SAN DIEGO COUNTY BOOK FESTIVAL! OCT. 16-18 MEET YOUR FAVORITE AUTHORS AT LOCAL LIBRARIES
Printer-friendly version October 12, 2009 (San Diego’s East County) – San Diego County Libraries will host a book festival in celebration of the written word on October 16-18. The festival includes appearances by nearly 100 authors at libraries in Bonita, Borrego Springs, Enicnitas, Poway, and Vista as well as appearances by top authors at the County Administration building. Among the authors who will appear are best-selling detective novelist Joseph Wambaugh, reknown Western author Chet Cunningham, mystery writer Ken Kuhlken, “A Way With Words” radio host/author Richard Lederer, romance novelist Christie Ridgway, former TV broadcaster Kathi Diamant, cookbook author Kitty Morse, true crimes novelist Gar Mitrovich, and Victor Villaseñor, whose works have been compared to Steinbeck. Dozens of others span genres from poetry to humor to children’s books. Many of the featured authors are also East County residents. For a full schedule of events and descriptions of the authors, visit: http://www.sdcl.org/pageone.html and http://www.sdcl.org/pageone_participating-authors.html. Printer-friendly version
NAACP CALLS ON SDSU TO REVERSE POLICY CURTAILING LOCAL STUDENT ADMISSIONS; SAN DIEGO NAACP PLANS PROTESTS OCT. 13 & 14
Printer-friendly version San Diego (October 11, 2009)—The San Diego branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is reacting strongly against San Diego State University’s (SDSU) recent decision to eliminate the guaranteed admissions policy for local students who meet CSU eligibility criteria. The University’s new admissions policy will cap local enrollment in the incoming freshman class at 37%; it will also further restrict access to local community college graduates whose admission has already been severely impacted by repeated policy changes over the past decade, the NAACP says. Noting that the minority population of San Diego County is over 50%, SD Branch NAACP President Lei-Chala Wilson stated, “For decades, SDSU has been the pathway to higher education for students unable to leave the local area for economic or other reasons. It is not prudent to use the current financial crisis as an excuse to deny access to thousands of current CSU-eligible local students. SDSU needs to encourage rather than discourage our youth; it must reverse its decision to set a quota on local student admission.” Working in collaboration with a broad-based coalition of community organizations and individuals, the SD NAACP urges all concerned citizens to participate in two upcoming efforts to persuade San Diego State University (SDSU) to restore the Local Student Guaranteed Admissions Policy immediately. The first event is a 4:00 pm rally, Tuesday, October 13, 2009, at the San Diego Unified School District Board Office (4100 Normal Street, San Diego, CA 92103) to support the passage of an SDUSD Board Resolution calling upon SDSU to Restore the Local Student Guaranteed Admission Policy. Authored by Board member, John Lee Evans, the SDUSD Resolution calls upon SDSU “to immediately rescind the change for admissions for 2009-2010” and “to look at other alternatives besides eliminating the local service area preference.” Rally participants are encouraged to remain for the Board meeting that follows at 5:00 pm where the Board will vote on the resolution. The second event is a 6:00 pm community forum, Wednesday, October 14, 2009, at Lincoln High School (4777 Imperial Avenue, SD, CA 92113), Room 554. Parents, students, community members, educators and representatives from affiliated organizations will provide valuable information regarding how SDSU’s efforts to decrease enrollment of CSU-eligible students from the San Diego area adversely impacts both local families and the local community. Organizations working closely with the San Diego Branch NAACP to halt SDSU’s effort to limit admission of CSU-eligible local students include the Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association, National Council of Negro Women, Inc. (NCNW), Latino Concilio of Higher Education of San Diego County, Association of Raza Educators, Political and Educational Advocacy Consultants, Equality Alliance, the Education Consortium of San Diego County, We Advocate Gender Equity, and others. For information about these and other upcoming events on this issue, please contact SD NAACP Community Coordinator, Pat Washington, PhD (619) 582-5383, Email: PatWashingtonPhD@aol.com Printer-friendly version
FIRST BOOK SAN DIEGO TEAMS WITH SALVATION ARMY KROC CENTER TO PROMOTE LITERACY, PROVIDE FREE BOOKS TO CHILDREN
Printer-friendly version October 11, 2009 (San Diego) — The San Diego chapter of First Book is reaching out to children from low-income families across San Diego County with little or no access to books through its 2009 book grants. Starting this fall, First Book will be providing over 5,000 brand new books to be distributed to children ages 6 to 10 through the Family Arts & Literacy Connection Program at The Salvation Army Kroc Center, 6845 University Avenue in San Diego. “We are delighted to be able to put new books into the hands of children who wouldn’t otherwise have access to them,” said Mark Kersey, co-chair of First Book San Diego. “Over the past eight years we have worked to provide new books to San Diego preschools, day care, after-school, and tutoring/mentoring programs that promote literacy among children of low-income families. Since 2001, we have provided over 40,000 new books to San Diego-based organizations including various Head Starts, Rolling Readers, St. Vincent de Paul Village, Eugene Bowman, Reach Out and Read, and The Salvation Army Kroc Center. “We are thrilled to receive this generous allocation of books from First Book-San Diego,” said Sean Cummings, Program Director at the Kroc Center. “Our Family Arts & Literacy Connection Program gives parents and children the opportunity to learn and create together, and these books from First Book will be an integral part of our Family Literacy Nights at the Kroc Center.” The San Diego chapter of First Book was established in 2001 and has served the San Diego County community by providing over 40,000 free and low cost new books to various preschools, day care, after-school, and tutoring/mentoring programs that promote literacy in children of low-income families. The San Diego chapter is part of Washington, D.C.-headquartered First Book, a national nonprofit organization with a single mission: to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. First Book has provided more than 50 million new books to children in need in thousands of communities nationwide. To learn more about First Book or to donate, please visit www.FirstBook.org. The Salvation Army Kroc Center is a 12-acre family support, education, recreation, and cultural arts facility. Made possible by a generous gift from philanthropist Mrs. Joan Kroc, the Center provides provides facilities, programs and services that encourage positive life-changing experiences for children and adults, strengthen families, and enrich the lives of seniors. The community center is available to members and the general public. For more information about The Salvation Army Kroc Center, visit www.kroccenter.org. Printer-friendly version