Pittsburgh Steelers’ Super Bowl Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger announced the seventh grant of the 2011-12 season from the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation at The Giving Back Fund. The Foundation will be distributing a grant to the Antioch Police Department.

The Antioch Police Department will purchase a dual purpose canine, trained in patrol procedures and narcotics detection, so that an 11-year-old veteran canine can retire.

Antioch Chief of Police Allan Cantando said, “We are truly honored to have been selected by the Foundation as a grant recipient and are excited about the long-term benefits this grant will allow our canine unit, the Antioch Police Department and the City of Antioch to enjoy for the years to come.” Cantando added, “These grant funds will be used to purchase a new dual purpose canine to ensure the continued success of the unit.”

During the 2011-12 NFL season, The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation will be distributing grants to K-9 units of police and fire departments in the cities and surrounding communities of each regular season away game for the Steelers.

The Foundation will also distribute several grants to the Pittsburgh area and will consider grants to any two cities in the United States if the Steelers make the playoffs. The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation invited police and fire departments across the country to submit proposals detailing their needs.

This marks the fifth season that the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation has distributed grants to K-9 units. The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation seeks to support K-9 units of police and fire departments throughout the United States with a particular emphasis on support for service dogs in Pittsburgh, PA.

In commenting on why the mission of the foundation is so important to him, Roethlisberger said, “We’re very fortunate to be in the position that we are able to help these K-9 units. The work that is performed by the dogs and their handlers as well as the bond that is formed is incredible. We’re just thrilled to do our small part.”

For more information about the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation or The Giving Back Fund, please contact Stephanie Sandler or visit www.bigben7.com or www.givingback.org.

About Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger is in his eighth season as quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and already has secured his place in the record books. At 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, he is aptly referred to as Big Ben, and has become known for big performances and a humble approach. Roethlisberger is one of only 10 starting quarterbacks to win two or more Super Bowls. In 2009, he led the Steelers to a 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Tampa with a thrilling touchdown pass in the final seconds. In 2006, Roethlisberger became the youngest starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl, defeating the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 in Detroit. Roethlisberger was voted to the Pro Bowl in 2007, and already holds most of the passing records for the Steelers. He is the only quarterback to lead his team to the conference championship game in each of his first two seasons. He was the unanimous Rookie of the Year in 2004, breaking Dan Marino’s rookie records for completion percentage and passer rating, and was the first quarterback in NFL history to compile a 13-0 regular season record as a rookie.
Roethlisberger was raised in Findlay, OH and was a three-sport star at Findlay High School. He went on to set nearly every quarterback record at Miami University (Ohio) prior to foregoing his senior season and becoming the 11th overall pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2004 NFL Draft. Roethlisberger resides near Pittsburgh with his wife Ashley and his two dogs, Zeus and Hercules.

About The Giving Back Fund
The Giving Back Fund (GBF) is a national public charity that creates and professionally manages charitable foundations and other philanthropic programs for athletes, entertainers, business entrepreneurs, and corporations. Since our founding in 1997, GBF has created an important niche in expanding and diversifying philanthropy, particularly among young people, women and people of color. Our unique structure allows donors to direct more of their charitable dollars to causes they care about and less to administrative overhead. To date, The Giving Back Fund has provided philanthropic consulting, management and programming to more than 200 athletes, entertainers, entrepreneurs, and other high net worth individuals. GBF has overseen the distribution of more than $30,000,000 in charitable grants within the United States and other countries, and has developed dozens of unique scholarship, mentoring, medical, arts, and other philanthropic programs. For additional information, please visit www.givingback.org.

Jan. 14 – MLK 2012 Spoken Word Celebration
Souljahs Building, Prizes for High Schcol (HIV AIDS) and Open (Protecting Our Women & Children) divisions. 564 West 10th St., Pittsburg, 6 p.m.

Jan. 16 – City of Antioch Martin Luther King Observance
City of Antioch MLK Observance will be held at Antioch High School’s Beede Auditorium, 700 W. 18th Street, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Jan. 16 MLK March & Celebration
A march will begin at Pittsburg City Hall at 11:15 a.m. and end at Marina Vista Elementary School. Speeches, program, awards. Program starts at noon and features information booths and special guest speaker, author Marvelyn Brown.

Jan. 16 – Martin Luther King holiday
County offices closed.

Jan. 17 – Martin Luther King Celebration
Martin Luther King Celebration at the Board of Supervisors’ chambers, 651 Pine Street in Martinez includes Humanitarian of the Year Awards, entertainment and refreshments. Starts at 11 a.m.

Join the fun and your fellow 49er fans at Humphrey’s on the Delta and watch the Niners play (beat) the New Orleans Saints in the playoffs, on Saturday, January 14 at 1:30 p.m.  Humphrey’s is located at 1 Marina Plaza, at the foot of L Street, overlooking the river in Antioch’s historic downtown Rivertown. Get there early for the best seats, then stay for a victory dinner!

By Mass Communications Specialist 1st Class Elizabeth Thompson
NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan Public Affairs

KABUL – Walking around Camp Eggers, contracted linguist Rafia Yusuf is flooded with pleasant memories of the pre-soviet Kabul she grew up in, a Kabul that she hardly recognizes now.

She remembers when Camp Eggers, home to U.S. military and coalition forces at NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan (NTM-A), was a residential area where she once got a privileged glimpse of King Mohammad Zahir Shah driving his Rolls Royce through the city.

“That was a big impression on me to see the king and have him wave to me,” Yusuf said with a smile. “I think about that all the time.”

According to Yusuf, women wore European clothing and it was not unusual to travel at night to see movie without a male escort. She also had no problem getting an education, graduating from Malalai School with a degree in history and geography.

When the Soviets invaded Kabul, she witnessed a drastic change in civil liberties.

“Once Russia came over it all stopped. No one could go out. Nothing. We were just inside the houses,” remembered Yusuf. “It made me very upset. Why did these things happen? We did not know the consequences of these actions on our future and the future of the country.”

At 20, Yusuf, her husband and both of their families left Kabul. After spending four years in a camp on the border of Pakistan, they immigrated to the U.S. The family lived in Southern California for a few years and Yusuf lived in Sacramento before moving to Antioch, Calif.

Sept. 11, 2001, ignited a desire for Yusuf to return to Afghanistan even though the timing in her life was not ideal.

“My son was too young on Sept 11th to come over but since then I wanted to come,” Yusuf explained. “I do remember that I was at work, and I said to my coworkers, ‘I want to go.’”

Last year Yusuf got her chance to return. She was hired by Mission Essential Personnel (MEP) as a linguist and received an assignment to Kabul as an NTM-A interpreter. Nothing could prepare Yusuf for her return to Afghanistan. After she was picked up at the airport, her first drive through the city she once called home was described as a “shock and disappointment.”

“When I first came here they drove me through the city at night, and I saw all of the dust and the carts and poverty,” said Yusuf. “I heard the news that there were a lot of changes that happened here, and I expected a lot but not this much. This was too much … I couldn’t believe that this was the capital that I grew up in.”

That first impression did not stop her desire to be a part of positive change within Afghanistan.

“I have been here one year and now I see the coalition countries come here and try to train the military and police and work to clean up the country,” Yusuf said. “No one can blame [the Afghans] that they grew up in this situation…They need direction on how they are suppose to go.”

During Yusuf’s time with NTM-A, she has seen the Afghan government’s proactive approach to improve vehicle security and traffic by implementing advanced vehicle search techniques and plans to one day install traffic lights throughout the city.

She also comments that sanitary conditions are better throughout Kabul. When she first arrived, food vendors let fruit and meat spoil outside their shops by being exposed to the weather and pollutants from highly trafficked streets. Throughout the year, the government has worked with store keepers to improve overall health standards.

But Yusuf believes that more can be done by the government and Afghan people.

In an office of approximately 12 Afghan linguists, she is the only Afghan American. She believes that it is important for all Afghans, living in Afghanistan and abroad, to be involved in the country’s future and one-by-one people can make a difference.

“All of us cannot be the president, all of us cannot be the vice president, all of us cannot be the ministry, all of us cannot be the general; everything starts from ordinary people,” emphasized Yusuf. “Once they put hand-to-hand together and they are shoulder by shoulder; then we get victory. That’s the main thing.”

Yusuf’s coworkers enjoy sharing their experiences with her and feel comfortable asking her for personal and work related guidance.

A former Afghan National Army (ANA) dentist and now linguist for NTM-A’s Medical Command and Inspector General, Shokrya is optimistic with Yusuf’s encouragement to make positive changes within Afghanistan. Shokrya was dismissed from the ANA when her hospital tried to force her into a job she was not properly trained for and now she works with the IG who is responsible for correcting those kinds of problems within the ANA medical community.

“Sometimes when she has time, and I have time, we talk about personal issues,” said Shokrya. “She also gives us advice like Afghan people should serve their country because this is Afghanistan and Afghanistan needs improvements.”

Nabiullah, also a linguist with NTM-A, is also recovering from an IED attack that claimed the lives of four U.S. service members he considered friends while working as their interpreter in the Paktika Province. Nabiullah suffered major injuries that still affect his speech abilities, but he is very thankful to be alive, to continue working with U.S. and coalition forces and to have caring coworkers like Yusuf.

Working with other Afghan linguists, has been rewarding for Yusuf. She is glad coworkers feel comfortable enough to open up and talk with her but believes more could be done by her colleagues outside the office.

“[My Afghan colleagues] are young, educated, they can think clearly and are not scared,” stressed Yusuf. “Every day, I ask them and tell them if you guys have time, when you go home, relax a little bit and then clean up your street. This is going to start with five or six people and then grow to hundreds if they make a group or organization.”

A source of inspiration for Yusuf is a quote by Robert Frost, which was re-quoted by President Kennedy and says, “The woods are lovely, dark, and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep.”

Yusuf completed her one year contract with MEP in December and renewed her contract to work with NTM-A for another year. June 2011, she was presented with a certificate of appreciation from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police-Combine Training Advisor Group for her work with the Afghan National Police. December 22, she was presented with another certificate of appreciation from MEP and given a thank you letter from the company.

Currently, Yusuf is enjoying some vacation time to relax and enjoy time with her family stateside but looks forward to continuing her work in Afghanistan. She hopes one day to be a cultural advisor for the Afghan government and encourage others to work together to re-build the country.

“Everything starts from zero,” comments Yusuf about the power a community can have if people are willing to band together to create positive change. “Nothing starts from hundreds; it starts from zero and then goes to the millions.”

NTM-A is a coalition of 37 troop-contributing nations charged with assisting the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA) in generating a capable and sustainable Afghan National Security Force ready to take lead of their country’s security by 2014.

By the Antioch Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors

The Antioch Chamber of Commerce is hosting our Annual Inaugural Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony on Friday, March 9, 2012 at the Lone Tree Golf Course Event Center. During our evening, we award and recognize our Citizen of the Year, Business of the Year, Youth of the Year and inaugurate our 2012 Chamber Board.

Annual Inaugural Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony
Date: Friday, March 9, 2012
Time: 6pm Social Hour, 7pm Dinner
Where: Lone Tree Golf Course and Estates
4800 Lone Tree Way
Antioch CA 94509

As Chamber Members and non-members, we would like to request your participation in this exciting event by doing five important things:

1. Donate an item to our auction.
The funds raised by the auction go towards supporting business education and advocacy efforts for the Antioch business community. In addition, you will be promoting your company to approximately 200 people at the event and even more through our website! Download a donation form here.

2. Nominate a Business for the Business of the Year Award.
The Antioch Chamber of Commerce, through its “Business of the Year” Award, honors a company’s contributions in developing the social and economic well being of Antioch. The Award will be presented at the Annual Inaugural Gala on Friday, March 9, 2012.

3. Nominate a citizen for the Citizen of the Year Award.
The Antioch Chamber of Commerce, through its “Citizen of the Year” Award, honors an individual for his/her contributions in developing the social and economic well being of Antioch. There are two categories: Lifetime Achievement Award (this category looks at the entire body of work over many years) and Most Impact for the Year (This category looks only at accomplishments in the year of 2011, although the nominee may have worked in the community in other years). These Awards will be revealed and presented at the Annual Inaugural Gala on Friday, March 9, 2012.

4. Nominate a youth for the Youth of the Year Award.
The Antioch Chamber of Commerce, through its “Youth of the Year” Award, honors a youth for his/her contributions to the community of Antioch.The Award will be presented at the Annual Inaugural Gala on Friday, March 9, 2012.

5. Purchase your ticket or table and secure your spot at the event!
We invite you to join us in this celebration and enjoy the festivities as we recognize those that have made an impact in our community. Tickets are on sale at $70 per person and $575 for a table of 8. No tickets will be sold at the door. Enjoy a premier event with a red carpet and local dignitaries recognizing the best of our community.

We know you’d support us anyway, but as a thank you…
Upon receipt of your donation, we will place a link to your website from our award winning website www.antiochchamber.com. You will be recognized in press releases, our event program and we will be happy to distribute any information you send us.

On our website you will find a link to download a forms for donations and nominations. Please complete these forms and fax to 925.757.5286. Or mail it to: The Antioch Chamber of Commerce, 101 H Street, Unit 4, Antioch Ca 94531 so we can properly recognize you. If needed, we would be more than happy to arrange for a pick-up of your donation.

Should you have any questions, we can be reached at (925) 757-1800. We hope you will take this opportunity to share your business with the community and your fellow Chamber members! Contact us for our tax ID. Visit us at www.antiochchamber.com

“Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics once gave a speech and it started with “Do not be afraid.” This was the jumping off point for Guy McIntyre’s keynote speech this morning at Dow’s Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King.

McIntyre, a former offensive lineman with the San Francisco 49ers was on hand to address the community and Dow employees about Dr. King – and he did through his experience as a pro athlete.

Though sports stories were only part of his twenty-minute address (citing the difficulties faced by Jackie Robinson and others), growing as human beings took center stage. He spoke about fear, courage, love and faith, saying, “The only way to master fear is with love … perfect love,” and ending with an old English proverb, “When fear knocked on the door, love answered and there was no one there.” No doubt, his words came from experience.

But just as inpiring was the essay read by Pittsburg High School sophomore, Bianka Machado, who took first place in Dow’s annual essay contest. The contest this year focused on civility, a value that the County Office of Education is working to restore in our schools.

Specifically, the question asked of students was “How has modern technology (cell phones, social media and the Internet) impacted civility?” Machado weaved Dr. King – and his era of no cell phones, no reality television shows and no Facebook – into an expose of how we have lost sight of civility.

“Modern technology has changed civility because we’ve inherited a shyness and timidity to meet people, so we add them on Facebook,” she writes. “Dr. King would go out and meet people to understand how they felt and reach a level of formality and kindness towards each other. We demolished that with new modern day technology.”

Also part of the packed program was noted jazz saxophonist Kevin Moore, who played two selections from his new CD “The Prayer Closet.”

Dow honored Silvester Henderson, Chair of the Music Department at Los Medanos College and a professor at UC Berkeley, with Dow’s MLK Community Award, for his decades of work using gospel to unite the community. Dow also presented the Dow MLK Employee Award to employee Jamie Polan, an engineer who has been a champion of diversity in the workplace and has promoted unity not only among her colleagues but across the entire site. As her supervisor, Paul Caizzi, said, “She inpires me to not only be a better employee but a better person.”

All attendees left with a gift – a journal. On the cover of the journal was the winning artwork from Deer Valley High School senior, Karla Rosales. Her art was chosen over more than 50 submissions in Dow’s first Poster Contest, asking students to illustrate one aspect of civility.

This was Dow’s 12th annual Celebration of Dr. King and is indicative of the company’s commitment to all Dr. King espoused – respect for others, tolerance, love, acceptance, diversity and equality.

Pittsburg: The City of Pittsburg has just put out to bid a Central Harbor Dock Replacement project, Engineer’s estimate $1,900,000 – with the city hoping that, due to the current poor economy, the bids will come in lower than estimated.

The bid specifies, “The work of the project consists in general of removal of old wooden docks and pilings, manufacturing and installing new berthing system including all new docks, all necessary utilities, and construction of a new floating restroom, all complete in place and ready for use including all related incidentals and other items of work as specified.”

Antioch: The City of Antioch is finally getting around to building a new four-lane boat launch at the city marina six years after receiving $3.7 million state grant from the California Dept. of Boating and Waterways. By the time city leaders got around to approving the $3.2 million dollar boat launch facility project in June 2010, they found themselves short about $376,000 in funding, necessitating limiting the launch to 3 lanes and no public restrooms.

Fortunately for boaters, the state Dept. of Boating and Waterways stepped forward again and gave the city additional grant funds to complete the project based on the original plans.

Incidentally, the Antioch Marina project includes the paving over of Barbara Price park for parking purposes. Frankly, the park was misnamed from the get go. Former Councilwoman Barbara Price was supposed to oversee the original Waterfront Commission of which I was a member. She never attended one of our meetings.

She was also on the council’s subcommittee studying solid waste issues and was questioned by fellow councilman Frank Stone regarding the propriety of her going on an Austrian junket as the guest of California Co-Composting Systems Inc. She was also criticized for allegedly receiving a job offer to do community relations work for the Marina Del Rey-based firm.

By Amy Claire

Lynda Sifford, Director of Classified Human Resources for the Antioch Unified School District, delivered the 2010 – 2011 Personnel Commission Annual Report at the January 11 meeting of the school board. “The mission of the Personnel Commission is to provide the best qualified candidates for employment in a timely and efficient manner to support the District’s goal to advance student achievement,” Sifford said.

The report revealed an increase in the number of applicants for classified positions in the district – 1,201, compared to 713 in the 2009-2010 school year. The commission filled 117 positions during the year, including limited term appointments and re-employments of previously laid-off employees. The commission also established eligibility lists of qualified applicants for future positions ranging from bus drivers to administrative assistants. There were 129 employees who ended their employment with the district during the year, for reasons including retirement and continued education.

Sifford drew special attention to the fact that there were no appeals or challenges made regarding the hiring process over the last two years. “Every i was dotted and every t was crossed,” she said. She also reported fewer employee absences and more service awards given out to employees who have worked in the district for multiples of five years.

Finally, she recognized the District’s Classified Employee of the Year, Kellie Cavallaro, and noted that another employee, Mike Casey, was nominated as a School Classified Employee of the Year at the County level in the category of Maintenance, Operations and Facilities.

Superintendent Donald Gill wished everyone a Happy New Year and announced that January is Board Appreciation Month. In honor of that, the board members were presented with business card holders embossed with their names. Dr. Gill thanked them for all of the time and effort they put into their jobs. “This is the hardest-working board I’ve ever seen.”

Board President Diane Gibson-Gray summed up the board members’ gratitude for the gesture: “Let the record reflect happiness and joy from the board.”

The next school board meeting will be held on January 18 at 7:00 pm at 510 G. Street in Antioch.