IPREFER SUMMER OVER WINTER, or at least I did till this summer. And August and September are usually our hottest months. I am thinking of joining a nudist colony. On second thought that is not a good idea. Winter will get here one day.
Be sure to check on your senior neighbors and relatives. Take them out for ice cream or shopping at an Air-Conditioned mall.
We are honored to add another writer to our TEAM, Teresa Greenhill. Her expertise and passion is helping seniors start or grow their business. There are many seniors, just like me and Teresa, who are late bloomers. In my case I started the PULSE at the young age of 81, I turn 84 this October.
If you belong to a group that has guest speakers our TEAM is made up of some GREAT folks who would love to share with you, their passions. Get in touch with us for more information.
Over the last few months, we have met many of you at events we had a booth, Home Show, County Fair and Wrightwood Mountaineer Days to name a few. Hearing how much you enjoy and appreciate the PULSE really makes our day.
The success of the PULSE has three elements, and they are all equal. Advertisers-Writers-Readers. There is another and it is just as important, it is SUBSCRIBERS. For a small cost you can show your support and receive your copy in the mail. See our ad on page 26.
P O Box 290066 - Phelan, CA 92329-0066 10405 Mountain Road - Piñon Hills, CA 92372
JAMES CONKLE Publisher 1 760 617 3991 jim@motherroadenterprises.com 66jimconkle@gmail.com
“As I took these steps forward, I started to see that fear began to fade from my path like the fog clearing in a storm.”
CJ Berry
WE MET AT THE CANTON IN BARSTOW and each ate a scrumptious Charlie Brown omelet. The service coming from Cameron, the young man managing the restaurant on this particular Sunday, was exceptional. CJ Berry, the author of In Dreams the Soul Cries a River of Tears, is excited. Her deep red hair captures the thin light in the bar area where we have secluded ourselves for the interview.
She can hardly contain herself because she had completed a successful book signing the day before at the Red Hen in Helendale and was starting to feel like a real writer, even though she has been writing for years.
“I was journaling on my own for my own self-healing,” she explained.
“I’ve always written poetry since I was a child. So poetry became a big part of my journaling, And because I was going through therapy, my therapist encouraged my journaling,” she adds, which partially explains why her book opens with a poem and how she came to share her story.
It is her natural voice.
An elegant and, at times, audacious voice, if not a roar, through which she educates the reader about surviving—and overcoming pain by illuminating a life in which she was suppressed as a woman. She left that life and became a mother of three daughters at a young age but does not speak of the dark time only to say it took everything she could muster to break free from what could only be described as a cult.
The book, though intended to help other women—or people in general—is more a roadmap to a journey back from oppression . . . a resurrection of the human spirit that compels each of us to seek—and be—the best version of ourselves. She accomplished that by putting into words those images created by a suffocating environment. “I started sharing my dreams
because I’ve had very vivid, very dark dreams my whole life since I was a little girl. I opened up about those with my therapist and she started helping me work through them. I started writing my dreams as well.’
The dreams helped her survive. In one dream, she is facing some woods and “. . . there’s this large creature in front of me, but I’m not afraid of it. But he gets very angry at me and declares, ‘That’s a demon . . we don’t make them our friends.’ And I was like, ‘No, he is my friend.’ And that’s the point where I started journaling.”
Though she started writing in her early 20s, it wasn’t until four years ago that she decided to put her experience into a book because, as she describes her motivation, “I felt like I had been so alone and I felt very alone . . . so isolated in the dark period of my life. And [I realized] if I shared my story, I’d connect with other people and would know I really wasn’t alone.”
In listening to her story, I came to see that CJ had lived two lives. That spent in darkness and pain and that which followed, the journey in which she presently finds herself embarked upon when, with great courage and, perhaps, in part, because of her deep love for her three girls, she emerged from it.
“It’s funny because it is like the solitude of being around people you connect with [and] I come back to it intentionally .. . to find my peace when there’s too much going on. I come back to that solitude and I know I need it. So I feel alone, but now it’s a gift.”
A River of Tears may sound like a self-help book but it’s not full of instructions. There’s no step one or step two. That’s not what CJ’s story is about. “This book is my journey and how I help myself and it’s more about taking take my hand and walking with me. This is my journey but, [in a way] it is everyone’s journey as well. That is my hope in telling my story.”
Published on July 7th, CJ’s unique and powerful story of survival and resurrection is currently available at Amazon. Also, CJ has scheduled another book signing on September 28, between 10:00 and 3:00, at the Spirit Wellness Center on Corwin Road in Apple Valley. Each attendee receives a gift. “I will be giving away
stones and love notes. The love notes came to me because we often don’t tell ourselves how much we love ourselves. I put sticky notes on my bathroom mirror. And then the stones represent the stories we pick up that aren’t meant for us that we carry and that become a burden. In my book, I turn them into something beautiful.”
Love notes? Stones? Crazy, huh? And yet they make so much sense in our individual journeys from whatever pain we feel in our lives. Especially in those quiet times when we are alone with our thoughts and feelings . . . in those moments we cry a river of tears.
CJ can be found at wildberrycandyco. canva.com or CJ Berry at Etsy. She’s also active on TikTok. “I had found myself in a place where the nightmares of my dreams and the nightmares of my reality were so intertwined that I couldn’t differentiate between the two. I was lost and alone. If anybody has ever found themselves in that place, I hope that this book is a way for them to know they’re not alone.”
When we finished our extraordinary meal, a brief silence followed. In those seconds that seem elongated, I could relate to the darkness she experienced, except hers had been a lifetime filled with pain and a struggle to escape it and come to some agreement with it. Her story, however, as painful as it is, isn’t about that. It’s about finding that place where being alone is a gift . . . and about a resurrection of that we prize most: ourselves.
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A Psychological Perspective on Extreme Heat and its Effects on Cognition
by Melissa Mischka, PsyD
EXTREME HEAT, a growing concern due to climate change, significantly affects human health and well-being. As a psychologist, it is crucial to understand how elevated temperatures impact cognitive functions, as these effects have profound implications for daily life, productivity, and overall mental health.
Extreme heat induces physiological changes that can impair cognitive functioning. The human body works to maintain a stable internal temperature through processes such as sweating and increased blood flow to the skin. However, during extreme heat, these mechanisms can become overwhelmed, leading to dehydration and heat stress. Dehydration reduces the volume of blood circulating in the body, which in turn reduces the amount of oxygen and nutrients delivered to the brain. Heat stress can also cause the release of stress hormones like cortisol, which can affect cognitive processes.
Several studies have shown that extreme heat negatively affects various aspects of cognitive performance:
-Attention and Concentration: High temperatures can reduce the ability
to maintain focus and concentrate on tasks. This is particularly concerning in environments that require sustained attention, such as classrooms and workplaces. The decline in attentional control can lead to decreased productivity and increased errors which can lead to injuries.
-Memory: Both short-term and working memory are vulnerable to heat-related impairments. Tasks that require the retention and manipulation of information can become more challenging, affecting learning and decision-making processes.
-Executive Functions: These higherorder cognitive processes, including problem-solving, planning, and cognitive flexibility, are crucial for complex tasks. Extreme heat can impair these functions, leading to difficulties in strategic thinking and the execution of multi-step activities.
-Reaction Time: Elevated temperatures can slow down reaction times, affecting activities that require quick responses, such as driving or operating machinery. This can increase the risk of accidents and injuries.
To mitigate the cognitive impacts of extreme heat, several strategies can be
employed. Ensuring adequate hydration is crucial. Drinking water regularly, even before feeling thirsty, helps maintain cognitive performance during heat exposure. Utilizing air conditioning, fans, and shaded areas can help maintain a cooler ambient temperature, reducing the cognitive load associated with heat stress. Taking regular breaks in cooler environments can help alleviate the cognitive strain of prolonged heat exposure, especially in work or school settings.
Extreme heat poses a significant threat to cognitive functioning, affecting attention, memory, executive functions, and reaction times. Understanding these impacts is essential for developing effective interventions and support systems. As a psychologist, advocating for public awareness, promoting preventive measures, and supporting affected individuals are crucial steps in addressing the cognitive challenges posed by extreme heat. By prioritizing mental wellbeing in the face of rising temperatures, we can better equip society to cope with the realities of climate change and its impact on human cognition.
A Chat About Parkinson’s
THOMAS GRAHAM IS BUILDING A HOUSE. It will have three bedrooms, two bathrooms and be built to exactly replicate his childhood home. You may ask, “So what”?
So, he is completely blind. He uses a Braille measuring device, feels his way around with his walking stick, and even climbs ladders and pounds in nails. Only the roof and electrical have been done by someone else. It seems impossible, but somehow, he can do it.
Graham lost his eyesight when he was 18 years old when he went with his father to commit a burglary. His father shot a police officer, and a police officer shot his father. Both died. Graham took a spray of shotgun pellets in the face. He lost his sight and spent time in prison.
Now, 30-some years later, he is building a replica of his childhood house to possibly recover some of himself as he was when he was a boy and could see.
So, you have a disability, you say. With Parkinson’s it gets easier and easier to do little or nothing. Not everyone understands what you are going through. The pain that is just sort of everywhere; the muscles that atrophy; the walking that catches you off balance; the difficulty of speaking up, so you just don’t talk.
No, it is not an easy life having a disability of any kind. Some people have way more to deal with than others. Some only have Parkinson’s. Others also have diabetes and neuropathy and so on. But there must be something you can do to improve your quality of life. Some people I know with PD still work in the garden. Some still build things (my Burt was a master woodworker with a workshop to envy). Some still fly their airplanes. Some ride bicycles or tricycles. Others run or
by Ann Miner
walk or go to a fitness center and work out. Still others take dancing lessons. (I highly recommend this). The more you do, the easier it gets, and the less you may notice your symptoms.The benefits of staying active are undeniable. Daily physical exercise (there’s that word again, get used to it) has been known to increase the survival rate in people with Parkinson’s disease. Studies show that at the time of diagnosis, people have already greatly reduced their overall level of physical activity and have often withdrawn from sports, recreational and leisure activities. This reduced activity is further perpetuated by a gradual loss of body spatial awareness, making it less likely that you are going to accurately selfmonitor and then self-correct your small or slow movements. Use it or lose it is the concept of forced use. For people with PD, it means you should practice those skills that you don’t want to lose. Increase participation in your favorite activities or start new ones that challenge you. Remind yourself daily what normal, bigger/faster everyday movement feels like as you continue to use your full capacity and to recognize when you are not.
People with PD can improve symptom control with practice. Research suggests that regular bouts of practice are
necessary to maintain benefits gained, so plan to make exercise part of daily life. (Where have you heard this before)? This is all good advice coming from someone who does not have PD and still has a hard time making herself walk the dogs every day. I understand that some habits may not be easy to develop. Here’s to your resolve to do more and feel better. It’s all up to you. As Davis Phinney says, Every Victory Counts! One easy and fun monthly activity can be attending the Parkinson’s Support Group meetings on the first Monday of every month at 1:00. Come to Choice Medical Building at 19111 Town Center Dr. Apple Valley, (in front of Jess Ranch). Meet others who understand.
Questions? 760-954-2859 Ann
Marketing Insights for the Senior Business Owner
VENTURING INTO THE ENTREPRENEURIAL WORLD
at a later stage in life brings both challenges and unparalleled opportunities. As a senior entrepreneur, the wealth of experience you possess is a significant advantage, one that, with the right marketing approach, can set your business apart in a saturated market. Through this guest article, Mother Road Enterprises provides you with tailored marketing strategies designed to elevate your business’s profile, ensuring it connects effectively with your target audience and distinguishes itself in today’s competitive environment.
Develop a Good Marketing Plan
It’s important to understand the elements of a marketing plan, as it involves several key components. Begin with thorough market research to understand industry trends, customer demographics, and competitive offerings. Define your target market and establish clear, quantifiable marketing goals. Craft a unique value proposition, outline detailed marketing strategies, and allocate a budget to ensure your plan is actionable and measurable. Consistently review your plan based on performance to maintain its effectiveness.
Crafting Your Online Presence
In the digital age, your business’s website serves as the cornerstone of your enterprise. It’s not merely about creating a visually appealing site but about fostering a user-friendly experience that
effectively communicates your brand’s value proposition. A well-constructed online presence mirrors the ethos and quality of your business, inviting visitors to explore what you have to offer and why it matters to them. Prioritizing a seamless, informative, and engaging online experience is paramount in capturing and retaining customer interest.
Maximizing Visibility through SEO
The visibility of your digital storefront is vital. By implementing robust search engine optimization (SEO) strategies, you enhance your website’s visibility, ensuring it ranks higher in search engine results. This strategic approach involves optimizing your site’s content to meet the needs of potential customers actively searching for solutions you provide. SEO is not a one-time task but a continuous effort to ensure your business remains accessible to those who need it most.
Providing Value to Customers
Attracting new customers often requires offering them something of undeniable value. Whether it’s free products, discount coupons, or valuable content, these incentives serve as a powerful tool to draw first-time visitors into engaging with your brand. This strategy not only introduces them to your offerings but also fosters goodwill and lays the foundation for a lasting relationship. Providing value upfront can differentiate your business in a crowded market.
Amplifying through Word-of-Mouth
The unparalleled influence of referrals is a cornerstone of successful marketing, as encouraging satisfied customers to share their positive experiences with others taps into the powerful dynamics of trust and personal recommendations. This can lead to a significant expansion of your customer base, outshining many conventional advertising approaches in both effectiveness and cost efficiency. By fostering an atmosphere conducive to word-of-mouth promotion, you effectively turn happy customers into dedicated brand ambassadors, reinforcing the idea that customer satisfaction not only drives loyalty but also serves as a catalyst for business growth.
Strategic Targeting with Online Advertising
Investing in online advertising is a crucial step to directly connect with your intended audience, as modern platforms provide sophisticated targeting capabilities that enable you to tailor your ads to users’ specific interests, behaviors, and demographics. This targeted method significantly enhances your brand’s visibility among those who are most inclined to engage with your products or services, thereby driving more relevant traffic to your website. As a strategic component of your marketing toolkit, online advertising empowers you to extend your reach more efficiently, ensuring that your message resonates with the right audience.
Navigating the marketing landscape as a senior entrepreneur involves integrating traditional wisdom with contemporary strategies. By concentrating on these key areas, you can develop a marketing plan that not only reaches your intended audience but also fosters engagement and promotes growth. Successful marketing hinges on consistency, adaptability, and genuine connections with your audience. Let your business’s unique story shine through every customer interaction, setting the stage for long-term success
Teresa Greenhill is the co-creator of MentalHealthforSeniors.com, which is dedicated to providing seniors with information on physical and mental fitness. Being a senior herself, Teresa, with some help from her granddaughter, manages the website as a way to keep her busy and help other seniors be active and happy in their golden years.
Image via Freepik
Slice ofLife
ONE SOCK, TWO FEET
ITHINK I WAS NUDGED BY GOD a couple of days ago. You know, the getoff-your-butt-and-do-something kind of nudge. I can imagine what you’re thinking. I’ve thought the same thing myself. But allow me to explain what it was I felt and please don’t think I boast. I admit I’m a writer, so I strive for recognition but not praise. I don’t want to hear that I’m good but that my writing moved you. I hope to move you now with a story about serendipity … or divine intervention. I’m unsure which, but I’m inclined to think it was the latter. My only proof of it is that what happened was so uncanny and relied entirely on perfect timing.
I was in my room, writing. I had been for some time. The A/C was on and the room was cool. I could look outside and see it was hot by the way the sunlight seemed to drain everything of its color. Suddenly, I got the urge to leave. I don’t know where it came from. I just needed to do something … anything … other than write, so I went to the Commissary at the Marine base. After purchasing some items, I returned to my room back along Main Street. Every traffic light I encountered was green. I
didn’t have to stop once. When I arrived at the entrance to where I was staying, I had to pause to allow a man on the sidewalk to walk pass.
As I waited, I couldn’t help but notice that the man was black, homeless, and had no shoes. The closer I looked, I was stunned to see he only had a sock on his left foot. It broke my heart. I had no cash to give him but I had something better. The day and a half I worked at Carl’s, I had to have slip-resistant shoes. Once he cleared the driveway, I sped to my room and, leaving my car running, I retrieved the shoes and a pair of new socks. The shoes were new as well. I had not worn them since leaving Carl’s.
I then returned to the street. The man was no where to be seen. I figured he had gone behind the buildings next door, looking for food and anything that he might put on his feet. I found him at the car wash, rummaging through a garbage can. I startled him when I pulled up in my car. He retreated a little bit, unsure what I was going to do. I was unsure as well. I mean I didn’t know what to say to him. When I lowered my window, I assured him I meant him no harm. “It’s okay,” I said, “I
By J.P.Garner
have something for you.”
He relaxed and approached the car. I told him I had no cash but I had shoes and socks. When he saw them in my hands, I could swear he did a little dance. On accepting them, he said, “Thank you.” And then he said it again. That broke my heart even more. I had to leave quickly or I’d have started crying.
When I got back to my room, I thought about what happened. I thought about how everything had to happen in such a sequence that I, specifically, was the person to encounter the homeless man. I was the one that got the urge to leave my room unexpectedly. On my way back, I encountered nothing but green lights. Had I encountered a red light, I’d have missed him.
He also had to be at the entrance of where I stay at the same time that I arrived there, otherwise I’d not have seen him. But the circumstance that really makes me believe I was nudged is the fact that I was the only person on the planet who, at that moment, at this place, had new shoes and socks for a man with no shoes. So, yeah, I’m probably wacky for thinking that. And I don’t mind admitting to it because I came away from the encounter feeling good. I realized that, sometimes, we are all presented with situations whose only purpose is to remind us to lead with our heart.
It is then, in those moments, that we are at our best … that we are closest to God. Or, maybe, simply nudged by him.
Amboy The Rebirth of a Ghost Town, Part 1
By John R Beyer
ANYONE WHO HAS TRAVELED extensively along that long black ribbon of highway called Route 66 will recognize the name of the town of Amboy. Tourists, locals, and America’s Mother Road aficionados know of this old railway stop smack dab center in the Mojave Desert.
It is that iconic place just a few hundred yards from a double set of railroad tracks to the southwest which conjures up images of past times. Towns like Amboy were vital stops for visitors who ventured from the windy city of Chicago to the edge of the Pacific Ocean.
The Mojave Desert is not for the weakwilled or unprepared. No, in the summer months the temperatures can easily soar into the triple digits making driving along Route 66 a challenge at times - especially before the invention of air conditioning for vehicles.
But it is these exact spots that remind the traveler of the fortitude and tenacity of those who went out and settled in sometimes very hostile territories - and succeeded.
Railroading was big business, moving goods from here to there to be consumed by those needing supplies or simply desiring goods from various locales around the country.
And the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad honchos knew the fastest route from large hubs, such as Barstow, would be straight across the Mojave Desert.
In the late 1880s, train engines needed water to build up steam to pump those large steel wheels along hundreds of miles of track.
So railroad stops were created and boom towns blossomed.
Towns like Siberia, Bagdad, Ibis, Bannock, and so many more once were thriving, but have now been nearly all forgotten through the decades. A sign here or there may advise the traveler of a tree as the only living entity in Bagdad. There are broken slabs of cement littering this section or that section of desert allowing those with an imagination to understand that folks once laughed and loved in
these towns. And yes, deserted but well maintained cemeteries dot the desert floor giving names to those who lived and died along the railroad. And sometimes there is simply a weatherbeaten wooden cross fighting to stay upright in the blasting winds and relentless sun with no recognition of who lies below.
Amboy was such a town. A place that came into existence in 1858 as simply a watering hole for the trains belonging to the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, later to be the Santa Fe Railway. In 1883 Lewis Kingman, a locating engineer, established the stop as an actual town and soon more and more folks were moving in.
In 1926 the now famous Route 66 was completed and people were able to drive their Ford Model Ts, Pontiac 6s, Dodge Specials, or other vehicles all the way from the midwest to California.
The love affair with cars and driving was in full gear. And the tiny town of Amboy was soon to become an iconic stop along Route 66 due to an enterprising couple who through happenstance soon made the railroad stop their home for decades.
Roy Crowl and his wife, Velma, ended up in Amboy in 1924 after a vehicle mishap, and not being able to afford the repairs stayed while Roy worked as a mechanic and other jobs and Velma became a cook at a couple of restaurants that were there
at the time in Amboy.
In the late 1930s, Roy believed Amboy was going to be huge on the map along Route 66 since the vehicle traffic kept getting heavier by the month and purchased four acres of land. In 1938 Roy opened a garage, Roy’s Garage, to service any and all vehicles heading east or west out of town and soon his business was booming. His son-in-law Buster Burris, who had married the couple’s daughter, Betty, went into business with Roy in the garage and opened up a parts store inside the garage. Soon though, Betty came up with the idea of their own cafe and confiscated the parts store for her restaurant.
The name was then changed to Roy’s Garage and Cafe. Soon the realization that travelers not only needed fuel, food, and repairs but also a place to spend the night gave the owners another business concept.
Cabins were built just east of the garage and cafe and the name was again changed to Roy’s Motel and Cafe.
In the 1940s the population of Amboy was reported at nearly 200 citizens with three small motels, restaurants, multiple garages, a church, a school, and a post office.
Amboy was certainly on the map for those driving Route 66,
Amboy city limits sign. (John R Beyer)
When Roy retired in 1959, Buster not only maintained the motel, service station, and restaurant but also acquired the whole town which included other entities such as a Post Office and school. Unfortunately, with progress often comes decline and that is what occurred when Interstate 40, a few miles north of Amboy was completed in 1973. Travelers
now opted for the faster route instead of the single lane winding road of Route 66 which often meant stopping for trains at crossings or slowing through the towns along the roadway.
Almost all but Buster’s business closed, leaving the town pretty much empty except for a few hangers-ons. Buster sold the town in 1995 to Walt Wilson and Tim White who used it as a film set and for photo shoots. But even that dried up, forcing the men to lose the town in a foreclosure which returned what was now a ghost town to Betty Burris, Buster’s widow.
Amboy went back on the market and finally was sold to Albert Okura, the owner of the popular chain of restaurants, Juan Pollo, in February of 2005.
Part of the deal was that Okura had to promise to preserve Amboy and reopen Roy’s. Perhaps Betty Burris did not understand that Albert was a man full of his own dreams and a lover of history.
In fact, he established the one-of-a-kind McDonald’s Museum in San Bernardino of the site where the original McDonald’s restaurant was owned by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald.
Albert Okura knew what he wanted to do with this Amboy town which he had purchased - turn it back to how it looked in its heyday and welcome guests from around the world to come and enjoy this particular part of true Americana.
He was a man with a mission and a revamping of Amboy was started as soon as the ink dried on the escrow papers.
In Part 2 - Even after Okura’s passing in 2023, his dream is very much alive with his family and the staff working on taking Amboy off the ghost town rolls and making it a living historical landmark.
John can be reached at: beyersbyways@ gmail.com
Amboy cemetery, a place to reflect on those who once called this town home.(John R Beyer)
The local church where residents would come together and worship.(John R Beyer)
Next Meeting is set for Wednesday, August 14th at Noon - Would anyone like to host it? (remember you can always share the duties of providing a location and food/drinks) - reply to this email if you are interested. It’s a great opportunity to show off your business.
It’s not too late to JOIN US FOR THE NEXT ONE!
Bring 100 fruit or vegetable to hand out w/your marketing materials.
Reply to the email info-seniorkicksclub.com@shared1. ccsend.com if you can attend July 26th event with the type of fruit/veggie you would like to hand out.. we try not to duplicate.
Set up 7:30 ish - we begin to serve our seniors at 8am until we run out.
Thanks to Robin/Ruth & Naomi Project for including us.
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t h e i r c o n d i t i o n s M a k e p l a n s w i t h y o u r l o v e d o n e t o v i s i t a i r -
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f o r e x e r c i s e a n d s o c i a l i z i n g i n a s a f e
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Liz McGiffin, MBA (Marketing Director Choice Medical Group/Senior Kicks Club)
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f o r g e t t o d r i n k w a t e r , s o i t i s i m p o r t a n t t o r e m i n d t h e m t o d r i n k
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Unlock Success: Join Our Local Chamber of Commerce Today!
DEAR BUSINESS OWNER,
Are you ready to take your business to new heights? Look no further than your local chamber of commerce! Here’s why becoming a member is the smartest move you can make:
1.
Business Contacts
That Matter:
• When you join our chamber, you’re not just getting a membership card; you’re gaining access to a powerful network. Imagine connecting with fellow entrepreneurs, industry leaders, and potential collaborators—all under one roof. These contacts could be the missing piece to your next big breakthrough.
2. Credibility Boost:
• Belonging to a chamber instantly elevates your business. It’s like having a gold star on your storefront. Customers
trust chamber members—they know you’re serious about quality, integrity, and community. It’s the equivalent of having a college degree when applying for a job.
3. Visibility That Pays Off:
• Let’s face it: In today’s digital jungle, visibility matters. Our chamber actively promotes its members through various channels—online, offline, and even in the local coffee shop conversations. When potential customers see your business associated with us, they’ll be curious. And curiosity leads to foot traffic and sales.
4. Resources Galore:
• Need help navigating regulations? Looking for marketing tips? Want to attend workshops on business growth? We’ve got you covered. Our chamber
provides resources, educational sessions, and practical advice— all aimed at making your life easier. Consider us your business GPS.
5. Your Voice Matters:
• Ever felt like your concerns were lost in the noise? As a chamber member, your voice matters. We advocate for policies that benefit local businesses. Whether it’s zoning changes, tax incentives, or infrastructure improvements, we’re in your corner. Together, we amplify our collective impact.
How to Join: Ready to seize these opportunities? It’s as easy as a handshake:
Marcy’s Musings
May Music and History Lessons
THE APPLE VALLEY Courtyard was rockin’ out every Thursday night in May with a variety of bands, a great selection of food from the numerous Courtyard restaurants, beautiful weather, some local historical tidbits from the Apple Valley Legacy Museum volunteers on the band breaks.
On “Lenore and the Rotations” night, featuring MHS member Gary Whiteside on guitar and drums, attendees were treated to hits from the 1970’s era to the present. The local history lesson presented the fabulous original Apple Valley Inn stagecoach that, starting in 1952, carried guests from the first Apple Valley Airport (our concert location) across the highway to the Inn and back. Most attendees had no idea they were sitting in the middle of the former airport runways, or that the stagecoach, after missing in
action for fifteen years, is now back at the Inn! Come over and check it out.
On night 2, featuring the Rock ‘n Roll sounds of the “Acme Time Machine,” the history lesson highlighted the grand opening of the Singh Center for the Arts, and the fantastic State of the Town event held April 17, showcasing Apple Valley
art and music. The talented Sooter family recorded “Apple Valley Romance,” while Chelsea Franko and her Little Big Band performed live “Evening in Apple Valley,” at the event. Once again, drummer Gary Whiteside kept the time with both bands. The Apple Valley High School Sunsations and the Granite Hills High School choir also gave great live performances.
Week 3 the crowd was treated to the Western music of “Southern Spirit.” The history subject was the World War II bomb circles located in Apple Valley, that served as practice targets for the real thing. Many people were surprised to learn about this little known part of our history, and fascinated to see some genuine bomb fragments recently dug up.
The sounds of the Rhythm and Blues and Soul music of Lady Tequila filled the air the following week. At the final concert featuring “Midnight Rider,” the farewell history tidbit highlighted a collection of old Apple Valley artifacts, including original signs from 1914 and 1947, Yucca
Victor Valley Old Timers Celebrate Their History
THERE WAS A LOT OF REMINISCING going on Saturday June 22 at the Percy Bakker Center in Hesperia. Thanks to the organizer, Old Timer Paula Vail, of the pioneering Turner family, long-time Victor Valley residents were able to come together again for an all-you-can-eat luncheon and a lot of memories. Attendees browsed the hundreds of photos of past luncheons, local history books on display, vintage match books, posters and more,
filling the tables along the wall. Cell phones snapped photos as old friends met, many of whom hadn’t seen each other since last year’s get-together. Some people could barely stop talking long enough to listen to a few announcements. Unfortunately, as to be expected, a number of past attendees were missing; they had either passed on or moved away to be closer to relatives. In some cases a son or daughter a generation down was now representing the family. However, the
highlight of the event was the celebration of the birthday of none other than 94-yearold Percy Bakker himself, an Hesperia Old Timer and the building’s name sake. It’s amazing how fast his gigantic birthday cake disappeared!
A big thank-you goes out to Joe and Paula Vail and all of their support staff for hosting this event again. God bless you for keeping local history alive and giving “Old Timers” a memorable afternoon.
Spotlight on Oro Grande’s Cross-Eyed Cow
FRIDAY JUNE 14 was not only Flag Day, but the day to celebrate at the Cross-Eyed Cow in Oro Grande by attending an exclusive premiere of their appearance on “America’s Best Restaurants.” Last February the show’s Jay Russell made a visit to Oro Grande, checked out the pizza and the unique and fascinating decor, interviewed owner Weather Preston and her mom Donna Granger (the prior owner), and decided that the CEC did indeed deserve to be featured as a top independently owned and operated eating establishment.
The place was certainly full of excitement! The shiny classic vehicles of the Sunsetters Car Club attracted attention out on the street, as did the in-progress three paneled mural being painted on an exterior wall by a local artist named Travis. Inside the place was packed, as the episode of the show played continuously on several TVs. A smiling Donna Granger was rightfully proud of her daughter for continuing the dream she and her husband Jim had started 15 years ago. Her comment was, “Thanks High Desert. It’s the loyal customers who make the business succeed.” Weather had this to say: “Thanks to everyone who came out,
and to America’s Best Restaurants for spotlighting us and letting people know about our great restaurant here in Oro Grande.” MHS members Mike, Marcy, and Jada, and guest Alexis enjoyed their delicious pizza (covered with real Wisconsin cheese) and went home with some raffle prize bags full of souvenirs to remember the event honoring a small home-town restaurant in the old Route 66 railroad town of Oro Grande.
Route 66 Mural Projects Rollin’ on Down the Highway
BACK IN THE HOT SUMMER OF 2012 , all the old boarded up businesses on lower 7th Street got real snazzed up just in time for the August Route 66 Festival hosted by the Route 66 Association California East. Almost all of those murals are gone now, but the memories and photos remain. The artwork created by Marcy Taylor caused quite a stir, with Daily Press articles and photos of the progress being published, locals and tourists stopping to talk and snap photos, and a general positive feeling coming over Old Town Victorville. Two other community murals have been created within the last few years. One sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce graces a wall on lower Seventh at C Street, and another spearheaded by ROOTS spruces up a wall a few blocks up the street on A Street.
A newly erected sign marks the
spot.
Blessed with a grant from “Creative Corps of the Inland Empire Southern California,” and a partnership with the California Arts Council of San Bernardino County, the “Create Together Community Mural” honoring the late Colonel Felix Diaz is taking shape on 7th Street between C and B Streets. A paint party of local residents, ranging in age from 19 months to 72 years old, came together Friday June 14 and Sat. June 15 to make the dream a reality.
A proud Margaret Diaz was overjoyed to see her husband’s legacy live on in the city he grew up in and loved. Images of the old locomotive commemorate Victorville as an early railroad town, but also represent the segregation of the time, with the races separated by the tracks. The old Victor School, which a young Felix attended, and the Veteran’s Memorial, that a patriotic Colonel Diaz spearheaded, are also depicted, as well as Mariachi singers and the Jr. Cadet Corps representing two of his other passions. The butterflies fluttering here and there signify his transition.
Thanks to the organizational skills of Stephanie Palarzin, a staunch Old Town supporter, funding by the non-profit
“Lifting our Stories,” and the talent of local artist Vanessa Gomez and her crew of 90 volunteer painters, Victorville has another wonderful piece of artwork that has once again brought the community together with a positive vibe.
Meanwhile, up the road a little on Oro Grande’s stretch of the Route 66, on the same Friday and Saturday, Travis, a teacher at Sixth Street Prep, was using his vacation days to create a three-paneled black and white mural on the outside wall of the famous Cross-Eyed Cow Pizza restaurant. So take a cruise down America’s highway through Old Town Victorville, go under the arch, continue on up to Oro Grande, and stop and take a look at the beautiful artwork. You’ll be glad you did!
Bombs Away Part I
THERE WAS PLENTY to look at when entering the Lone Wolf Colony for the June 27th Mohahve Historical Society meeting. Photos of bombs, pieces of bombs, newspaper articles about bombs, diagrams of bombs and bomb circles, and a large “Disaster Center” sign offering a place to shelter in case of nuclear attack. The program, presented by board members Eric Mandeson, Delvin Harbour, Dennis Hom, otherwise known as the MHS Explorers (Secret Agents 001, 002, and
003); and Chief Researcher Marcy Taylor, presented the history of the military in the High Desert area, particularly the World War II and Korean War eras. From the early forts and camel caravans, through the development of Army, Marine, and Air Force bases, the Mojave Desert has attracted the military. What better place to create huge bombing targets for the initial classes of Bombadiers than the wide open spaces of Apple Valley and Lucerne Valley and other remote desert locals with their dry climate and huge flat dry lake
A Sizzling Fourth of July Event
Wbeds?
War is not a pretty picture. Many local lives were lost in the dangerous practice bombing exercises. And, of course, many more were lost on both sides before World War II came to an end thanks to the development of the Atomic Bomb!
The presentation was a great incentive to sign up to accompany the MHS Explorers on the follow-up fieldtrip to three practice bombing sites in Apple Valley to take place the very next morning.
ELL, WE SURE PICKED a hot enough day to celebrate the 105th Anniversary of Camp Cajon! As you probably know, four historical societies were jointly responsible for the 2019 replica of the 1919 monument, with a big centennial celebration five years ago on July 4. Since that time, the Camp Cajon team, led by Nick Cataldo, Mark Landis, John Leneau, and Gary Smith, have continued to add more artifacts: the original concrete picnic table sponsored by Lucerne Valley “Land of Abundant and Shallow Water” returned to the site in July of 2021; the July 2022 construction of the four-panel kiosk, which currently has 3 finished information panels; the Sept. 2022 placement of an authentic California State “C-marker,” used by the state highway department to mark highway boundaries; and the January 2023 placement of an original piece of macadam (an old type
of asphalt) from the 1916 alignment of National Old Trails Highway.
The fifty-plus participants at the Independence Day event, sponsored by the Camp Cajon team, the San Bernardino and Pioneer Society, Mohahve Historical Society, and the California Historic Route 66 Association, had a busy morning. Presentations included the history of Camp Cajon, the history of Route 66 and the beginning of the US Interstate system, and projects completed within the last five years. Attendees could visit booths manned by the Camp Cajon team, the Mohahve Historical Society, the California Historic Route 66 Association, and the Native Sons of the Golden West Arrowhead Parlor 110. In addition to for sale items, guests could pick up a free July “Pulse” newspaper, museum brochures, and flyers for upcoming events.
Despite the heat, lots of folks signed up for one or two jaunts: the walking tour up Wagon Trail Road where the welcoming rest stop once stood; the hike over part of the trail
through Crowder Canyon (also at various times known as the John Brown Toll Road, the Santa Fe Grand Canyon Needles Road, the National Old Trails Road, as well as the present-day Pacific Crest Trail); and the third more difficult hike under the freeway, over the creek, along the railroad tracks, following the PCT through thick brush to the 1912 Stoddard-Waite monument. And this was listed as an easy hike on a wellmarked trail!
A great big thank-you to Mark, Nick, and the rest of the Camp Cajon team for inviting us to once again share in an adventure to learn some local history while losing a few pounds hiking to nearby but often overlooked interesting and important places.
Bombs Away Part 2
AMAZINGLY, MANY REMAINS of the 80-year-old blacktop targets can still be easily found if you know where to look, with tell-tale pieces of rusty mangled exploded bombs poking their heads up through the dirt.
Stop 1 near Big Lots revealed three gigantic half-circle rings, the other halves being covered by a road and a building. After a group photo with the 14 fieldtrippers standing on the outer ring with Bell Mountain in the background, the group walked over 1/4 of the outer circle to get an idea of just how big these targets actually were. Rusty souvenirs were plentiful.
At Stop 2 out in the Sycamore Rocks area, three half-circle rings were also visible. At this site, more of the 6-8 foot wide blacktop surface remained, and souvenirs were again scattered all around.
Stop 3 south of Dead Man’s Point was a little disappointing. We expected to
see the only full-circle rings remaining in Apple Valley. Instead we discovered that one half had recently been plowed under, apparently being prepared for new construction of some sort. Another piece of local history vanishing in the name of progress! We, of course, wondered if the machinery operators had any idea of what they were destroying. Probably not!
A big thank-you to past Board Member Larry Reece, who led a Bomb Circles fieldtrip in 2012, for leaving us his notes
and photos and inspiring us to investigate this important part of local history. It’s a good thing we did before the three remaining half-circle targets also vanish in the High Desert wind!
Upcoming Community Events
Aug. 6- National Night Out- all local cities, various locations- 6:00 PM
Aug. 10- Rockin’ Flea Market- Lions Park Apple Valley- 8:00 AM-1:00 PM
Aug. 13- Friends of the Apple Valley Library meeting- California Writers Club presentation- 11:00 AM
Aug. 17- Friends of the Apple Valley Library Book Sale- 9:00 AM-3:00 PM
Aug. 17- Movie Night at the Apple Valley Legacy Museum 1939 “Stagecoach” Live music 7-8, movie 8:15
What’s in a Name?
Golden Gate Bridge
During the mid-1800s, soldier and explorer John Fremont gave the passage its name, borrowing from the Greek term, “Chrysoplae.” In English, it translates to “Golden Gate,” which was fitting, as Fremont saw the similarities between San Francisco and another port town from antiquity:
“[when] John C. Fremont saw the watery trench that breached the range of coastal hills on the western edge of otherwise landlocked San Francisco Bay, it reminded him of another beautiful landlocked harbor: the Golden Horn of the Bosporus in Constantinople, now Istanbul.”
Thus, the name for this gateway to the Pacific Ocean was born. Little did Fremont realize, however, that years later, the name would also be lent to the now-famous bridge that joins the sides of this mighty expanse.
Play with it!
by Jorge Leandro Rodrigues
Hunting Words
S.W.I.M.
Seniors With Inquiring Minds
August 1
Hesperia Economic Development Department
Ms. April Antonio
August 8 Joshua White - Fighting Fires
August 15 Rick & Donna Richardson
3-string Dulcimer Mountain Music
August 22 Bob Beard & Tom LeCoq
Riverside Live Steamers
August 29 Tom LeCoq
Music Mood Memories
Seniors With Inquiring Minds (SWIM) meets every Thursday from 1:00PM to 2:00PM in the Percy Bakker Community Center located at 9333 Avenue “E” In Hesperia, Ca. 92345
A PARENT can experience is to outlive their child. It was even more devastating for Cathyleen Williams whose son was not supposed to have lived the nine years he did. He was born with half a heart. In the short time he lived, Cathyleen was his full-time care provider. 24/7.
She couldn’t work.
During the time that she cared for his every need, she received state aid and when he passed, she applied for unemployment benefits. For four months she was told she would get benefits until she was told about an exclusion because she was a parent. Then her application was denied. The law said that in-home support providers who were parents or spouses were not eligible for benefits. Faced with no income, no real job skills, and no prospects of being hired at her age, she asked the unemployment agent what she could do.
The agent said, “Change the law.”
And that’s exactly what she set out to do . . . shortly after Caleb, her son, passed in 2016. “I just knew from growing up and my family staying very relevant in the political arena that I would have to reach out to a legislator. But the first place I went was to in-home support services because I knew we were part of a union, which is the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). I thought, let me reach out to them because maybe I can file a grievance.”
She figured that, since she had paid union dues, SEIU would fight for her and protect her, but the union did nothing. “Not
By J.P.Garner
a damn thing,” according to Cathyleen. Not to be deterred, that’s when Cathyleen took the next step in her march to Sacramento. “I thought, well, let me just call my assemblyman,” who, at the time, was Jay Obernolte.
This was approximately four months after Caleb passed in March of 2016. “All this time I’m thinking that because the unemployment people did not know about the exclusion, there was a loop hole and I was going to get my money.” When she didn’t, she knew in her heart that when they told her, “you’re not getting it because you’re a parent provider, I knew I had to do something for other people because if I’m this devastated, what have others experienced after taking care of kids for thirty years?”
After calling legislators and anyone with an interest in the matter, she started writing letters. Bunches of them and to legislators other than Obernolte. She knew she had to develop a consensus so someone would write a bill. During this process, a staffer she encountered at Obernolte’s office unexpectedly offered to help. She told Cathyleen that she’d do some checking and see what, if anything, was happening on the subject of in-home services.
She encouraged Cathyleen to, “. . . write the letter, send it to me, and we’ll critique it and get it to where it needs to be. It has to have the right language to be able to
hand out and distribute to all the other legislators in California.”
So, Cathyleen did exactly that. She started a letter writing campaign. Then she made a list of all the legislators close to her and she started calling their offices and talking to their staffers. She even made an appointment to meet with Senator Paul Cook. But the next event she attended was the quarterly meeting for in-home support services where she spoke about the emotional and financial hardships full-time caregivers endured. “They were shocked when I brought [the stipulation in the law] to their attention.
They didn’t even know it was their pamphlet,” she explained.
She then met Mirna, an assistant to the Chairman of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, who knew all of the state legislators. She then learned of a legislator out of Palmdale who had already written a bill on the matter. It was the Obernolte staffer who helped her with her letter that alerted her Assemblyman Thomas W. Lackey’s initiative. Cathyleen called his office and spoke with his receptionist who cried when told of the obstacles and difficulties Cathyleen encountered after Caleb passed The receptionist introduced her to Assemblyman Lackey who wanted to be a part of the effort to get a bill passed to provide unemployment benefits to in-home supporters.
But when Mr. Lackey presented AB 1930, he was just asking for a study to see how the denial of benefits adversely affected parents and spouses. When she got on the campaign trial, Cathyleen created change.org and received 1,100 signatures and she started a Facebook page focused on stopping the discrimination against in-home support workers.
The bill met with no opposition in the Assembly and Senate, which was unheard of because it’s a life issue. But, because they were asking for so much money, the bill was held up in an appropriations committee. She met the leader of one of those committees that had it on hold who, after talking with him, promised he would send it forward.
And he did.
She was then invited to be “on the grass” in Sacramento and, having already been on CBS and ABC News when Caleb was alive and because she would be testifying to the Assembly, she was again interviewed by their affiliates in the capital city about her initiative.
by CBS in a special television report in 2013 about the viral classroom she created for her son which, through Zoom, allowed him to participate in classwork and interact with other students. She met the reporter at Starbuck’s in Victorville. She was asking to meet with Governor Brown. Cathyleen hoped her story would move him to approve the bill.
It never happened.
On September 30, 2016, he vetoed the bill. He said he had an IHSS group that could get those answers. Eight years later, that group has produced no answers.
“So, because it’s also federal money, I decided to go to Washington and make sure that it’s on their radar as well. Because that’s when our US Senator was Kamala Harris. I was like, I really need to go there and talk to the majority and minority leaders. I need to talk to Cook’s office. I need to talk to our US Senator because this has to change. I flew there the day after the bill was vetoed in Sacramento”
Cathyleen’s tireless and dedicated efforts for getting the bill passed through both houses were unanimously recognized by the Assembly. Part Two of The Good Fight will detail her efforts in Washington and her second attempt to have Governor Gavin Newsom approve a change in an antiquated law that discriminates against homecare providers who are needed 24/7. It was her love of and devotion to Caleb that found her at their home in Barstow, caring for him all day and every day for nine years. Now is the time that the state be there for those like her.
Because the bill had performed so well in both Houses, she was hired as a campaign consultant by both the United Domestic Workers of America (UDW) and the SEIU to represent their interests at different meetings with In-Home Support Service providers. She was telling everyone her story and urging them to call their senators and assemblymen as a way to get Governor Jerry Brown’s attention. As part of a group of representatives, she delivered all of the signatures to his office, met with various staff members, and then she waited. When she came back to Barstow, she was on the news again. She had been featured
Celebrating Independence Day The Newberry Way
By John Wease
IN THE EARLY TWENTIETH
CENTURY , Newberry was included in the High Desert region open for settlement under the Homestead Act. Folks, looking for the promise land, flooded in to claim their “free land.” It coincided with an unusually wet climate cycle and the farms were successful. Until, that is, the more usual dry climate returned. Most of the homestead farms failed and the homesteaders returned to the big cities. Those who stayed were fiercely independent, tenacious, and able to adapt. Some of this independent spirit is found today in our Newberry Springs residents.
The relative isolation of rural living is a trade-off. We have none of the big-city conveniences that are often taken for granted by urban dwellers. The nearest grocery store is thirty minutes away. We don’t “run to the store” for milk, or any other single item. We have to plan our trips and include stops at the feed store, hardware, and, of course, the gas station. Our local gas stations with convenient stores may be convenient. The prices are anything but.
What we do have here is a regionally well-known Pistachio Festival. Going back to the days of those early homesteaders, Newberry Springs’ economy has been agriculturally based. This year, the first Saturday in November, we will have our twenty-sixth annual Pistachio Festival. Attendance runs to the thousands. Although some may argue, Newberry is more than just a bunch of nuts. We do Independence Day in a big way as well. So much so, we need two days for the celebration.
Every year on the third of July our Community Services District (CSD) sponsors a celebration at our community park. The celebration includes vendors selling food, craft and artisanal items and information booths for non-profits and other organizations. A fairly recent addition is a rematch of the top two
teams from the Pistachio Festival kickball tournament. This year, the Newberry Springs Chamber of Commerce provided music, a waterslide and piñata for the kids, and for the adults, a dunking tank. Our founding fathers clearly were not thinking of the future desert dwellers when they declared our independence in July. I am pretty sure the volunteers perched above the dunking tank were hoping someone would hit the target and send them into the cool water.
The big event of the evening is, of course, the fireworks. Many years ago, to raise funds for fireworks, we had elections for Honorary Mayor. Candidates placed jars with their names around the community. We voted by placing dollar bills in the jar of our candidate. It was a case where “buying votes” was not only legal, it was encouraged. The Honorary
Mayor was rewarded by being the Grand Marshall in the Independence Day parade. As much fun as these faux elections were, every year it was a struggle to pay for professional quality fireworks. Some years back, someone found out the top-quality fireworks companies were booked long in advance for the fourth
of July. On July third, they were mostly twiddling their thumbs waiting for their big night. Paying half the normal price, we had for years, thirty minutes of amazing fireworks with a full minute of a grand finale. As every other community has their fireworks on the fourth, our event draws visitors from all around to enjoy the music, food, and other activities as they await the fireworks. This year, although the CSD spent the same amount as past years, the fireworks program only lasted fifteen minutes. Perhaps it is another example of our runaway inflation.
In 1976, Newberry Springs held their first 4th of July Parade to celebrate the bicentennial. We have had a parade on the 4th every year since. Over the years, it was quite the event. The parade dwindled to a very small affair but has been making a comeback. We had twenty entries this year. As our enthusiastic announcer, Kris Watson, says, it isn’t the Rose Parade but it is our parade. Our “floats” may be pickups or trailers with flags, bunting and patriotic displays, the pride and patriotism of both the spectators and participants is apparent. Sponsored by our American Legion, the parade entries stage at the Barn Route 66. There they are judged by categories by visiting royalty, Miss
Barstow and Miss Route 66. The parade follows the Historic Route 66 to the American Legion. Trophies are awarded at there followed by a traditional hot dog or hamburger lunch.
Our well-loved volunteer fire department leads the parade. With lights and siren blaring, they are met with enthusiastic applause. This year, driving their new to them fire engine, they used their pumper to spray water over, and sometimes on the crowd. The local ETI Corral 66 equestrian group, and it is no accident they have the number 66 in a community that holds the parade on Route 66, proudly rode the parade route. For those who enjoy more horsepower, the automotive world was well-represented. From a stock Tin Lizzy Model T to a T-bucket roadster, there was something for everyone. Patriotic-themed floats, bicycles, motorcycles, and off-road vehicles helped round out the eclectic mix.
It is a quirky mix of spirited participants. It is appreciated more, perhaps, because this is such a small community. It is a “village” with a population of military veterans, senior citizens, and young families that embrace our rural lifestyle. It is a throwback to simpler times. It is a time when we are all united as Americans.
Today’s Woman Foundation Rolls Out New Program
By Cindy Bostick
TODAY’S WOMAN FOUNDATION has introduced a new program called the Legacy Member program. This program has been designed to further the organization’s mission of providing education, resources, and advocacy for women in the High Desert.
Cindy Bostick, the Executive Director, expressed her excitement for the new program, stating, “The program aims to ensure we can continue and expand our work. Fortunately, we live in an incredibly supportive community, and people connect organically with our projects. Melinda Aguilar is one such individual who chose to become a Legacy Member in honor of her mom, who passed away from breast cancer. She understands the positive impact of our Bundles of Hope project on women undergoing cancer treatment. In the photo, Melinda is seen with board member Mona Merrill. By becoming a Legacy Member, supporters pledge an annual contribution that directly funds educational programs, resource distribution, and advocacy initiatives. This commitment helps the organization plan long-term projects and
expand its reach to more women in need. Legacy Members will enjoy several exclusive benefits, including a welcome kit, recognition on the organization’s website, insider updates on program impact and progress, invitations to exclusive workshops and educational events, and quarterly newsletters featuring stories of transformation and updates on new initiatives.
Today’s Woman Foundation would like to extend a huge thank you to the following Legacy Members: Amber Anderson, Andrea Bell, B.E.S.T. Opportunities, Inc., Brenda Coultas, Brisa Alfaro, Cindy Bostick, Dana Roesler, Debbie Cannon, Diana Van Riel, Donna Rollins, Elizabeth McGiffin, Heidi Battaglia, Jeff Dunagan, Jessica Borzilleri, Josette Brown, Ed.D., Karen (Nina) Brown, Louisa Miller, Margaret Smith, Marie Langley, Mary Brown, Maryam Zand, M.D., Melanie Ajanwachuku, Melinda Aguilar, Mona Merrill, Regina Weatherspoon-Bell, Renee Rincon, Shannon Shannon, Sheila Bath, Sophie Steeno, Tracey Rick, Yolanda Roberts and Yvonne Molles.
Mona Merrill, Membership Program Chair, concluded, “By becoming a Legacy
Member, individuals not only support Today’s Woman Foundation but also stand in solidarity with women striving for better futures for themselves and their families.” To learn more about the organization’s work and enroll as a new member, visit www.todayswomanfoundation.org.
Camp Cajon
July 2024
WE HAVE CO-HOST/HOSTESS for our next meeting Noon-1:30 on Wednesday, May 8th Gentiva Hospice & Amy Reed/Dolce Imperial will be providing lunch & dessert at Gentiva Hospice - 16070 Tuscola Road, #201, Apple Valley
SEE YOU EXACTLY TOMORROW! Don’t forget to reply to this email, if you plan on attending.
Here is a look back at a few of our past meetings:
