/angel allows online shoppers to select children in their local area, order a gift for them from Penney’s online catalog, and let Penney’s handle shipping it to the appropriate Salvation Army Corps.
The Salvation Army also is looking for other businesses in both San Bernardino and Riverside counties, who would like to have a tree at their place of business for employees and/or customers.
“This is a great way for business owners and managers to help the community this Christmas,” Capt. Ball said.
“Soccer balls, dolls and clothes are just a few items on each child’s wish list,” Capt. Ball said. “Shoppers who participate in the program are encouraged to shop for more than what is needed on the list.”
Salvation Army volunteers make sure the presents are earmarked for the specific child.
To help, make a donation, or for more information please call The Salvation Army at (888) 725-2769.
About the Salvations Army San Bernardino Corps The Salvation Army may be able to provide emergency services including food; lodging for homeless or displaced families; clothing and furniture; assistance with rent or mortgage and transportation when funds are available. The Salvation Army Team Radio Network assists rescue workers and evacuees in such disasters as fires.
The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the Universal Christian church and also offers evangelical programs for boys, girls and adults. One of the largest charitable and international service organizations in the world, The Salvation Army has been in existence since 1865 and in San Bernardino since 1887, supporting those in need without discrimination. Donations may always be made online at www.salvationarmyusa.org or by calling 1-(800)-SAL-ARMY.
The Salvation Army’s emergency family shelter, Hospitality House, is seeking sheets like these, in white, along with mattress pads, pillows and cases, and blankets. It asks the public to visit a Target store gift registry and ask for List ID: 012018800000074 or use Target’s online gift registry to donate the linens. The Salvation Army needs 100 of each type of bed linen to prepare for its move to a new location on January 15th, where the shelter’s guests will sleep on beds instead of mats.
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) The Salvation Army San Bernardino Corps has registered at Target to help provide pillows, blankets and other bedding for its new shelter, a building under remodel on Tenth Street.
This will allow anyone the opportunity to shop for a housewarming gift for the Salvation Army, which hopes to move into the new shelter in early January. It needs new bedding because at its current location, shelter residents sleep on mats but in the new location they will sleep on beds.
“We will be treating them with much more dignity than the current conditions allow,” said Capt. Stephen Ball, executive director of the San Bernardino Corps. “But we’re going to need a lot of help. A family just getting started in a new house may need linens for three or four beds, but we’re going to need 100 of almost everything. We need the help of the community to provide even those most basic bedding needs.”
The Target Foundation allows non-profit organizations such as The Salvation Army to create registries so that community members can help donate specific needs. These registries can be printed at Target, in the same way one would print a wedding or baby gift registry, so shoppers can help The Salvation Army while at Target Christmas shopping and ask for List ID: 012018800000074.
Anyone not going to a Target store anytime soon can visit http://www.target.com/lists/2731VI55YOJEH “Salvation Army Hospitality House Homeless Shelter” to find out the needs of the local Salvation Army Corps. Not all items are available on line.
About the Salvation Army San Bernardino Corps The Salvation Army may be able to provide emergency services including food; lodging for homeless or displaced families; clothing and furniture; assistance with rent or mortgage and transportation when funds are available. The Salvation Army Team Radio Network assists rescue workers and evacuees in such disasters as fires.
The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the Universal Christian Church, and also offers evangelical programs for boys, girls and adults. One of the largest charitable and international service organizations in the world, The Salvation Army has been in existence since 1865 and in San Bernardino since 1887, supporting those in need without discrimination. Donations may always be made online at www.salvationarmyusa.org or by calling 1-(800)-SAL-ARMY.
The lines of people needing help from The Salvation Army grow longer every year. This year, the San Bernardino Corps will help more than 600 local families. For some of them, it seeks businesses and other groups willing to provide extra help to one family through its “Adopt-A-Family” program.
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calf.) The Salvation Army San Bernardino Corps seeks volunteers for its Adopt-A-Family program this holiday season. This program provides a way to lift the spirits of needy families by giving them a Christmas they will never forget.
Each year hundreds of Inland Empire families come to the Salvation Army for help in hopes to be considered as a family “in need”. In 2009, there are more than 600 families in the San Bernardino area that could potentially benefit from this program.
“The breadwinner may have lost a job; the family may have been forced out of their homes due to foreclosure, someone may have been seriously, and expensively ill; or perhaps the family has faced a debilitating death of one of the parents. No matter the problem that causes the disruption or the ceasing of Christmas plans, the Adopt-A-Family program is here to help,” said Capt. Stephen Ball.
Once a businesses or group chooses to “adopt” a family, The Salvation Army will pair them with a household in special need of blessing. Once the other family or business receives a match they will provide the adopted family with gifts and necessary items making their holiday bright.
Groups and businesses that adopt often invest thousands or more in a family. Families accepted into the program in the past have received gifts from new clothes for the whole family to much needed home repairs, appliances or tools.
The success of the program comes from the many generous people who pitch in to assist, not overwhelm each needy family. “It’s a matter of “whatever it takes” to aid their selected family to get past the stress of the holidays”.
“Adopting’ a family is to see the specific needs of a particular family and doing what you can to help meet them,” said Capt. Ball. “There are many creative ways to help meet a family’s needs.”
To adopt a family in San Bernardino, Colton, Rialto, Grand Terrace, Bloomington or Highland, call (909) 888-1336.
To adopt a family in Redlands and other East San Bernardino Valley communities call (909) 792-6868.
To adopt a family in San Bernardino County’s High Desert, call (760) 245-2545.
To adopt a family in Ontario and other West San Bernardino Valley communities, call Envoy Abel Tamez at (909) 509-2503 or Envoy Naomi Tamez at (909) 509-2741.
To adopt a family in the Desert Hot Springs/Coachella Valley areas, contact the Cathedral City Corps at (760) 324-2275.
To adopt a family in Hemet, San Jacinto, Idyllwild and surrounding areas contact the Hemet Corps at (951) 925-7176.
To adopt a family in Moreno Valley, Perris and surrounding areas, call the Moreno Valley Corps at (951) 653-9131.
To adopt a family in Murrieta, Temecula, Canyon Lake, Menifee and surrounding areas, call the Murrieta Corps at (951) 677-1324.
To adopt a family in Riverside, Corona, Norco and surrounding areas, call the Riverside Corps at (951) 784-4490.
About the Salvations Army San Bernardino Corps The Salvation Army may be able to provide emergency services including food; lodging for homeless or displaced families; clothing and furniture; assistance with rent or mortgage and transportation when funds are available. The Salvation Army Team Radio Network assists rescue workers and evacuees in such disasters as fires.
The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the Universal Christian church and also offers evangelical programs for boys, girls and adults. One of the largest charitable and international service organizations in the world, The Salvation Army has been in existence since 1865 and in San Bernardino since 1887, supporting those in need without discrimination. Donations may always be made online at www.salvationarmyusa.org or by calling 1-(800)-SAL-ARMY.
The Salvation Army needs to fill more boxes with canned goods, which will be used in the holiday gift baskets it’s creating for more than 600 needy families. In the second week of December, it has collected only about half of the food it will need to distribute before Christmas.
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) The Salvation Army Corps of San Bernardino wants to help hundreds of the area’s neediest families have a blessed Christmas season.
“We will be helping more than 600 families this year with food and toys for Christmas,” said Capt. Stephen Ball, director of the San Bernardino Corps. “Right now, we only have enough canned food for half of them.”
While many families are struggling this year, the 600-plus families The Salvation Army has chosen to help this year have exceptionally great needs.
“Some families struggle year-round,” he said. “Others find themselves in unusual need due to a recent job loss or difficult family situation. One family we’re helping was recently living in their car with one child who is autistic and another who has cancer.”
Donations of additional canned food are the greatest need, but donated Stater Brothers gift certificates would also be welcomed, Capt. Ball said.
Each family will receive a Christmas gift basket filled with canned goods and a gift certificate to Stater Brothers, which is selling them to The Salvation Army at a slight discount. These families will also benefit from The Salvation Army’s annual “Christmas Giving Tree,” as the children will receive the toys donated through that program.
In addition, The Salvation Army seeks organizations and businesses that can help some of these families by taking part in its “Adopt-A-Family” program. Participants in this program would be matched with the families with the greatest needs, and would receive additional food and clothing from their benefactors.
The San Bernardino Corps benefits residents of San Bernardino, Colton, Grand Terrace, Highland, Rialto and Bloomington.
About the Salvation Army San Bernardino Corps The Salvation Army may be able to provide emergency services including food; lodging for homeless or displaced families; clothing and furniture; assistance with rent or mortgage and transportation when funds are available. The Salvation Army Team Radio Network assists rescue workers and evacuees in such disasters as fires.
The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the Universal Christian church and also offers evangelical programs for boys, girls and adults. One of the largest charitable and international service organizations in the world, The Salvation Army has been in existence since 1865 and in San Bernardino since 1887, supporting those in need without discrimination. Donations may always be made online at www.salvationarmyusa.org or by calling 1-(800)-SAL-ARMY.
Castaway Restaurant and Banquet Center General Manager Robert Solgan, Sous Chef Chris Renno, Executive Chef Francisco Roman and Sous Chef Keith Gomez enjoy one of the chefs’ culinary masterpieces in the elegant atmosphere of the restaurant’s dining room.
Castaway Restaurant and Banquet Center Executive Chef Francisco Roman, center with sous chefs Chris Renno and Keith Gomez, add fine dining to the spectacular mountaintop view diners experience at the restaurant.
Castaway Restaurant and Banquet Center Executive Chef Francisco Roman plates a fine meal as Sous Chef Keith Gomez watches.
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) – A famous chef once said, “One can become a cook but one can only be born a chef.” Many believe this to be true, and chefs do require intense training to become great. But who is training the next generation of great chefs?
The Castaway Restaurant and Banquet Center in San Bernardino is training two of these up-and-coming chefs, under the expert guidance of Executive Chef Francisco Roman.
Chef Roman is known for his imaginative quest in pairing fresh food, seasoning, and cultural influences. He has been head chef at Castaway Restaurant and Banquet Center for four years, and has 17 years experience as a chef since his intense training at Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley. The premier culinary training institute in the country and one of the tops in the world.
Chef Roman has a lifelong enthusiasm for cooking. He began cooking as the oldest of nine brothers and sisters.
“My culinary career started as a passion for cooking great food, which my family loved,” said Chef Roman. “With my training, and that of my team, we have learned how to bring together unique flavors to create unforgettable sensory experiences. At Castaway, our culinary team is committed to providing our dining guests with delightful experiences, using the freshest ingredients and food prepared daily.”
Chef Roman heads up a team of some of the finest and most creative young chefs in southern California. He has searched the best culinary schools to find the next generation of passionate tastemakers to share his kitchen, master skills and expertise.
The selected culinary assistants are Sous Chef Chris Renno, a recent graduate of the renowned International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire, and Sous Chef Keith Gomez, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena.
“It’s been fantastic working under Chef Roman,” said Sous Chef Renno. “He is so experienced and a superb chef. I’ve been fortunate to bring what I’ve learned from the institute and meld it with his extraordinary culinary skills to help create amazing food. Thanks to his guidance, I feel like I’m well on my way to being a great chef.”
Through hands-on instruction and training, Executive Chef Roman works closely with his emerging top chefs, infusing his refined techniques with modern innovation and global culinary perspectives.
“You must acquire the skills and knowledge needed to be competitive in the industry,” said Sous Chef Gomez. “Chef Roman is a master of the culinary arts and classic cooking. He has taught me new ways to navigate the kitchen, and to take what I learned in culinary school and apply it in unexpectedly delicious ways. Working with him has taken the foundation of my culinary training to a much higher level while guiding my passion for cooking into a satisfying career.”
Castaway Restaurant and Banquet Center General Manager Robert Solgan said, “We are proud of our culinary team, and the results of its fine cuisine are evident in our guest satisfaction and return visits. Chef Roman is the one of the best chefs in the country and also happens to be one of the best trainers for our next generation of great chefs.”
“We invite you to the Castaway Restaurant for a holiday meal that will be an extra-special dining experience” Solgan continued. “Our chefs will present an incredible array of delicious food served in a festive setting. There is no other place like Castaway to celebrate the holidays with loved ones.
“Holiday selections include appetizers, fresh fruits and salads, traditional and unique main courses featuring prime rib, salmon and other choice meats and seafood, and tasty desserts – all at incredibly affordable prices. We invite everyone to join us for the true essence of the season.”
Join the Castaway Restaurant for its holiday buffet luncheons from now through Dec. 30, Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. “It’s the affordable way to make merry with friends for lunch and exchange gifts, or gather up your company employees for a holiday celebration at lunchtime.” Solgan said. Prices are $14.95 for adults, and $5.95 for children ages 3-10 years.
Don’t have the budget for big holiday party? The Castaway Restaurant hosts a “Shared Christmas Party” at 7 p.m. on Dec. 22 at $24.95 per person.
“Join your friends, or meet new ones at our shared holiday celebration,” said Solgan. “Reserve a table for two or more and enjoy a festive holiday party with out the expense in a beautifully decorated private room with a spectacular view of the twinkling lights of the valley below. It’s the ideal solution for a holiday party that includes dancing to the sounds of a live DJ,” said Solgan.
Castaway Restaurant and Banquet Center has a few dates still available for private holiday parties for offices, organizations and other groups.
“Guests may also bring there families for dinner any night, Christmas Day Dinner, or a New Year’s Day Dinner, making it possible for intimate celebrations without the hassle of cooking them yourself,” said Solgan.
“For those in the mood for a big party, don’t miss the Castaway’s New Year’s Eve Celebration. Ring in 2010 and enjoy a delicious and elegant dinner bu
ffet, dancing to a live band, and toasting friends and family with endless champagne while overlooking the twinkling lights of the valley below.”
This celebration begins 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 31. The prices are $150 per couples for a group table or $170 per couple for a private table,” said Solgan.
For more information or to make a holiday reservation, please call (909) 881-1502, or visit www.CastawayRestaurant.com.
About the Castaway Restaurant and Banquet Center The Castaway Restaurant and Banquet Center has an endless selection of fine cuisine from prime rib and filet mignon to salmon, scallops and fine seafood creations to delectable desserts. It’s the perfect place for enchanting moments for everyone from couples, families and friends, to large business gatherings and weddings.
Ideally situated in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains, with spectacular scenic views the Castaway Restaurant is distinctively heralded as a popular tradition for its ambiance, mouth-watering menus, superb service, and breathtaking views overlooking the valley. Guests enjoy comfortable seating, oversized booths, complimentary valet parking, and a full-service bar.
