IMPACT Magazine Spring 2019

10 unsung heroes creating change within our local communities

1

WHO WE ARE The Associated Student Government operates as the voice of students at Palomar, we press for better changes in our community.

We do this through our actions on various shared governance committees across the campus, and by our Student Trustee position, which represents our student community at the District level.

We need student leaders to help pave the way for more educational opportunities, to create safe environments for people from all walks of life, and to provide the community with events and activities geared towards making the college experience as memorable as possible.

WHAT CAN YOU DO? Help other students achieve their academic aspirations.

Vote on important decisions regarding Palomar College.

Interact and connect with students during ASG events.

Build leadership and teamwork skills.

Become a vessel for change on your campus.

Travel with the ASG to advocate for community colleges.

Change begins with you.

POSITIONS AVAILABLE!

palomar.edu/asg facebook.com/PalomarASG

instagram.com/Palomar_ASG

twitter.com/Palomar_ASG

2

IMPACT M A G A Z I N E

2018-2019 1ST PLACE | MAGAZINE COVER DESIGN | CALIFORNIA COLLEGE MEDIA AWARDS 1ST PLACE | BEST COLLEGE MAGAZINE | SAN DIEGO PRESS AWARDS BEST OF SHOW | SAN DIEGO COUNTY FAIR 2018

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Bethany Nash

MANAGING EDITOR

Victoria Price

PHOTO EDITOR COPY EDITOR CREATIVE DIRECTOR ASSISTANT DESIGNER WRITERS

PHOTOGRAPHERS

ADVISOR DESIGN ADVISOR ADVERTISING MANAGER

3

Aubree Weidmaier Linus Smith Maurice Thomas Jr Andrew Justice Brian Beltran Kiera Colarusso Rick Contreras Samatha Cox Courtney Davis Ripp Friesen Alex Garcia Kena Haun Hayley Lawson Kiral Lepard Katy Lynn Monica Navarrete Nathan Navida Ashley Romero Ideth Sanchez Jonathan Sarabia Jordan Spurgeon Kiana Teixeira Sundae Velasco Nicole Villanueva Sonny Cavarlez Elvin Diego Isaac Figueroa Seji Gaerlan Anna Gabriele Taylor Hardey Sukhi Heumann Megan Lammott Mariana Melendrez Blake Northington Mariesa Randow Emily Whetstone

Ten. That is how many years IMPACT magazine has been sharing stories about the impact of Palomar College and surrounding community. We have had 10 years of stories about interesting people, places and events. We are proud of what we have done and wanted to celebrate our 10th anniversary by doing even better.

With so much access to the entire world at our finger tips it is sometimes hard to see the light through a veil of negativity and discourse. Faced with an onslaught of fake news, violence, homelessness and poverty, we forget that there are the hands of community, hope and dreamers on the world.

That is why this year IMPACT is looking in a new direction.

Sometimes it is important to take a break from negativity and look for positivity. To take time to believe that the future can be better than what we see right now.

In light of our 10th edition, our staff has selected 10 individuals who are making an IMPACT in their community. People who saw a need and actively worked to change it. We feature people who save animals, provide for food shelters, battle cancer or even turn a child’s death into a way to give back.

Each story is a celebration of their lives and the difference they have made in the world. Their small acts of kindness have made them heroes.

We hope to inspire you to go out into your community and make a change, to be kind, and to find what you see wrong with the world and dare to change it.

Sincerely,

Bethany Nash IMPACT Editor-in-Chief

Erin Hiro Jay Schultz Natashia Copple

IMPACT IS PRODUCED BY STUDENTS ENROLLED IN JOURNALISM 105-215, OFFERED AT PALOMAR COLLEGE IN SAN MARCOS, CALIFORNIA. TO LEARN MORE ABOUT IMPACT OR FUTURE ISSUES, CONTACT ERIN HIRO AT EHIRO@PALOMAR.EDU IMPACT MAGAZINE 1140 W. MISSION ROAD, SAN MARCOS, CA 92069

E

Contents 6

Christine Howell Dear Survivor: Fashion Generating Hope

Rizzhel Javier An Artist’s Journey to Unlocking Stories Untold Art Explores the Connection of Personal Identities

12

TJ Crossman

18

Man of the Community: From Mechanic to Local Hero TJ Crossman’s Auto Repair Inc.

Christine Hubbard The Feline Heroine To Give a Cat a Second Chance

24

Sherry Titus

30

A Caring Heart: Returning Authenticity to Education

Operation Hope Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness An Interview with Nicole Ketcher Poverty in San Diego

42

48

36

Jason Kendall The Chief Pilot and his Flowers

Cancer for College Thriving Beyond Cancer Currently Surviving My Brain Cancer The 5,000 -Year War on Cancer

Kiersten Bragg From Anguish to Advocate A Victim’s Reality

60

52

Ben Phillips Pizza Maniac A Pizza My Heart Engaging Equality in the Workplace

4

Executive Staff

Editor-In-Chief

Creative Director

Managing Editor

Bethany Nash Copy Editor Maurice Thomas Jr

Victoria Price

Photo Editor

Linus Smith Advisor Aubree Weidmaier

5

Erin Hiro

Dear Survivor Fashion generating hope

Story By: Sundae Velasco Feautring: Christine Howell Photography By: Mariana Melendez

6

7

CHRISTINE HOWELL

C

hristine Howell’s studio in downtown San Diego is a sight for sore eyes, but walk a block away in any direction and you are bound to come across someone living on the streets. We may not see homeless people and kids aging out of foster care, who are among those vulnerable to fall victims to human trafficking.

As the founder of handmade jewelry business Dear Survivor, Howell hopes to create conversation and confidence through the jewelry she makes. She has become an advocate for change in the fashion industry who is passionate about the ethical sourcing of products and believes donating proceeds to a non-profit is crucial.

“For me it was realizing who I am and what my actual skills are. Finding that freedom to be like okay, I’m not going to change the world but I’m an artist,” Howell added. “I need to do what I’m called to do and be who I’m created to be. Dig into who I am and bring attention to this issue through that.”

According to the International Labor Organization, forced labor and human trafficking is a $150 billion industry with 30-40 million slaves worldwide today.

California harbors three of FBI’s highest child sex trafficking areas in the nation. A joint study between University of San Diego and Point Loma Nazarene University stated, “Virtually no community in San Diego remains untouched by sex trafficking.”

Howell always felt passionate

SPRING 2019

• • •

81% of them are trapped in forced labor.

25% of them are children.

75% are women and girls.

but powerless when it came to ending human trafficking, feeling as though she lacked the qualifications to make a difference. “Be aware of its extent in the states. Know the red flags.

Figuring out where you fall in what you can offer,” Howell encouraged.

Howell attended San Francisco State University, graduating in 2013.

She went into college as a nursing major due to her desire for helping people, but changed to sociology for benefiting the

non-profit sector. However, she spent more time in the fine arts department as a sculptor despite it being her minor.

She has had a love for art, design and fashion her whole life but no one pushed her to do it. With advice from her teachers, she decided to take art classes and developed her natural skill and hard work.

At the end of college Howell moved to Los Angeles to work for a non-profit clothing company. She worked with them for a year and used the earnings to help the homeless. It was a personal introduction into the social enterprise world, having a product that advocates for social justice and learning the business model.

Howell went on to work as a seamstress for another small business doing production.

8

“There’s something to be said about keep trying, keep at it. For me I was forced to keep trying because this is my liveliho Making leather baby moccasins, she learned the craft of leatherworking.

She explained, “At that time I always thought it would be so cool to be a designer of my own stuff but never really thought I actually could or would be able to get there.”

Two years after college she felt she was lacking in art. Her solution: putting together her own opportunity to study abroad, which involved going to a sculpture studio in Hungary. Living there across the world for three months, would be cheaper than living in Los Angeles for three months. “I’m just going to save up and go for it. I don’t have a boyfriend, a dog, a car... I don’t have anything holding me back.”

It was difficult at first making money to fund her trip to Europe. A

You got to have people that believe in you who say ‘hey, you’re doing something good, keep going.”

9

friend of hers who was a business consultant encouraged her to start her own business. The first step: building the brand name. She came up with “Dear Survivor” and everything clicked, all coming together in one night.

Howell began the process in spring 2015: starting her business in April, making products in June and officially launching in May. At a launch party she hosted, she had her first moment to truly pause and reflect. “I just started a company. I haven’t thought about this. If I stop, I’d have a failed business,” Howell expressed. “I’m glad I didn’t have that thought before because I probably never would have done it.”

However, about a year ago, Howell felt uninspired. Her next project was to produce acetate earrings but as soon as she was ready to begin, its popularity skyrocketed. She was discouraged and sought out other materials to work with. She tried terrazzo, but it ended up not working out.

Howell was eventually led from roadblock to revelation, “Let me IMPACT X

CHRISTINE HOWELL

just cut some shapes with leather and I can just see size-wise what I’m wanting. I did that and I was like, oh my gosh, why didn’t I just use leather?”

Fast forward to spring 2019, Howell plans to take her business to the next level through wholesale (selling goods in large quantities to retailers). Having worked with leather for years she’s been saving up materials. There’s a factory in LA she goes to every other month where she rifles through the colors and collects leftover scraps sold by the pound.

Another woman’s trash is another woman’s treasure. Growing as a brand and working with leather, it’s inspiring for her to see what else she can work with when it comes to waste from the fashion industry.

“I love it. Also not getting comfortable with the product as a creative, always trying to innovate,” Howell continued, “There’s something to be said about keep trying, keep at it. For me I was forced to keep trying because this is my livelihood.”

Artist or not, we are all consumers.

But when it comes to the clothes we wear and the products we buy, do you pay attention to where it comes from?

Patricia Victa, a Dear Survivor customer and former small business employee, believes that your purchases

SPRING 2019

have an impact. “You can make a statement [literally] by wearing the statement earrings and also by putting your money towards a bigger cause. The things that you wear can and do have a bigger story behind them. It’s not just business, there are people behind those products.”

Since day one of starting her business Howell developed a connection with GenerateHope, a faithbased organization dedicated to the recovery of human trafficking survivors. A portion of all proceeds through Dear Survivor goes to them.

“I didn’t have that high goals when I started the company...but over the last three years I’ve been able to donate 20,000 dollars. As an individual I would’ve never been able to do that,” Howell explained.

It’s not just her who donates but a group effort as a community, seeing the company as bigger than herself. “Once I started Dear Survivor it was like a separate entity even though it’s still just me.

It feels very different. It’s a network.”

Howell enjoys being in San Diego for the creative community. It was inspiring to see people making stuff and working collaboratively, sharing spaces and sharing wisdom. “Community is everything. You got to have people that believe in you who say ‘hey, you’re doing something good, keep going.’”

Even when it comes to logistics, like buying zippers and casting, a little help can go a long way. Not a lot of people make their own things while running their own business. At the time, Howell worked on everything in her garage.

While visiting one of her friends she learned from him that an office was up for grabs. “This is my dream and I didn’t even know it,” Howell stated.

Former Dear Survivor Marketing Intern and friend of three years, Jazmine Brown said, “She is definitely one of those people that if I didn’t meet her I wouldn’t be doing what I am today. She really pushes me to try new things, try new ideas.”

Today, Brown is a sustainable fashion blogger and works at Moniker General, a retail store that works to carry brands and products that matter.

“I hope all college students realize that there’s just so much you can do. College is such an important, instrumental time in life. I wish someone told me in college to pursue my dream. You don’t hear that enough as a student,” Howell said.

Look at the change, the impact you want to make, innovate and chase the future.

10

CHRISTINE HOWELL

“There’s something to be said about keep trying, keep at it. For me I was forced to keep trying because this is my livelihood.”

11

IMPACT X

12

H

SPRING 2019

er art uncovers layers of heritage and cultural disconnection and she’s using it to carve out a new path for those who feel marginalized and underrepresented Stepping into the home of Rizzhel Javier you’re immediately assured you’re in the presence of a friend. Her home reflects her laid-back style and demeanor. Things aren’t arranged in any particular place, but the space serves a purpose beyond image. It’s a multi-utilized space where Javier lives and creates art from. It’s the house she grew up in, but it’s not the same home her conservative parents raised her in.

Somewhere tucked away lies an old Humboldt State University news-

paper. It features Javier on the front page. She would go on to be a focus in many articles that boast her work and influence, but this article drew attention to her for an entirely different reason: her ethnicity. A topic that had long been a silent weight she carried.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of July 2018, 83.5 percent of the population in Humboldt County is caucasian. And it wasn’t much different when Javier attended undergraduate school there. The headline alongside her picture on the front page was titled “Exotic.”

There it was in print. All of her internal feelings of not fitting in with society glaring back at her on the front page of the school paper for her and everyone else to see.

As a first generation Filipino-Amer-

ican growing up in San Diego, Javier felt an overwhelming disconnection between her cultural identity and what she saw depicted in her community and in the media. Television depicted families that looked nothing like her. She didn’t see herself in the history books at school. At home the discussion of Javier’s Filipino heritage was non-existent. With no space to discuss her identity she took on an identity reflected by her peers.

She recalls comments from middle school such as, “You’re so whitewashed.” “You’re the whitest Asian I know.” At the time these words turned her against her Asian identity. It was these early memories where she says she first realized, “oh, culture is a thing,” and “there are layers of culture.”

One place that made her feel

14

RIZZHEL JAVIER right at home was art class. From elementary school through high school she excelled in her art projects. Ceramics was a big focus at the time and she developed a great skill in craft and technique.

Her pursuit in art brought her to study at Humboldt State University. Many pivotal moments would take place there. One being the newspaper headline that called out her insecurities.

But more prolific, at the age of 19, she would find a lifelong friend and mentor in teacher Don Gregorio Anton. Anton exposed Javier to a new form of art expression: darkroom photography.

He came into her life and opened up a whole new meaning of the word “art.” This is when Javier began to learn that art isn’t just something that sits in a museum or hangs on a wall. In the 15

IMPACT X

RIZZHEL JAVIER

words of Anton, “Art appears everywhere, all the time. It is in the detail of expression often overlooked, the way in which we strive to care. It is in the response of emotions we possess. Art is not exclusive, but limitations are.”

In an online article, “In The Heart Stories: Rizzhel Javier-Artist, Educator,” written by Jella Roson, Javier describes a profound memory from school. She recalls Anton assigning her to find a book with a Filipino artist and bring it to him.

She found one Filipino painter online.

It gave her hope to finally see someone like her succeeding as an artist. This moment would come full circle 10 years later when she returned to Humboldt to give a lecture. She shares how a Filipino student came up to her and said, “I never thought I could do this, but meeting you made it feel more possible.” In this moment Javier knew she was on her true path. Her passion is to help others find their authentic voice and expression and use it as a means to connect.

The stories people hold matter to Javier. She knows all too well what happens when stories are lost. Growing

SPRING 2019

up, the silence of her parents resulted in cultural and generational dissonance. And she’s breaking the cycle.

Her artwork pushes to create dialogue into uncovering the layers attached to identity. Through her teachings and various collaborations she creates space for people who feel like they aren’t seen or heard. Javier is healing force in her community, especially to the younger generations. She guides them to discover their own truth, showing them limitless means of personal expression.

One way she does this is through connection. She brings artists of every race and gender and upbringing into her classroom to show students the many faces of an artist. She also brings her students to various art functions where they see and experience work that goes beyond the media’s conception of what art is.

When you talk to people about Javier they immediately open up and come to life. Christina Ree, program manager of Pacific Arts Movement, expresses how lucky PAM is to have Javier working in their organization. She speaks highly of the lengths the artist will go to watch her students transform and suc-

ceed. “She’s a really special person that everyone trusts. Everything she does, she does with such commitment,” says Ree. Ree is right. Javier has a way of transforming a classroom into a very special place. She is the teacher she needed growing up. When thinking of her students she asks herself, “What are the things we want to learn that don’t exist in normal curriculum?” She’s very aware of the politics that exist in representation and in access, and she doesn’t shy away from topics such as privilege, sexual prejudice, or invisible borders in the community. She seeks the truth, whatever that may look like for someone.

That’s where she encourages healing through art. When her students come to her saying they don’t see themselves in movies she says back to them, “Well, then let’s make it.” If they don’t have access to expensive art supplies then she helps them discover a way to express themselves with accessible, unconventional materials. Javier fights for her students. In return, she learns she must also continue fighting for herself.

At the age of 30, Javier had

16

17

RIZZHEL JAVIER

success in the eyes of her parents. Not due to art, but due to her financial status. She was making a good living, but something was missing. Her heritage was calling out to her, and she dropped everything to answer that call.

For the first time ever, she traveled to the Philippines. She would stay with her grandparents in the house her father grew up in. Her grandmother, (Lola in Tagalog), welcomed her visit, but only with her father’s blessing.

To her shock, the blessing did not come easy. Javier had to fight with her father. He could not understand why she would leave behind her job and gave her every reason to stay. She had to make it known that the history he worked so hard to leave behind also belonged to her.

After many tears and self doubt she took the journey and made it home to a place she had never been before. As some people in her family would call it fate, her grandfather passed during her visit in 2013. Through this difficult time she was right there, caring for her Lola, exactly where she needed to be.

Javier found comfort and connection in her trip to the Philippines and because of that she has gone back every year since in an effort to further develop and share her own story.

Lola looks forward to her granddaughter’s return this fall.

IMPACT X

RIZZHEL JAVIER

ART EXPLORES THE CONNECTION OF PERSONAL IDENTITIES STORY BY: ASHLEY ROMERO AND IDETH SANCHEZ

I

n 2013, Rizzhel Javier began a number of social engagement projects that brought her community closer together. These projects would become known as one project, BRIDGEan umbrella term Javier uses for all of her work with the community.

Javier is an artist, who uses her art to develop connections to her community and encourage its people to explore the depths of their personal identities.

“My mission with BRIDGE is to bridge the gap between education and community,” Javier said. She believes that representation matters among ethnic groups and has helped her students and community grow.

The first program was called Traveling Tintypes. Participants were taken out to the desert and taught an old photo process used in the Civil War era with portable darkroom tents.

The feedback she received at the end of her programs served as great assurance. One teacher in attendance remarked that it reminded them of the joy in photography; meanwhile students commented on the great weekend, new friends and adventurous locations.

“T he things I beg an to teach were the things I felt I missed out on,” Javier explained.

Javier recalled walking through Target as a little girl with her mom and wondering why none of the dolls looked like her (Javier is of Filipino decent).

In 2018, the New Children’s Museum selected Javier to be an Artist in Resident. She was asked to develop a workshop and exhibition that explored race, origin, and family history.

The workshop was fully fund-

SPRING 2019

ed by the New Children’s Museum through two grants and started with 15 workshop locations from San Ysidro to Vista. The museum wrestled with the idea of talking about race, especially with young children.

Javier came up with a solution that each participant would create a custom doll with a voice box. The participants were encouraged to say what made their ethnicity special to them into the voice box and to design a doll that looked like them.

When she is not working in the community, Javier is focusing on using her own art to influence the racial gaps and build connections with their origins.

Javier’s work has been exhibited nationally at Arena 1 Gallery in Santa Monica, Calif. and internationally at Tijuana Institute of Technology and Centro Estatal de las Artes Tijuana, Baja.

Recently, her projects have been influenced by immigration and family origins. Including projects such as, Third(Space) and Returning Filipino.

The Third(Space) project is about being born into displacement. Javier feels that it can be difficult to find the space where one belongs, explaining on her website that “Third(space) addresses the hybridity of culture, between the past I never experienced, and the place where I exist today.”

She displayed a collection of photographs and speaks on her “attempt to access the space between between [her] two fixed identities as a Filipino-American.”

“Here I bring all the fragments of myself together into a place that might not exist on a map, but are so integrally part of who I am, and how I have reconciled my own understanding of defining home,” Javier said.

In her project, Returning Fili-

pino, those who participated on the project used a shipping service to the Philippines. They used a balikbayan box to send goods to families.

The balikbayan box is very symbolic. The word balikbayan translates to “returning Filipino.” It is a phrase used to refer to Filipinos that leave their country and return. Javier explained that “The main purpose of the balikbayan box is to connect families separated by international waters.”

Sometimes when you start on a project you don’t know what is happening until it is finished,” Javier continued, “Many of these projects come out of the blue, later you do the work.”

On March 15, Javier visited the University of California San Diego and brought students from Southwestern College to see Ana Andrade’s latest work of art, a videomicrography installation about birth.

Her students are currently enrolled in her Alternative Photographics Solutions class. Javier hopes to bring new ideas to her students. She often does these lectures to help them grow and learn from other artists.

Alexandra Ascher, 18, Business Marketing major, commented on how Javier inspires her everyday she walks into class. “She’s very open minded, creative and always guiding me in the process.”

Her ultimate hope for her art and the projects she works on to help generate other people that share the same belief so that they can go and share with others. Her deep love and interest for education has helped her push her students to become educators or ambassadors of the future.

Javier concluded, “These programs can’t help everyone but I’m doing the best I can for this part of the community.”

18

19

MAN OF THE COMMUNI

FROM MECHANIC TO LOCAL HERO FEATURING: TJ CROSSMAN STORY

BY JORDAN SPURGEON PHOTOG PHOTOGRAPHY BY SEJI GAERLAN

ITY

O Y GN

21

A

local family man has gone from high school dropout to one of the most influential and giving people in all of North County San Diego.

When you walk into his auto shop, TJ Crossman Auto Repair Incorporated, you smell the fumes of cars being fixed and you’re mesmerized when you see all the high-end awards and recognition he’s received from all around North County for his many charitable and business acts, spread throughout his lobby.

TJ Crossman is best known as the ‘local car giveaway guy.’ The idea came to him four years ago and it has exploded in a positive manner for the community. He also does much more for the community, like host canned food drives, lead Girl Scouts, and support local military and government personnel.

Bret Schanzenbach, President and CEO of Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, said “TJ is a throwback to eras gone by. He truly seeks to give first, receive second.”

Crossman was born on July 7, 1974 in Whitinsville, Mass. As a teenager, he lived with just his mom and was

SPRING 2019

into carpentry for four years. He worked on a dairy farm, a veggie farm, and then on another dairy farm after that.

At 17 years old, Crossman called his dad in California and asked to move in with him. Two weeks before he would’ve graduated high school, he moved all the way across the country to Southern California.

When he first moved, Crossman felt that his dad owed him for not being there when he was a kid. He sat around and did nothing for awhile so that he could just have his dad support him.

“When I moved to California, I didn’t really apply myself to get a job,” Crossman explained. Eventually, he decided to start working on cars as he had been watching his dad do it. He went straight to trade school to become a car mechanic.

Throughout his early adulthood Crossman struggled with alcohol addiction. He has religiously gone to AA meetings, and is now 11 years sober. “I just try to be better today, than I was yesterday,” Crossman said. Crossman’s wife passed away during a heart transplant, when their daughter Kaylee was very little.

Now he focuses all of his free time with his 12-year-old daughter. Crossman said,”I get up for work everyday because I want to

22

TJ CROSSMAN support my daughter and not be a failure.”

Crossman constantly goes to Vista City Council Meetings so that he can understand what the community needs. Joe Green, City of Vista Council Member, said, “TJ is a very unique man. After losing his wife and being thrust into single parenthood, TJ embraced the challenge. While others may have given up, TJ persevered and excelled in everything that he did.”

He’s taught his daughter the values of giving back to others. Kaylee is a member of the Girl Scouts. Crossman said, “She doesn’t really complain about not having a mother around because she knows that life is still great.” Her teachers always report that she is one of the best students in all of her classes because she’s always so kind to everyone.

A few years ago, he decided to try to help 23

people who also struggled and couldn’t afford a car by fixing up a car and giving it away.

“If I can change somebody’s life by a small gesture, then I am going to do it.” TJ said.

TJ Crossman Auto Repair in Vista accepts nominations for a high school students who need a working car. They take an old car and fix it up. Out of the students that are nominated for the giveaway. Crossman and his crew select one winner and bless them with that years car at the Vista Rod Run. This comes from a national organization called, Wheels to Prosper, that is a nationwide program searching for a deserving family who struggles and needs a car. They has participation from shops across the United States, but Crossman has the only participating shop in San Diego County area.

Crossman is also a cancer survivor. He told the San Diego Union Tribune back in 2017, “Life is short. If I can change somebody’s life by a small gesture, then I am going to do it.”

A typical day for Crossman consists of waking up at 6 a.m. to make breakfast and lunch for Kaylee before school.

He drops her off at school and then is off to his auto shop. He usually works until 5 or 6 p.m then goes to pick up Kaylee.

From there they either go to Girl Scout meetings, Chamber of Commerce meetings, or other local city events. They normally get home late in the night to eat dinner and relax before heading off to bed.

In the spring, Crossman volunteers at the Carlsbad Flower Fields to drive the tractors around that carry all the visitors around the fields. He said he enjoys volunteering because, “The community has turned into more of a family for myself and my daughter.”

Green said: “TJ Crossman has done a ton to impact our community. He cares about not only his own business being successful but cares for all businesses in our city.”

TJ doesn’t quite understand all the attention and praise he receives from the community.

He said, “Sometimes I wish I could see it from everyone else’s perspective because from my point of view, I don’t do enough for the community.”

This year Crossman plans to finish high school. He didn’t graduate before moving to California and now he feels ready to go earn his G.E.D. Crossman has touched the lives of so many people in the community. He doesn’t live for the spotlight or do anything for the attention. He’s a true believer in putting other people first and being good for the sake of being good.

IMPACT X

24

TJ CROSSMAN

TJ CROSSMAN’S AUTO REPAIR INC. STORY BY: KIRAL LEPARD

A

small auto repair shop in Vista is changing the way some see local mechanics.

Owner TJ Crossman opened TJ Crossman’s Auto Repair in 2006, a full-service auto repair shop, out of a trailer pulled by his Chevy Suburban. Crossman packed the trailer full of tools and an air compressor and set out making service calls to people in the area.

With time, Crossman was able to upgrade his fleet. First a new truck, but quickly the need for a physical location was undeniable. “The mobile has a ton of adventure, but it takes twice as long as when you’re in an actual location,” Crossman said.

The opportunity came as the auto shop just two doors down went out of business, giving Crossman and his partner exactly what they needed.

“Every time you have to drive to the house, make sure you have everything because if you don’t have that one thing you have to go pack everything up and go get it,” Crossman continued to

25

explain, “The physical location, I love it.”

As the business continues to grow, Crossman looks for more opportunities expand.“I want to provide my customers with the best automotive experience possible, I either want to go down the realm of being able to help other shop owners that have struggled or are struggling like myself, or I want to see if I can buy a struggling shop and maybe make a small chain or something like that. At the very least I would like to get more shops to participate in doing good things for the community. This is my vehicle for being able to do good community service,” Crossman said.

More than just a repair shop, Crossman is keenly aware of where his success comes from. His motto: “It’s not just about giving back to the community. It’s about giving back to those who need it.”

That is what drives Crossman to offer “tax break” coupons or extending a line of credit for those affected by the over-a-month-long government shutdown. The greatest of these acts is that of an annual car giveaway started four years ago.

“No matter how much you’re struggling...there’s always somebody worse off. If you only have $5, but someone else has none, and you give them 1 of your $5, you still have $4 and that gives them something they didn’t have, which ultimately puts a smile on their face,” Crossman explained.

Crossman and his team put in over 40 labor hours into the first giveaway car. The last car they gave away they did a new paint job and installed a new transmission. “We try to get them 100 percent up to par or maintained so we aren’t giving a burden to somebody,” Crossman said.

These cars, all donated, go to an individual nominated by the community--unbeknownst to the winner--and whose extraordinary circumstances deem them worthy of receiving the car.

With nominations coming in from all over the globe, Crossman asks a panel of judges to whittle the list down to just three names, of which he picks the final winner. The winner is announced and handed over their car at the Vista Rod Run held in late summer.

IMPACT X

Featuring Christine Hubbard Written By Kiana Teixeira Photography By Isaac Figueroa

26

27

CHRISTINE HUBBARD

I

n April of 2011 to cele- healthy or treatable animal that enters brate her birthday, Chris- their shelters. However, that did not tine Hubbard decided include the feral cats in the shelters. to do some good in her Hubbard took action by partnering community and start vol- with the shelters to instead put those feral unteering at her local ani- cats to work. Rather than euthanization, mal shelter. She didn’t re- LYFF takes the felines and integrates alize how much that small them into their Barn Cat Program (BCP), decision was going to change her life. where the feral cats are placed into barns “I was working with all the adoptable to help control the rodent population. friendly cats. From time to time I would Cats that are placed into the BCP see cats come in traps, and when I found fall under three main categories. out what their fate was, I knew I had to • Cats whose litter box habits are not help them. Since that day I have been consistent enough to be inside-only working to improve the lives of feral cats.” cats and/or who have lived or spent A feral cat is a domesticated animal time outside per their previous owner. that avoids human contact, living freely • Cats who were found as strays in the wild. Since volunteering, Hubbard and who may be too indepenhas been working to change their lives. dent to appreciate living in a house.

Her goal is to one day have all • Cats who are shy/fearful of shelters stop the euthanization of fe- people and prefer the comparal cats. Hubbard aspired to share her ny of other cats and animals. story in hopes that it will help spread After creating the BCP, Hubher vision to save the felines. From bard knew that she wanted to develthis passion developed the Love Your op LYFF further in order to save as Feral Felines (LYFF) organization. many cats as possible. She decided Hubbard wanted her organization that she wanted to have an adoption LYFF to focus on the process of Trap program. But she realized that she Neuter Release (TNR) for feral cats. But could not take on this task alone so she that wasn’t enough. She also wanted to employed the help of Melissa Dunaj. save the cats that were already in shelters.

Dunaj had just quit working at In July of 2015 San Diego animal her local animal shelter when Hubbard shelters acknowledged that they will told her that she wanted to start an no longer be allowed to euthanize any adoption program for social cats and wanted Dunaj to head the program.

The plan was for Hubbard to handle the BCP and TNR programs while Dunaj handled all the new

SPRING 2019

incoming social cats and to get them ready for adoption. But the cats had to get all the necessary shots and vaccinations so that they would be cleared for adoption to their future homes.

To do that, it would be a high cost for LYFF; however, Dunaj was previously a vet tech thus allowing her to give the cats the vaccines they needed from her own home. Then they would take the cats to the vet hospital to get the clear for adoption.

In the fall of 2016, Caroline and Andrew Vaught came to California from Atlanta looking for something new.

“We both were intentional about coming to California to start something that we felt was more rewarding for us and could give back to the community,” Caroline said.

Her husband, Andrew, had started Stay Roasted, a coffee distribution company, so they were already involved in the coffee industry. Caroline figured they would open a café of some sort but didn’t expect they would open a cat café.

But after a trip to Bali and visiting cat cafés, they were inspired with the idea.

In their previous town they had volunteered with their local community cat TNR program, and they began to look for something similar in San Diego which brought them to LYFF. They started out as a foster home for LYFF but desired to be more involved.

Hubbard met with Caroline and Andrew in order to discuss the options for beginning a cat café.

In June of 2017, the Vaughts began to look for a building that would eventually become Cat & Craft.

When they finally found their place in Vista, they immediately started construction. After almost a year of hard work Cat & Craft opened on January 12. Today Cat & Craft and LYFF are thriving as a team aiming to re-home 500 felines by the end of the year.

28

TO GIVE A CAT A SECOND CHANCE STORY BY: RIPP FRIESEN

W

ild, untamed, and aggressive. These are all words used to describe feral cats, but walking into the Cat & Craft, you realize that’s not true. From the moment you walk in, the aroma of roasting coffee beans drifts around the room, which is adorned with new modern furnishing.

But the real attraction lays just beyond two giant windows and couple of doors.

The cat lounge, a place that houses these wild and aggressive beasts, who you’ll notice aren’t unruly. Once warmed up to you, these cats are the most loving, soft and attention-seeking animals you will ever meet. Not only that, but all these cats were once deemed feral.

Thanks to the Love Your Feral Felines (LYFF) organization these cats now have

29

a second chance to be loved and adopted.

In April 2011, a woman named Christine Hubbard celebrated her birthday by volunteering at a local San Diego animal shelter. This led to the development of the LYFF and eventually the Cat & Craft.

“To give cats and kittens a second chance on life,” according to Senior Director Melissa Dunaj, is LYFF’s mission.

They hope to accomplish their mission by utilizing their foster program, the Trap Neuter Release (TNR) system and the Barn Cat Program (BCP).

The Barn Cat Program allows people who have a barn, ranch, and/ or a warehouse to adopt cats who are unsuited for a life lived indoors.

Most cats in this program are those who have been found un-adoptable by

local shelters. For five to six weeks the cats are crated and become acquainted with their new living space and start to associate it with food and shelter.

Any person who is able and chooses to participate in the program gains a safe way to control the rodent population around their home. Since its founding, there have been 1,725 barn cat adoptions.

On the other hand, the TNR system provides an effective and long-term solution to help control the feral cat population.

“Feral and homeless cats are humanely trapped, spayed/neutered, tested, vaccinated, and returned to their original location,” the LYFF website explains, “The breeding stops, and the behaviors associated with mating stops.”

When shelters who participate in the program trap a cat, they cut a

IMPACT X

small notch in their ear to signify that the cat has been trapped, so other shelters or groups don’t re-trap the same cat.

Unfortunately for some feral cats, this small notch often isn’t so small.

These cats can have almost half of their ear taken, sometimes requiring the wound to be cauterized. They do this for no other reason than because the cat is feral. The TNR system also helps to locate cats who have contracted the Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV).

The disease, which is different from feline aids, “attacks the immune system, leaving the cat vulnerable to many other infections” according to the Cornell Feline Health Center website. The virus spreads through blood transfusions, most effectively through bite wounds. There is currently no cure for FIV, but the disease is manageable. Through a healthy diet, regular veterinary checkups and keeping FIV positive cats indoors, they can live a long happy life.

The LYFF website explains that research done by Glasgow University Companion Animal Diagnostics say the chances of an FIV positive cat infecting an FIV negative cat are approximately 1-2 percent. This means that you can keep these happy and friendly cats and kittens, as long as vigilant and proper care is taken

SPRING 2019

to ensure the safety of both positive and negative cats. It’s not only the TNR’s that help with the feral cat population, but also through the fosters who work with the cats and kittens to get them ready for adoption.

The cats and kittens available for adoption through the organization are all worked with by foster volunteers. “These cats and kittens are not available for adoption through our Barn Cat Program.” the LYFF website says, “They have been worked with by our wonderful foster volunteers and are ready for their fur-ever homes.”

In May 2017, LYFF began their Under-Socialized Kitten Foster program: a program dedicated to helping kittens in shelters who were deemed feral and were set to be euthanized. Now that these kittens have a second chance, after getting the proper examination, the kittens are sent to foster families who help socialize the kittens with people and occasionally other pets, getting them ready to be adopted and taken to their forever home.

“It first starts out with the plea for help,” Dunaj said. Eventually, LYFF started to collaborate with Cat & Craft, a cat café, which opened on January 12 in Vista.

“Fueled by a heart for animals, a love of hand-crafted food and beverage and a spirit of Entrepreneurship,” the Cat & Craft website states.

You can drink your coffee and interact with friendly and adoptable cats.

Inside, you’ll find one-part café and onepart cat lounge. Separated by two doors and a few large glass windows, the cat lounge fosters up to 15 adoptable cats.

Inside the Cat Lounge you’ll not only find friendly cats but also the friendly Cat Lounge Hostesses such as Jennifer Marquez, who sees to the well-being of the cats, guests and the lounge itself.

“We welcome the cats in whenever we get new cats,” Marquez said, “from here we just take care of the lounge itself and make sure it’s nice and clean.”

This summer, LYFF hopes to start an education program, where they’ll go to schools and talk about what they do, hoping to educate the public about the importance of animal welfare, spaying, neutering, vaccinations, and the resources they have in their community. To help with the program they have a “LYFF ambassador” or, a therapy cat to go into schools and help the kids learn more about the subject.

The LYFF organization now has over 100 volunteers and has helped nearly 3,000 cats and kittens since it was founded. Although there will always be cats in need, they will continue to grow and continue it’s their mission by helping as many feral felines as possible.

30

CHRISTINE HUBBARD

CATITUDE STORY BY: SAMANTHA COX

A

Every animal - even the most mischievous, is deserving of a loving home.

dopting any species is an amazing act; however, adopting a cat is different. Dogs are known as happy-go-lucky creatures. They are extremely loyal and give their owners unconditional love. Cats are different. While people choose their dogs or bunnies, cats choose their owners. times, cats often enjoy soaking in some “She came right up to me and sun on top of a cat tree, or taking naps wouldn’t stop meowing,” said Jaime Arrom, regarding the adoption process - ever heard of the phrase “cat nap?”

This phrase actually began in the earof his 8-month-old kitten, “I knew she ly 1800’s to describe the short periods had chosen me and I couldn’t leave the shelter without putting in an application.” of time in which cats sleep throughout the day, according to ABA Journal.

There is a common misconception Many people fail to spay or neuter that cats do not care about their owners their cats, which creates overpopulation and that they are selfish creatures, only out in the wild. There are already so many wanting food and treats. While cats may cats in shelters that need loving homes. not wag their tails and jump up and Unfortunately, a lot of these cats down as soon as you walk through the door, they absolutely adore their owners. have to get put down to make room Every cat has their own person- for incoming pets. That is 370,000 ality. Some are playful, some are sassy, kittens that end up in shelters, longand some are calm, cool, and collected. ing for someone to rescue them.

Thankfully, there are many rescues “Each of my cats are unique from each other, and every other cat I have owned,” out there that are trying to keep cats from getting euthanized in shelters. LYFF explains Kara Hedricks, who currently owns three cats adopted from Ani- (Love Your Feral Felines) is one of them. mal Friends of the Valley in Wildomar. They have recently partnered with Cat & Craft, a coffee shop in Vista that houses Unless you are allergic to cats, they cats, who are trying to get adopted. Since are actually beneficial to your overall opening earlier this year, Cat & Craft has health. The pet health network found found homes for 50 cats. LYFF has ad“owning a cat may lead to a reduced risk opted out 65 foster cats and 24 barn cats. of death from cardiovascular disease Barn cats are cats that are not and stroke.” In addition, The Clinical & Experimental Allergy found in their re- typically fit for the average person’s home. Some are feral, and some are search that “early exposure to a cat in the home can actually reduce infants’ sen- friendly. For those who have a barn or sitization to the allergens cats produce.” structure outside and are trying to keep Cats are fairly low-maintenance, out unwanted pests, cats are a great animal to have. Unlike rodent poisons, which makes for a great pet for children cats are safe for other animals and chilor the elderly. While extremely playful at dren, so there are no harmful chemicals going into your space. And, you are giving an “unadoptable” cat a home.

31

All cats adopted from LYFF are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and vetchecked upon adoption. If you’re outside of the area, many shelters offer the same necessities for a low cost if not free.

“So many people have a misconception about feral cats. They are seen as wild animals incapable of showing affection and being tamed,” says Ana Safe, “these feral cats just need a way to trust humans again.”

If you are unable to adopt a cat, there are many ways to help stop euthanization. Fostering is a great way to see if you are fit to care for an animal. While fostering, you are able to care for an animal until you are able to find them a stable home.

Fostering may sound simple, but it takes a lot of time and is often recommended for those who are home most of the time to give an animal as much attention and care as possible.

Many shelters and rescues take donations of money or supplies.

Soon, LYFF is going to have a “kitten shelter” in which they will accept things like wet/dry food, litter, blankets, and heating pads, as they are expecting to take in 500 cats this season.

Every animal - even the most mischievous, is deserving of a loving home.

IMPACT X

RETURNING AUTHENTICITY TO EDUCATION

Story By: Bethany Nash Interview Photography By: Sonny Cavarlez

32

33

W

ith the cost so high for one to receive an education, students nowadays are struggling to keep themselves properly clothed and fed.

In the Fall of 2018, Palomar College opened the Anita and Stan Maag Food and Nutrition Center, a food pantry, in order to provide food to struggling students. By Spring of 2019 the Office of Student Affairs partnered with Palomar’s fashion department to bring students, Comets Closet. A clothing bank where students have access to free casual, business, and sportswear that have been donated.

The Director of Student Affairs, Sherry Titus, was an advocate for these students. She was a leading voice in implementing these programs at the college.

“Everything I see now, you put me back 35 years and that would have been me,” Titus said.

Titus was a first-generation college student. Her father left her 22-year-old mother with her three infant children.

SPRING 2019

Her mother was able to get into a workforce development program, which allowed their family to get out of what Titus described as, “pretty severe poverty.”

Titus remembered how She would practice basketball in her brothers sneakers because they could not afford for her to have her own pair. It had even been surprising to her when she found out living off of food stamps and how when she wanted to go see a movie at the theater she would go out and mow lawns to earn money for a ticket was not normal for the average person.

As Titus grew up she decided she wanted to pursue her college education.

“I just knew I needed to go to college. I knew that college, just like I believe for most of our students here, is a way to improve on your life,” Titus said.

Although her mom was thrilled that Titus wanted to attend college, the question of how they were going to pay for it remained. Titus was unaware of FAFSA or any other avenues of financial aid; however, through the application process she discovered the possibilities. She was

not only awarded financial aid, but also received academic and athletic scholarships throughout her college career.

Titus reflected, “My mom just really, really pushed us to be whoever we were and be okay with that,” she said adding her mother would say, “‘Whatever you want to do go do that. You do the best you can.’”

While attending college at Utah State University, she had to pass a fitness test to make the basketball team.

She recalled that she had to run the distance in under 40 seconds. Her mom would stand at the kitchen window and wash dishes while timing Titus running around the block.

“I know she would be thinking, ‘under 40 seconds that is never going to happen even if you’re superwoman’… and I would run and she would look at the clock and say, ‘Looks like Sherry, you’re going to have to go about 10 seconds faster.’ But, it was probably more like 20 seconds faster,” Titus said. Titus ran around the house again and again, with her mother continually reminding 34

SHERRY TITUS her that she needed to go faster. She did this until she heard her mother say those words, “you made it.” Titus explained “I probably didn’t make it, but what she did was convince me that I could.”

Fast forward to 1981, when Titus began her career as a coach and higher education instructor. She coached at Utah State University for two years (1981-1983), and then Dixie State University for 12 (19831995). Titus coached sports such as basketball, volleyball and softball.

During her years coaching at Dixie State, Lisa Dall was one student that Titus left her thumb print on. Doll played volleyball and basketball from 1986-1987.

She was also Titus’s neighbor at the time.

Reflecting back Dall recalled, “We worked very hard during practice, and one of the things that sticks out is that she would always encourage us to run as quick as you can, get to the finish line, and when you get to that finish line then you can rest. I still use that today in my own life.”

Dall considers Titus a great per-

35

son and a true friend; stating that she holds a special place in her heart. Although they don’t talk often, Dall said when they do it’s like they have been keeping in touch all the time and they laugh about the college days.

“She is very caring. Cares about her teammates, cares about their education, cares about their well being, their family…I know if I needed anything I could call and I know she would be there,” Dall said.

While at Dixie State, Titus also became friends with Rose Odette, the administrative assistant in the athletics department at the time. She was drawn to Titus’s professionalism and positivity that she modeled throughout her career.

“It was her positive impact that she had on students. Everyone she met she was always very positive, and I will say out of all the years I worked at Dixie, she was probably one of the most professional people I have ever worked with.

She was always striving to help everyone, especially students,” Odette said.

Odette and Titus have remained

friends over the last 39 years and explained that they always catch up on birthdays and holidays despite not seeing each other since Titus moved to San Marcos in 1995, when she began at Palomar College as the women’s basketball coach.

Dr. George Boggs, the former Palomar Superintendent/President who interviewed Titus when she was applying said he was impressed with her enthusiasm and passion to help students succeed and recommended her for employment at Palomar College.

“I am proud that I was able to bring her to Palomar. She has gone on from being a faculty member to being an administrator in Student Services…The students really loved her for the work that she did to support them,” Boggs explained.

Upon her start at Palomar, basketball practice would begin at 7 a.m. and they had to be off the courts by 9 a.m., so students were not allowed to be late.

However, a few students were consistently late. At first Titus decided to punish them for being late by having them

IMPACT X

SHERRY TITUS

Photos courtesy of Sherry Titus

come to practice one minute earlier the next day for every minute they were late.

But, this resulted in one student in particular struggling even more to make it to practice on time. The student then came to Titus because she felt that she had to quit the team. She came to discover that the student had to take the bus to practice every day and the bus was sometimes late.

“I had an epiphany right then, ‘how many of you ride the bus?’ three or four hands went up…so instead of worrying about practice and winning the game, what do I do? I started looking at the scheduling to see when I could run practice that ensures that the buses would get my kids here on time and get them off campus on time,” Titus said.

The adjustment in scheduling and mindset allowed for the student to stay on the team for two years, and ended up receiving a scholarship to a four year university. The student felt that her circumstances did not matter, but Titus saw that it did matter.

“When you drill down and you ask one more question and your willing to hear the answer and you’re also willing to figure out a different approach/solution…This is about our athletes staying

SPRING 2019

in school and having an opportunity to earn a scholarship to go on…I love all those kids, I love all of their stories, I love their lives,” Titus explained.

Eventually, the Office of Student Affairs began looking for an interim Director, and Titus decided to apply, which ended up turning into a permanent position, which Titus noted, “I love every minute of it.” As a part of the director position she also became the Advisor of the Associated Student Government (ASG).

Evelyn Lucero was a foreign exchange student from Mexico who joined the ASG in 2010, where she became very close to Titus. Lucero explained that moving to the U.S. and learning a new culture away from her family was difficult, but Titus was always there helping her, supporting her, and pushing her to be her best.

“She helped me when I had to do homework that related to family members or some kind of interview, and if I couldn’t get to my family on time

36

she would help me answer the questions…she was always there for everything, to me it was like a mom. I owe her a lot of how I am today,” Lucero said.

Today, Lucero is studying at Cal State Long Beach and pursuing her bachelor’s degree in computer science while also working full-time at the college.

For the last 29 years, a constant in Titus’s life has been her son, Weston Titus, who currently teaches health and kinesiology at Palomar College, following in his mother’s footsteps. He is currently studying for his doctorate and aspires to teach at a four-year university.

“Growing up was always an inspira-

37

tion as I would probably have my mom as my role model, even though I am just about 30 now. I try to live my life as she demonstrated her life,” Weston said.

Weston explained that describing Titus in three words would be, loving, tenacious and caring. He feels that until people walk a day in her shoes they do not always know how stressful the job is, as his mom and everyone else in the Student Affairs Office do a good job of making it look easy.

“She puts in easily 60 hours a week in her office, many times she is the first one on campus and the last one off of campus. Today is actually our spring break, campus is closed down, and she

went into work to make sure she is staying up on what she needs to get accomplished…She deserves a lot of credit for the work and the time she puts in on and off the clock,” Weston noted.

Today, Titus spends the little spare time she has at home with her two dogs, which she adopted from the shelter. She aspires to help every student that walks into her office. She feels that if they can help just one more student, then it is worth finding a way around any obstacle to help that one student stating: “We wholeheartedly have to embrace every student and every situation as it presents itself in its most authentic way.”

IMPACT X

Story By Nathan Navida Photography By Aubrey Weidmaier

38

39

OPERATION HOPE

SHELTERING A BETTER FUTURE

L

ast year in San Diego County alone, there were over 8,500 homeless people, according to the 2018 Weallcount Annual Report. For those people, they don’t often know when their next meal will come from, or where they can stay that can be warm enough to sleep.

Since 2003, Operation HOPE (Homeless Outreach Providing Encouragement) in Vista has been providing care and support for those that are trying to get off the streets and back as an independent, working member of the community.

“It really takes a village to have Operation HOPE exist,”says Board of Directors President Cindy Taylor. With the help of faith-based and civic organizations that partnered with the city of Vista, Operation HOPE was created to address homelessness.

The organization began as a winter shelter, which operated out of an old warehouse off of Orange Street in Vista. In 2012, the team moved to their current location because they ran a capital campaign

SPRING 2019

and were able to purchase an upgraded facility that used to be an old medical office.

Since August of 2016 Operation HOPE has provided year-round services to children and single women.

Operation HOPE is a 90 to 120day program for families with children and single women experiencing homelessness. It is a clean and sober living facility, which means that the staff requires the residents to be drug tested so that all the families and clients can be set up for success. By doing this they can maintain a safe environment for the children.

The main goal at Operation HOPE is to break the cycle of home-

lessness. They don’t define what the family unit is or what it should or shouldn’t look like. There are many different situations that people are living in.

The shelter runs as case management based program, meaning upon arrival at the shelter, families are assigned to a case manager. The case manager creates an individualized plan that is meant to set them up for success.

“What may work for one family may not work for another and so all types of needs are taken into consideration for every member of the family. From parent down to very young children, the case management program will assess exactly who needs what. Whether that may be a new pair of shoes to basic medical care,” said Nicole Ketcher, Director of Resource Development.

Setting up goals is the program’s next step and this may look like creating an application for someone or creating a job resume. Accountability is big part towards creating success for the clients. The clients have to check in with case managers on a weekly basis to make sure that progress is being made.

In addressing the kids’ needs, they have to take into account what they have been living like. They may have been living in a car with their parents or living in parks or at beaches, so the program wants to take care of any sort of trauma they experienced during that time.

“A lot of the children that come

40

POVERTY IN SAN DIEGO Story by: Jonathan Sarabia

into the shelter are a grade level or two behind, and a requirement that the program has is that they are enrolled in school. With the help of Vista Unified School District, this has been made possible. The program has done 24 to 48 hour turnarounds with children to assess their needs and get them integrated with education,” Ketcher explained.

While the kids are in the program Monday through Thursday, there’s also an after-school program where college students and some retired educators come in and tutor the children. Another club, Kidz HOPE, teaches the children team building skills and trust through various projects and activities.

Adults on the other hand take skill building classes four days a week that range from financial to literacy skills.

Through these programs within Operation HOPE, families learn how to be a family and then how to be a community.

Families are put onto a mandatory savings plan that teaches them how to budget and/or how to open a bank account.

“The best thing is when someone finds a place and is moving out and the community really celebrates and to tell them that ‘you’re taking that step, we’re proud of you’. It’s indescribable,” says Taylor.

For 365 days out of the year, someone will bring meals in for dinner. They may be faith based groups, civic organizations, 41

members of the City of Vista, or individual families. During these meals, people are interacting with the families who are experiencing homelessness. This is important, as it reiterates the fact that they do belong in the community and creates a sense of hope to motivate these families that they will be able to overcome their situation.

“My favorite takeaway from being a part of Operation HOPE is a child’s face, a laugh, happiness, and joy that comes from being a community,” Taylor said.

Taylor, who has been a part of Operation HOPE since the organization’s beginning, has been honored to see the developments continue to from what it was over 16 years ago to what it is now.

For team members at HOPE, being able to watch these families grow stronger everyday is their favorite takeaway.

“Seeing some of these families come here with the bare minimum and watch them leave here self-dependent and happy is amazing,” Ketcher continued, “Being able to truly make a difference for each member of these families lives is up lifting.”

“It’s truly amazing how much a community can accomplish by coming together” said Executive Director, Stacey Proctor. “Operation HOPE is a perfect example of what a community really means.”

Right now, the HOPE team consists of 15 members and many volunteers. The foundation that has been built from love, passion, and hope from the community has allowed HOPE to change countless lives.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) lists two type of homeless, unsheltered and sheltered. Unsheltered homeless individuals are found residing in cars, parks, sidewalks, abandoned building or on the street. A sheltered individual prefers temporary living arrangements such as those of public or private shelters.

WeAllCount is San Diego’s annual census of homeless individuals, also known as Point In Time Count. In this census both unsheltered and sheltered individuals are counted. It was stated that the count in San Diego County was done within three hours on January 2018.

A total of 8,576 homeless individuals countywide were counted on the annual count day. There has been a decrease through the data collected over the years. Since 2017 it has decreased by six percent, and since 2011 it has decreased by nine percent. Of the 8,576 total homeless persons, 3,586 were sheltered and 4,990 were unsheltered.

According to U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, 12.3 percent of San Marcos residents are in poverty,16.3 percent in Escondido, 15.4 percent in Vista and 12.9 percent in Oceanside.

A recent report, The 2018 We All Count Annual Report San Diego County examines the homeless population in the region but also looks at demographics and locations where there have been higher count of homeless individuals.

Their goal is to bring awareness by educating not only the community but also elected officials on the homeless issue throughout the San Diego area.

IMPACT X

1) What is your role at Operation Hope and how long have you been working there?

I am the Director of Resource Development at Operation HOPE – North County. My role is to build relationships, grow our community partners, find grant opportunities and bring resources to the program. I have been with the agency for two years.

2) Where are you originally from?

Vista.

3) What was your childhood like, and how did it influence you into the person you are today?

N I C O L E

K E T C H E R

AN INTERVIEW BY Bethany Nash

SPRING 2019

I am one of 12 children raised in Vista. I attended elementary and middle school in the Vista Unified School District and am a Vista High School graduate.

My childhood was challenging and full of love all that same time. I grew up in a predominately single parent household.

We didn’t always have enough money to pay the rent and utilities, and sometimes not even enough food to put on the table, addiction tore through my family.

Violence was prevalent. Statistics show that one in four girls will be sexually assaulted before the age of 18. At the age of 7, I was one of those girls. That’s a hard thing to share but I think it’s important because as an adult now, I know it is all too common. And often it is a lonely feeling to have experienced something so traumatic and I want anyone who has ever had a piece of them stolen to know that you are not alone! Being the second oldest girl in my family, an older sister to now 10 of the most incredible and resilient human beings, I knew at a young age that I had to be a positive influence in their life. I wanted to protect them and always remind them that the things that happen to us do not define us. We get to write our own story and each day is like new page.

Although we had some extremely rough times, some we would rather choose to forget if we could, we also had some of the greatest memories together. We made the best of any situation. They have given me strength and motivation in ways I can never truly put into words. They were “why” in life and have always been my hope.

While my childhood forced to me grow up fast, it also taught me to overcome adversity and I was blessed with a lot of strong, independent woman in my life who taught me the meaning of strength and family.

Even when we didn’t have a lot we had everything, and that’s family. They influenced the person I am today. I can only hope that through my work and sharing my journey, I can be that to someone else. For me that started at a young age, in my own home, with my own siblings, especially my younger sisters.

4) What inspired you to go in to a career that worked with families experiencing homelessness?

Growing up in a big family, I have always had a passion for working with families and children. What inspired me to go into this career and Operation HOPE North County in particular is the focus on the family as a whole and all the community collaboration.

I will never forget the day we lost our house. With eight kids at the time and while we have a large family support system, no one was able to take all eight of us together.

My siblings and I were split up between family members. Their faces and the feeling of being separated and the fear of uncertainty that day has always stuck with me.

My sisters and I stayed with different family members for a couple months and then we lived in a hotel for about a year. It was rough, but my mom, being the strong woman she is, worked so hard to provide a stable environment for us. No matter how hard it got and where we were, we all stayed close and spent as much time as we could together.

We were so fortunate to have a big family, a support system and always, each other. Not everyone has that and here at Operation HOPE North County, families have that support system and encouragement. Not only do we provide a safe environment for families to stay together and a program to help them become independent but a sense of community and belonging. It is amazing to see and be a part of.

5) Is there a particular family that has stuck with you throughout your career and why?

Every family that comes through our 42

OPERATION HOPE doors is unique and has a different story, they all touch you in some way. There are quite a few families that have stuck with me. I think for me a family that has really stuck with me is a single father raising three girls on his own. The girls came into the shelter afraid and very closed off and after several months, they were socializing with other children and doing better in school.

Another family came into the shelter after losing their mom and the youngest child was not speaking, selective mutism due to trauma. After a couple of months at Operation HOPE he was running around, playing with kids his age and couldn’t wait to share what he ate for lunch each day.

Through our homework support program, he was also learning to read at his grade level. So much growth and love takes place here, not only with the children but with the adults. Sometimes all it takes is for someone to show compassion in a safe environment and to say “I believe in you and I will not give up on you!” for us to have confidence and believe in ourselves to change our direction.

6) Is there an achievement or accomplishment you are most proud of and why?

I am a first-generation college graduate, having graduated from UC Riverside with a BA in Sociology. The opportunity to attend college seemed impossible at the time and was something I dreamed of. I knew I wanted something different in life and I was determined to break through the barriers that were in front of me, I would not be a statistic. Plus, I’ve always loved to learn and be challenged.

Walking across the stage on graduation day, with my family in the audience and knowing all the hurdles I had to rise above, was so empowering for me and for them. I want others out there to know and see that no matter what your situation is, what your childhood was like or where you come from, it is possible for you too!

Education is one of the most powerful tools you can have in life, regardless of what you study or where you learn it, the knowledge is yours and no one can take that away from you. My lived experiences and my education led me here and I now have the opportunity to work in the community I grew up giving hope to families and children. Vista has always been home 43

to me and it is dream come true to work here and give back to families like mine.

7) What is the biggest challenge you face?

I would have to say that there are two really great challenges and that is time and resources. We are not eligible for some federal funding such as Housing First funds and thus we have to rely on the generosity of individual donors and community partners to serve our community.

This is challenging because there are so many great organizations in North County doing amazing work that we find ourselves competing for funds. When the needs are so great and the work is so critical to people’s lives, their health and well-being and their future, having enough resources is vital. The need is often greater than the funding available.

We work effortlessly to build relationships and sustainability for our programs.

When you are working with such a dedicated group of people, who pour their hearts into this work, time is always a challenge. One of my favorite sayings is you can’t pour from an empty cup. we have to press pause sometimes and recharge our own batteries so that we can continue our efforts in changing lives. It’s hard to do that sometimes. We are so thankful for all our volunteers who dedicate their time to support us. We do this work together.

8) What are you working on or hoping to do in order to solve it?

We have a lot of projects going right now to focus on sustainability for the organization. Funding is critical to our programs and serving our community by creating a steady, constant and reliable support system so that we can continue providing a safe environment with necessary access to tools and resources for families and single women.

We are constantly creating awareness in our community, sharing our story and building relationships and partnerships.

We don’t do this work alone. The old phrase “it takes a village” is absolutely true.

9) How has your work at Operation HOPE changed you?

Working at Operation HOPE has

really made me step out of my comfort zone and has challenged me as a person.

I have typically been more on the shy side, surprising coming from a Development Director, I know. The fact that we are doing this interview and I am sharing a piece of my own story is change in of itself. Working at Operation HOPE and seeing the courage and power of sharing one’s own experiences has inspired me.

We all have a story and our story can bring hope to others and create awareness. Instead of being ashamed and embarrassed of the things I have gone through and experienced in life for fear of being looked at or treated differently, I can now turn into a positive and give hope to someone who is struggling with their own journey. It is not easy to share your own story but if doing so gives even just one person the hope and encouragement that it is possible, then it is all worth it. It’s a reminder that you are not alone!

This work has humbled me and is a constant reminder that you never know whose life you can change by being a voice for those who are experiencing tough times. Watching this community come together every day to remind families, children and women that someone believes in them is truly remarkable.

In a world that is struggling to love one another, when we come together and work together we can truly change lives and spread hope. This community does that every day here at Operation HOPE. I have met so many incredible, caring and selfless human beings working together and I have the opportunity to work alongside some truly empowering and inspirational women.

10) Is there anything else you would like to share or add?

Get involved in your community.

Find something that motivates you and get involved. Operation HOPE North County always welcomes new partners.

Those who have time can be volunteers, those who have financial resources can be a Champion of HOPE and those with connections can be a voice for us as we grow our community partners.

There is a place for all of us to make a difference in our community, we are all in this together. Pick your passion.

IMPACT X

The

Chief Pilot Chief Pilot and his

Flowers Flowers Featuring Jason Kendall Story by::Victoria Price Photography by Emily Whetstone

44

45

JASON KENDALL

“We’re reaching not just places like Temecula Rescue Mission, Fallbrook Food Pantry, etc. We supply all the way up into Hemet, Ramona, and Lake Elsinore. We supply up to 10 or maybe more rescue missions and pantries.”

46

In 1998, Jason Kendall took over Kendall Farms and has continued to guide the business into a new direction, while keeping true to the business originally started by his father, who died in 2004.

In 1987, David Kendall purchased 50 acres of farmland in Fallbrook moving his family from the Los Angeles area to the sunny San Diego mountains. Originally, the plan was to have an avocado farm, however, avocados need a lot of water to grow, and water was expensive, so David started to look for another plan.

He met a man who had a flower farm, and he inspired the switch to growing flowers. With the help of his family, David began Kendall Farms.

“It was [somewhat of] a family effort, but I mean, we were really small when I first got involved. We had maybe 20 or 25 employees, mostly field workers, and such. It was mostly my dad and then myself out here on the weekends, and then his group of guys helping him,” son and Chief Pilot [CEO] Jason explained.

A New Direction Jason is no stranger to the California landscape. He was born in Pasadena and spent most of his childhood in the outskirts of the big city. As a kid, he enjoyed skateboarding around the Los Angeles concrete jungle. When he was 13 years old, he moved with his family to Fallbrook after his father, David, purchased the farmland, trading blacktop for dirt.

47

Since the farm started out as a family effort, Jason spent a lot of his later childhood and early teenage years out in the fields.

“When my dad first bought the farm, I was out here, horsin’ around, you know, with my ATV and having fun, then doing projects here and there with my dad and helping him out, like getting on the tractor, helping plant fields, and all that stuff,” Jason said.

For a while, it wasn’t something he saw himself doing for a living, it was just something he did to help his family out.

As he got older, he started thinking about what he wanted to do for a living.

Although he wasn’t initially interested in running the farm full time, his first steps into a career path didn’t stray too far from his agricultural background.

“I looked at property management, our family has real estate properties, so my initial idea was to go into that,” Jason said. After learning about property management and testing the waters, he realized it wasn’t for him. “I did a little bit of an internship on that early on and I did not like it at all.”

Jason decided to go to college at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, studying Business, Management and Marketing, among many other subjects as well.

While in college, Jason needed an internship as part of his program. Lucky for him, he didn’t have to look very far.

“The best thing for me was to come help out on the farm. I started working on the sales side and interning and helping out.” It was there where Jason discovered his passion for sales and marketing.

Jason graduated college in 1998 and continued to work on his

JASON KENDALL

Avocado Dreams, Floral Realities

IMPACT X

JASON KENDALL

family’s farm in many sections including: delivery, sales and practically everything else. Soon after, he married his wife Danielle and the two moved onto the farm, as Jason became the general manager of Kendall Farms.

Even though Jason had years of experience working on the farm in all of its vessels, he wasn’t quite sure what to do when he became the head of the business.

“I didn’t know what I was doing. I was just trying to grow the business more in sales and marketing,” Jason said. “We were just selling to brokers in the area, and I really wanted to grow and expand the business across the country, and go into trade shows and expand there.”

Trials and Tribulations In 2007, the biggest struggle hit the business. The notorious Rice Fire broke through the Fallbrook community that year, and Kendall Farms took a huge loss, losing 75 percent of their crops. While it was a devastating hit to the company and their staff, the team never lost hope.

“We learned a lot from that, and there’s a bunch of stuff that we did after that fire that gave us a clean slate to start over with,” Jason continued, “We had to cut back half the people, sales were cut in half, we had to outsource product, and we had to really get lean

“What can we do to create a place where you will be impactful?

Where you can make a difference, and not just be another number?”

and rebuild from there. But we learned a lot from that, and came out of it even stronger and better, so it was a blessing in the long run. It was hard, I don’t recommend it, but those are challenges that are good if you can come out of it with a good attitude rather than “Oh woe is me” or “Oh poor us.” It’s a good thing that happened, because this is what we got out of it and became from it.”

Jason continued to remain optimistic about the future of Kendall Farms and the agriculture industry.

“As we go into the future, our labor costs are going up, so there’s certain crops that are not as profitable that will be eliminated, and so a real focus on certain crops that make sense, over the next five to 10 years,” Jason explained.

With the increased labor costs, many companies are looking more into the technological advances of the agriculture industry. Automation is becoming more and more of a reality, allowing for quicker production of goods.

While Kendall Farms has remained a top local competitor in the flower business, they’ve also pushed their focus somewhere else: community culture.

“We have a great culture, I think that’s our biggest attraction,” Jason continued, “People really do make a huge difference here, compared to a bigger business where it can be hard. For us, we’re still a tight knit family, and it affects our culture too, and that’s a big deal.”

A Changing Landscape In the world of advertising, a huge adversary to many businesses is successful marketing. The consumer market is flooded with new business and advertisements every minute, and many companies now have to work harder to find a way to stand out in a large industry.

A large source of not only income, but attention to the farm has come from Target, the $62 billion retailer. With the vision of President Troy Conner, the team created a program to stay involved with the growing business.

“We provide a turnkey program. We make all of the merchandising, so the racks and things like that,” Sales Director Cathy McClintock said, “So, when we put together a package we really get to understand the customer and bring the whole thing. And then we brought in, a couple years ago, a merchandising program, or trainer program, that actively go out into the stores to help them understand the best practices of floral.

So, we’re not merchandisers, we don’t go in there every day and do it all for them, but really it’s to teach their staff how SPRING 2019

48

For the Greater Good Another busy sector of the farm is The Outreach Farm Project, which was founded in 2009 by Conner, and has been nothing short of a success.

After the U.S. recession, the business was hearing about a consistent need for food in local food pantries, and their severe struggle to help the devastated communities.

“They didn’t have enough [food] to give to everybody,” Conner noted as his inspiration to take the reins on a new project. “At the time we were farming organic flowers, particularly sunflowers, and so I went to Jason and said ‘You know, if we can grow organic sunflowers we should be able to grow some food.’” Jason agreed and gave Conner the official seal of approval to begin the Outreach Farm Project.

For the kick off event, Conner reached out to Rancho Community Church in Temecula. Kendall Farms provided the land for the crops and many volunteers from the local church spent their free time contributing to the effort. In the first year of operation alone, the rescue mission produced around 35,000 pounds of produce.

The outreach created a farm stand that operates on Sundays at Rancho Community Church.

“In the peak of the season, we produce so much food in those middle of summer weeks that the food pantries can’t handle it all. Then we opened up the produce stand at Rancho, and

49

JASO KENDALL

to put out the best product out there.”

With the steady expansion into more commercial retail markets, Kendall Farms has stayed grounded to the roots of what the Kendall family started 25 years ago.

“It’s like our own mini city down here, I mean I’m coming down the road and you wouldn’t even know that this was here,” McClintock noted, “It’s a lot of fun, because it’s somewhat of the wild wild west, and you see that as you go.

Aside from just working with companies like Target and Trader Joe’s to send bouquets that are enjoyed by customers, they also sell bulk product to wholesalers and floral shops to make their own arrangements.

Since becoming the head of the company, Jason has proved his dedication and determination to the business his family started, and continues to strive for growth in the industry.

they take the donations for the excess and that goes right to the rescue mission, and that generates between $10,000-$11,000 per year. We grow about 60,000 pounds per season and we also generate about $10,000 of funds for the rescue mission,” Conner said.

Being able to sell some of the produce allows the program to generate some money to donate back to those organizations.

This year, Outreach Farm Program will be starting their eleventh year of operations, and with the land and the labor, they now average 60,000 pounds of fresh produce each year, and that all gets distributed around California.

“We’re reaching not just places like Temecula Rescue Mission, Fallbrook Food Pantry, etc. We supply all the way up into Hemet, Ramona, and Lake Elsinore. We supply up to 10 or maybe more rescue missions and pantries,” Conner explained.

Additionally, Kendall Farms has also partnered up with a charity called Samaritan Aviation. The organization operates a small airplane that flies between the United States and Papua New Guinea, providing medical aid to people in need of medical services.

The farm was interested in assisting the charity after a close friend of Jason’s started it up, and the business has been a supporter of the charity ever since its establishment in 1999.

Kendall Farms has done its share for the community, and there’s no stopping them now.

“It’s been incredibly rewarding to see the impact. We get letters once in a while, and we see the look on people’s faces when we’re able to impact people’s lives in a positive way, and it makes it worthwhile,” Conner said.

Bright Future Ahead Even though Kendall Farms has big plans for the future, they remain as a local business making waves in San Diego, with Jason noting that: “We can’t compete with these bigger companies, so what can we give that’s different? What can we do to create a place where you will be impactful? Where you can make a difference, and not just be another number?”

IMPACT X

STORY BY KIERA COLARUSSO A R T W O R K B Y J AY S C H U LT Z

50

51

The cost of a college education in the United States rose 260 percent between 1980 and 2014. Add to that the pressures of coursework, internships, and a job or two, and the path to a graduation stage can appear to be wrapping around Mount Everest.

For the thousands diagnosed with childhood cancer each year, the ability to stand at the foot of the mountain and pursue their goals through higher education can be an elusive goal.

Based out of Temecula, Calif., Cancer for College is a nonprofit devoted to pairing students who have or are currently battling cancer with scholarships.

In a little over 25 years, they’ve given over $3 million in scholarships - granting 1,400 young people who have been through the unimaginable, an opportunity to grab their second chance at life by the horns. Often, the adversity of these students has cultivated huge dreams for making the world better for others.

One of these dreamers is chemical engineering major Diana Turcios, who is taking on her coursework at the University of Utah with the kind of optimism you rarely find in a person - particularly not one who’s lived through stage 3 cancer.

“I got to enjoy this semester and last semester working only one day a week,” Turcios says of the scholarship she received, “ I used to have to work full time in order to afford school.”

The extra time has allowed the first-generation American to pursue a variety of noble aspirations. Passionate about sustainable energy, Turcios plans on working with biodegradables and pollution.

“I have my one life back,” she explained.

Her story shares much in common with Cancer for College’s founder and Hodkin’s Lymphoma-survivor Craig Pollard.

Pollard and Turcios were both diagnosed with cancer early into high school, and both continued to play their beloved sports - baseball and tumbling, respectively - while going through rounds of chemotherapy.

“The funny thing was,” Pollard once said about his first meeting with an oncologist, “the only thing I asked him was, ‘was I

SPRING 2019

going to be able to play baseball that year?’”

He took that fighter’s mentality from the field to business school at USC. While at college, he beat the disease for a second time. He then created the business plan for Cancer for College as his senior project: hospital stays and everything else that an idea which garnered immense support comes up unexpected during treatment.” from the business program as well as his During his freshman year at Calfraternity brothers in Delta Tau Delta.

One of whom was sports broad- ifornia State University, San Marcos, casting major, Will Ferrell. The fu- Bal was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his femur - a devastating blow to ture star of “Stepbrothers” has been any college student, but particularly to supporting Pollard’s charity since its one who was recruited to play soccer. conception in 1994, when both of School had to be put on hold for them were still out of the spotlight. multiple rounds of chemotherapy and As Ferrell’s career has taken off, so have his donations. He’s also hosted com- a surgery to salvage his leg. “This is where they remove the knee, half of the edy shows to raise funds for Cancer for femur and top of the tibia and replace College - most recently, an event titled it all with a prosthetic that they screw “Best Night of Your Life!” in 2018. The LA show featured huge names in come- into the rest of my femur,” Bal explains.

Bal returned to school cancer free dy; everyone from Jerry Seinfeld to James for two years. In May 2018, it came back Corden and Samantha Bee showed up to help Ferrell and his friend from college. - this time as metastatic cancer around his In a break from his comedic antics, lungs and heart. He is still in treatment today, having to endure many more months Ferrell once called Cancer for College, “one of the purist organizations I’ve ever seen.” of chemotherapy, several infection scares due to his compromised immune system, Evidence of his care for the nonprofit can be found in his presence at board meet- and a number of surgeries to remove tumors near his heart, esophagus, and lungs. ings, the time he spends with scholarship The self-proclaimed “cancer thriver” winners off-camera, and the autographed cowbells sold on the website as a fundraiser. received a year’s scholarship from Cancer In a viral 2018 video titled sim- for College: an unexpected help Bal says ply “Cancer for College,” a few power- has made returning to school much easier.

Though his intensive treatments ful moments revealed how much Ferrell have derailed his plans to play college has been moved by the foundation. The soccer and graduate in four years, that video, an emotional nine minutes, was produced by San Diego State Univer- hasn’t muffled his clear sense of optimism and drive. Bal is quick to mention sity alumnus and Cancer for College recipient Ashley Eakin. In it, Ferrell, the “wonderful support system” he has Pollard, and a circle of scholarship re- behind him to help him through it all.

He hasn’t given up on that degree, cipients share stories of empowerment made possible through the foundation. and while he continues to work towards eventually earning it, he’s also working with “I started focusing on doing all Cancer for College’s mentoring program. the things that scared me before,” says A big thing other college stuChristine Pechera, 2009 recipient who went on to become a screenwriter. dents can learn from him, Bal said, “There is no rush. Everyone has Medical bills can add an immense their own set of adversity they must overamount of stress and anxiety. When asked how they feel about them, the same gri- come. If you stick to your goal, whatever mace materializes on every face in the room. that is, you will eventually get there. Everyone gets there in his or her own way.”

Local scholarship recipient Evan Bal There’s a different reason each can attested to this feeling, stating,“When I think of medical bills I get overwhelmed,” student walks into the counseling office.

There’s a different mountain each person he says, “...it is a very stressful thing to have climbs to try to get from where they are to figure out if insurance covers meds or to where they want to be. To quote Disraeli, “there is no education like adversity.”

Cancer for College shows that adversity is not a reason to stop learning. It’s why we refuse to quit.

52

STORY BY: BRIAN BELTRAN

ausea. Recurring fatigue. Unbearable cramps. Constant trips to the hospital for chemotherapy can drain, discourage and beat down anybody.

Now imagine dealing with the unwanted pity from your peers and personal demons that one may potentially experience with the horrifying diagnosis of brain cancer.

Now picture being a 15-year-old honor student and athlete when you hear your doctor bring the news of your diagnosis.

Dalja Parks was a sophomore at San Marcos High School (SMHS) when she went into Rady Children’s Hospital for surgery on a suprasellar juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma, a benign tumor located on the optic nerve. In order for Parks to get the entire tumor removed she would have to sacrifice her eyesight.

“It was definitely scary for me and my family when I had to get surgery, but their support to this day means so much to me,” Parks said.

As a standout student at SMHS, Parks juggled AP classes, soccer and softball until she could not play anymore.

“I had to stop playing sports once my chemo started, but my teachers were super accommodating about my assignments,” Parks explained.

Following her surgery, Parks was transferred to Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center, where she had regular chemotherapy appointments for nearly 18 months.

Carrying into the start of her senior year, Parks was not discouraged.

With the support of her family, she went on to win the Knight of the Year award in her 2017 graduating class for outstanding academic and morale achievement. She is now a second-year pre-medical student at the University of California San Diego (UCSD).

“I want to go on to medical school and become a pediatric doctor.

I think some of my doctors over the years definitely inspired me to want to help other kids like me,” Parks said.

With another milestone in sight 53

for Parks’ recovery, she continues to help in her community and maintain her impressive scholarly achievements.

“I’m about 4 weeks away from finishing my second round of chemo,” Parks said.

Before attending UCSD in the fall 2018 quarter, Parks received a scholarship from Cancer for College, a nonprofit organization that has helped over 1,400 students over its 25 year history pay for their education.

“I’ve made some great friends with the other scholarship recipients. They know better than anyone what I’ve been through, so it’s great to have their support,” Parks explained.

The scholarship helps cover the costs for school. Over $3 million has been awarded in the organization’s history. Their website features an archive of each recipient, their university and their chosen field of study.

Photo courtesy of Dalja Parks

CANCER FOR COLLEGE

CURRENTLY SURVIVING MY BRAIN CANCER

“I’m a Human Biology major. I think physiology has been the most enjoyable course I’ve taken so far, but I’m looking forward to taking genetics soon,” Parks said.

While she is still dealing with the painful side effects of weekly chemotherapy, she has sustained the superb academic achievement, she has not been able to maintain the active, adventurous lifestyle that she once enjoyed.

“Because of the chemo, I can’t be as active as I would like to be.” Parks said, “Once I’m done, I’m hoping to get into intramural softball or soccer, or maybe trying something new.”

Parks is not one to sit around and binge Netflix all day, she prefers going on hikes or playing sports.

All of these activities are limited or unavailable while Parks is undergoing treatment. With her specific condition, the cancer can never be fully removed, unless she were to sacrifice her vision.

So Parks presses on with her regimen.

“When it comes to trying something new, I never doublethink my chances because I never know when I’ll get a chance to do it again,” Parks said.

As her current treatment schedule comes to relieving halt, Parks anticipates the ability to seize whatever opportunities come her way.

“I can’t travel as much as I’d like to, but if the right classes are available, I would love to study abroad next fall,” Parks said.

CANCER FOR COLLEGE

THE 5,000-YEAR WAR ON CANCER STORY BY: RICHARD CONTRERAS

T

his year in the United States, an estimated 23,820 adults and 3,720 children will be diagnosed with some form of brain cancer. Approximately 35 percent of them will still be alive five years from now.

As the tenth leading cause of death in men and women, the American Society of Clinical Oncology estimates 17,760 adults will die from a cancerous brain or central nervous system tumor this year.

This battle is not a new one, but our understanding of cancer has gotten better.

Nearly 5,000 years ago, the ancient Egyptians wrote descriptions of cancer on papyrus with an annotation stating, “There is no treatment.”

Fossilized bones and mummies from the period show evidence of tumors.

Two years ago, an 8-year-old girl, Naudia Greenawalt wrote about her 7-yearold friend, Linkin Eger, stating, “He doesn’t like chemo, but it’s saving his life right now.”

When Linkin was 2 years old, he was diagnosed with Pilocytic Astrocytoma - a slow-growing brain and central nervous system cancer that develops from star-shaped cells called astrocytes.

Linkin’s mother, Kelly Eger, said her son’s left eye started moving around.

“At first it was minor, and we weren’t even sure we noticed it, but then over a few weeks it got worse. When we called to make an eye appointment, the scheduler asked if it was an emergency. At that time I said no because my optimism said it was only a wandering eye.”

Three months passed before the Egers were able to get an appointment with their ophthalmologist who told them within 2 minutes that Linkin needed an MRI immediately.

“The best way I can explain the initial consultation after the MRI was seeing the neurosurgeon’s mouth move

SPRING 2019

but only hearing white noise. We truly were unable to process the information being presented to us,” Eger said.

Around 1,900 years ago, the ancient Romans attempted to treat cancer with surgery even before the discovery of anesthesia. They noted that even after the scars have formed the disease returned. Today, surgery is still used and has become an effective treatment for many forms of cancer.

For Linkin, doctors were able to remove about 90 percent of the brain tumor with the remaining 10 percent wrapped around an artery and inoperable. Afterward, Linkin was temporarily paralyzed on the left side of his body and suffered from seizures. He had to have double eye surgery to realign his eyes from the tumor pushing on his optic nerve.

When Linkin was 7, the cancer returned.

In the early 1900s it was discovered that while radiation could cause cancer through cell damage, it was able to be used to further damage and kill the cancer cells. Shortly after World War II, scientists discovered that chemotherapy was able to destroy rapidly dividing cells, such as cancer cells, by destroying its DNA. When Linkin’s cancer came back, doctors began to treat him with chemotherapy. It was then that Naudia started to write her book, “My Friend Linkin,” to help kids better understand cancer from a kid’s perspective. Naudia went with Linkin to his chemotherapy sessions and documented it all in her book. She interviewed his family and asked Linkin tough questions like “are you afraid?” and “do you think you’ll die?”

Linkin received chemotherapy by injection every Monday for a year. It was during that time that Naudia was able to publish her book and helped raise $5,000 for Linkin’s expensive treatments. Today, he is 9 years old and 7 months post-chemotherapy.

“We have seen his energy come back and he is taking big steps in school. He has to meet with his doctors every three months for check-ups and MRI’s,” Kelly said.

Linkin’s check-ups are expected to continue for the next year before decreasing in frequency to every six months and then eventually annually. Because there is still a part of the tumor wrapped around an artery, Linkin’s doctor visits will continue at least annually for the rest of his life.

In February, My Friend Linkin officially became a non-profit organization dedicated to helping children with debilitating diseases.

Linkin has been working closely with the organization’s new recipient, 8-year-old Mackenzie Clyde, to write a book about her called “My Friend Mackenzie.” Since her brain cancer diagnosis on May 25, 2018, Mackenzie has gone through tumor resection surgery, 31 sessions of radiation and 7 months of high dose chemotherapy.

The book is expected to be available at the end of May. Kelly says the organization is about more than just the money. Meeting with Naudia to write the book gave Linkin something to look forward to during his chemotherapy. She says she sees this again now that they are working with Mackenzie.

“She looks forward to Linkin and Naudia coming over to work on the book and play games. I am hopeful it also brings her happiness, knowing she is helping to bring awareness in a way that kids can understand. It is hard to quantify the feeling of hope, but I feel like this is what we are providing these kids.”

It has been 5,000 years since the ancient Egyptians first wrote on pieces of papyrus that cancer was untreatable.

Today, our research has lead to newer and better treatments. We’ve suffered losses, but we are not losing. Five thousand years later we still have hope.

54

55

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY: COURTNEY DAVIS

56

KIERSTEN BRAGG

T

he phone rings. It’s Aug. 6, 2018 when a local mother picks up the phone and receives a devastating phone call. Her 19-year-old daughter is missing.

“This happens to other people. This isn’t supposed to happen to me,” mother Kiersten Bragg recalls feeling at the time.

Prior to this day, Bragg had always lived what you could consider a normal life. After graduating from Grossmont High School in June 1998, she became pregnant with her first child.

As with most teenage mothers, Bragg was afraid and nervous to tell her parents about the pregnancy, however after the initial shock, her parents became her biggest supporters. Bragg recalled enjoying the journey through pregnancy.

SPRING 2019

On July 18, 1999, in San Diego, Bragg welcomed Kiera Lanae Bergman into the world.

Kiera was a happy baby, always smiling and giggling. Bragg wanted her daughter to play softball as she had, but Kiera was more interested in fashion, makeup and loved singing in choir.

After graduating from high school in spring of 2017, Kiera received a grant and went to cosmetology school to pursue her passion for hair and make-up. Bragg explained that Kiera often talked about how she wanted to give free haircuts to the homeless after she received her cosmetology license.

In November 2017, Kiera met a man on Tinder – an account a friend

had reportedly set up for her. Bragg’s first encounter with Kiera’s new boyfriend, 22-year-old, Jon-Christopher Clark, at a family event, wasn’t great. She recalls thinking there was just something about him that didn’t sit right with her.

“What does a 22-year-old want with an 18-year-old?” Bragg wondered.

Bragg’s uneasy feeling only became stronger after Clark started taking control of her daughter’s life.

Slowly Clark began isolating Kiera from her family and friends.

She placed her personal phone line in his name and after a while she dropped out of cosmetology school.

“Before she met him she was doing good. She had a good job. She had her own cellphone – her own line. She had her own car. Then she got with him and all those things started to go away. He started controlling everything,” Bragg said.

Just four months after meeting

58

KIERSTEN BRAGG him, Kiera moved to Arizona with Clark.

“Once she got to Arizona, he canceled their cell phones, so she no longer had a cell phone line. The only way we could talk to her was through Facebook Messenger or Instagram messaging,” Bragg explained.

She explained that Clark insisted Kiera take a title loan out on her car to pay for furnishing their new apartment, since neither of them had obtained employment after their move. Once Clark received the money, it appeared to vanish and the apartment remained unfurnished.

Kiera found a job working at a leasing company in the call center while Clark remained unemployed.

The pressure to pay the bills seemed to fall solely on Kiera, resulting in her working two jobs. But, Bragg felt that even then they were barely getting by.

A month after moving Kiera and Clark split up. Her high school best friend, Destiny, had relocated to Phoenix and Kiera reached out to Destiny. They decided to get an apartment of their own.

Bragg was relieved and took advantage of being able to speak to her 59

daughter again to express her concern about the controlling behavior she had seen in her relationship with Clark.

However, Bragg’s relief was shortlived.Not long after their initial split, Kiera and Clark were back together.

“Kiera would always make excuses for him – like ‘Mom, he said he’s going to change. I’m going to give him another chance,’” Bragg remembered.

Clark moved into Kiera and Destiny’s apartment and the previous behavior resumed. Time between family conversations grew longer and longer.

Clark was on probation in California and was required to appear in court frequently. Kiera would sometimes accompany Clark on his trips to California, although Bragg only saw her daughter twice – once for breakfast and once for dinner.

During the dinner visit, Bragg and Kiera’s 17-year-old sister, Braydee, became even more concerned when Clark

began arguing with Kiera over the menu.

“He made it very clear that they were going to get what he wanted,” Bragg recalled as she had watched her daughter sink down in her seat. “I could just see her whole demeanor change.”

That was the last time that Bragg saw her daughter. On the morning of Aug. 6, 2018, the phone rang.

It was Kiera’s roommate, Destiny.

Kiera had been missing for two days.“I started panicking,” Bragg explained. A missing person’s report was filed with the Phoenix police department. But, they weren’t concerned, as adults have the freedom to go “missing” if they want to.

Kiera and Destiny had gone to work together on Saturday. While they were at work, Kiera got into a fight on the phone with Clark. Destiny said she was really upset and came to her asking to go home.

Clark picked Kiera from work and that was the last time anyone saw her.

When Kiera failed to show up to work on Tuesday, Bragg’s concern grew stronger. She and Braydee packed up and headed to Phoenix in search of her missing daughter.

“I was confused and in denial. The whole time we were there I was hoping it was a misunderstanding and she was going to show up,” Braydee recalled of the days after her sister’s disappearance, “At first, I felt bad making and putting out a missing person’s flyer because if she did come home, I didn’t want her to be mad at me or embarrassed.”

They took to Facebook, Instagram, local and national media and even contacted a television show, “Live PD,” which ran the missing person’s segment. The hashtag, #BringKieraHome, floated through homes across America as the search continued.

As time passed, the Phoenix police department began an investigation.

Kiera’s car was located in Clark’s possession and a search warrant was issued.

Clark was arrested on the unrelated charges of identity theft and forgery.

With her daughter no where to be found, Kiersten began to feel hopeless. “Deep down, I had this feeling she wasn’t with us anymore. It’s just a feeling you get as a mom. But I didn’t want to accept that, so I held out hope that she was still out there.”

On the morning of Sept. 5, IMPACT X

SPRING 2019

2018, Bragg was sitting on the couch when she received a phone call from the detectives telling her that her daughter’s body had been found.

Bragg explained that she broke down in devastation, bawling.

“She got off the phone and I said ‘Mom, what’s wrong?’ I had a really bad feeling in my stomach and I was like, ‘no – no! It isn’t true,’” Braydee remembers of her mom’s reaction. “She started scream-crying and I was crying.” Later, Clark was charged with the murder of Kiera.

The hashtag #BringKieraHome quickly changed to #Justice4Kiera.

As the investigation continued, it became evident that Kiera had been a victim of domestic violence. Bragg remembers a conversation she had with Destiny after Clark was charged with murder when she admitted Kiera would have bruises from Clark aggressively grabbing her.

Kiera’s remains were brought back to San Diego. Although Bragg never imagined bringing her daugh-

ter home in this way, she was relieved to at least have the closure.

While Clark sits in jail awaiting trial for the murder, Bragg knew she had to do something.

She decided to become an advocate against domestic violence in San Diego County. She started an Amazon list where anyone could donate needed items to local domestic violence shelters. The donations flooded in allowing Bragg to take thousands of donations to local domestic violence shelters in Kiera’s honor.

A self-defense class, “Kick Butt for Kiera,” was held in her honor at Valhalla High School in El Cajon. The event was sold out, with 50 participants.

In an interview with Fox5 San Diego, Kiersten pleads, “Even if we help one person out there that’s going through this, to keep them [from] having the outcome she had – that’s my goal right now.”

With hopes of starting a domestic violence foundation in Kiera’s honor, Bragg remains active in the

community raising awareness. The motivation is two-fold – keeping her daughter’s memory alive while helping others who may be in a similar situation get out before it’s too late.

“What has helped is knowing that she is in heaven. Knowing that she isn’t suffering. Knowing that I will see her again. Knowing and praying that I can hopefully help get someone else out of a situation like she was in before something devastating happens to another family,” Bragg said.

Still available on Amazon is the list of items that can be donated in Kiera’s honor to local domestic violence shelters in San Diego. Efforts have crossed county lines with a team named in honor of Kiera for the Mary Kay 5K run in Riverside. The magnitude of Kiera’s disappearance can be felt nationally with multiple donation drives in Kiera’s name popping up in several other states.

Seven months after Kiera went missing, Kiersten is just now beginning to pick up the pieces and rebuild her life.

While a mother’s heart will always

60

KIERSTEN BRAGG

Photos featured courtesy of Kiersten Bragg

“Even if we help one person out there that’s going through this, to keep them [from] having the outcome she had – that’s my goal right now.”

be heavy for the loss of their child, Kiersten is learning how to smile again.

Recently, Kiersten began a new job working with children, something she has always loved to do. “I am actually functioning now. I started working full-time again, which has been good,” Kiersten said of regaining control of her life. But she plans to continue advocating for young women like Kiera.

“Kiera had so much to live for, so much good she could have done in the world, but someone took that away from her,” Kiersten says, adding advice to anyone facing domestic violence is simple - “It’s never too late to ask for help. You are not alone.”

61

IMPACT X

KIERSTEN BRAGG

A VICTIM’S REALITY STORY BY: KENA HAUN

O

SPRING 2019

n average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in for the perpetrator to be prosecuted. the United States, as The law is clearly not uniform stated by the National on the issue, and the possibility of a Coalition Against Domestic Violence sta- spouse or partner hurting their loved tistical fact sheet. This equates to more one remains “inconceivable” despite than 10 million women and men per year. the extensive record of its existence.

What drives a person to stay with It is no wonder that victims often do those who hurt them? There is a cer- not report, when their stories are altain level of stigma within the struc- ready invalidated in the eyes of law. tures of our society that incapacitates A victim may have nowhere to a person’s ability to speak freely of go, no money to use, skeptical people the violence brought upon them. The and laws, and maybe even children to World Health Organization Depart- consider. “Although many women are ment of Reproductive Health and Re- motivated to leave their abusive relasearch reports, “We know that sexual tionships, a myriad of factors stand in violence remains highly stigmatized, their way, making the decision to return and carries heavy social sanctions in to abusers more likely,” according to the many settings. Furthermore, given the 2012 edition of the Journal of Interpersensitivities of reporting sexual vio- sonal Violence. The Journal continued, lence, we know these estimates are like- “reasons for returning included lack of ly to underestimate actual prevalence.” financial resources, inadequate help It is difficult for collective society to from police or from other formal supgrasp the concept that someone could be port systems, and lack of a place to go.” in a relationship with someone who hurts Stacey Eltzroth, the Women’s Rethem. As evidenced by history, it was not source Center’s of North San Diego until 1993 that marital rape became a County outreach coordinator says that, crime in all 50 states. Throughout the 90s, “99 percent of all domestic violence each state had differences within their cases include financial abuse. Finanmarital rape laws, but most significantly, cial abuse is one of the most harmful marital rape was prosecuted differently forms of domestic violence. It is one than that of non-partner sexual violence. of the main reasons victims stay in Still, marital rape is prosecuted or return to an abusive relationship.” under very different circumstances in Additionally, the journal studseveral states. The spouse must have ied people’s reactions to hypothetical used excessive use of force or threat of situations wherein researchers examforce. Oklahoma law goes as far to say ined attitudes towards domestic viothat the victims must have threats, “ac- lence, the victim, and her perpetrator. companied by apparent power of execu- They found that participants blamed tion to the victim or to another person,” the victim who reportedly returned to her abuser more than the victim about whom did not report returning.

Eltzroth explained, “people can often experience invalidation whether

they do or do not return to an abusive relationship” she continues saying that the, “WRC takes a ‘non-judgmental’ approach when victims return to abusers.”

The way we question the circumstances surrounding an incident is important. Elztroth states that at the WRC they pay attention to the language, “Instead of asking, ‘Why did they stay?’

‘Why don’t they leave?’ or ‘Why did they go back?’ We ask, ‘Why do people abuse and why is it allowed to continue?’”

Unfortunately, there still happens to be high levels of victim blaming for domestic and non-domestic sexual violence.

Compounding the issue, is the disbelief regarding how common the problem is as the press sensationalizing certain kinds of cases due predominantly to the stigma surrounding domestic violence.

The North County WRC tries its best to counteract the stigma, by offering their services to those who come to them. Regardless of whether or not they return to the partner. Stacey says that, “The emotional and psychological strength required to leave an abusive relationship, often with nothing, and to start completely over is very hard.”

When asked what the biggest barrier to helping people overcome their situation Eltzroth says that, “One of the biggest significant barriers/struggles to supporting people as they try to leave is providing shelter and housing.”

On one day in September, the Network to End Domestic Violence took a census of 112 agencies in CA that provide domestic violence services. They said that, “more than 692 requests for housing went unmet because programs lacked the resources to meet those needs.”

62

If you or anyone you know is a victim of domestic violence you are encouraged to reach out for help.

Below is a list of national and local hotlines as well as local emergency shelters in San Diego County area.

National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233

YCWA San Diego County Hotline at 619-234-3164

Domestic Violence Legal Aid Legal Services for Abused Women Program at 314-652-3623

San Diego Family Justice Center emergency shelter at 619-236-9551

Empower Tehama emergency shelter at 530-528-0226

Or to find a shelter or hotline near you visit domesticshelters.org.

64

PM I A Z N Z I A A C 65

T .

he influence that his brother had on him to follow his dreams and make a difference in his community began with starting his own business, a Vista pizza shop called PizzaManiac.

SPRING 2019

Passionate. That is the word one of his employees, Cole Miller, uses to describe him. It seems to be a recurring trend; most people referring to him as a man who has deep passion for the city he was raised in and the people in his life.

Optimistic. That is the word he uses to describe himself. He prides himself on his ability to “appreciate everyone for who they are.” One of his favorite sayings reads “no matter who they are every single person knows something that you don’t know.”

His parents met by chance, when his dad, originally from San Francisco, followed a buddy down to Southern California and lived in a house in Del Mar. His mom moved to Minnesota from Ireland when she was 18-years-old. She later ended up in California, where the two met and started their family.

Bor n at Tri-City hospital in 1980, Ben Phillips was born into what he described as a perfect family.

Growing up in Vista, he recalls the good neighborhoods, the farm town vibe, and riding his bike with his younger brother to the local pizza shops. When asked to describe his childhood experience, the first words that came to Philips’ mind were, “pretty amazing.”

He holds a special place in his heart for the amount of effort his mom always put into Christmas, the bond he had with his brother growing up, and the quiet town of Vista.

He didn’t have much family that lived around him during his childhood, with the majority of his mom’s side of the family living in Minnesota. So, the Phillips family of four was a close-knit one, and valued their quality family time greatly.

Throughout his adolescence, Phillips mentioned that he had always been particularly independent. In addition to his close relationship with his family, his mom and dad never failed to remind him that he could be and do whatever he wanted to. Phillips’ mom wanted her children to always be reminded of how fortunate they were to live the life they did.

As a kid, Phillips wanted to be a elementary school science teacher, and spent a couple of his teenage years babysitting and being involved in his local church. “...I always liked taking care of kids and I just love that environment of like the elementary school thing.”

Although he had plans for a teaching career, Phillips said that he never felt pressured the attend college.

Needless to say, Phillips has never been afraid to take risks, and credits a lot of his success to the inspiration that his younger brother gave him, who was able to open his own tattoo shop by the age of 22. “That was big on me wanting to progress and really make something of myself and just be part of the community.”

When asked how Phillips would like to be remembered, he paused for a minute.

He began to explain how he’d like to be known as the guy who wasn’t afraid to do what he wanted to, when he wanted to do it. Which explains why he decided to leave home at age 20 and join a traveling punk rock band, just for the experience.

66

A PIZZA MY HEART STORY BY: ALEX GARCIA

The smell of fresh pizza and hot wings fill the air when you walk in, making you salivate at the mouth with hunger.

You hear music softly in the background and the television talking about sports.

PizzaManiac is located in the heart of Vista and is open everyday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Every customer is met with a smile and hug from owner Ben Phillips, which at first seems very odd, as you wouldn’t typically see this kind of relationship between the customer and the owner.

When talking with Phillips about PizzaManiac and his goals for investing into the community, Phillips said, “The shop has been open for about three years, and I do as much as I can for the neighborhood/community that I grew up in. I’m always out and about in the community and help it out anyway I can. I donate a lot of food products to schools around the community and just try and take care of everyone that I know.”

It is easy to go to a large chain, and to some it feels more convenient. So, why choose PizzaManiac over all the other big major pizza companies such as Dominos, Pizza Hut and Little Caesars.

“I pride myself in making sure that I produce the best pizza I can produce. I enjoy what I do and I simply just want to make sure and give people 67

good food. I also want to do things that other people aren’t doing. Make myself stand out to the public as being a guy that you can come to to ask for anything. I love helping people,” Phillips said.

PizzaManiac was voted on Yelp as the 87th best restaurant in the country, as of 2018. That’s a pretty big accomplishment, considering the short amount of time the shop has been open. “I’m very proud of this accomplishment and I will continue to try and change the food industry and do things that other people aren’t doing. I want the community to know that I have their back and we are a family, and I will do whatever I can to make sure that PizzaManiac helps out in any way,” Phillips said.

In summer of 2018, Vista Little League had their snack bar broken into and Phillips replenished their snack bar by replacing around $600 worth of food.

“I was approached by them many times before in the past asking for my help, but I never really had the extra money to put up even though I really wanted to, so I felt that now that the business is doing great that this was my time to finally give back, which I did, and I plan on helping other people who need my help,” Phillips explained.

Manager Jr. Arenas has been working

at PizzaManiac for about a year, but has years of experience in the pizza industry.

Arenas feels that working for Phillips can be described in simply one word: ‘interesting.’

“I’ve worked at a lot of pizza shops and I’d have to say that this one is the best. The vibe that the place gives makes the customer feel very welcomed and make them want to keep coming back for not only the food, but the service that we all provide,” Arenas said.

He loves working for PizzaManiac, because he gets to serve people that are someone in the community and if they aren’t having the best day, they know at least they can come here and get amazing service and food.Employee, Cole Miller explained why he loves working at PizzaManiac stating, “It’s great working here, I’d have to say that we’re a high quality and high standard place. There is absolutely no slacking off and the food’s really good, so it’s always fun to make good food.

Ben’s pretty flexible with us, when he isn’t here he puts me and Jr. in charge, so its kinda cool being top dog and there’s a lot to learn here. I’ve been here for about nine months and plan on continuing until something better comes across my way.

We also get free pizza which is also a plus.”

PizzaManiac is a place in the community where Phillips shows his love for the people through his love of a good pizza.

IMPACT X

68

BEN PHILLIPS

ENGAGING EQUALITY IN THE WORKPLACE STORY BY: KATY LYNN PHOTOGRAPHY BY: MARIESA RANDOW

M

ore often over the past years, businesses have started to gradually hire more disabled workers.

Ben Phillips, the owner of PizzaManiac, the local pizzeria in Vista, hired his first disabled employee, Kevin Latimer, about a year and a half ago, and hasn’t had a regret since.

“The local school had given me a call, asking if I’d be willing to have a few of their disabled students come in an hour a day and work,” he explained, “They were all really happy to be there, and one of them was so interested so I actually hired him, and he’s still working here.”

Phillips recalled when he was about 10 years of age having a disabled family member whom he said,”was awesome and had a good soul, and I enjoy being able to relive those memories.”

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment for disabled workers was down to eight percent, being that its the lowest it had been since it was at a sky-high 15 percent in 2011, when our nation was recovering from The Great Recession.

The overall rate of unemployment for disabled is roughly double that of the non-disabled. However, that rate will continue to decline as business open their doors and begin hiring workers even with a labeled disability.

69

Latimer, categorized as a disabled worker, has been working at PizzaManiac for over a year as a part-time busboy, had explained, “My coworkers are really cool, and they think I’m fun to have around.

I know most of the customers that come in and I enjoy serving them food.”

Latimer, also working full-time in the dairy department and as a cashier at Albertsons in Vista, had said, “It’s a good job to have. It has its ups and downs like every other job has, but my life is good, and we’re making money right?”

Some businesses choose to hire those who are disabled because of the financial benefits, although others choose to do it in order to impact their life, by giving them a chance to feel involved and engaged with society.

“They benefit me by giving me a want to help and make them feel as if they deserve these chances. As far as the business goes, I’m not a huge part of it, but what they bring to the employees and customers makes it all worth it for me. It’s a touching kind of thing being able to do what I do. I genuinely enjoy their attitude, and they come in super excited about the job, which makes me happy,” Phillips said.

Many studies have shown that people with disabilities are more likely to take less days off from work, and tend to work the job longer than others, as mentioned in an article on The Chicago Lighthouse.

In addition, businesses that are eligible have the ability to receive various tax credits in order to assist them with hiring and helping aid the workers. Hiring those with disabilities can also create a good brand image for a company, because of their outreach in diversity and demonstrations of equality.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, a vast range of programs work with human resource departments and job candidates to offer placement services and training to disabled employees.

There are groups that offer training to businesses as well. For example: The Sierra Group is a group headquartered in Philadelphia, dedicated to training companies and businesses, along with their employees, how to work with those who are disabled/have special needs.

There’s a very important reason why more companies and businesses are beginning to increasingly fill positions with disabled employees. In many opinions, a disabled citizen should not be turned away because of an assumption that they are incapable of doing a job, yet they should be given a chance to be a part of a workplace.

There are many hopes that eventually, all of our country’s businesses will set aside their personal thoughts and being open to hiring any individual no matter their label.

IMPACT X

70