Friday, July 8, 2011

SHIELDS Recognized as one of Nations Top-Rated Nonprofits

We are pleased to announce that thanks to the dedication of our supporters, we've been named a Top-Rated nonprofit on @GreatNonprofits! 

Thank you for taking the time to write a review for us.
You can read and write reviews for us anytime at http://bit.ly/oqsrWs

Bernard Parks 8th District E-News


Dear Constituent,

As we reached the mid-point of 2011, I want to thank the entire community for your support and attendance at all of the 8th District events and programs. The next six months will bring more of the same, outstanding community events such as the three day music festival in Leimert Park on Labor Day weekend, the demolition  of city owned  property within Marlton Square in July , the pastors and religious leaders breakfast in August, the State of the Eighth/Star Program in September, the Taste of Soul in October, the Thanksgiving Turkey GIveaway & Christmas Tree Lighting in Leimert Park  in November and the annual Christmas Toy Giveaway in December. See you at these  events as they are being planned for the entire community.

Make sure you stay up to date with all the latest developments on my webpage www.bernardparks.com or twitter @BernardCParks and on Facebook at Facebook.com/CouncilmemberParks and Facebook.com/BernardCParks.
Thank you for your continued interest in the Great Eighth!

Respectfully,
BERNARD C. PARKS
Councilmember


Click HERE for full newsletter

http://www.simplesend.com/simple/textlink.asp?NewsletterID=59071

http://www.simplesend.com/simple/textlink.asp?NewsletterID=59071

2011 Youth Photo Empowerment Contest!

  Youth Photo Empowerment Contest! 

The Photo Empowerment Contest challenges you to apply your creative and artistic skills using photography.  We bet many of you may not even know you have skills behind the lens!  Well now is your chance to discover your hidden talents -this contest will  allow you to see your world and community in a whole new light!



You have the month of July and August to submit two photos and two writings
describing each photo. Each submission must express one or more of
the following THEMES of EMPOWERMENT:

OPPORTUNITY  

PRIDE
CHANGE
LEADERSHIP



PARENTS! PLEASE REGISTER VIA THE LINK BELOW AND CAREFULLY READ THE INSTRUCTIONS LISTED HERE! EVERYONE IS A WINNER!

We will display all photos on the National Urban League's

"I am Empowered" website.
You can create prints of your photos using our toolkit!
All participants will receive recognition for their participation.
Winners will be announced by August 15th*
*The number of top winners will depend on number of entries received.
 

Top winners will receive: Grand Prize $250 American Express Gift Certificate and Digital Camera
Second Place 14 Pixel Digital Fuji Camera
Third Place Compact Digital Camera

Winners will have their photos displayed at the National Urban League headquarters in New York City! 

AND....

Winners will receive a custom complimentary I Am Empowered t-shirt featuring the winning photos!


DEADLINES PUSHED BACK!

Deadline for parents to register: July 22, 2011

Deadline to submit final photos: August 26, 2011


PARENTS!
Click Here to Complete the MANDATORY REGISTRATION.


CONTEST INSTRUCTIONS
PART 1 - WRITING
You didn’t think it was going to be that easy now did you?...there’s one more part!  To accompany each photograph you will be asked to write a paragraph with no less than 200 words and no more than one page, single spaced, telling us the following:
-Why you chose the theme you selected for that particular photo.
-Why your chosen theme/s are significant or important to you.
-What made you snap that particular shot over another? (In other words, why did you decide to submit this photo instead of another shot in your bunch).
Don't forget to check your spelling!


Keep in mind we’re interested in your thoughts and your opinion.  The more descriptive and honest the better!
Remember - You must submit two writings; one for each photograph submitted.  Please do not submit more than two photos and two writings!
At the top of each writing please include the following heading:

2011 Photo Empowerment Contest

Name , Age
Phone Number
Email
Writing #1 or Writing #2


PART 2 - PHOTOS

 FINAL SUBMISSION
We will accept final submissions via hard copy mail or via upload through the link below only.  

CLICK HERE TO MANUALLY UPLOAD YOUR FINAL SUBMISSION.
If sending by mail, entries must be post marked by AUGUST 26.  Hard copy photos must be at least 4” x 6” in size. Send hard copy photos to:
National Urban League

Attention: Photo Empowerment Contest
120 Wall Street, 8th Floor
New York, New York 10005
 

GUIDELINES
  • Participants are encouraged to shoot personal lives, community events, school events, gatherings, summer events, festivals or social happenings to acquire eligible shots. 
  • Participants are encouraged to use digital cameras for the purposes of composition and quality and for ease of sharing and uploading.  Though not recommended, film cameras, camera phones or other digital photographic devices may be used as long as final submissions are clearly visible.  Photos may be black + white or color.                                  
CONTEST RULES

  • No content that is directly offensive to any ethnicity, gender, religion, or culture
  • Photos of unknowing participants that have a reasonable expectation of privacy shall not participate; i.e. photos of individuals walking on the street or in the background, for example, are permissible because these subjects do not have the same “reasonable” expectation of privacy as someone who is seen through their home window.


CONTACT US
If you have any questions please send them via email to PhotoEmpowers@nul.org or call
(212)558-5400 and ask to speak with someone with the Photo Empowerment Contest.
RESOURCES FOR PARENTS
Click the below links to learn more about National Urban League youth programs and ways the Urban League is engaging our youth across the Nation.
NUL Education and Youth
http://nul.org/what-we-do/our-programs/education-and-youth
I Am Empowered Education and Youth
http://iamempowered.com/get-empowered/education-youth-development
GOOD LUCK AND STAY EMPOWERED!

An Evening with Cornerstone Theater on Wednesday, July 27




Cornerstone Theater Wants to Know: What Feeds You?
 

On July 27th, The California Endowment, in conjunction with Cornerstone Theater Company (CTC), invites you to answer the question: “what feeds you?” In a time of crippling scarcity and overwhelming abundance, individuals and communities are responding to this question in different and compelling ways. By examining community health through this lens, CTC will unearth the complexity inherent in food system issues through The Hunger Cycle, a new series of world premiere plays that will be produced over the next four years to investigate the universal and urgent need for food.

Bring your personal experiences and stories to actively participate in the evening’s discussion facilitated by Cornerstone Theater, which will feature Michael John Garcés (CTC’s Artistic Director), members of CTC’s ensemble, and other community participants. Your stories and shared experiences will be collected and ultimately transformed into community-based theater pieces that will form The Hunger Cycle.

The Center for Food and Justice (CFJ), a division of the Urban & Environmental Policy Institute at Occidental College, will be on hand to provide a framework to discuss the current state of food and hunger in Los Angeles and the resources available to us locally.
 
About  

Over the last 25 years, Cornerstone Theater Company has produced over 80 original productions, exploring urban and rural populations facing complex issues around themes including faith, justice, the environment, and sexuality. Last year, Cornerstone completed The Justice Cycle, with sold out performances of Naomi Iizuka’s 3 Truths 
at California Plaza in downtown Los Angeles after spending the previous four years exploring issues of justice and how laws shape and disrupt communities.

Over the next four years, Cornerstone will examine our country’s current hunger crisis through the eyes of people who are directly affected by the complex issues of food and hunger – food equity, access, nutrition, health, and the environment.

CLICK HERE TO RSVP |

 Admission is free; however, an RSVP is required.

The dialog and workshops will last approximately 45 minutes.
Audience question-and-answer session will immediately follow.

Please e-mail
rsvpchc@calendow.org with any questions.

 


Date
Wednesday, July 27th

Check-In
Begins at 5:45 p.m.

Program
Starts at 6:30 p.m.

Venue

 The California Endowment
Center for Healthy Communities
Yosemite Hall
1000 North Alameda
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Click here for a map and directions

We look forward to seeing you!

The Youth in Transition 365 (YT365) Conference Los Angeles

The Youth in Transition 365 (YT365) Conference
Los Angeles

The YT365™ conference series has been developed to further assist youth who are wards of the state, which often consist of individuals involved in the following out of home care systems:  foster care, group home, legal guardian pre-adoption and relative kinship caregiver.  The conference has been developed in order to assist the thousands of youth who are under state care and face many transitions 365 days of the year.

The conference is divided in two strands, the Pre transition-age and the Transition age group.  The strands consist of five major themes which are: Personal Growth, Education, Financial Independence, Health & Wellness, Transition and Independent Living.  These topics and the strand design have been developed to provide maximum growth and learning for age-based participants.

Donation: $30

DUE TO THE TREMENDOUS RESPONSE OF SUPPORT THERE ARE ONLY 150 SEATS LEFT AVAILABLE FOR REGISTRATION


Contact
The Youth in Transition 365 (YT365) Conference | Los Angeles
The Youth in Transition 365 (YT365)
yt365@onfocus.org
415-671-4363

When
Saturday July 30, 2011 from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM PDT

Where
West Los Angeles College | Fine Arts Building
9000 Overland Avenue
Culver City, CA 90230 

Chili's Cordially Invites You To SHIELDS for Families Night!

MAKE SURE TO BRING FLYER WITH YOU IN ORDER FOR ORDER TO BENEFIT SHIELDS!
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FLYER