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Frances Grice has made arrangements for Merriweather & Willliams Consulting to present their bonding and insurance services to local subs looking to pursue construction opportunities on the San Bernardino Community College District (SBCCD) projects, managed by Kitchell/BRJ, as well as other construction projects non SBCCD related.
Please forward to contractors you may know
CONSTRUCTION BONDING AND INSURANCE ASSISTANCE OCTOBER 3, 2013 12PM – 2 PM COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT – CONFERENCE CENTER 154 DEL ROSA AVE (Applied Technology Room) SAN BERNAREDINO
MERRIWEATHER & WILLIANS INSURANCE SERVICES
The workshop will cover insurance and bonding services, including the OCIP program for the Crafton Hills expansion projects. If your company is in need of bonding/insurance or needs to increase your coverage, this workshop is for you!
The company also offers business insurance and risk management, surety bonds and traditional Property and casualty insurance.
Please RSVP by October 3 by as there is limited seating – Refreshments will be provided
More info on the new spray foam insulation houston here.
For more Information call
Carl Dameron @ (909) 534-9500
(San Bernardino, Calif.) – The Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce has created a new website that makes it easier to find and support African-American owned businesses.
The website, www.IEAfricanAmericanChamber.com includes an interactive business directory. Visitors to the website can add information about their business, even if they aren’t Chamber of Commerce members.
As businesses upload their information, it creates a directory of business services that consumers can use when seeking a business with a particular specialty, such as dry cleaning, advertising, engineering or computer consultants.
“It is a way for minority business owners to make contact with new customers or other resources,” said Carl Dameron president of the Inland Empire Chamber of Commerce. “If you are not a member, you will be able to upload very basic information. If you are a member you will be able to upload complete information.”
New members can join the Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce through this website. The website also will soon contain listings of upcoming events, such as conferences, concerts and activities of interest to the African-American community.
About The Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce
The Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce’s mission is to promote the economic and professional development of African American-owned businesses, thus enhancing the quality of life in our community. For more information, call (909) 888-0017.
After the Breakfast the celebration will reconvene at The Dr. Martin Luther King Statue at San Bernardino City Hall at 300 North D Street, at approximately 10:15 am. photo by Carl Dameron
For more Information call
Carl Dameron @ (909) 534-9500
(San Bernardino, CA) The Inland Empire Concerned African American Churches invites everyone to attend the 33nd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Prayer Breakfast on Monday, January 21, 2013 beginning at 7:30 a.m.
The Prayer Breakfast is at the National Orange Show Events Center,
689 South “E” Street
, in San Bernardino, CA 92408.
The auditorium seats 600 people, but tickets are going fast. “I suggest you buy your tickets early or show up very early for the breakfast,” said Beverly Jones-Wright, MLK Prayer Breakfast committee chair.
The keynote speaker for the event is Bishop L. Daniel Williams, senior pastor at Baptist Church of the New Covenant in Norwalk, CA. Entertainment included: dance performances by Daniel Hobbs, Dance Voyage. Dr. Martin Luther Kings, “I have Dream” speech presented by by Dathan Jones, Richard Blackshire and Musical Expressions will provide the music, with Soloist Danny Tisdale and Juanita Adebowale-Wells and Phillip Michael.
This year’s theme is Together We Can Make it Better.
This year’s awardees are:
Dr. Ohikhuare, Dr. Gertrude Wetzel Award
Ron Cochrane, Trail Blazer Award
Phillip Morris, Trail Blazer Award
Reggie Web, Beyond the Boundaries Award
Michael Gallo, Patriot Award
CaSonya Thomas, Public Service Award
A. Majadi, Community Service Award
After the Breakfast the celebration will reconvene at The Dr. Martin Luther King Statue at San Bernardino City Hall at 300 North D Street, at approximately 10:15 am
Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children under 12. For more information, contact IECAAC at (909) 474-7036.
Celebrate the life, liberty and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King.
(San Bernardino, Calif.) The Inland Empire Concerned African American Churches host their 32nd Martin Luther King, Jr. Prayer Breakfast on Monday January 16th, 2012 at the Hilton San Bernardino located at 285 East Hospitality Lane at 7:30 am.
Celebrating the life, liberty and legacy of Dr. King, this year’s event features guest speaker Donzaleigh Abernathy. An actress and author, Donzaleigh is the daughter of the Rev. Ralph Abernathy, the co-founder of the African American Civil Rights Movement with Dr. King. Following Dr. King’s assassination, Rev. Abernathy became the president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, as he continued to fight for the civil rights of all Americans.
Donzaleigh authored the history book, “Partners To History, Martin Luther King, Ralph David Abernathy and the Civil Rights Movement.” The book received a nomination as one of the best books of 2004 for young adults by the American Library Association.
For tickets or more information please call 909-474-7036. This event sells out each your, so don’t wait.
Jeniece Lee, a student at California State University, San Bernardino, assists the Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce in its marketing efforts through an internship with Dameron Communications. Photo by Chris Sloan
(San Bernardino, Calif.) California State University, San Bernardino student, Jeniece Lee, joins the Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce. Working under Carl Dameron, she will be organizing events for The Chamber, assist in the development of press releases, coordinate and arrange promotions, and assist with media relations and client research.
“This is going to be a great experience and a wonderful opportunity,” Lee said. “I am excited to learn more about the Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce.”
Jeniece Lee began her marketing major in September 2005. Now as a senior at Cal State San Bernardino, she hopes to break into the marketing world soon after graduation in June 2010.
During her time at Cal State, Lee joined Alpha Delta Pi Sorority, was on the Activities Committee for Associated Students, Inc., and was the Vice President of Afrikan Student Alliance. She also volunteered for the Loma Linda Ronald McDonald House Charities and The Boys and Girls Club of San Bernardino.
Lee is still an active member in Afrikan Student Alliance and an alumnae member of Alpha Delta Pi Sorority.
Carl Dameron, President of the Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce and Dameron Communications said, “Jeniece Lee is a brilliant, young professional who is an asset to the work we’re doing with the Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce. We look forward to her contribution to our chamber to help us increase our service to our members.”
Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce President Carl Dameron and other Black leaders will facilitate the Second Annual Black Leadership Summit on Friday, March 26 at the Castaway Restaurant & Banquet Center in San Bernardino. At the first Black Leadership Summit, Assembly Member Wilmer Amina Carter presented information about the state of California, and has been invited to do so again this year. Photo by Chris Sloan
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) The Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce will discuss how to properly impact community, political, and economic issues when it holds its Black Leadership Summit 9 a.m. Friday, March 26, 2010 at the Castaway Restaurant & Banquet Center in San Bernardino.
Black elected officials, their representatives, chief executive officers, business owners, managers, and pastors have been invited to attend this event.
The goal of the summit is to determine an action plan for the Chamber’s concentration during 2010. The invited guests have been asked to send in questions and comments regarding community, political, and economic issues, which will be reviewed prior to the day of the summit to determine which community concerns should be discussed.
Carl Dameron, president of the Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce is hosting this event.
“2009 was a very challenging year, however, many companies were able to focus on increasing revenue, cutting expenses, and bringing in new business,” Dameron said. “The economic downturn is ending and we are well on our way to recovery.
“Now we have to work smarter and harder to rebuild our businesses. We invite you the 2010 Black Leadership Summit to get the tools your business needs to be successful. Remember, we all win in 2010.”
The summit will also inform community leaders about important topics, including the current budgets of the State of California, Riverside County, and San Bernardino County.
The guests will be served a continental breakfast and lunch. They will receive a CD containing an Excel spreadsheet with contact information for all attending the event; the Final Health Care Report, prepared by Dr. Diane Woods of the African-American Health Institute of San Bernardino County; The State of Black California, a report from the California Black Legislative Caucus; The Inland Empire in 2015, a report from the Public Policy Institute of California; John Husing’s 2010 economic report; and information about the Inland Empire Community Calendar & Cultural Events, www.ie-community.com and how one can add an event to this calendar.
To RSVP to the Summit, call Shannan Gonzales at (909) 888-0017.
(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) – The Westside Action Group (WAG) and the Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce are hosting a reception for newly appointed San Bernardino County Sheriff Department, Deputy Chief Ron Cochran on Thursday, February 4, from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.
The event will take place at the Castaway Restaurant and Banquet Center, 670 Kendall Drive in San Bernardino.
Sheriff Rod Hoops appointed Cochran as San Bernardino County’s first African-American Deputy Chief, taking the place of Richard Beemer, who recently retired. Cochran, who grew up in Pomona, left Highland to become Deputy Chief on January 29.
Ron Cochran joined the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department in 1984. A life-changing experience of racial profiling led him to join the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department as a deputy at the Glen Helen Rehabilitation Center.
Community leaders at this event will have the opportunity to meet Cochran and other community leaders who are interested in forging positive, long-term alliances with respected members of their community.
According to Alton Garrett, President of Westside Action Group, “There is a profound need for the leaders in the community to have the ability to establish effective relationship-building dialogue with our elected and appointed officials.”
This event is free and will include light refreshments. For more information, please contact Shannan Gonzales at 909-888-0017.
RIVERSIDE, CA – California Insurance Commissioner and gubernatorial candidate Steve Poizner is scheduled to address the business community on November 16, 2009, 11:30 am at the Riverside Convention Center, confirmed the Greater Riverside Chamber of Commerce. Poizner is the second candidate to keynote the Chamber-hosted California Gubernatorial Candidate Series, kicked-off by former e-Bay President Meg Whitman.
“Our local businesses want to hear what the next governor will do to tackle the issues facing our region and state,” commented Chamber President and Chief Executive Officer Cindy Roth. “That is why the Chamber is inviting all of the candidates so that they can talk directly to our employers and business leaders about their plans for solutions.”
According to his campaign website, Poizner was a co-founder of the California Charter Schools Association. From 2001-02, he served in the White House as the director of Critical Infrastructure Protection in the National Security Council. In 2006, he was elected as a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations – nominated by former U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz.
The event is sponsored by: the Greater Riverside Chamber of Commerce: Gresham Savage Attorneys at law, the Greater Riverside Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and The Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce.
Individual tickets to attend the event are $40 for members of the Riverside Chamber, and $50 for non-members. Program includes lunch. Reserve seats by October 26, 2009 to Governmental Affairs Manager, Angel Rodriguez at (951) 683-7100.
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The Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce is committed to building a stronger local economy by actively promoting and supporting our community; by fostering the growth and strength of our member organizations, and by engaging federal, state and local officials on behalf of business interests.
With approximately 425,000 students, Riverside County is the 4th largest region of public education in the largest state in the nation. This is more students than the total student enrollment in 17 states. Our 23 local school districts spread across seventy-two hundred square miles of diverse topography, communities and demographics. The Riverside County Office of Education fulfills an important intermediate agency role, serving both the California Department of Education and local school districts. Our major programs include Alternative Education (including juvenile hall), Special Education for the Severely Handicapped, and ROP/Career technical Training.
The county’s student population has changed significantly during the past decade. The enrollment of our Hispanic students has reached almost 56%. Our white student population is 28%, 7-1/2% are African-American students, about 2-1/2% are Asian, and the remaining students are comprised of a handful of other nationalities. This past school year, for the first time in decades, student enrollment in our county dropped by approximately 1,600 students—largely as a result of foreclosures and unemployment. That’s a major trend shift when we consider that during the prior year’s slowdown, Riverside County still increased by approximately 9,000 students over the 2006-2007 school year, where we grew almost 20,000.
Each year, students across California participate in what are often referred to as “high stakes testing”. These are a series of standardized tests intended to assess each student’s academic level and progress in school. The results of the tests are released by the state at different times during the year. I would like to highlight the outstanding results of Riverside County’s students on the high stakes tests for the 2008-2009 school year.
In 1999, California adopted a set of statewide content standards, followed by an aligned curriculum and assessments through the Public Schools Accountability Act. This system has become know by its measuring stick, the Academic Performance Index, or API. The API is made up of a collection of assessments in four subject areas with an overall scoring range between 200 and 1,000. The state’s goal is for every school in California to have an API score of at least 800.
For the 2008-09 school year, the average API score for all students in all public schools within Riverside County was 757. This is a 17 point increase over the prior year—the highest increase of any county in the State of California with at least 80,000 student enrollment, and a 166 point increase since the API was introduced in 1999— the 2nd highest increase of any similar sized county in the state.
The API score for our African-American students in all public schools within Riverside County was 727, the highest score of any similar sized county in the state. This is a 16 point increase over the prior year and a 223 point increase since the API was introduced in 1999— the highest increase of any similar sized county in the state.
The United States Department of Education’s high stakes tests are essentially comprised of using each state’s adopted reading (English Language Arts in California) and mathematics standards and assessments, and then establishing a “proficiency” measurement at the state level to determine the percentage of student proficient in these two subjects. Additionally, every state is required to establish student proficiency goals each year, also know as Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) targets, with the USDE’s mandate that all students in all schools be 100% proficient in both ELA and mathematics by the year 2014.
For the 2008-09 school year, the AYP percent proficient rate in ELA for all students in all public schools within Riverside County was 52.0%. This is a 5.4% increase over the prior year—the highest increase of any similar sized county in the state, and a 24% increase since the AYP was introduced in 2002— the highest increase of any similar sized county in the state.
The AYP percent proficient rate in ELA for our African American students in all public schools within Riverside County was 46.3%. This is a 5.3% increase over the prior year and a 25.7% increase since the AYP was introduced in 2002— the highest increase of any similar sized county in the state.
For the 2008-09 school year, the AYP percent proficient rate in mathematics for all students in all public schools within Riverside County was 53.9%. This is a 4.0% increase over the prior yearand a 23.1% increase since the AYP was introduced in 2002— the 3rd highest increase of any similar sized county in the state.
The AYP percent proficient rate in mathematics for our African American students in all public schools within Riverside County was 43.9%. This is a 5.3% increase over the prior year and a 23.3% increase since the AYP was introduced in 2002— the 4th highest increase of any similar sized county in the state.
Another area of major interest related to educational outcomes is Riverside County’s high school graduation rate. For the 2008-09 school year, Riverside County’s high school graduation rate was 80.5%, the 8th highest of any similar sized county in the state. From these highlights of our county’s 2008-2009 high stakes testing results, we can clearly see that in Riverside County, we are continuing our quest to create a culture of education to ensure the success of all students.
There are essentially two ways to tackle the dropout issue, prevention and reclamation. Everything we’ve been talking about so far today relates to preventing students from leaving school prematurely by keeping them engaged and connected to their school through an interesting, challenging, relevant education. When students do leave school early, the vast majority of them don’t come back. This past school year, the Riverside County Office of Education opened the first recovery program for dropouts on a large scale called “Come Back Kids”. The program operates on the new regional learning center located next
to the Mt. San Jacinto College campus in San Jacinto. The center is a joint project with the college where RCOE operate a variety of classes for students during the day and the college operates programs on the campus in the evening. Come Back Kids involves an outreach effort to locate and invite disengaged students to come back to school in a completely different learning environment than they experienced when they were unsuccessful, and reengage with their potential. We anticipate bringing back between 50 and 100 dropouts a year through this center.
Besides San Jacinto, RCOE also operates regional learning centers in Riverside, Banning, and Perris near March Air Reserve Base. We are approved for state funding for two more centers this year; one here in Moreno Valley and one in Murrieta, and we’re hoping to announce another center in the Coachella Valley in the next few months. It’s our plan to operate Come Back Kids programs at each of our regional centers across the county. We believe these centers will be a significant support and resource to help student dropouts return to school and complete their high school education.
Each year, California’s public education system continues to have more required of it in terms of increasing student achievement, with decreasing resources. In the 2007-08 school-year, we were expected to meet these requirements with billions of dollars less than in the prior year. 2008-09 and 2009-10 ismore of the same.
As we look across Riverside County, we see a regional public education system that is making steady progress in improving student achievement. These accomplishments are especially noteworthy when we consider that California’s instructional content standards are among the top three most rigorous in the nation as rated by the Fordham Foundation and that Riverside County is home to an extremely diverse language, ethnic, and economic student population within the most diverse state in the country. But again, our schools are being expected to do more with less funding—this time, far less.
I wish to also point out, however, that California has an inherent financial problem unlike other states. For well over a century, California’s public education system was funded in much the same way as public education is funded in most other states—at the local level. In 1972, California ranked 10th nationally in per pupil funding—a fact made even worse by our state’s particularly high cost of living. Thirty years ago that changed. The funding model for California schools was completely revamped, shifting the responsibility from the local level to the state, which now determines over 80% of the funding that schools receive.
Both finance and education experts, for years, have been warning that California’s present education funding model will overburden the state budget’s financial capacity, inadequately fund our public school system, and transfer local control of public education to the state. In testimony to their predictions, California has dropped to almost dead last in per pupil funding and hundreds of new bills, designed to control some aspect of public education, are introduced each year. If passed, they ultimately end up as regulations in California’s mammoth Education Code—among the largest of any state. Now, we have introduced a new achievement gap: the gap between growing expectations for school performance and the resources that need to be invested to make it happen.
No one can deny that our national economy is in a recession that is growing to look more like a depression by the week, and it’s likely to last for quite some time. But we must also understand that no other state in this country is even considering the types of cuts to their public education system that are being proposed in California. Solving this problem requires more than just saying “NO” to cuts or “NO” to taxes. It means all of us must fully comprehend the magnitude of the education funding problem facing us today, how they started and the impact it will have on us tomorrow if we do not take corrective action to fix it now. If we didn’t have the will power to solve the problem when the state had a strong economy, it is hard to see how we will have the willpower to do it in a recession.
Currently, we’re approximately $17.9 billion dollars a year below the national average and we’re almost $28 billion a year below our 1972, 10th place ranking. If we keep this up we’ll soon be entering the funding range of 3rd world countries. We must be willing to make some difficult decisions and substantial sacrifices in order to create funding solutions dedicated specifically for public education. That is an investment in the future. California’s (and the nation’s) economy is only as strong as the education and skill level of those who work and live here. We must have an acceptable plan for funding our public education system that will move California back to at least the national average over the next seven to ten years and at the very least, keep us there. That must not be the ultimate goal. With all the academic gains we have made over the last decade, we cannot afford to let our public education system continue to fall behind the rest of the country in funding. California must take corrective action now!
(RIVERSIDE, Calif.) “Linking With Art – The Mask Task” features the work of more than 50 children who attend elementary and middle schools from Rialto, Riverside, San Bernardino and Fontana. It takes place Saturday, Oct. 3 at 2465 Mary St. in Riverside, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Jalani Bakari, from noon to 4 p.m.
San Bernardino Valley Links, Inc., a non-profit organization providing education and other community service throughout the Inland Empire, sponsored a program in these schools in which children learned to create African-style masks.
“Most of their masks have a recognizable African theme,” said Margo Thomas, chairman of the San Bernardino Valley Links, Inc. Arts Committee, and the professional artist who taught this program in the participating schools. “Some of the younger children did their own thing, which is fine.”
Linking With Art is also a show featuring professional artists. The featured artist is “Gamboa,” other artists are “BerniE (Morton Bernard Edmonds),” Derrick Dragan, Shanna Fennell, Omar Howard, Charles Knox, Margo Thomas and Maya Thomas.
This is the seventh annual show for Linking With Art, however it is the first year the organization has included a children’s art project. Participating children attend school at Dollahan and Georgia Morris elementary schools in Rialto, Gage Middle School in Riverside, Malcolm X Academy and Richardson Prep School in San Bernardino, Rancho Cucamonga Middle School, and Wayne Ruble Middle School in Fontana.
Co-sponsors, with the San Bernardino Valley Links, Inc. are the Inland Empire African-American Chamber of Commerce, the San Bernardino Valley Links, Inc. and the Riverside African-American Historical Society.
Donation to the art show is $10, however the Inland Empire African-American Chamber of Commerce has 40 free tickets available by request. For more information about the free tickets, call Carl Dameron, president of the Inland Empire African-American Chamber of Commerce, at (909) 888-0017 before 12 noon Friday, Oct. 2.
For more information about the show, call Margo Thomas at (951) 684-2378.
About The Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce The Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce’s mission is to promote the economic and professional development of African American-owned businesses, thus enhancing the quality of life in our community.
