“They don’t need to cut taxes,” Maryjane Marron, a petite 21-year-old caretaker and resident of South Los Angeles with flowing brown hair, declared as she stood in a long line of people, waiting for her free breakfast Tuesday morning at Denny’s in South Central. “But they need to help the poor people,” she urged with a stern look on her face.
This sentiment of the federal government stepping in to help communities in need around the country is shared throughout the area surrounding the University of Southern California. With the economy spiraling into the worst shape it has been in since the Great Depression, and with an unemployment rate of 7.6 percent nationally and greater still in California, community members look to the federal government for help. They want to see that change the President Barack Obama promised in his campaign.
Lorna Ward, a jovial woman — who refused to give her age, saying “she is retired and that’s all anyone needs to know” — is an online proprietor of herbal medicines and active member of the South Los Angeles community whose short cut hair matches her spunky attitude. She said that party divisions aren’t the only things keeping the country’s two political parties from coming together in this economic crisis. “The people are not together,” she said very sharply. “Everyone is very selfish. They think, ‘What can I get now for myself?’”
Ward says that, though federal support is ultimately needed, it is the responsibility of the members in a community to come together and work for a common cause. “[During the 50s and 60s], we had the mentality of ‘I need it now,’ so we worked together and did what we needed to do to get it,” she explained. “Nowadays there are no common goals.”
But Ward is looking forward to the stimulus bill working. She, like many other community members, sees that monetary support from the government is the only way to insure that common goals are accomplished.
Charles Lewis, a 64-year-old Vietnam veteran with tired eyes, says that the government needs to take better care of military veterans. “We need more money for war vets,” he demanded. “We need to increase that amount of money [going to veterans].”
According to the Department of Veteran Affairs Veteran data and information Web site, there were 23.8 million veterans living in the United States at the end of 2007, 7.9 million of whom were from the Vietnam War era. However, Lewis claims that he and his fellow veterans are losing their benefits, which he says are already below the poverty level. “There are over 7 million Vietnam vets in the country — and they go unpaid,” he explained angrily. “The government is just not paying attention.”
The $787 billion stimulus bill provides for $14.2 billion to give one-time $250 payments to Social Security recipients, to poor people on Supplemental Security Income, and to veterans receiving disability and pensions. But Lewis believes this is not enough. “There is a lot more they can do — they should do,” he added, pounding his fist on an invisible desk.
Another area of concern for South Los Angeles community members is education. When asked where federal funds should be spent, 13-year-old Deshon Hamilton, small and bright-eyed, said the money should go back to the people, in his case, the children. “We need more money for school,” he said.
Alfred Green, 14, who stood with a straight back and head lifted high, as if to show his authority on the matter, echoed the need for educational funding. “We need more money for books and stuff. Everything is all raggedy,” he pointed out.
Ward said she had only one child go through school in the Los Angeles Unified School District. “The education system in Los Angeles is terrible, and I have seen it go from bad to worse.”
Vera Lewis, who is developing an afterschool arts program, says she thinks the city needs to have more performing arts schools. “I want to see dance and music come back into the community.
We need to have it set up so that younger generations can better express themselves.” Though she seemed reserved at first, not wanting to divulge too much information, she said this last statement with true conviction.
But she, like her fellow community members, knows that help needs to come from the federal government. “We need a way to finance this. It needs to be affordable to the people in the community,” she added.
The stimulus bill will give $44.5 billion in aid to local school districts to help prevent layoffs and cutbacks, with flexibility to be uses for school modernization and repair and $25.2 billion to school districts to fund special education and the No Child Left Behind Act for students in K-12. There is no indication, however, that there will be enough funding to start bringing arts programs back into public schools.
And in a final thought about the passing of Obama’s stimulus bill, tax cuts or not, Marron and the rest of the community said they are looking forward to a change. “I just hope the Obama [administration] helps the people.”
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Riverside Rotary Club and Interact
Popular culture has painted a picture of the American teenager as a self-serving person who cares only about shopping malls and meeting the opposite sex. But a group of high school students at Polytechnic High School in Riverside, Calif. has contradicted this image by engaging in some community outreach programs — some reaching as far away as Tijuana, Mexico.
Students in Poly High School’s Interact Club, which is sponsored by the Riverside Rotary Club, have been involved with community service for the past 15 years. Though not as widely known as the Kiwanis’ comparable high school program, Key Club, Interact has become a staple in many high school students’ lives.
Poly Interact boasts 70 members, and is composed of teens that are involved in activities ranging from band, who make up about two-thirds of the participants, to varsity athletics and involvement in other clubs. The club engages in volunteer activities at local convalescent homes and tutors at area elementary schools.
The group was formed in 1994 by Thomas Hollenhorst, an associate justice of the Court of Appeals, Fourth Appellate District, who has been an active member in Riverside Rotary for 30 years, and his youngest son, who was a senior at Poly. Hollenhorst explained that bringing Interact to Poly was not an easy task. “There was an active Key Cub there already. They sensed an intruder,” he said. To gain support, his son, who was an active band member, helped recruit students to the community service program. “It was cool to be in band, and it was cool to be in Interact,” Hollenhorst joked.
The group started off with 15 eager students who wanted to lend a helping hand in their community. One of the first projects they under took was a tutoring program for students at the impoverished Bryant Elementary School in Riverside. Now, the group is involved with the Heart’s Program at Alcott Elementary, which is across the street from Poly.
George H. Ustariz, the president of Riverside Rotary who has been a member of Riverside Rotary for 15 years and involved with interact for 4 years and whose daughter is an active member, explained that the tutoring program, which runs after school from 3:05 p.m. until 4:15 p.m., is becoming more popular every year. He said that more than 130 children receive tutoring through the Heart’s Program, which is an increase from last year.
Interact members also travel to convalescent homes every Thursday to visit with residents and bring gifts like blankets and stuffed animals. “We’ve done the convalescent tours for years,” Ustariz said. In an interview with the Press-Enterprise, he explained that these trips are “very special,” especially since one of Riverside Rotary’s members is a convalescent home resident. “John [Beal] has been a longtime member of the club and it meant [a] great deal to him that we were there for her,” he told the Press-Enterprise.
The project that the group is most proud of, however, is the work it’s doing in Tijuana, Mexico. Partnering with the Tijuana Oeste Rotary Club, Interact and Riverside Rotary have been working to improve Casa Hogar Dibujando Una Sonrisa orphanage that is home to some 54 children. Every Christmas, the group brings food, clothes and presents to the children. But the bulk of their work has been on the facility itself.
Hollenhorst reminisced about the group bringing a new bathroom and roof to the tattered building. “They government didn’t do much there,” he said. “It was all a community effort.”
But he says the work there has just begun. “Currently, the orphanage is too big for the facility it has,” he pointed out. “There is only one bathroom, but 54 kids there. You can’t have more than two or three adults in the upstairs at the same time because you’ll go right through the floor,” he cautioned. “It is not a safe environment for those kids.”
Ustariz echoed the poor condition of the facility, saying that as of now, there is only one showerhead in the single bathroom. “We want to build two bathrooms, one for the boys and one for the girls,” he said.
Hollenhorst said there is a grant between the Riverside and Tijuana East rotaries that will be used to help, though it is undecided if the current facility will be improved upon or if an entirely new structure needs to be built. “The building now needs foundation work, but [the orphanage] has some land [it] can build on,” he explained. But until the time comes when the Interact students can begin the improvements, they will continue to do volunteer work in the states.
Hollenhorst explained that the main goal of Interact is to get students seeing community service as a chance to make a difference. “I hope that when they become adults, they will see the fruits of helping others,” he said. “Everyone has something to contribute.”
He went on to say that children have a natural instinct to help others and to be part of a community, but that often the act of giving back to the community is not something they see in their home lives. “Parents go to work, come home, fix dinner, and they don’t have time to give back to the community,” he explained. “We give them a chance to see that this is possible.”
At the end of the day, Hollenhorst is able to see the fruits of his own involvement. By helping to plant the seed of community outreach into the minds and hearts of the students, he says that Poly High School’s Interact Club is helping to develop people who want to give assistance to others.
“They really are spectacular human beings.”
Students in Poly High School’s Interact Club, which is sponsored by the Riverside Rotary Club, have been involved with community service for the past 15 years. Though not as widely known as the Kiwanis’ comparable high school program, Key Club, Interact has become a staple in many high school students’ lives.
Poly Interact boasts 70 members, and is composed of teens that are involved in activities ranging from band, who make up about two-thirds of the participants, to varsity athletics and involvement in other clubs. The club engages in volunteer activities at local convalescent homes and tutors at area elementary schools.
The group was formed in 1994 by Thomas Hollenhorst, an associate justice of the Court of Appeals, Fourth Appellate District, who has been an active member in Riverside Rotary for 30 years, and his youngest son, who was a senior at Poly. Hollenhorst explained that bringing Interact to Poly was not an easy task. “There was an active Key Cub there already. They sensed an intruder,” he said. To gain support, his son, who was an active band member, helped recruit students to the community service program. “It was cool to be in band, and it was cool to be in Interact,” Hollenhorst joked.
The group started off with 15 eager students who wanted to lend a helping hand in their community. One of the first projects they under took was a tutoring program for students at the impoverished Bryant Elementary School in Riverside. Now, the group is involved with the Heart’s Program at Alcott Elementary, which is across the street from Poly.
George H. Ustariz, the president of Riverside Rotary who has been a member of Riverside Rotary for 15 years and involved with interact for 4 years and whose daughter is an active member, explained that the tutoring program, which runs after school from 3:05 p.m. until 4:15 p.m., is becoming more popular every year. He said that more than 130 children receive tutoring through the Heart’s Program, which is an increase from last year.
Interact members also travel to convalescent homes every Thursday to visit with residents and bring gifts like blankets and stuffed animals. “We’ve done the convalescent tours for years,” Ustariz said. In an interview with the Press-Enterprise, he explained that these trips are “very special,” especially since one of Riverside Rotary’s members is a convalescent home resident. “John [Beal] has been a longtime member of the club and it meant [a] great deal to him that we were there for her,” he told the Press-Enterprise.
The project that the group is most proud of, however, is the work it’s doing in Tijuana, Mexico. Partnering with the Tijuana Oeste Rotary Club, Interact and Riverside Rotary have been working to improve Casa Hogar Dibujando Una Sonrisa orphanage that is home to some 54 children. Every Christmas, the group brings food, clothes and presents to the children. But the bulk of their work has been on the facility itself.
Hollenhorst reminisced about the group bringing a new bathroom and roof to the tattered building. “They government didn’t do much there,” he said. “It was all a community effort.”
But he says the work there has just begun. “Currently, the orphanage is too big for the facility it has,” he pointed out. “There is only one bathroom, but 54 kids there. You can’t have more than two or three adults in the upstairs at the same time because you’ll go right through the floor,” he cautioned. “It is not a safe environment for those kids.”
Ustariz echoed the poor condition of the facility, saying that as of now, there is only one showerhead in the single bathroom. “We want to build two bathrooms, one for the boys and one for the girls,” he said.
Hollenhorst said there is a grant between the Riverside and Tijuana East rotaries that will be used to help, though it is undecided if the current facility will be improved upon or if an entirely new structure needs to be built. “The building now needs foundation work, but [the orphanage] has some land [it] can build on,” he explained. But until the time comes when the Interact students can begin the improvements, they will continue to do volunteer work in the states.
Hollenhorst explained that the main goal of Interact is to get students seeing community service as a chance to make a difference. “I hope that when they become adults, they will see the fruits of helping others,” he said. “Everyone has something to contribute.”
He went on to say that children have a natural instinct to help others and to be part of a community, but that often the act of giving back to the community is not something they see in their home lives. “Parents go to work, come home, fix dinner, and they don’t have time to give back to the community,” he explained. “We give them a chance to see that this is possible.”
At the end of the day, Hollenhorst is able to see the fruits of his own involvement. By helping to plant the seed of community outreach into the minds and hearts of the students, he says that Poly High School’s Interact Club is helping to develop people who want to give assistance to others.
“They really are spectacular human beings.”
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Unemployment
“I hope my mom doesn’t evict me anytime soon,” joked Moe Hamad, a recently unemployed 20-year-old from the suburbs of California’s Inland Empire. He had worked Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. as a loan modifications consultant at American Mitigation. His job was to talk to people about foreclosing on their homes and describe the different options the company provides for doing so, he said.
. The company had been making cutbacks, however, and Hamad was fired Friday, Feb. 20. “For about a week, my numbers were a little low,” he said. “So they cut me.” Though he had only been with the Newport Beach, Calif. company for two months, he said he saw at least five out of about 45 employees terminated during his time there.
Hamad and his former co-workers are like many of the more than 11.5 million Americans who have found themselves out of a job since the economy took a deep dive in December 2007. As of January 2009, the unemployment rate has risen to 7.6 percent, and the country faces the worst recession it has seen in three decades.
Looking for a job during this economic crisis is futile, Hamad said. He has aaplied at businesses ranging from Men’s Warehouse to Verizon Wireless, not expecting to be immediately hired.
“They are straight forward with you,” he explained. “They say, ‘We have your application, we will give you a call, but as of right now, we have no positions to fill.’” It is discouraging, he acknowledged.
Though Hamad lives at his mother’s house in Corona, Calif., he does have bills to pay. “I have to pay for my car insurance, my cell phone, the electricity and gas,” he explained. He said the he will be able to handle some expenses with the small savings he has, but the big bills might pose a problem. “I’m worried about my cell phone right now,” he said with a chuckle.
While Hamad continues to search for a job opening, he says he will use his small savings and tax rebate. “I’m waiting to get my tax refund,” he said. “But if I blow through that too quickly, I might have to think about applying for unemployment.”
As of December 2008, California saw an unemployment rate of 9.3 percent, the third highest in the country. According to the Employment Development Department, more than 356,000 of the people without jobs filed for unemployment benefits, or Unemployment Insurance (UI). That number jumped to more than 363,000 a month later in January 2009.
According to the EDD, people filing for unemployment can receive anywhere from $40 to $450 per week, the average being $321 — which amounts to $1 more than if the filer were making $8 an hour, California’s minimum wage.
But for Dave Brody, Jessica Frausto and their 2-year-old son, Jordan, this is not enough money to live on. Brody, a 26-year-old who has worked in construction since he was a teenager, says he has had a tough time finding work since the economy has turned for the worse.
“It’s really slow right now because a lot of people aren’t spending a lot of money since they are afraid they will lose their jobs,” he explained. “Right now, we only work on people’s houses that have been saving their whole lives. Before, there were a lot of younger people remodeling with the equity from their homes.”
Frausto, a 23-year-old stay-at-home mother, says she has been doing odd jobs to try and fill the financial void. When asked if she was thinking about sending her son to daycare, her face tightened and she became visibly uncomfortable. “I know there is a program that helps parents pay for daycare,” she said. “I just don’t want to have to send him away so soon,” she added, as tears welled up in her eyes.
Brody said he has received unemployment checks in the past, and explained that the amount of money a person receives is based on the gross pay of the highest quarter of the previous year. He said he received $430 a week between June and August last year, but didn’t qualify for an extension of benefits.
But Brody has sent in a new application. “It is a new year, so I can open up a new case,” he said eagerly. He is now waiting for a reply from the EDD to let him know how much he will qualify for.
“It’s tough waiting for them to get back to you. You try to call and it is busy all day long,” he lamented. “You can’t even get through because everyone needs help. It’s so crazy.”
. The company had been making cutbacks, however, and Hamad was fired Friday, Feb. 20. “For about a week, my numbers were a little low,” he said. “So they cut me.” Though he had only been with the Newport Beach, Calif. company for two months, he said he saw at least five out of about 45 employees terminated during his time there.
Hamad and his former co-workers are like many of the more than 11.5 million Americans who have found themselves out of a job since the economy took a deep dive in December 2007. As of January 2009, the unemployment rate has risen to 7.6 percent, and the country faces the worst recession it has seen in three decades.
Looking for a job during this economic crisis is futile, Hamad said. He has aaplied at businesses ranging from Men’s Warehouse to Verizon Wireless, not expecting to be immediately hired.
“They are straight forward with you,” he explained. “They say, ‘We have your application, we will give you a call, but as of right now, we have no positions to fill.’” It is discouraging, he acknowledged.
Though Hamad lives at his mother’s house in Corona, Calif., he does have bills to pay. “I have to pay for my car insurance, my cell phone, the electricity and gas,” he explained. He said the he will be able to handle some expenses with the small savings he has, but the big bills might pose a problem. “I’m worried about my cell phone right now,” he said with a chuckle.
While Hamad continues to search for a job opening, he says he will use his small savings and tax rebate. “I’m waiting to get my tax refund,” he said. “But if I blow through that too quickly, I might have to think about applying for unemployment.”
As of December 2008, California saw an unemployment rate of 9.3 percent, the third highest in the country. According to the Employment Development Department, more than 356,000 of the people without jobs filed for unemployment benefits, or Unemployment Insurance (UI). That number jumped to more than 363,000 a month later in January 2009.
According to the EDD, people filing for unemployment can receive anywhere from $40 to $450 per week, the average being $321 — which amounts to $1 more than if the filer were making $8 an hour, California’s minimum wage.
But for Dave Brody, Jessica Frausto and their 2-year-old son, Jordan, this is not enough money to live on. Brody, a 26-year-old who has worked in construction since he was a teenager, says he has had a tough time finding work since the economy has turned for the worse.
“It’s really slow right now because a lot of people aren’t spending a lot of money since they are afraid they will lose their jobs,” he explained. “Right now, we only work on people’s houses that have been saving their whole lives. Before, there were a lot of younger people remodeling with the equity from their homes.”
Frausto, a 23-year-old stay-at-home mother, says she has been doing odd jobs to try and fill the financial void. When asked if she was thinking about sending her son to daycare, her face tightened and she became visibly uncomfortable. “I know there is a program that helps parents pay for daycare,” she said. “I just don’t want to have to send him away so soon,” she added, as tears welled up in her eyes.
Brody said he has received unemployment checks in the past, and explained that the amount of money a person receives is based on the gross pay of the highest quarter of the previous year. He said he received $430 a week between June and August last year, but didn’t qualify for an extension of benefits.
But Brody has sent in a new application. “It is a new year, so I can open up a new case,” he said eagerly. He is now waiting for a reply from the EDD to let him know how much he will qualify for.
“It’s tough waiting for them to get back to you. You try to call and it is busy all day long,” he lamented. “You can’t even get through because everyone needs help. It’s so crazy.”
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