Rikke Van Johnson Named Mayor Pro Tem

Rikke Van Johnson, who represents the Sixth Ward on the San Bernardino City Council, was recently elected by his fellow council members as Mayor Pro Tem of San Bernardino. Johnson is the first Mayor Pro Tem under a new city ordinance that allows him to serve until March 2009, and all subsequent mayor pro tems to serve for one year. Previously the job alternated monthly between council members.


(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) - Rikke Van Johnson has been elected by the San Bernardino City Council to serve as Mayor Pro Tem.

“They feel I am fair, and would help to lead the city in the right direction,” Johnson said when asked why he was chosen for this position by the council.

He was named to this position at the council’s first December meeting and said he will hold the office until March 2009. After his term, the Council will select a new Mayor Pro Tem each March.

Previously, council members alternated as Mayor Pro Tem for one month at a time, but a newly revised city ordinance extended the Mayor Pro Tem’s term to one year. The revised ordinance also designates the Mayor Pro Tem as the one responsible for assigning members of the city council to city committees, and naming the chairpersons of those committees, although it gives the rest of the city council the right to reject the Mayor Pro Tem’s choices.

The Mayor Pro Tem’s job is also to perform mayoral duties, when the mayor is out of the city, ill or unable to perform his duties for any other reason. Johnson says his duties may include representing the City of San Bernardino at public events. Occasionally, it will also mean chairing City Council meetings.

Rikke Van Johnson represents the Sixth Ward on the City Council of San Bernardino, where he has lived for most of his life. He is the manager for Greenwood Bail Bonds, and previously worked for 27 years as a clerk for the United States Postal Service.

As a council member, Van Johnson serves on several city committees. These include the Ways & Means Committee, the Redevelopment Committee, Budget Ad Hoc Committee, Educational Bridge Ad Hoc Committee, Police Ad Hoc Committee, Parolee Ad Hoc Committee. He also represents the city on the San Bernardino County Solid Waste Advisory Task Force and serves as an alternate member of the Inland Valley Development Agency, San Bernardino Regional Water Resources Authority Commission (JPA), and the San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) Board and the SANBAG Major Projects Committee.

From 1975 to 1986, Van Johnson coached youth softball for San Bernardino Parks and Recreation and Rialto Parks and Recreation departments, and also did so at Eisenhower High School in Rialto from 1981 to 1986, along with girls’ basketball. From 1987 to 1992, he served as a California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) referee for high school basketball games.

He currently volunteers with several groups including the Boys & Girls Club of San Bernardino and Westside Action Group. He is married to Sharon, and has three children and one grandchild.

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Art Institute sponsoring Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest

The city of San Bernardino has honored civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. for many years with a larger-than-life statue at City Hall. In 2009, The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire will do so with its “I Have A Creative Dream” scholarship competition. High school seniors and graduates interested in a career in creative arts should write a 500-word essay about their creative dream and submit it to The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire for the opportunity to win a scholarship.

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) High school seniors and high school graduates have a chance to win a scholarship to The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire by participating in an essay contest honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“This is an exciting way to win money for college,” said Melissa Medina-Cosio, who handles marketing for The Art Institute. The title for the 500-word essay is “I Have A Creative Dream,” which ties the creative and design focus of the local college with Martin Luther King Jr.

The tuition scholarships are for $3,000, $2,000 and a student supply kit. Awards are limited to one winner in each category.

The contest is part of Open House activities at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire planned for Monday, January 19, Martin Luther King Day.

Medina-Cosio said the deadline for essays to be submitted is Monday, January 12. Winning students must be present at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire on Martin Luther King Day, January 19 day to accept their scholarship.

Essays should be submitted to melmedina@aii.edu. For more information, call (909)915-2109.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion & Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation. It offers an Associate degree in Graphic Design, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design. The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers an Associate degree in Culinary Arts and a Bachelor of Science degree in Culinary Management. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.

It’s not too late to start the new year at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin Jan. 12 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.

For more information or a free tour of The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire call (909) 915-2100 or go on line to artinstitutes.edu/inlandempire.

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Rikke Van Johnson President of Boys & Girls Club of San Bernardino

Rikke Van Johnson, president of the Boys & Girls Club of San Bernardino, looks at a mural created by teenagers who attended a program sponsored by The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. The Boys & Girls Club recently installed this mural on a wall in one of its meeting rooms.

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) - Rikke Van Johnson is the new president of the Boys & Girls Club of San Bernardino Board of Directors.

Johnson, a 44-year-resident of San Bernardino, has served on the Boys & Girls Club Board of Directors since 2000. He is also a San Bernardino City Council member, representing the Sixth Ward.

Long before then, as a teen growing up in San Bernardino, he was a member of the Boys & Girls’ Club of San Bernardino, where he swam and received guidance from the adult role models there.

“I had great supervisors when I attended the Boys & Girls Club of San Bernardino as a teenager,” he said. This is my way of giving back for all the good this club has provided for me.”

Johnson said he learned leadership skills in the Boys & Girls Club that helped him during his 27-year career with the United States Postal Service, in his current job as the manager of Greenwood Bail Bonds and as he leads both the Boys & Girls Club and the city.

As the new board president, Johnson will guide the board through its top priority for 2009, which is to raise $100,000 for the Boys & Girls Club of San Bernardino. This will help the program provide more services to the area’s children through its programs such as Torch Club, a leadership program for preteens and Triple Play, a program that emphasizes health and fitness for children.

It will also assist the Boys & Girls Club in renovating its kitchen, which is more than 40 years old and hasn’t been used for several years. After the renovation, the Boys & Girls Club will serve meals, teach children to cook and promote healthy eating as advocated in the Triple Play program.

To assist in its fund-raising venture, the Board of Directors hopes to expand its own membership. The board now has 11 members, but it’s open to community leaders with the passion and tenacity to serve.

“We want people who will be able to bring in resources to meet the needs of the boys and girls who are our members,” Van Johnson said. “Many of them are at-risk children, and we want the Boys & Girls Club to be everything it can to help them become successful young adults.”

Van Johnson said he also hopes to recruit people to a new advisory board for a Boys & Girls Club. These are people such as elected officials and company executives, who would not have time to volunteer as a governing board member, but who are well-connected to other people in the community and could assist the governing board in that way.

Rikke Van Johnson is the elected City Council representative to the Sixth Ward of San Bernardino where he has lived for most of his life. He is the manager of Greenwood Bail Bonds, and volunteers with several groups including the Boys & Girls Club of San Bernardino and Westside Action Group. He is married to Sharon, and has three children and one grandchild.

The Boys & Girls’ Club of San Bernardino operates clubs in the Westside and Delmann Heights neighborhoods of San Bernardino and in Rialto. It has more than 1,500 members, children and teens who are building character, developing leadership skills, building strong, healthy bodies and preparing for a successful future through the programs the Boys & Girls Club offers.

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Chef George Tucker Celebrates 51 Years In Industry

Chef George Tucker, culinary arts instructor at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire, 51-year veteran in the culinary industry, and owner of Extraordinary Sculptures, with a swan he carved from butter. Photo by Carl Dameron

Chef George Tucker, who has worked in the culinary industry for 51 years, with some of the food his Gard Manager students prepared for a Grand Buffet held Tuesday, Dec. 16 at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Photo by Carl Dameron


(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Chef George Tucker of Highland has worked as a professional chef since December, 1957 when he became an apprentice chef at La Paloma Mexican Restaurant, which was on University Avenue in downtown Riverside.

Since then, Tucker has worked throughout the Inland Empire at some of its finest restaurants, hotels, country clubs, casinos, a hospital and most recently, as a culinary instructor at the International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire.

For much of the last 25 years he has worked as an executive chef, holding this position at Sobaba Casino in San Jacinto, Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, Castaway Restaurant and the Radisson Hotel, both in San Bernardino, T.B Scott’s Seafood Landing in Corona, Branihan’s Restaurant in Pomona and Crushed Grape Restaurant in West Covina. He also owns the company “Extraordinary Sculpturing,” which creates sculptures from ice, vegetables and other foods.

Today, a chef needs much more education than he or she can receive on-the-job says Chef Tucker.

“I started out as a dishwasher, and worked my way up,” Chef Tucker said. “Six months after I started my job I signed on as an apprentice chef, and when the head chef at La Paloma left a year later, I got the job.”

“There is a lot more that culinary students need to know today,” he said. “For one thing, everything is computerized. If you need to know something, you look it up on the computer and it’s right there.”

Computer skills aren’t the only thing chefs need to know before coming to their first job says Chef Tucker. They also need to know how to find and prepare the many more types of food that are available, now that technology allows a chef to order food from anywhere in the world.

“In the past, some foods were only available seasonally and some not at all in the United States,” he said. “Now, it may cost more, but you can get anything that’s available anywhere, and at any time.”

For most of 2008, Chef Tucker has done his part to pass on the vast knowledge a modern chef needs before starting a career by working as an instructor at the International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. There he teaches Product Identification, American Regional Cooking, Latin Cooking and Gard Manager.

The Gard Manager course, which is French for “Cold Kitchen,” is an advanced course that focuses on food served cold. Sometimes these foods are cooked first, but then must be chilled before serving.

Chef Tucker hosted a Grand Buffet on December 16, which offered appetizers from different regions of the world.

The students were given an opportunity to display for the public what they have learned. Both the students and Chef Tucker were excited with the response. Two classes will be offered in the Gard Manager course next quarter.

Chef Eyad Joseph, academic director of culinary programs at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire, was happy with the Grand Buffet event. “I think it did much better then we expected,” he said.

“We always encourage students to see the final picture” said Joseph. “The students were amazed that everything came together and was completed successfully.”

Chef Tucker has been a member of the American Culinary Federation since 1971, and this organization named him a certified executive chef in 1990. He is also a member of Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs, which is the world’s largest and oldest culinary association.

He is a former Chef of the Year for the Southern California Inland Empire Chefs & Cooks Association, which is a chapter of the American Culinary Federation, and has won numerous regional and national awards for culinary arts and ice carving.

He is the past Chairman and Culinary Director of the Cooks Apprenticeship program for the Southern California Inland Empire Chefs & Cooks Association. His own training has been with chefs throughout the world, including France, Poland, Hungary, Spain and the Netherlands.


The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Graphic Design, Culinary Management, Web Design & Interactive Media, Fashion & Retail Management, Interior Design, Media Arts & Animation; A Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design and Associate of Science degrees in Graphic Design and Culinary Arts.

It’s not too late to start the new year at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin Jan. 12 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.

For more information, or to arrange a tour, call The Art Institute at (909) 915-2100.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire is one of the Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu/InlandEmpire), a system of more than 40 locations throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals. For more information, call (909) 915-2100 or go on line to www.artinstitutes.edu/InlandEmpire.

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LEARN HOW TO CREATE CHARACTERS AND ENVIRONMENTS

An environment created by leading environment designer Bill Perkins, who along with leading character designer Stephen Silver, will give a presentation at The Art Institute of California - Inland Empire on Tuesday, Jan. 6 at 4 p.m.

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) – Bill Perkins and Stephen Silver, two leading designers of the entertainment industry, will give presentations 4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009 at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire.

“These two are at the top of the business,” said Santsosh Oommen, academic director for Animation & Media Arts and Game Art & Design. “Their presentations will familiarize current and potential students with the best works in character and environment design.”

The presentations are open to the public and free of charge. Those who wish to attend these presentations should RSVP by calling The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire by calling (909) 915-2100 or (800) 353-0812.

Perkins has worked as a concept artist, production designer, layout artist, art director and storyboard artist for Walt Disney Feature Animation, Warner Brothers, Dreamworks, Industrial Light & Magic, and 9th Ray Studios.

His film credits include The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Fantasia 2000, Space Jam, Shrek, and the upcoming John Carter and the Princess of Mars and The Spiderwick Chronicles.

In 2001 he formed High Street Studio as a preproduction and design studio for films, television and the gaming industry.

Silver, who is just 36, has been drawing professionally since he was 20 and founded his caricature and animation business, Silvertoons. He has done work for the clothing company “No Fear,” and for Warner Brothers studio, which got him started in the field of character animation more than a decade ago. He is also a gifted lecturer, and has earned rave reviews from universities where he previously gave presentations.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Culinary Management, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion Design and Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation. There are also Associate of Science degrees in Graphic Design and Culinary Arts. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.

It’s not too late to start the new year at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin Jan. 12 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.

For more information or a tour, call The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire at (909) 915-2100 or (800) 353-0812.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), with more than 40 educational institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.


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Art Institute Grads to Display Portfolios

Rachel Makowski, shown here with a gold award she received earlier this year in the American Advertising Federation’s ADDY competition, has completed her bachelor’s degree at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. She is one of nine students who earn their degrees at The Art Institute this month. All will showcase their work in a Graduate Portfolio Review to be held Thursday, Dec. 18 at The Art Institute.


(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire will host its first Graduate Portfolio Exhibit on Thursday, Dec. 18.

“This is an opportunity for our nine students who are graduating this quarter to showcase their work, especially to employers, but also to friends and family,” said Cindy Jones, Director of Career Services for The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire.

Employers looking for talented, newly graduated professionals in the fields of Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media and Culinary Arts are invited to attend this reception from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at 630 E. Brier Drive in San Bernardino. They’re asked to RSVP with Brenda Medina at (909) 915-2192.

From 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., the party continues its focus on the graduates, but with a different emphasis. The guests joining them during this portion of the event will be their own friends and family.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire will serve hors d’ouvres and beverages. Ronnell Lawson and Roberto Vazquez Pulido, who are the first two students to obtain Culinary Arts degrees from the International Culinary School at the Art Institute of California – Inland Empire, will create some of these hors d’ouvres as samples of their work.

The International Culinary School opened in January 2007, a year after the first programs began at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Lawson and Vazquez Pulido earned their associate degrees in less than two years, in part by taking advantage of a year-round schedule their school offers.

Raymond Heredia, the first graduate of The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire’s Web Design & Interactive Media program, will have Web sites he has created on display. He will receive a bachelor’s degree, having also taken advantage of the year-round schedule to complete his education in less than three years.

All Graphic Design students maintain portfolios of the work they’ve done while at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. These portfolios are now complete for Raysa Cerna, Anthony Guevara and Rachel Makowski, who are receiving the program’s first bachelor’s degrees and for Regina Cortez, Elizabeth Horn, and Salvador Vazquez Jr., who are receiving associate degrees.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire is holding this event for the first time because this is the first quarter the three-year-old campus has had multiple graduates. Plans are already underway for the Graduate Portfolio Review to become a quarterly tradition in 2009. Similar events are planned in March, June, September and December of next year.

“We anticipate 20 to 23 graduates for the winter quarter, which ends in March,” Jones said. “Our numbers of graduates are growing and could reach more than 100 per quarter a year from now.”

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Culinary Management, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion Marketing & Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Fashion Design. There are also Associate of Science degrees in Graphic Design and Culinary Arts. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.

It’s not too late to start the new year at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin Jan. 12 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.

For more information or a free 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), with more than 40 educational institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.

Culinary Students Bring Smiles To Hospital's Kids

A young patient at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital, her father and a culinary arts student from the International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire work together on a gingerbread house construction project. Behind them is an entire gingerbread village, where the children’s work remains on display throughout this month. Photo by Carl Dameron.

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Seriously ill boys and girls at Loma Linda Children’s Hospital received a welcome break from their usual hospital routines Monday, Dec. 1 when students from the International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California - Inland Empire came bearing gingerbread houses for them to decorate.

The students and their leader, Executive Chef Eyad Joseph, academic director of the International Culinary School, had just as much fun decorating as the children. For them, the opportunity to help younger people who are in great need of Christmas cheer was heartwarming and unforgettable.

“It really touched me,” said Rosanna Saldena. “They were so surprised we were doing this. Interacting with them was a good experience.”

The children usually spend most of the day in their hospital rooms, and often get bored with this, she noted. “The ones I was working with asked me if they would get to do something like this again the next day,” she said. “They would have been happy to have worked on gingerbread houses five days in a row.”

This is the second year Nina Mendiola went with her fellow International Culinary School students to Loma Linda Children’s Hospital to help children decorate gingerbread houses.

“The first time I went, I had a really good experience,” she said. “I wasn’t going to pass up the chance to do it again, and this time I met some new children whose stories touched me.”

The students spent most of the day with about 40 young patients and their parents, helping them to decorate houses. Another 40 patients who are in isolation, and could not risk coming into contact with visitors, decorated gingerbread houses in their own rooms.

Before going to Loma Linda, the students bought about 100 gingerbread houses. A volunteer organization, the Big Hearts for Little Hearts Guild, brought the candy and frosting used as decorations and “cement.”

“The Big Hearts for Little Hearts Guild is so happy that the International Culinary School has partnered with us for the Gingerbread Village this year. We have been doing it for nine years and it is such a blessing to see the patients smile when they finish their houses. We hope to partner with the culinary school in the future,” said Guild President Eloise Habekost.

As the patients finished decorating their houses volunteers placed them in a Christmas village set up by Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus, a.ka. volunteers Jim and Jeannie Durbin. They will stay there for public display through the middle of January.

“Hundreds of people enjoy the whimsical village,” Habekost said.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Culinary Management, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion Marketing & Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Fashion Design. There are also Associate of Science degrees in Graphic Design and Culinary Arts. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.

It’s not too late to start classes at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin Jan. 12 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.

For more information or a free tour of The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire call (909) 915-2100 or go on line to artinstitutes.edu/inlandempire.

Chef George Tucker Celebrates 51 Years In Industry

Gard Manager is the art of preparing foods served cold, such as this beef salad. Advanced students in the Gard Manager course taught by Certified Executive Chef George Tucker at the International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire will serve a variety of Gard Manager style dishes at a Grand Buffet at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 16 in the school’s Seasons Restaurant. The Grand Buffet also celebrates Chef Tucker’s 51 years in the culinary industry.



(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Chef George Tucker of Highland has worked as a professional chef since December, 1957 when he became an apprentice chef at La Paloma Mexican Restaurant, which was on University Avenue in downtown Riverside.

Since then, Tucker has worked throughout the Inland Empire at some of its finest restaurants, hotels, country clubs, casinos, a hospital and most recently, as a culinary instructor at the International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire.

For much of the last 25 years he has worked as an executive chef, holding this position at Sobaba Casino in San Jacinto, Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, Castaway Restaurant and the Radisson Hotel, both in San Bernardino, T.B Scott’s Seafood Landing in Corona, Branihan’s Restaurant in Pomona and Crushed Grape Restaurant in West Covina. He also owns the company “Extraordinary Sculpturing,” which creates sculptures from ice, vegetables and other foods.

Today, a chef needs much more education than he or she can receive on-the-job says Chef Tucker.

“I started out as a dishwasher, and worked my way up,” Chef Tucker said. “Six months after I started my job I signed on as an apprentice chef, and when the head chef at La Paloma left a year later, I got the job.”

“There is a lot more that culinary students need to know today,” he said. “For one thing, everything is computerized. If you need to know something, you look it up on the computer and it’s right there.”

Computer skills aren’t the only thing chefs need to know before coming to their first job says Chef Tucker. They also need to know how to find and prepare the many more types of food that are available, now that technology allows a chef to order food from anywhere in the world.

“In the past, some foods were only available seasonally and some not at all in the United States,” he said. “Now, it may cost more, but you can get anything that’s available anywhere, and at any time.”

For most of 2008, Chef Tucker has done his part to pass on the vast knowledge a modern chef needs before starting a career by working as an instructor at the International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. There he teaches Product Identification, American Regional Cooking, Latin Cooking and Gard Manager.

The Gard Manager course, which is French for “Cold Kitchen,” is an advanced course that focuses on food served cold. Sometimes these foods are cooked first, but then must be chilled before serving.

“These students will have an opportunity to display for the public what they have learned on Tuesday, Dec. 16 when we host a Grand Buffet starting at 9 a.m.,” Chef Tucker said. “They will have appetizers from different regions of the world.”

The cold appetizer sampling features treats from France, Italy, Germany and the Middle East. Tables at the International Culinary School’s on-campus Seasons Restaurant will each feature appetizers from a different one of these regions.

Chef Tucker has been a member of the American Culinary Federation since 1971, and this organization named him a certified executive chef in 1990. He is also a member of Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs, which is the world’s largest and oldest culinary association.

He is a former Chef of the Year for the Southern California Inland Empire Chefs & Cooks Association, which is a chapter of the American Culinary Federation, and has won numerous regional and national awards for culinary arts and ice carving.

He is the past Chairman and Culinary Director of the Cooks Apprenticeship program for the Southern California Inland Empire Chefs & Cooks Association. His own training has been with chefs throughout the world, including France, Poland, Hungary, Spain and the Netherlands.


The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Graphic Design, Culinary Management, Web Design & Interactive Media, Fashion & Retail Management, Interior Design, Media Arts & Animation; A Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fashion Design and Associate of Science degrees in Graphic Design and Culinary Arts.

It’s not too late to start the new year at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin Jan. 12 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.

For more information, or to arrange a tour, call The Art Institute at (909) 915-2100.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire is one of the Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu/InlandEmpire), a system of more than 40 locations throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals. For more information, call (909) 915-2100 or go on line to www.artinstitutes.edu/InlandEmpire.

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Carl Dameron member of American Lung Association Leadership Council

Carl Dameron is a new member of the Leadership Council for the American Lung Association of California.

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Carl Dameron, founder and creative director of Dameron Communications, has been named a member of the Leadership Council for the American Lung Association of California.

This is Dameron’s second time serving this organization. He previously served on a governing board from 1997 through 2000.

“I am pleased to serve my community through the American Lung Association,” Dameron said. “I am particularly interested in helping asthma sufferers find the help they need to breathe easier.”

Through work with clients such as San Bernardino Tobacco Use Reduction Now, In The Zone Tobacco Free Project, African-American Health Institute of San Bernardino County, La Salle Medical Associates and even California Portland Cement Company, Dameron has gained a thorough understanding of how to preserve, promote and improve respiratory health. As a volunteer, he will use this expertise to help the American Lung Association of California reach its goal.

“Carl Dameron is committed to making the Inland Empire a healthier place, and we appreciate his willingness to work with the American Lung Association of California in our efforts,” said Area Director Terry Roberts. “His knowledge of the issues affecting respiratory health in our two-county area, and of how to promote good causes, will go a long ways in reducing lung disease here.”


About Dameron Communications
Since 1989 Dameron communications has creatively met the needs of our diverse client base locally, regionally and nationally. We are an award winning agency that creates integrated marketing solutions to increase sales and profits, win elections, inform the public or gain acceptance of a potentially controversial issues. We use our 20 years of communications knowledge and experience to advance our clients’ objectives.

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Dancer Moves to the PR World

Brenda Erickson is learning about event coordination and public relations through an internship at Dameron Communications. Photo by Noe Melon


(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Brenda Erickson joined Dameron Communications (www.DameronCommunications.com) in the fall quarter as a public relations intern. She looks to gain experience and networking in a creative environment that allows her to expand her knowledge while growing as an event coordinator and public relations professional.

“This is a great opportunity for me to learn the true business of public relations. It is one thing to learn the definition of PR in the classroom, it’s another to actually understand and create work in the field of communications,” says Erickson.

Erickson is a student at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, where she is obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Communications with a public relations emphasis. She will be graduating in December 2008.

Some of her duties at Dameron Communications include writing press releases, inviting community members to political fundraisers, organizing and catering for special events, creating social networking accounts for clients, Web updates, writing and editing, evaluating stories and commercials to put out into the media and filing clips.

Carl Dameron, founder and creative director of Dameron Communications, is mentoring Erickson to give her the knowledge and experience needed to compete in today’s workforce.

He explains why he accepted Erickson as an intern for Dameron Communications by saying, “Interns bring a fresh perspective, making us look at why we do things a certain way. They bring new techniques and new visions for getting things done. Brenda has experience in event organization and motivating people, and I felt these strengths would be an asset.

“Brenda continues to surprise me with her grasp and understanding of concepts in PR and her ability to ask the right questions at the right time, and she has the tenaciousness and motivation to complete tasks on time; ours is a deadline business. It’s a pleasure working with Brenda,” adds Dameron.

Erickson also has a passion for dance. She has acquired much of her responsibility, organization and social skills through dance practices, performances, competitions and community outreach.

Erickson was a dance team director and coach with San Dimas High School for six years. There she gained responsibility, accountability, leadership skills and the ability to communicate with all personalities. She says, “Being responsible for a team definitely prepared me for the real world workplace.”

About Dameron Communications
Since 1989 Dameron Communications has creatively met the needs of our diverse client base locally, regionally and nationally. We are an award-winning agency that creates integrated marketing solutions to increase sales and profits, win elections, inform the public or gain acceptance of potentially controversial issues. We use our 20 years of communications knowledge and experience to advance our clients’ objectives.

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France Sends Graphic Artist to San Bernardino

Noé Melon of Paris, France has spent the past three months in the USA learning about graphic design and American-style advertising through an internship at Dameron Communications. He returns to France next week, but not before Dameron Communications holds a party in his honor on Wednesday, Dec. 17, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at 255 N. D Street, Suite 303, San Bernardino, CA 92401.

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Noé Melon joined Dameron Communications (www.Dameroncommunications.com) in the fall semester, as a Graphic Design Intern. He looks to better his creativity in graphic design and learn the American style of advertising while studying abroad in the United States.

Melon is a student at Istitu de Préparation à l'Administration et à la Gestion in Paris, France, where he is working on his marketing degree. He has been in college for three years and has two more with the marketing program. Melon says, “I like graphics in general; I like the arts, designing and working on the computer.”

Melon obtained this internship through KD Conseil, which is a cross-cultural firm in Paris. He indicated he wanted to do an internship at an American company. Kathleen Dameron, head of KD Conseil, was able to set that up, being that her brother, Carl, owns Dameron Communications, an advertising and PR firm in Southern California.

Melon’s hometown is Paris. Growing up, he loved the sport of fencing, graphic design and playing the guitar.

He previously worked for Dell Computers in France as an intern in marketing and graphic design. He was also a representative for a music festival, obtaining sponsors and donations.

Melon will finish this internship with Dameron Communications this month and will return to Paris. He explains what he has learned thus far from working at Dameron Communications by saying, “I have learned to use Quark Express 8; I worked in InDesign in France. My main focus here has been to perfect my skills in graphics and learn the English language.”

Carl Dameron, founder and creative director of Dameron Communications, is mentoring Melon and encouraging him to use his creative abilities in a work environment. Dameron gives him the opportunity to work independently and create designs that Melon feels are most appropriate for the client.

“Noé brought a fresh and different perspective to the firm,” says Carl Dameron. “His European upbringing gives us a new look at everything we do. His European sensibility gives us a fresh, new perspective on our work projects. Fresh, new perspectives are critical to making sure we deliver to our clients the highest and best creativity possible.”

Carl has seen Melon’s growth through this experience. He says, “I’ve noticed significant advancement in Noe’s ability to solve problems, ask questions, develop and deliver effective and creative messages.”

Melon’s work includes programs, brochures, newsletters, logos and posters for clients, including Black Rose Awards, Urban Dreams Film Festival and LaSalle Medical Associates.

On Wednesday, December 17 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Dameron Communications will host a holiday party at its offices at 255 North D Street, Suite 303. This provides the public an opportunity to meet Melon and view his work.

The party is also an opportunity for those who have not visited Dameron Communications in the last three months to see the new offices to which it moved in September. RSVP with Nicole Acosta at (909) 888-0321.

About Dameron Communications
Since 1989 Dameron Communications has creatively met the needs of our diverse client base locally, regionally and nationally. We are an award-winning agency that creates integrated marketing solutions to increase sales and profits, win elections, inform the public or gain acceptance of potentially controversial issues. We use our 20 years of communications knowledge and experience to advance our clients’ objectives.

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More Than 200 People Enjoy Thanksgiving Feast at Salvation Army

Children were among the 96 volunteers who helped at The Salvation Army Corps Thanksgiving Day feast. One of the duties given them was to serve guests slices of pumpkin pie for desert. Photo by Ricardo Tomboc

Capt. Stephen Ball, commander of The Salvation Army Corps of San Bernardino, with children who took part in the Corps Thanksgiving Day feast. Photo by Ricardo Tomboc


(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) More than 200 hungry people braved a Thanksgiving Day storm to enjoy a holiday dinner at The Salvation Army San Bernardino Corps’ Hospitality House.

And almost 100 volunteers were there to serve them.

Capt. Stephen Ball, commander of the San Bernardino Corps, reported that 96 volunteers served 204 meals to hungry guests on Thanksgiving Day. That’s just a few more people than the regular Salvation Army crew serves every day.

“Turnout was light for Thanksgiving,” said Capt. Ball. “In the morning, when it was raining, there weren’t as many people around as there are on a normal day. We eventually served 204 dinners, but we had enough to serve at least 400. I think people must have found other places to go for Thanksgiving, where they could be out of the rain.”

The food didn’t go to waste, though, according to Capt. Ball. Since The Salvation Army serves dinners six days a week, the Thanksgiving leftovers made dinner for the 125 or so people who came to the Corps on Friday and the approximately same number who came on Saturday.

By Monday, the Thanksgiving feast had disappeared, and The Salvation Army was back to feeding people from its normal every day budget. That budget, which must last an entire year, gets its biggest boost in December from The Salvation Army’s Red Kettle/bellringer campaign.

From now through Dec. 24, donors can also give through the Red Kettle Drive, a holiday tradition the Army has relied on for more than 100 years. Look for red kettles accompanied by bellringers at locations throughout the Inland Empire and everywhere else. Everything a Salvation Army bellringer collects stays within the community.

Online giving, which can be directed specifically to the San Bernardino Corps, is possible at any time by going to www.salvationarmy.usa.org.


And, with holiday shopping on most folks’ minds already, The Salvation Army hopes people will shop for their poorest neighbors, too. Gifts of food and toys are needed for about 750 families relying on the San Bernardino Corps to have any kind of Christmas celebration at all this year.

Donations of time are also highly needed. For one, The Salvation Army wants to beef up the volunteer bellringer force. It also needs volunteers to help with assembling, wrapping and distribution of gift baskets and toys for the needy.

Those interested in donating time or presents should call the San Bernardino Corps at (909) 888-1336. Toys can also be donated through the Sharing Tree programs at the Inland Center Mall, the Ontario Mills Mall, the Montclair Plaza and the Redlands Wal-Mart.


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.

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Carl Dameron president of Inland's Black Chamber

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Carl Dameron, founder and creative director of Dameron Communications, is the new president of the Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce.

We are excited about Carl's taking the lead with the chamber,” said Dolores Armstead, vice president of the organization. “We are ready to take the Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce to the next level, becoming more involved and expanding our service to the small business community of all backgrounds.”

Dameron is a founding member of the Chamber. During 1989, which was Dameron Communication’s first year of business, Carl and other business owners saw benefit to starting an organization that would work specifically for the advancement of Black-owned businesses in the Inland Empire. Over the past 20 years, both Dameron Communications and the Inland Empire African American Chamber of Commerce have seen steady growth.

“This coming year brings hope for many great opportunities for Black-owned businesses, but we will also face the economic struggles facing all businesses,” Dameron said. “It is important that we work together to help each other succeed. That is the goal of the African American Chamber of Commerce, and it is also one of my goals as a business owner. I am pleased to celebrate my own 20 years in business by leading the organization that has helped me all along.”

About Dameron Communications
Since 1989 Dameron communications has creatively met the needs of our diverse client base locally, regionally and nationally. We are an award winning agency that creates integrated marketing solutions to increase sales and profits, win elections, inform the public or gain acceptance of a potentially controversial issues. We use our 20 years of communications knowledge and experience to advance our clients’ objectives.

Learn Effective Campaign Strategies

Carl Dameron will discuss effective campaign strategies in a presentation to the San Bernardino Democratic Club Friday, Dec. 5.

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Carl Dameron, founder and creative director of Dameron Communications, will discuss effective campaign strategies when the San Bernardino Democratic Club meets 11:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 5 at Carousel Mall.

“From Congress to school board, there are many effective ways to put a candidate in the eye of the public. There are also ways that could do more harm than good,” Dameron said. “I want the Democrats to understand the best ways to campaign for their candidates. The Democratic Party has recently elected a fantastic president, and that will mean great things for the Inland Empire. But that is especially true if the local Democrats successfully campaign to elect men and women who will stand with our new President in bringing about the change he wishes to accomplish. President-elect Obama needs support from elected officials at the federal, state and local levels.”

Dameron has provided public relations services for several election campaigns, including those of California Assembly Member Wilmer Amina Carter, San Bernardino County Fifth District Supervisor Josie Gonzales and Rialto City Council Member Deborah Robertson. He will discuss his strategies for putting the candidates into the public spotlight, and how, in at least one case, he was able to turn a rival’s negative campaign into positive publicity.


About Dameron Communications
Since 1989 Dameron Communications has creatively met the needs of our diverse client base locally, regionally and nationally. We are an award winning agency that creates integrated marketing solutions to increase sales and profits, win elections, inform the public or gain acceptance of potentially controversial issues. We use our 20 years of communications knowledge and experience to advance our clients’ objectives.

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Fall Is Here, Time For Flu Shots

For a low-cost or in some cases, free, flu shot this LaSalle Medical Associates clinic at 565 N. Mt. Vernon Ave in San Bernardino is the place to go. Other clinics are at 1505 W. 17th in San Bernardino, 17577 Arrow Blvd. in Fontana and 16455 Main St. in Hesperia.

(SAN BERNARDINO, CA) Now that the cold weather is upon us, with winter fast approaching, it’s a good time for anyone to get their annual flu shot.

Just ask Dr. Albert Arteaga, the president and founder of LaSalle Medical Associates in San Bernardino. “Flu shots make a very big difference.” Dr. Arteaga, a pediatrician for more than 20 years, spends every flu season surrounded by coughing and sneezing patients. “It is especially important for the young and the elderly to protect themselves from this disease, but anyone can avoid the unpleasantness of the flu and its potentially serious complications with an immunization. Why avoid the shots?”

Aside from the tired feeling, the body aches and fever, flu symptoms can be much worse. “There may be intestinal problems that develop,” Dr. Arteaga says, “and other potential complications such as internal infections, pneumonia and possibly even meningitis. Why take a chance?”

The reason many avoid flu shots is simply the fear of the needle. “I can understand that,” Dr. Arteaga says, “and then what happens is those people influence their friends and then you start hearing ‘The shots will just give you the flu themselves,’ and ‘Shots don’t really make a difference.’ The fact is shots do make a difference. They really do help.”

The following groups of people are especially encouraged by the Centers for Disease Control to obtain a flu shot:
• Anyone 50 years of age or older
• All children and adolescents 6 months through 18 years of age
• All health care workers and essential community service employees, such as police and firefighters
• College students who live in dormitories
• Any other adults living in a dormitory or other institutional setting
• Anyone not vaccinated within the past year who is planning a trip between April and September 2009 to the tropics or the southern hemisphere
• Anyone planning travel with a large group
• People with chronic medical conditions including asthma, diabetes, HIV and others
• Pregnant women
• Anyone who lives with or cares for a person who meets one of the above conditions


Patients on Medi-Cal, Medicare and many insurance plans will receive their immunizations at no charge. For anyone else, the fee at LaSalle Medical Associates clinics is a mere $15.

As Dr. Arteaga says, “It takes just 30 seconds and a very short, minor sting to possibly save weeks of discomfort and potential serious complications. Is it worth it? You bet.”

Dr. Albert Arteaga graduated from medical school in 1976, completing his pediatric training at Loma Linda University in 1984 and starting practice that year in Fontana. He expanded into San Bernardino four years later, and in 1996 formed LaSalle Medical Associates, an IPA, comprised of primary and specialty care physicians serving more than 105,000 patients in the Inland Empire and East Los Angeles.

According to founder Dr. Arteaga, the primary mission of LaSalle’s clinics is “to offer high quality medical care to the whole family with courtesy and respect.” And, right now, a big part of that is to provide flu shots for people.

The LaSalle medical clinics are at 17577 Arrow Blvd. in Fontana, 1505 West 17th St. and 565 N. Mt. Vernon Ave. in San Bernardino, and 16455 Main St. in Hesperia

For additional information about LaSalle Medical Associates, call (909) 890-0407 or go on line to lasallemedical.com.
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Interior Design Students Bringing Kitchen Back to Life for Benefit of Boys & Girls Club

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire began a partnership with the San Bernardino Boys & Girls Club in 2007, including the design work done by Summer Studio ‘07 participants to create the club’s Teen Center, plans of which San Bernardino Councilman Rikke Van Johnson is viewing here. The partnership will continue into 2009 as four students in the Interior Design program are currently designing a kitchen remodel for the club’s youth building.

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) A kitchen at the Boys & Girls Club of San Bernardino will soon come back to life in a bright and colorful way, thanks to help from students at The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire.

Four Interior Design students are beginning plans for a kitchen remodel that will bring the 1960s-era kitchen back into use. Actual construction will likely begin in December or January.

It’s quite an undertaking. Not only is the kitchen more than 40 years old, the Boys & Girls Club hasn’t even used it for the last several years. That means the remodel will require bringing it up to current building and safety codes.

“Since they have a kitchen already there are some bones to work with,” said Tamara Stevenson, student team leader for the project. “But they’re not necessarily good bones. We are putting together a commercial design that will give them what they need to better serve these boys and girls.”

Stevenson and her classmates Nancy Marquez, Patrice Bodell and Sonja Fallahian are enrolled in the Human Factors course of the Interior Design program at The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire. They have already learned most of the basics of Interior Design. In this course they get what is for most of them, their first opportunity to put their knowledge to use by actually working with a group of people to create a design for them.

Stevenson, however, also recently worked with local businesses including Dameron Communications to design a color scheme for an office building undergoing remodeling. A kitchen remodel is a much more involved project, she notes.

“It has been a learning experience,” she said. “But I’m very interested in commercial design, so I find it interesting.”

The students began this learning experience by meeting with Boys & Girls Club leaders to discuss what was needed, what was wanted and how much they could afford. The students then came back with two separate ideas for how to complete the entire project for about $20,000 not including labor. The Boys and Girls Club was thrilled as this was way under budget. They told the team they still had another $15,000 to $20,000 to spend.

“They loved it,” Human Factors instructor Marie Feuer said of the Boys & Girls Club leaders. “They couldn’t believe they could do it for that low and they loved having two design plans to choose from. From that point they were like kids in a candy shop picking out more design ideas.”

“The support of the Art Institute has been overwhelming,” said Dolores Armstead, a member of the Boys & Girls Club’s Board of Directors. “They have provided us with the expertise, drawings and estimates needed to get the kitchen renovated. We are excited about being able to partner with them to offer nutritional classes and meals to the community.”

Meetings continue with the Boys & Girls Club leadership, contractors, vendors who can sell or donate materials and city and county officials who are involved in the design review process. The student designers have learned the ins and outs of doing business with all these people along the way.

The Interior Design program at The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire focuses heavily on teaching students to design “green” projects. That is, when putting together design plans, students rely on such things as energy conservation and using materials that can be easily recycled.

As it turned out, the Boys & Girls Club kitchen already has “green” features. While the original kitchen designers may not have planned it that way, the stainless steel countertops already in place are one of the greenest surface materials available today.

“Stainless steel is a reusable product that's often overlooked. It can withstand extreme temperatures, doesn't stain or rust, and it can be melted and recycled Feuer explained. “This makes it a sustainable material, and green design is all about using sustainable materials.”

Another way the Boys & Girls Club kitchen remodel will incorporate environmentally responsible (and more easily affordable) planning is with used appliances. They’re working with a local vendor to supply the Boys & Girls Club with appliances that saw limited use elsewhere, but are still relatively new.

Green – along with blue and purple – is also important to the color scheme the Interior Design students have put together for the Boys & Girls Club kitchen.

“The design uses a lot of primary and secondary colors,” Feuer said. “In addition to being bright and festive the design students wanted to incorporate the color scheme from the Boys and Girls Club facility and their Triple Play program. This program uses similarly bright-colored graphics to teach the children how to care for their mind, body and spirit.”

One way people can take care of their body is to use the food pyramid. Since kitchens are all about food, Triple Play’s brightly colored, cartoon character-enhanced version of this pyramid will be a focal piece of artwork in this kitchen.

Since the Interior Design students’ plan came in far under budget, the Boys & Girls Club leaders decided to add another innovative feature. The kitchen will include a large-screen television set, and a small camera so that the Boys & Girls Club leaders can project real-time cooking techniques to teach children how to safely handle food preparations and how to cook.

“We’re not designing a kitchen just to serve food,” Feuer said. “We’re designing a kitchen to promote the overall programs of the Boys & Girls Club.”

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Culinary Management, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion Marketing & Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Fashion Design. There are also Associate of Science degrees in Graphic Design and Culinary Arts. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.

It’s not too late to start the new year at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin Jan. 12 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.

For more information or a free tour of The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire call (909) 915-2100 or go on line to artinstitutes.edu/inlandempire.

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Dr. Albert Arteaga Receives Ethnic Physician Leadership Award

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Dr. Albert Arteaga, founder and CEO of LaSalle Medical Associates received the Ethnic Physicians Leadership Award for 2008.

The California Medical Association gives the Ethnic Physician Leadership Award annually to a doctor who has done outstanding work within an ethnic community. As is the case with Dr. Arteaga, who is Hispanic, the award also often recognizes a doctor who is a member of a specific ethnic community.

“I want all of my patients to feel that going to the doctor is no more intimidating than going to the grocery store,” he said in accepting this award. “This is much easier to succeed in when our patients understand that we are here to answer any and all of their questions and provide them with individual recommendations based on their current situation.”

Almost 25 years ago, Dr. Arteaga founded LaSalle Medical Associates as one clinic in Fontana. Today, it has grown to four clinics and an Independent Practice Association serving more than 100 doctors.

From the start, Dr. Arteaga has operated LaSalle Medical Associates with the principles that all patients deserve quality medical care, and all deserve dignity and respect. He accepts and even reaches out to not just his largely Hispanic clientele, but also to elderly, low-income and disabled patients who must rely on Medicare and Medi-Cal.

“As the son of an Adventist minister, I know I have an obligation to help whenever I can,” he said. “That is what we do.”
The LaSalle medical clinics are at 17577 Arrow Blvd. in Fontana, 1505 West 17th St. and 565 N. Mt. Vernon Ave. in San Bernardino, and 16455 Main St. in Hesperia
For additional information about LaSalle Medical Associates, call (909) 890-0407 or go on line to lasallemedical.com.

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Dreamworks Technical Director Kevin Carney Coming To Art Institute

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Dreamworks Technical Director Kevin Carney, whose work appears in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Kung Fu Panda and a dozen other movies will give presentations Tuesday, Nov. 25 and Wednesday, Nov. 26, at The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire.

The presentations both take place both at 11:45 a.m. in Room R-2123 at The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire, 630 E. Brier Dr., San Bernardino 92408. They are open to the public.

“Kevin will talk to us about the technical side of animation and his job working character effects and technical direction,” said Santosh Oommen, academic director of Game Art Design and Media Arts & Animation at The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire.

Carney has worked as a digital artist, animator and technical director on 14 movies over the last several years. His most recent is Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa where he worked as a character effects artist. Also released this year was Kung Fu Panda, in which Carney was the character effects technical director.

Other movies featuring his work include The Simpsons, Night at the Museum, Garfield: Tale of Two Kitties and The Polar Express, to name a few. Prior to his work with these movies, he was an animator for the “South Park” television series.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Culinary Management, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion Marketing & Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Fashion Design. There are also Associate of Science degrees in Graphic Design and Culinary Arts. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.

It’s not too late to start the new year at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin Jan. 12 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.

For more information or a free tour of The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire call (909) 915-2100 or go on line to artinstitutes.edu/inlandempire.


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Literacy Advocate Receives $49,000 Grant

(LAKE ELSINORE, Calif.) Roxanne Petteway, president and founder of The Coalition to Improve Education (www.literacyandvirtues.org), recently received a $49,000 grant from The Verizon Foundation at a meeting of the Lake Elsinore Unified School District governing board.

“The Verizon Foundation puts a very high priority on education and is proud to be able to support quality programs such as this,” commented Doug McAllister, Verizon’s Director of Government and External Affairs.

“We have been providing reading instruction intervention and remediation programs to the students in Lake Elsinore since 2003,” Petteway said. “Our Leadership & Literacy Program has helped hundreds of students in the Lake Elsinore area and we look forward to expanding our reach with the Verizon Foundation Grant. We are honored to have the support of the Verizon Foundation and will use these funds to provide free services to those families who are underserved in the Lake Elsinore area.”

For more information or to sign up your children call (951)696-0853, or email: literacyandvirtues@verizon.net.

About the Coalition to Improve Education:
Since 2003 the Coalition to Improve Education has helped students in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties raise their school grades and test scores simply by teaching them how to read. The organization believes all children can learn if provided with encouragement and taught with effective teaching materials and methods. If a child is struggling academically, the root cause is often the inability to decode words and comprehend. The Coalition to Improve Education delivers a variety of curriculums based on the needs of the individual student. All curriculum and methods used by the Coalition to Improve Education are scientifically researched based with measurable outcomes.
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Free Art Classes, Drawing Dreams

Learn how to draw a live human model at the next Life Drawing class held at The Art Institute of California - Inland Empire on Jan. 17.

(SAN BERNADINO, Calif.) Being able to draw a live human model is an important skill for any artist, however, not all artists have the chance to practice this type of drawing.

In the spirit of leading by example, the Art Institute of California –Inland Empire is hosting an artists’ workshop on Saturday, Jan. 17, from 1-5 p.m.

This workshop gives local artists a chance to try their hand at life drawing and will be held at the Art Institute of California-Inland Empire free charge to the public.

“Many artists are greatly creative but lack focus,” Santosh Oommen, Academic Director of Media Arts & Animation. “Our goal is to help make better artists. Offering workshops give these artists a chance to focus their raw creative talent.”

Life Drawing workshops are usually offered on the third Saturday of every month. There are 21 seats available for each class. The workshop is open to the public; the only requirement is that you are 15 years old or above and that you bring your own pencils and drawing paper.

“Our commitment is to helping artist in the Inland Empire improve their talents. This workshop, for artists as young as 15 years old, will help them to further their development of with the skills they need.” Said Oommen, academic director of media artist animation of The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire.

The workshop involves drawing from a live figure and covers topics such as anatomy and gestures. To sign up for the Life Drawing workshop, or for more information, call The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire at (909) 915-2100.


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The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), with more than 40 educational institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.

Sharing Trees Sprouting at Inland Malls

Sharing Trees such as this one from a past holiday season at Inland Center Mall will soon sprout at Inland Center, Montclair Plaza, Ontario Mills Mall and the Redlands Wal-Mart. They’re staffed by workers and volunteers from The Salvation Army and provide an opportunity for visitors to help those less fortunate by shopping for toys on a needy child’s wish list. Photo by Carl Dameron

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calf.) 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, thanks to a program called Sharing Trees.

“This decades-long program is among the Army’s most popular efforts during the Christmas season,” said Captain Stephen Ball, head of the San Bernardino Corps of The Salvation Army. The children in need are helped, and the public is rewarded knowing they brought joy to a child who may have otherwise had an empty and sad holiday.”

The Salvation Army takes over portions of the Inland Center Mall (500 Inland Center Drive, San Bernardino), Ontario Mills Mall (1 Mills Circle, Ontario), Montclair Plaza (5060 E. Montclair Plaza Lane, Montclair) and the Redlands Wal-Mart (2050 W. Redlands Blvd., Redlands). In each, it sets up a Christmas tree and table starting 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 disadvantage children simply pluck a tag off the Sharing 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 suggested.

The Salvation Army also is looking for other businesses in both San Bernardino and Riverside counties, who would like to have a Sharing Tree at their place for employees and/or customers.

“This is a great way for business owners and managers to help the community this Christmas,” Capt. Ball said.

Families with children in need should have their parents submit their request to their nearest Salvation Army Corps in person.

“Bikes, electronic handheld games 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 just what is needed on the list.”

Salvation Army volunteers make sure the presents are wrapped and earmarked for the specific child. A Sharing Tree participant from last year describes her feelings perfectly: “Last year was my first time to participate in this annual Christmas tradition. Making children’s wishes come true brings me happiness. No matter how big or small the gift, the feeling of making a kid’s Christmas enjoyable is all that matters.”

To help, make a donation or for more information please call The Salvation Army at (888) 725-2769.


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About the Salvation Army San Bernardino Corps
The Salvation Army’s emergency services include 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.

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TV's Food Network to Offer $20,000 Scholarship

Chef Jeff Henderson

The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes announced that, as a part of its relationship with television’s Food Network, it will sponsor The Chef Jeff Project Scholarship Contest in which one lucky person has the chance to receive a $20,000 tuition scholarship to one of The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes. The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes will work with Chef Jeff Henderson to select the winner.

The Chef Jeff Project currently airs on Food Network on Sundays at 10 p.m. Pacific time.

The Chef Jeff Project Scholarship Contest was created to help individuals committed to building a better future for themselves. The competition is open to residents of the United States who are 17 and older.

Contest entrants will be asked to submit an essay of no more than 2,500 characters on "How would a culinary degree from The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes help you build a better future?" and complete an online entry form.

The deadline for entries is November 25, 2008 at 2 p.m. Pacific time.

“We are pleased to provide the opportunity for one student who is passionate about culinary arts to study at one of The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes through The Chef Jeff Project Scholarship Contest,” says Chef Michael Nenes, assistant vice president of Culinary Arts at The Art Institutes.

To find full contest details and learn how to enter, visit www.exploreculinary.com.

To learn more about The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes, visit www.artinstitutes.edu/pr.aspx?ID=cjp002 or www.exploreculinary.com.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Culinary Management, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion Marketing & Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Fashion Design. There are also Associate of Science degrees in Graphic Design and Culinary Arts. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.

It’s not too late to start classes at The Art Institute of California–Inland Empire. Courses begin Nov. 13 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.

For more information or a free tour of The Art Institute of California–Inland Empire call (909) 915-2100 or go on line to artinstitutes.edu/inlandempire.

About The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes
The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes are North America’s largest system of culinary programs with more than 30 locations. Based on classical Escoffier, Asian and Latin culinary techniques, with an emphasis on progressive trends and practices, the schools’ curricula are designed to develop and sharpen fundamental cooking techniques and professional skills, and introduce a variety of international cuisines. Internships, student-run school restaurants, guest lectures, Web-based seminars and study-abroad programs help broaden the scope of learning for students.

Program offerings vary at each school. Prospective students should check the course offerings at The Art Institute school they are interested in attending before enrolling. To learn more about The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes, visit www.artinstitutes.edu/culinary or www.exploreculinary.com.

Culinary Students Bring Smiles To Hospital's Kids

Jayden Gonzales two years old from Indio decorated his gingerbread house at the Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital last year, where he was recovering from leukemia. Jayden was helped by his mom Jennifer and Culinary student Nina Mendoza. Jayden was one of more than 60 sick children who decorated gingerbread houses donated by International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Culinary students and volunteers from Big Hearts for Little Hearts will return to the hospital Monday, Dec. 1 to help the children staying there during this holiday season decorate their own gingerbread houses. The 2008 houses will be on display at the hospital through mid-January 2009. Photo by Carl Dameron

Two-and-a-half-year-old Jose from Fontana decorated his gingerbread house and ate candy and icing last year, where he was recovering from a life-threatening dog bite to his head. Jose was helped by his mom Alica Tapea and Culinary student Nina Mendoza. Jose was one of more than 60 sick children who decorated gingerbread houses donated by International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Culinary students and volunteers from Big Hearts for Little Hearts will return to the hospital Monday, Dec. 1 to help the children staying there during this holiday season decorate their own gingerbread houses. The 2008 houses will be on display at the hospital through mid-January 2009. Photo by Carl Dameron

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Seriously ill boys and girls at Loma Linda Children’s Hospital will have something to smile about this Christmas season as students from the International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire once again create a hundred gingerbread houses for the kids to decorate.

“Last year was our first time working with the culinary students,” notes Dottie Rice, a nine-year volunteer with the hospital’s guild, Big Hearts for Little Hearts. “Our children were just thrilled, and really look forward to such a fun project once again.”

On Monday, December 1, the students, headed by The Art Institute’s Culinary Director and Executive Chef Eyad Joseph, will meet at the Loma Linda Children’s Hospital, 11234 Anderson Street, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. There they will gather with the young patients to help the children decorate the 100 gingerbread houses for Christmas utilizing candy and frosting galore. The public is invited to stop by for a few minutes or even longer, to help the sick and terminally ill boys and girls.

The finished houses, as always, are then put on public display in the hospital lobby where they’ll be shown through the middle of January. Guild President Eloise Habeadst says that people come from all over the Inland Empire just to see what the culinary students and the young patients have come up with.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Culinary Management, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion Marketing & Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation and a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Fashion Design. There are also Associate of Science degrees in Graphic Design and Culinary Arts. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.

It’s not too late to start classes at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. Courses begin Nov. 13 and classes are offered in the day, evening and on weekends for new and reentry students.

For more information or a free tour of The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire call (909) 915-2100 or go on line to artinstitutes.edu/inlandempire.