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Volume 3 Issue No. 11
Serving the Inland Empire and High Desert Communites
November 2013
Happy Thanksgiving
By Contributor The history about Thanksgiving first and then later in this article how American households celebrate Thanksgiving. For many of us, the meaning of Thanksgiving usually includes feasting, fourday weekends, football games, floats, family reunions, or a forerunner of Christmas festivities. The “first Thanksgiving.” however, was neither a feast nor a holiday, but a simple gathering. Following the Mayflower’s arrival at Plymouth Rock on December 11, 1620, the Pilgrims suffered the lost of 46 of their original 102 colonists. With the help of 91 Indians, the remaining Pilgrims survived the bitter winter and yielded a bountiful harvest in 1621. In celebration, a traditional English harvest festival, lasting three days brought the Pilgrims and natives to unite in a “thanksgiving” observance. Pilgrims held their second Thanksgiving celebration in 1623 to mark the end of a long drought that had threatened the year’s harvest and prompted Governor Bradford to call for a religious fast. Days of fasting and thanksgiving on an annual or occasional basis became common practice in other New England settlements as well. During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress designated one or more days of thanksgiving a year, and in 1789 George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation by the national government of the United States; in it, he called upon Americans to express their gratitude for the happy conclusion to the country’s war of independence and the successful ratification of the U.S. Constitution. His successors
John Adams and James Madison also designated days of thanks during their presidencies. In 1817, New York became the first of several states to officially adopt an annual Thanksgiving holiday; each celebrated it on a different day, however, and the American South remained largely unfamiliar with the tradition. In 1827, the noted magazine editor and prolific writer Sarah Josepha Hale—author, among countless other things, of the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb”—launched a campaign to establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday. For 36 years, she published numerous editorials and sent scores of letters to governors, senators, presidents and other politicians. Abraham Lincoln finally heeded her request in 1863, at the height of the Civil War, in a proclamation entreating all Americans to ask God to “commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife” and to “heal the wounds of the nation.” He scheduled Thanksgiving for the final Thursday in November, and it was celebrated on that day every year until 1939, when Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the holiday up a week in an attempt to spur retail sales during the Great Depression. Roosevelt’s plan, known derisively as Franksgiving, was met with passionate opposition, and in 1941 the president reluctantly signed a bill making Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November. In the American households today some have lost much of the original religious significance of Thanksgiving, instead it now centers on cooking and sharing a bountiful meal with family and friends. Turkey, a Thanksgiving staple so ubiquitous it has
become all but synonymous with the holiday. Today, however, nearly 90 percent of Americans eat the bird—whether roasted, baked or deepfried—on Thanksgiving, according to the National Turkey Federation. Other traditional foods include stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie a lone with many other delicious dishes that make up a day of feasting. It is refreshing when people can come together, in celebration of a common purpose. It is a reconciliation of differences as well as a time of healing. Families share their victories as well as their struggles, its a day families gather in unity finding strength and hope. When families gather on Thanksgiving Day there is laugher, sadness and gratitude. Most humbly reflect upon all the gifts (family, friends, health) that saturate their lives. It is a day of Thanksgiving. By “givingthanks” many choose to extend themselves and give to others less fortunate. Out of the abundance of many hearts, people are able to offer resources to help others. Volunteering is a common Thanksgiving Day activity, and communities often hold food drives and host free dinners for those individuals feeling alone. All in all Thanksgiving is a day to celebrate with family, friends and several Lucky turkeys still alive on Thanksgiving Day due to the fact in the mid20th century and perhaps even earlier, the president of the United States “pardoned” one or two Thanksgiving turkeys each year, sparing the birds from slaughter and sending them to a farm for retirement. A number of U.S. governors also perform the annual turkey pardoning ritual. Have a Happy Thanksgiving Day.
Application Period Begins for 201314 Edison Scholars Program ROSEMEAD, Calif.,— Are you a high school senior planning to study science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields in college? If so, you may be eligible for one of several $40,000 scholarships being offered by Edison International (EIX), parent company of Southern California Edison (SCE), which has announced the application period for its 201314 Edison Scholars Programs, running now through Jan. 10, 2014. The $1.2 million program, which offers 30 scholarships valued at $40,000 each paid over four years, is for Southern California high school seniors who either live in or attend public or private high schools in SCE’s service area and will be pursuing college studies in the STEM fields. Students from lowincome families are especially encouraged to apply. “The Edison Scholars Program is an excellent opportunity for any high school student in our service area who has a 2.8 GPA or better and wants to pursue higher education in the STEM fields,” said Tammy Tumbling, director of Philanthropy and Community Investment for SCE. “If you know high school seniors who qualify and would benefit from the fouryear scholarship, please pass the word along and encourage them to apply.”
Since 2006, EIX has awarded almost $4 million in scholarships to 460 students. “At Edison International, we realize that higher education is a transformative tool that fuels the future,” Tumbling said. “As an energy company, we recognize the skills needed for our future workforce and to help advance our country.” To apply and to get additional eligibility information, students are encouraged to go to: www.scholarsapply.org/edisonscholars. Scholarship recipients will be announced in April 2014 and recipients may also be eligible for summer internships at SCE after completing their second year of college. Dependents of Edison International employees are not eligible for the Edison Scholars Program. For more information about SCE, follow us on Twitter and Facebook.Edison International (NYSE:EIX), through its subsidiaries, is a generator and distributor of electric power and an investor in infrastructure and energy assets, including company’s community donations are part of its commitment as a renewable energy. Headquartered in Rosemead, Calif., Edison leading corporate citizen. Southern California Edison (SCE) International is the parent company of Southern California customers’ utility bill payments do not fund company donations. Edison. Edison International’s support of charitable causes is funded entirely by Edison International shareholders. The
Three Reasons To File For Your VA Benefits By Michael C. Burnell Jr. As a disabled veteran myself, I understand that many veterans have their reasons for not taking the time to research the possibility of filing for benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). After all, haven’t you heard all the horror stories of backlogs and denials? After all, why apply for a handout when so many others have it so much worse? After all, why ask the government for anything, when we all know that they are good for nothing. The negative arguments are plenty, and I will not attempt to list them all in this short article. Suffice it to say that I am hoping to change the minds of a few veterans who may be letting an earned benefit sit idle – to the benefit of no one at all! Reason #3 to file for your earned VA benefits This is an earned benefit, not a handout. VA disability benefits are attained through honorable service in the US Armed Forces. They are “part of the deal” that you made when you stepped up to the plate to serve your country. You need not be a combat veteran to have earned benefits. If you have an honorable period of service, and you have symptoms that were incurred in (or exacerbated by) military service, you may be eligible for benefits. Reason #2 to file for your earned VA benefitsDemographics make a difference. VA Disability filings can potentially help more than your pocketbook. Federal and local resources are sometimes allocated by numbers. How many disabled veterans, for instance, reside in your county? Resources follow the numbers. If more veterans file for deserved claims, the nation will have more accurate numbers with which to shape policy and allocate needed resources. This reason should speak directly to those with the outlook that they “don’t have it that bad.” NOT filing for earned benefits holds up the numbers, and that can slow things down for needed resources to large numbers of veterans. Successful claims also equate to federal dollars entering into and stimulating your local economy. Reason #1 to file for your earned VA benefits
Reconnect to your veteran status. This is my catch all, the big pitch! I am hoping that looking into the possibility of filing for veterans benefits will help to reconnect you to the veteran community. Veterans are represented in every part of society, and can be a real source for good. You can help and get help from literally thousands of groups, networks, organizations, affiliations, etc., If you are not in bad
circumstances, and don’t feel you are in great need of help, then who knows what good you can do for others? Maybe it is not about the benefits – the number and scope of veterans groups is huge! For fun, for business, for nonprofits, for camaraderie, for mutual assistance, for the connection to others who have served, I urge you to take a moment to research the possibility of
applying for your earned VA benefits, and discover the true personal benefit of reconnecting to your veteran status. Michael C. Burnell Jr. currently serves as the communications coordinator for the Fontana Veterans Resource Center, Veterans Partnering With Communities, based in Fontana, CA. www.veterans4communities.org, and he can be reached at mcburnelljr@msn.com
Expires: 11/30/2013 Expires: 11/30/2013