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.
-end-

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.

-end-

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.

-end-

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.


-end-

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.
-end-

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.


###

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.


-end-
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.

-end-

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.

Kaleidoscope of Skills Helps Art Institute Students Start Careers

Cindy Jones

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Cindy Jones, the new Director of Career Services at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire, faces a unique challenge when she helps pending graduates look toward careers.

“Our students aren’t typical,” she says. “They’re highly talented in creative fields. On top of that, the companies in these creative areas are out of the ordinary, too. Helping upcoming graduates prepare to find entry jobs in, say, animation, video game design or aiding a chef is a totally different challenge than coaching them to interview for a teaching position or something in retail sales.”

At the end of the next year, Jones estimates, “We’ll have probably a hundred grads to assist with employment. To help them land their entry level positions, we show them how to prepare resumes, describe job search strategies and even conduct mock interviews. We take them on fieldtrips to various employers, too, and hold workshops on such topics as Professionalism On the Job.”

Jones’ background will do her well, having owned an art gallery in Big Bear Lake where she had to interface with more than 200 artists, market her monthly exhibits and annual juried art shows and cultivate relationships with community businesses. She coached the artists, as well, in how to make their personal presentations to other galleries.

Previously, she was a producer for a top food photography studio in Pasadena with clients that included Frito-Lay, Pepsi, Burger King and Lucky Markets. Her intern programs lured students from across the nation, helping them understand the intricacies of everything from budgeting to working with the public. Additionally, Jones developed and supervised photography and culinary intern programs for students.

Aided by Career Services Advisor Brenda Medina, Cindy Jones says one of their greatest tasks is in creating, then further developing, partnerships within the community. “For instance, we have to get out among the businesses to learn how their field is changing and how their needs for personnel are evolving. This helps us in guiding our graduates, but also in modifying our school curriculum to keep it relevant.”

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 40 educational institutions throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.


-end-

Donor Campaign Raises More Than $40,000 For The Salvation Army, More Is Needed

Salvation Army San Bernardino Corps Commander Capt. Stephen Ball; Arlene Lewis, wife of U. S. Congressman Jerry Lewis; Salvation Army Advisory Board Member Annorr Gowdy and Advisory Board Chairman Tom Brickley review plans for adding transitional living apartments to the soon-to-be-remodeled shelter at 925 10th Street, where The Salvation Army recently hosted a fund-raising luncheon. In early 2009 it will become the Hospitality House shelter for 125 women and children. Photo by Carl Dameron

Stater Brothers executives Steve Landry, district manager; Judy Lewis, chief financial officer and Sarah Cain, executive director of Stater Brothers Charities, present a $6,918.31 check to Nancy Tortorelli, financial officer for The Salvation Army and Capt. Stephen Ball, commander of the San Bernardino Corps of The Salvation Army. Photo by Carl Dameron

San Bernardino Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Judy Penman and San Bernardino City Attorney James Penman listen to a speaker at a lunch held to honor large donors to The Salvation Army Corps of San Bernardino. Photo by Carl Dameron



(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) The Salvation Army Corps of San Bernardino raised about $40,000 on Wednesday, Nov. 12, when it hosted a fund-raising luncheon at its future homeless shelter.

Most of this came in the form of donations of $1,000 or more from wealthy San Bernardino-area residents who share the Salvation Army’s vision for helping the community. Among these donors were Congressman Jerry and Arlene Lewis of Redlands.

For 30 years, Jerry Lewis has served as a representative in the United States Congress, and prior to then as a California Assembly member. But even before he entered politics, Congressman Lewis developed an appreciation for the services The Salvation Army provides.

“As a student at the University of California, Los Angeles, he had the opportunity to travel to India,” Arlene Lewis said. “He remembers seeing an ophthalmologist with The Salvation Army there and a long line of people standing in front of him waiting to have their cataracts removed so they could see. “

The building at 925 10th Street where the San Bernardino Corps plans to move its Hospitality House shelter in 2009 now houses the Adult Rehabilitation Center, a Salvation Army program serving 77 men who are recovering from drug and alcohol addictions. Arlene Lewis publicly acknowledges that branch of The Salvation Army became personally significant to her family a few years ago, when her son lived there for a short time while battling addiction.

“I love The Salvation Army and what they do here,” she said. “Especially because of our personal experience, Jerry and I want to help them in any way we can. We are excited about the plans for growth the Salvation Army has.”

Soon, Adult Rehabilitation Center will move to a new facility on Doolittle Street, with room to treat 125 men. The San Bernardino Corps will then remodel the building on 10th Street to better serve 100 homeless women and children, and it will build eight to 12 apartments so that some of these guests can have a better opportunity to rebuild their lives after becoming homeless, through transitional housing.

A donation of $6,918.31 came from Stater Brothers’ Charities, a 501c3 non-profit foundation the grocery store chain formed in March of this year to better serve the communities where it does business.

“The Salvation Army serves on the front lines of those communities, so we decided to make a major donation,” said Foundation Executive Director Sarah Cain. “We want to help in their relief efforts.”

The Salvation Army has a rich history in San Bernardino. It began serving here in 1887, just 12 years after William and Catherine Booth founded the international organization in London.

For the last four to five decades, some of that service has taken place at the 925 10th Street Building. The San Bernardino Corps also had a shelter on Kingman Street for many years, but the shelter is now temporarily operating in the Headquarters Building on Fifth Street.

The Headquarters building has also served the community for decades as a church, a place for the needy to receive donations of food, toys and clothing and a staging point for emergency relief operations.

“As a shelter, the Headquarters building is a temporary solution,” said Capt. Stephen Ball. “When we remodel this shelter, we will be able to serve more women and children.”

To put a human face on the good The Salvation Army has done in recent years, four recipients of its hospitality told the lunch guests about their experiences with the Adult Rehabilitation Center and the Hospitality House.

Trent, a former guest of the Adult Rehabilitation Center, was able to break his addiction to methamphetamine and other drugs through the treatment program offered there. Through a Salvation Army Corps program called Pathway to Prosperity, he was then able to earn a certificate at San Bernardino Valley College to become a drug and alcohol counselor.

“I’ve been through a lot but I would do it all over again if I knew I’d end up where I am today,” Trent said. “I have nothing but pats on the back for The Salvation Army.”

Robin stayed at the Hospitality House with her husband and four children after both adults in the family lost their jobs and subsequently, their car and their home. The Salvation Army was able to immediately offer not just shelter, but a job for Robin’s husband as a company truck driver. That allowed the family to save up for an apartment and a new car.

Since then, her husband has obtained a better-paying job as a driver for the City of San Bernardino and she has found work with the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools. She still spends a lot of time at Hospitality House, because her job entails tutoring the children who live there now.

“I just want to thank The Salvation Army for helping us to get back on our feet,” she said.

Jose, who is not yet 18 years old, has endured homelessness several times, along with his mother and his two younger brothers. Each time, he said, the staff of the Hospitality House has welcomed them and treated them with respect. As he nears adulthood, he helps with The Salvation Army’s youth ministry and is learning valuable leadership skills for a brighter future.

“If it wasn’t for The Salvation Army, I don’t know what would happen to me, my mom and my brothers,” he said.

Amanda, age 17, stayed briefly at The Hospitality House this year after her family threw her out on the streets. She continues to take part in its youth ministry. She said she first came with a negative attitude, but now sees that people there truly want to help.

“Because of The Salvation Army, I had a place to stay,” she said through her tears. “They care about me and want the best for me.”

While the $40,000 raised through the luncheon held Wednesday is greatly appreciated, more is needed to help people like Trent, Robin, Jose and Amanda. The Salvation Army is therefore encouraging others to give what they can.

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

From mid-November 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.

Donations of time are also highly needed. For one, The Salvation Army wants to beef up the volunteer bellringer force. It also needs volunteers for its upcoming Thanksgiving dinner.

And, with holiday shopping on most people’s 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.

Those interested in donating time or presents should call the San Bernardino Corps at (909) 888-1336. After Thanksgiving, 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.

-end-

Ad Club To Host Media Auction

(ONTARIO, Calif.) The Inland Empire Chapter of the American Advertising Federation (AAF) will host its annual Media Auction Tuesday, Nov. 18, 6:30-8:30PM at Dave and Busters in Ontario.

The auction is an opportunity for media buyers to purchase advertising at dramatically reduced rates, according to John McCarthy, program chair at the AAF. “These are incredible deals and the selling price for advertising is often 15-25% of actual value.”

For example, McCarthy said that radio spots on K-FROG valued at $3,420 sold for $600 and KCAL FM radio worth $4,050 sold for $500. A local cable TV package valued at $2,000 sold for $400.

In addition to the media auction, the ad club will also offer deep discounts on hotel packages, amusement park tickets, public relations services, photography and more.

Proceeds from the Media Auction helps support student scholarships and last year, over $2,500 was awarded to local college bound students.

Admission to the Media Auction is open to the public and there is no charge to attend.

For more information: http://aaf-inlandempire.com/events.html

-end-

Celebrate the Holiday Season with a Lunch at Seasons

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) If you are looking for a great restaurant to meet with a few clients, associates or friends for the holiday season, The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire has the perfect place: Seasons Restaurant.

“We have a few reservations left between now and Christmas,” said International Culinary School Director and Executive Chef Eyad Joseph. “The restaurant was designed as on-the-job training for our talented and award-winning culinary students, but it has been highly successful since opening in July.”

Seasons is open to the public from 1 p.m. through 3 p.m., Mondays through Wednesdays, now through Dec. 17 at the San Bernardino campus, 630 East Brier Drive. Because of its popularity and seating for just 40 diners, reservations are suggested, but not required.

Seasons always offers menus featuring the best foods of a given season. For the duration of the current quarter those menus will focus on the upcoming holidays.

“That’s part of the reason the name was chosen: seasonal menus, plus seasonings in food preparation,” Chef Joseph said.

Ala carte lunch prices range from $6.50 to $12.00 The restaurant also welcomes call-in orders. The phone number for either reservations or call-in orders is (909) 915-2170.

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 and 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.

The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), a system of over 40 education institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.

Emaly Yruretagoyena won a 42-inch high-definition television during the student cooking competition held during Taste of Korea. She is a student at Crafton Hills College.



Winners and judges in the Korean cooking contest held during Taste of Korea.

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Students from The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California - Inland Empire, Riverside Community College and elsewhere took part in a Korean cooking competition as part of the recent Taste of Korea event held in downtown’s Court Street Square.

The students competed in two-chef teams, preparing kimchi, a staple of the traditional Korean diet and a kimchi fusion dish, that is incorporating the pickled vegetables that make up kimchi into something from another culture.

Grand Prize winners, receiving $1,000 each, were Rosanna Saldana 20, of Ontario and Nina Mendiola 28, of Fontana. Both attend the International Culinary School.

Gold Prize winners, receiving $750 each, were Domonic Pena, 22 of Fontana and Robert Vasquez, 22. Both attend the International Culinary School.

Silver Prize winners, receiving $500 each, were Chris Harwood 31, of Yucaipa and Eddie Silvas 24, of Colton. Both attend the International Culinary School.

Bronze Prize winners, receiving $400 each, were Angela Carriaga 28, of Colton and Ceci Dominguez 30, of Fontana. Both attend the International Culinary School.

Popularity Awards, each worth $250 per contestant, were given to the team of Roy Revelles and Idana Munez, and to Heather Fisher and Gabriel Woo. Revelles is a Redlands attorney, and all are are students at the International Culinary School.

Spectator Emaly Yruretagoyena 19, of Redlands, who attends Crafton Hills College, won a 42-inch high-definition television.

The Taste of Korea was sponsored by the Korea Agro-Trade Center, The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire and the San Bernardino Convention & Visitor’s Bureau.

The Korea Agro-Trade Center is an agency of the Korean government, and its purpose is to promote Korean agriculture. It has done this by holding cooking festivals in the Los Angeles area, but this is its first time the Taste of Korea will be held in the Inland Empire.

Families In Need Can Enjoy Food Baskets & Toys For Christmas

The Salvation Army will collect boxes and boxes of non-perishable food and toys to give in gift baskets for the area’s needy.


(San Bernardino, CA) Every year families in need can turn to the Salvation Army to help to feed their families this Christmas and let their children have a little fun this holiday season. Last year the Salvation Army received thousands of food and toy baskets for the families in need, this year The Inland Empire Corps hope there will be an even bigger turn out.

From now until December your local Salvation Army Corp. is accepting donations for Christmas assistance. The turn out every year brings hundreds of families to the Salvation Army and providing up to 10,000 families in need with food and toy baskets.

“If we could get 200 families to donate food and toys, up to 1200 families will receive the holiday baskets.” Said Envoy Naomi Tamez of the Ontario Salvation Army Corp. Similar numbers of families can be helped through each of the nine corps in the Inland Empire. This year the Salvation Army urges Inland Empire residents and families to help other families have a holiday they will never forget.

To make a donation or sign up for assistance visit your local Salvation Army Corp. Here is a list of locations and dates:

San Bernardino: 746 W 5 St San Bernardino, CA Dates: Nov 5 – 7, 10 – 12 & 15
Phone: 909-888-1336

Victorville: 14585 La Paz Dr. Victorville, CA Dates: Oct 15 – Open
Phone: 760-245-2545

Ontario: 1412 S Euclid Ave. Ontario, CA Dates: Now – Dec 19
Phone: 909-986-6748

Redlands: 838 Alta St Redlands, CA Dates: Nov 3 – Nov 28
Phone: 909-792-6868

Cathedral City: 30400 Landau Blvd, Cathedral City, CA Nov 3-5
Phone: 760-324-2275

-end-

About the Salvations Army San Bernardino Corps
The Salvation Army may be able to provide emergency services including food; lodging for homeless or displaced families; clothing and furniture; assistance with rent or mortgage and transportation when funds are available. The Salvation Army Team Radio Network assists rescue workers and evacuees in such disasters as fires.

The Salvation Army is an evangelical part of the Universal Christian church and also offers evangelical programs for boys, girls and adults. One of the largest charitable and international service organizations in the world, The Salvation Army has been in existence since 1865 and in San Bernardino since 1887, supporting those in need without discrimination. Donations may always be made online at www.salvationarmyusa.org or by calling 1-(800)-SAL-ARMY.


--

Thanksgiving Turkey Dinners Ready To Order at International Culinary School

Let students of The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire prepare a Thanksgiving Day feast for you an your loved ones. The holiday dinners include turkey, side dishes and pie for six for $65.


(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) Thanksgiving dinner is only a phone call away! Culinary students at The International Culinary School at the Art Institute of California-Inland Empire are announcing the annual Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner program, open to the public.

Thanksgiving dinners, cooked entirely by students at The International Culinary School include a 12lb turkey, corn bread stuffing, cranberry sauce, a dozen dinner rolls, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans almondine and choice of a pumpkin, pecan or apple pie. Dinner will serve a family of six for a total of $65.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for families to save money this year and still enjoy a Thanksgiving feast,” said Chef Eyad Joseph, Director of Culinary Programs at the International Culinary School. “I don’t know where you can go to find such a high quality dinner at this price,” he said.

According to Joseph, the program gives culinary students an opportunity to cook and prepare Thanksgiving dinners while raising money for a worthy cause. All proceeds will go toward scholarships for culinary students enrolled at the college.

The deadline to order dinner is Monday, Nov. 17. Orders will be ready for pick up Monday through Wednesday, Nov. 24-26, from 8 a.m. through 8 p.m. Instructions for reheating will be included with each order. Orders can be placed at (909) 915-2176.

The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire is located at 630 E. Brier Dr., San Bernardino in the Hospitality area off Interstate 10 at Waterman.

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.
The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), a system of over 40 education institutions throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.

-end-

International Culinary Schools team scores six medals at Culinary Olympics

[PITTSBURGH, NOVEMBER 10, 2008] – Recently a team of eight chefs chosen to represent The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes traveled to Efurt, Germany to compete against some of the world’s top chefs and confectioners in the 22nd Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung (IKA) International Culinary Art Competition or “culinary Olympics.” The culinary Olympics are considered the most prestigious competition in the culinary industry—taking place only once every four years.

In the Culinary Arts category, The International Culinary Schools team earned five silver medals and one bronze medal in the Pâtisserie category.

The International Culinary Schools team included: Master Chef Walter Leible, Assistant Director of the Culinary Arts Program, The Art Institute of Phoenix, who served as the team’s captain and coach; also coaching the team Chef Bill Sy, Academic Director of Culinary Arts, The Art Institute of Tucson; Chef Larry Matson, Culinary Director, The Art Institute of Dallas; Chef Michael Nenes, Assistant Vice President of Culinary Arts, The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes, Chef Eric Watson and Chef Manuel Catemaxca, both Chef Instructors, The Art Institute of Houston; Chef Robert Childers, Chef Instructor, The Illinois Institute of Art – Chicago; and Tyler Burke, Culinary Arts student, The Art Institute of Phoenix.

“The International Culinary Schools team presence and accomplishments at the culinary Olympics was important because it demonstrates the expertise of our culinary faculty to the international culinary community,” said Chef Michael Nenes, Assistant Vice President of Culinary Arts for The International Culinary Schools.

Four days, each filled with twenty hours of hard work, led to the discovery of the worlds best in the culinary industry. Preparation and practice were key. “Historically, most entrants participating in the culinary Olympics dedicate an immense amount of time to the planning process in order to stay ahead of the competition,” said Chef Nenes. The International Culinary Schools team prepared for the event in a remarkably short amount of time. “Most teams spend a minimum of two years choosing and planning their competition menus. The International Culinary Schools team was able to pull our competition menus together in six months,” remarked Chef Nenes.

To learn more about The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes, visit www.artinstitutes.edu/pr.aspx?ID=cul091 or www.exploreculinary.com.

About The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes
The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes is North America’s largest system of culinary programs with over 30 locations.

Based on classical Escoffier, Asian and Latin culinary techniques, with an emphasis on progressive trends and practices, the schools’ curriculum 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 and 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.

About The Art Institutes
The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu) is a system of over 40 education institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary professionals.

Enter the Passion For Fashion Competition at The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire

High school seniors are encouraged to enter the Passion for Fashion Scholarship competition sponsored by The Art Institutes.

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) The search is on! The Art Institute of California - Inland Empire is looking for high school seniors interested in pursuing a career in the fashion industry to enter The Art Institutes Passion for Fashion Competition.

The Passion for Fashion Competition was created to encourage and reward young fashion talent.

One grand prize winner in each of the two categories (i) Fashion Design and (ii) Fashion Marketing & Merchandising and Retail Management will be selected to receive a full tuition scholarship to study at a participating Art Institutes location.

To be eligible to enter, students must be a high school senior scheduled to graduate in 2009. In the Fashion Design category, entry requirements include submission of an original evening wear design. In the Fashion Marketing & Merchandising and Retail Management category, entry requirements include a finished product or plan.

“We recognize that an interest in fashion has to start somewhere, and for many young men and women, that passion is nurtured right in high school,” said Director of Admissions Monica Jeffs of The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire.

In addition to a full tuition scholarship, the grand prize winning student in each category will receive an all-expense- paid trip to New York City for Fashion Week in February 2009, a “meet and greet” at Seventeen Magazine’s offices and lunch with staff at Seventeen Magazine.

The deadline to submit entries to The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire is November 21, 2008.

For complete rules and entry requirements on how to enter The Art Institutes Passion for Fashion Competition, visit www.artinstitutes.edu/pr.aspx?ID=p4f093http://

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.
The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), a system of over 40 education institutions throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.

-end-

Church to Present Helen McNair in Christmas Concert

New Hope Missionary Baptist Church presents Helen McNair in a Christmas concert Sunday, December 7, 2008 at 5:00 p.m.


(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) New Hope Missionary Baptist Church presents professional singer Helen McNair in a Christmas concert Sunday, December 7, 2008 at 5:00 p.m. The church is at 1575 W. 17th Street, San Bernardino. Dr. Robert L. Fairley is Pastor.

The mass choir and musicians of New Hope will assist her, including Minister of Music, Michael Jackson; Blinkey Williams–Powell, Director/Musician, Mass choir; and Carl Wilson, Director/Musician, Sanctuary choir.

The Guest Choir for the event will be Good News Community Church of Riverside. Ira Gray is the Musician/Director, and the Rev. Levonzo Gray is Pastor.

McNair began her professional career in the 1960s, along with her two sisters, in New Brunswick, New Jersey where they were known as the “Georgettes.” They began by singing in their church and traveling to New York City to record as background singers for professional and upcoming artists. “The group recorded ten records, none of which became national hits,” she said, “but were popular in the New Jersey and New York areas.”

McNair relocated to California in the ‘80s, where she continued to sing as a solo artist. She recalls, “During one of my engagements at Norton Air Force Base in San Bernardino, Mrs. Gertrude Ward, the manager of the Clara Ward Singers, approached me when I had finished singing and asked me to come to Los Angeles for an audition. I went and auditioned and became a Clara Ward Singer.” The Clara Ward Singers were instrumental in bringing gospel music out of the church and into the main stream, performing in nightclubs, Las Vegas and Disneyland.

McNair has performed on stage with some of the gospel greats as well as The Clara Ward Singers. Other artists include Professor James Cleveland, Professor Raymond Rasberry, Gregory Perkins-Bowen, Vernard Johnson, Shirley Caesar and Albertina Walker.

Currently, McNair performs for weddings, banquets, community organizations and church functions throughout the Inland Empire, Los Angeles and beyond. Her repertoire includes, gospel, spirituals, songs for special occasions and the classics. She is a member of the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in San Bernardino, and is active in the Sanctuary choir, the Mass choir and the Mission chorus.

McNair can be reached for concerts and bookings at (951) 315-5691 or FAX (909) 888-2331.

-end-

Teachers love Thursdays at Cafe d'Eisenhower

Sonia Rincon, working as a server at student-run Cafe d'Eisenhower, gives a slice of cheesecake to Eisenhower High School Assistant Principal Joe Dumond. Although Cafe d'Eisenhower is a tiny restaurant in Eisenhower High's culinary arts classroom, students create and serve meals the caliber of which can be found in a reservations-required commercial restaurant.



(RIALTO, Calif.) Most days, the teachers, administrators, counselors and support staff at Eisenhower High School in Rialto are so busy, they forget all about lunch. But not on Thursdays.

On Thursdays, a small group of students tempts their taste buds with dishes like Chicken Parmesan, Cesar salad and a macaroon desert. These students, members of the advanced culinary arts class double as the staff of Café d’Eisenhower, an on-campus restaurant catering almost exclusively to the school’s employees.

“I try to eat here every Thursday,” said Yvonne Jenkins, the school’s receptionist. “I’m mostly doing it to support them, but everything they prepare is very good.”

Jenkins has worked at the school for five years, but previously was an Eisenhower mom. Her four children all graduated from the school, and she knew about Café d’Eisenhower in those days too.

Some of her co-workers have been eating at Café d’Eisenhower since before the current student workers were born. No one who works at Eisenhower these days is sure when the restaurant first opened, but some have been enjoying the gourmet meals there since the mid-1980s.

“It’s so good, sometimes the retired staff comes back for lunch,” said Mary Saxon Hobbs, a retired school counselor who had, in fact, come back to her former workplace just to take in a Café’ d’Eisenhower meal.

“It’s the highlight of my week,” said Assistant Principal Joe Dumond, who adds that on the other four days, he’s so busy he doesn’t normally have time to even think about lunch.

Café’d’Eisenhower serves the quality of food where reservations are strongly encouraged. The other reason for reservations is because it only seats 30, and because most of the diners must take their lunch at a specific time (A Lunch or B Lunch), it fills up rapidly. That’s especially true during the first seating, a.k.a. A Lunch, where 28 of the 30 seats were filled during one recent meal.

The students are well prepared for their guests.

It’s all planned way in advance, and most of it is prepared beforehand. Preparations include not just cooking the meals, but also sending out invitations to Eisenhower and selected other Rialto Unified employees and making special accommodations for anyone who RSVP’s but has special dietary needs, or a preference for a vegetarian diet.

Wednesdays, students stay after school to and into the evening to make sure everything is as ready as it can be.

When class starts on Thursday, the tables, which are used as desks by instructor Carol Bertottto’s other students throughout the day, are transformed into six elegant seating areas with green tablecloths, white paper napkins and an array of silverware. Salads are assembled and lightly dressed, entrees are heated up and finishing touches like whipped cream flowerets are added to deserts.

And occasionally, entire meals are prepared. Since reservations aren’t mandatory, there might be far more visitors than the class had planned for. Once, early in the year no less, the students had prepared food for 30 guests, only to have about 60 show up.

“That was hard,” said Georgiana Witrago, a 12th-grader with aspirations to own her own bakery some day. “Everyone was in the kitchen helping out, and it all worked out.”

Normally, about half the students are in the kitchen working with food during Café’ d’Eisenhower’s open hours. The other half are working as a host or hostess and servers.

The first person to greet a visitor to Café d’Eisenhower is usually the day’s host or hostess. He or she checks the reservation list, collects the $7 charged per meal and invites the visitor to take any available seat at the five tables seating six people each.

Almost immediately, a student server appears, bearing a salad on a china plate and asking what you’d like to drink. Water, tea and lemonade are available, all served in glasses with lots of ice. Coffee is available too.

As soon as you finish the salad, your server returns with the main dish. Likewise, as soon as you’re done with this entrée, the server returns with desert.

Discreetly, the server is also taking away dirty dishes as they are used. This sever isn’t going very far with them, as this tiny restaurant’s kitchen is merely a divider away from the “dining room.”

Behind the divider, Bertotto and the students on kitchen duty are hard at work. Some are chefs, others clean things.

A number of students, these actually in the intermediate culinary class, are packaging food into “to go boxes” and carrying them out of the restaurant for hand-delivery to teachers and administrators who couldn’t break away from their desks.

Other than the intermediate students on the to-go crew, the job students do varies each week, so that everyone will have equal experience hosting, serving, cooking and cleaning.

“They have their hand in everything here,” said Counselor Wendy Better. “They plan the meals, they cook, they serve. They do it all very well.”

The quick but discreet service offered at Café d’Eisenhower and many other fine restaurants requires some learning, according to several students. It’s especially difficult at a school restaurant, where the diners usually only have 35 minutes for lunch. If any A Lunch guests tarry, the students will be bussing tables when B Lunch visitors come expecting the usual quick service. If any B Lunch visitors run late, the students may end up tardy to their fifth period class.

“It helps us to learn time management,” Witrago said. “We can’t be slow, but we can’t rush them either.”

Why do these students work after school two days a week and give up their entire lunch on Thursdays?

“I’m in this class because I love to cook,” said Sonia Rincon, a sentiment her classmates agreed with. “And it will look good on my transcript.”

If they’re not going to work in a restaurant or bakery, most of the students in Advanced Culinary Arts have plans that entail college. Rincon, for instance, hopes to become a lawyer.

The most important thing students learn in Advanced Culinary Arts is not how to sautee, flambé or grill. It’s teamwork.

“We’re like a body,” Rincon said. “If one person doesn’t come, we are missing a piece. And without teamwork, you can’t run a restaurant.”

The program now known as HECT has undergone a transformation over the last 30 years. Prior to the 1960s, the program focused on training women in skills they would need as wives and mothers. But, as more women began working outside the home, California changed its home economics curriculum to reflect this, and added the Home Economics Related Occupations component.

As all professions, including those in home economics related industries became more dependent on technology, so did the courses offered in secondary schools. To reflect this change, California renamed its home economics program Home Economics Careers and Technology in the 1990s.


-end-