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by Sue Schumann Warner –
Managing Editor
A free, after-school drop-in center for youngsters in grades 1-6 has recently opened in Riverside, Calif. The center provides assistance with homework and offers participation in supervised recreation and games. According to Captain Guy Hawk of the Riverside Corps, the program was developed in response to a need in the community.
“There’s nothing in the area for the kids to do after school, and it’s important for them to do their homework,” he said. “We have a caring and nurturing staff who take the time to work with the children on a one-to-one basis. Vol-unteers are needed to help set up a computer lab, and they can use donations of reading books, the Phonics Game, and cash to purchase other equipment.
A BEAUTIFUL AWARD
A crowd of some 300 was in attendance at the Anaheim Beautiful’s 30th Annual Awards banquet. The mayor was present, as well as several councilmen and councilwomen. Major Glen Doss, Anaheim, Calif., ARC administrator, gave the invocation. “Mary and I were quite surprised when we were asked to come forward and stand by as slides showing the front of our residence were presented,” said Doss.
“‘There is a lovely gem on Lewis Street just off of Ball Road,’ said the speaker as she described our facility in glowing terms. She then presented us a plaque–the Anaheim Beautiful Insti-tutional Award 2nd place.” This is the first time that the ARC has been nominated in the annual awards event.
FEEDING THE HUNGRY
The Church at Carmel Mountain, Calif., a non-denominational Christian congregation, presented The Salvation Army with several hundred pounds of food and $50,000 to meet the needs of the hungry for one year in North County. Pastor Harry Kuehl presented the check to Major Dave Hudson, Sierra del Mar divisional secretary. Parishoners also brought more than 400 bags of food for distribution by The Salvation Army.
GENEROUS GIFT
The Arizona Republic‘s “Season for Sharing” fund awarded $175,000 to The Salvation Army of Phoenix. The monies will be used toward providing holiday assistance to more than 40,000 Valley families.
“Season for Sharing” funding is donated by readers of The Arizona Republic newspaper. The Arizona Republic charities then matched these donations 60 cents on the dollar. This year, the total raised was $2.96 million. The Army’s $175,000 was the largest gift to a single agency.
SOBERING THOUGHT
Gordon Bingham, territorial social services secretary, passed along the following information to New Frontier :
The U.S. prison population passed the two million mark in February 2000, provoking vigils and protests in more than 40 U.S. cities. According to the Washington, D.C.-based Justice Policy Institute (JPI), the United States now has the world’s largest incarcerated population and the highest incarceration rate. With just 5 percent of the world’s population, the U.S. has a quarter of its prisoners.
According to a recent JPI report, the majority of U.S. inmates are nonviolent offenders and disproportionately African-American, with one in three black men between the ages of 20 and 29 under some form of criminal justice control (in prison, jail, parole, or probation) in 1995. For the full report, visit www.cjcj.org/punishingdecade.