Wednesday, August 19, 2009

American Lung Association in California Announces 2009 Inland Empire Healthy Air Walk


Save the Date! Saturday, October 3, 2009, Fontana Park, Fontana

(San Bernardino, CALIF.) – The American Lung Association in California holds its annual Healthy Air Walk – Inland Empire on Saturday, October 3, 2009. The 3-mile fundraising walk begins and ends at Fontana Park in the City of Fontana.

Registration begins at 8:00 am and the Walk begins at 9:15 am. Concerned citizens from all over the Inland Empire will come together to raise money and awareness for this Healthy Air movement so we can all breathe easier.

Held in communities across the state, the Walks bring people together whose sole purpose is to raise funds for programs that reduce air pollution and prevent lung disease.

Other events are planned for
  • Greater LA: Saturday, October 3, Downtown Burbank
  • Orange County: Sunday, October 4, UCI, Aldrich Park
To sign up for the walk or recruit a team, participants can go directly to www.healthyairwalk.org, or call 800-586-4872.

Californians breathe some of the unhealthiest air in the nation. Ozone (smog) and particle pollution (soot) cause 6,100 hospital admissions for respiratory diseases; 1,500 hospital admissions for cardiovascular disease; and 210,000 cases of asthma and lower-respiratory symptoms. An estimated 20,000 premature deaths each year in California are linked to particle pollution.

Air pollution is costly both in lives and dollars, causing an estimated $1.6 billion in associated hospital and medical expenses as well as 1.4 million lost workdays each year in California.

The American Lung Association in California actively works to reduce harmful air pollution and protect lung health, successfully fighting for landmark legislation in 2006 which set the nation’s first statewide cap on global warming pollution.

Despite strong opposition by the construction industry, the Association helped secure new regulations for off-road diesel equipment that will result in a 75-percent reduction in health-damaging diesel soot from off-road diesel engines by 2020.

Additionally, the Association has helped secure a number of laws to reduce car and truck emissions and our dependence on petroleum, and has fought for health-based air pollution standards that protect vulnerable populations, including children, the elderly, and people with lung diseases like asthma, COPD, and lung cancer.

To protect people from indoor air pollution, the Association helped secure legislation banning indoor “air cleaners” that actually emit ozone air pollution. We fund a number of lung disease studies each year, including research that establishes a clear connection between air pollution and lung disease.

The Association works to protect people from secondhand smoke and over the years has successfully fought for a number of model policies that reduce tobacco use and protect people from secondhand smoke, including the current landmark legislation putting tobacco under the jurisdiction of the FDA, which will become law this year.

The Healthy Air Walk – Inland Empire is sponsored by the City of Fontana, Healthy Fontana, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Omnitrans, Hilton Garden Inn - Fontana, BrightSource Energy, STIHL, Molina Healthcare and by media sponsors Dameron Communications, KABC7, KGGI 99.1, Radio Disney, Charter Communications, Century Group Newspapers, and Inland Empire Weekly.

About the American Lung Association
Now in its second century, the American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease. With your generous support, the American Lung Association is “Fighting for Air” through research, education and advocacy. For more information about the American Lung Association, a Charity Navigator Four Star Charity and holder of the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Guide Seal, or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872) or visit www.lungusa.org.


Contact: Jim Arnold, jarnold@alac.org or 213 384 5864.

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Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Meet Dr. Inonge M. Lewanika, the Ambassador to the U.S. from The Republic of Zambia


Meet Dr. Inonge M. Lewanika, the Ambassador to the U.S. from The Republic of Zambia.
This event is free.


The Event is hosted by The Inland Empire African American Concerned Churches, Wallace Allen, Publisher of the WestSide Story Newspaper, The Castaway Restaurant and Banquet Center, The Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce and Dameron Communications.

Find out about Economic Opportunities in Zambia. Ask about current events and meet with your family and friends.

For more information call Carl M. Dameron at (909) 888-0017.

You must have a reservation to attend. Make your reservation at:

http://www.evite.com/pages/invite/viewInvite.jsp?inviteId=ESXRNKUMZMRBFBICDJIW