For three decades, Black Roses have been prized symbols of community service – acknowledgements to keep close to the heart.
On Sept. 13, the San Bernardino Black Culture Foundation hosts its 30th annual Black Rose Awards to honor Unsung Heroes who have made great contributions to our communities.
The foundation’s annual Black Rose, Humanitarian and Community Service Awards Banquet is set for 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, in the Valencia Room of the National Orange Show and Events Center in San Bernardino.
Dr. Margaret Hill, co-chairperson of the event, said the Black Rose was the brainchild of Jim King and Jeffrey Hill.
“It was evident to them and to us that many individuals, companies and organizations were doing exceptional volunteer work in the Inland Empire but were not getting recognition,” Dr. Hill said.
Dr. Hill, a gala coordinator for more than a decade, is a Black Rose recipient herself, as well as a San Bernardino City Unified School District board member, and member of a variety of other community groups.
These are our 2019 unsung heroes – because these volunteers do not look for compensation or recognition but have made a difference in their communities:
Dr. Juanita Scott Humanitarian of the Year
LuCretia Dowdy, a community activist and entertainment and public relations professional, is from San Bernardino. She is a face of the community, an example of truly living a positive life, and contributing to black culture. LuCretia achieved a successful career managing early education and family support activities with First 5 San Bernardino where she began as the receptionist in 2005. In 2013, she was recognized with the Award for Excellence designation by the County of San Bernardino for her outstanding leadership with the First 5 San Bernardino organization.
Margaret Hill Community Service Award
Sean Hardge has dedicated his entire adult life to helping disadvantaged youth. After graduating from college, he began working with youth in the foster care system through his employment with Guadalupe Homes. Next, he worked with New Dawn Residential Care, whose primary mission is to help foster youth in group homes to provide them with a loving and caring environment and to help them become resilient, successful adults. Many of the youth he works with come from impoverished, single-parent homes. His passion for sports and providing opportunities for youth to excel in after-school sports resulted in Hardge co-founding a nonprofit organization, Rebels Youth Foundation.
Jim King Community Service Award
David Okonkwo, a man who is 100% committed to God, his family, and his community, is active on all levels of the Diocese of San Bernardino, community organizations and events with the county. He is a member of Inland Empire Concerned African American Churches (IECAAC), the Police Advisory Board and San Bernardino Pastors United. He has a leadership role in the Mental Health Symposium and is also an adviser for the youth and young adult groups for the community of Catholics of African Descent. Born in Nigeria, Okonkwo is a naturalized citizen of the United States and served in the Marine Corps for seven years.
Women United of Arrowhead United Way is a group of women with a common goal. A decade ago they established Women United to give back to the young women in the San Bernardino area. Since 2009, Women United has been improving and enriching the lives of young women in the community whose families and businesses were adversely impacted by the economy. The members provide philanthropic support as well as volunteer their time as mentors, speakers and advocates. Collectively, members of Women United have raised more than $500,000 in philanthropic support and given more than 10,000 volunteer hours to the community. They are unstoppable.
Black Rose Award
Angel Castro is the project specialist at the Family Focus Center at Dignity Health, St. Bernardine Medical Center in San Bernardino. The Family Focus Center serves youth living in San Bernardino, ages 8-18, who predominantly attend Arrowview Middle School and San Bernardino High School. An average of 80 youth take advantage of the Family Focus services each day, including health and safety education, a youth advisory board, arts and crafts, “Late Night Hoops” basketball program, academic tutoring, clothing, hygiene, social skills, tolerance and self-esteem. Castro has worked at the Family Focus Center for more than 20 years.
Keishia Handy has always served selflessly. From her previous job as a 911 dispatcher to her passion for teaching young minds, she has led a life of service. She began teaching in the San Bernardino City Unified School District in 2003 while still working as a 911 operator. She spent five years teaching at Cole Elementary School in Highland and another seven years as a support teacher at Cole and Monterey elementary schools, eventually becoming principal at Cole. Although she didn’t know it then, her job as an emergency dispatcher prepared her for the rigors of leading a school. In January 2015, she led a workshop for SBCUSD teachers attending the “Making Hope Happen Through High Reliability Schools” conference at Cal State San Bernardino. Her workshop, “Intervention Help: Highly Effective Tiered Academic Intervention for Elementary Students,” provided educators with proven strategies to raise academic achievement and help children succeed.
Rob Mason exemplifies all that a humanitarian should be – he’s kind, considerate, friendly, results-driven, goal-oriented, a great facilitator, open-minded, responsible, professional, a critical thinker, compassionate, determined, selfless, dedicated, dependable and humble. He took his love of education and founded a nonprofit organization that provided tutoring and mentoring services to low-income families who were struggling within the Inland Empire. He worked hard on fundraising events so he could provide college-bound high school seniors with scholarships. He has had turkey drives at Thanksgiving, toy drives during the holidays and teaches business courses at a local community college.
Dr. Jerrold Thompson, pastor of the San Bernardino Seventh Day Adventist Community Church, goes beyond the work of the church. He helped establish the Dream Academy, an after-school, wrap-around service for students who have incarcerated family members. He opens his doors to community and district needs. He now hosts a charter school at his church and supports school events at the Center City Cluster as well as volunteering and connecting community with the school and advocating on behalf of the families. Dr. Thompson also works with the community and the schools as a liaison to improve the opportunities for African-American/black students to have a more positive future.
The amount of service and dedication demonstrated by these unsung heroes shows a common bond – they all go beyond their daily responsibilities to serve others.
IF YOU GO
What: 2019 Black Rose, Humanitarian and Community Service Awards Banquet
When: 6-9 p.m., Friday, Sept. 13
Where: Valencia Room of the National Orange Show and Events Center, 689 S. E St., San Bernardino
Tickets: $65 per person
Information: sbbcfoundation.com
Michel Nolan appears in The Sun on Fridays. Reach her at michelnolan77@gmail.com.
