Nomination submissions for the Antioch Business, Citizen, Youth and Nonprofit of the Year awards are underway. Nomination forms are on the chamber’s website, www.antiochchamber.com or by calling the chamber at 757-1800 and are due February 6th, 2015.

The Business of the Year Award honors a company’s contributions in developing the social and economic well-being of Antioch.  The Citizen of the Year Awards 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 2014, although the nominee may have worked in the community in other years).  The Youth of the Year Award honors a youth for his/her contributions to the community of Antioch. A new category has been added this year, the Non-Profit of the Year Award, honors a local non-profit’s dedication, time and service contributions in developing the social and economic well-being of Antioch.

The awards will be presented at the Annual Inaugural Gala on Friday, March 13, 2015, which will be held at Lone Tree Golf Course Event Center.  For more information, please visit www.antiochchamber.com or call (925) 757-1800.

By John Crowder

On Monday, December 22, 2014, four local barbers came together at Ajja’s Barber Shop, to provide free haircuts and a Christmas gift to some of the underprivileged youth of the community.

Organized by Carl Rhodes, Director of Project 66 and former Dean of Students at RAAMP Charter Academy, the event saw about twenty local children receive a free haircut and a gift of either a football or a basketball. Family members waiting for the young boys to finish their haircuts snacked on cookies provided by the group. According to Rhodes, many of the boys were from single family homes, and with limited resources, obtaining a haircut was often considered a luxury they might otherwise have to go without.

Alex Fagalar, Sr., one of the barbers participating in the event, and the owner of Ajja’s, located at 508 W. Second Street in Antioch’s historic downtown Rivertown, said he had been cutting hair at his current location for five years, having first started in an apprenticeship program 25 years ago, while still in high school. He said that providing the free haircuts was a good way to give back to the community. His son, AJ, who is now his apprentice barber, and one of the four barbers participating, concurred.

Kalon James, co-owner of Ace of fades Barber Lounge in Somersville Town Center also participated in the event. James, who has been cutting hair for the last decade, said that he had heard about the event and thought it was a great way that he could use his skills to help others in a meaningful way.

‘Derek the Barber,’ also known as DTB, and who also works from Ajja’s Barber Shop, was the fourth participant in the haircutting event. Cutting hair since he was 12-years-old, DTB is truly an artist, with videos of his work posted on YouTube (with thousands, and in one case, over 100,000 views). He also competes in professional barber competitions.

According to Rhodes, the Christmas haircutting and gift event was not the first time these local barbers had come together to help out the community. Last August they held a similar event, at which they provided back-to-school haircuts, along with backpacks filled with school supplies. They expect to hold more such events in the future.

Rhodes also expressed his appreciation for the individuals and businesses who donated toward the back-to-school and Christmas gifts. These included Neil Case of Coldwell Banker Realty, Dr. Bob Cluff, Kobe’s Restaurant, Marcos Rodriguez of East Bay Furniture Outlet, Ryan Stewart Heating and Air, Stephanie Tran of Bagel Street Café, Togo’s, and Toys R Us.

WALNUT CREEK – John Muir Health delivered much needed assistance to local families this past holiday season with a $25,000 donation to the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano. This year’s donation was designated to support the Food Bank’s Community Produce Program.

“This donation also reflects the generosity of our doctors, staff and volunteers who are committed to helping members of our community, especially those in need, during the holiday season and throughout the year.”

The Community Produce Program distributes fresh produce twice a month to more than 50 sites in Contra Costa and Solano counties. A grant in 2012 from the John Muir/Mt. Diablo Community Health Fund, which is funded by John Muir Health, enabled the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano to purchase a beverage truck that was customized to serve as a mobile distribution vehicle for fresh produce. After a six-month pilot program, a second vehicle was added through Feeding America, a national organization.

“We are extremely grateful for the generosity of John Muir Health,” said Larry Sly, executive director of the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano. “The Community Produce Program has an incredible impact on members of our community who are in need. People who visit the local distribution sites and meet income guidelines take home 20-30 pounds of fresh produce. They are receiving healthy food for their families that they might not otherwise be able to afford.”

“We are proud to be able to support the efforts of the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano. Providing access to fresh fruits and vegetables is a critical component of improving the overall health of our community, which is in keeping with John Muir Health’s mission,” said Cal Knight, John Muir Health’s president and CEO. “This donation also reflects the generosity of our doctors, nurses, staff and volunteers who are committed to helping members of our community, especially those in need, during the holiday season and throughout the year.”

In addition to financial support, John Muir Health employees have been participating in a holiday food drive to support the Food Bank. Since making its first holiday donation in 2008 at the suggestion of an employee, John Muir Health has contributed more than $200,000 to the Food Bank.

For more information on the Community Produce Program and a list of distribution sites, please visit www.foodbankccs.org/get-help/community-produce-program.html.

About John Muir Health

John Muir Health is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit health care organization east of San Francisco serving patients in Contra Costa, eastern Alameda and southern Solano Counties. It includes a network of 950 primary care and specialty physicians, more than 5,500 employees, medical centers in Concord and Walnut Creek, including the county’s only trauma center, and a Behavioral Health Center. The health system also offers a full-range of medical services, including primary care, outpatient and imaging services, and is widely recognized as a leader in many specialties – neurosciences, orthopedic, cancer, cardiovascular, trauma, emergency, pediatrics and high-risk obstetrics care. For more information, visit www.johnmuirhealth.com.

The Antioch Police Department is excited to announce the 58th installment of the Neighborhood Cleanup Program. This is a collaborative community effort which involves active participation from The Antioch Police Department Crime Prevention Commission; Neighborhood Watch Program; Volunteers in Police Service; community volunteers and the Public Works Department.

Collectively, “We”, everyone who works and lives in the City Antioch, can make a difference and improve the quality of life. It’s our community and it’s our chance to make a difference.

The City of Antioch Neighborhood Cleanup program is not just for residential neighborhoods. It is a program that will change venues on a monthly basis and it will include business and commercial areas as well. Neighborhoods that are free of trash and refuse are inviting, and a clean community instills a sense of community pride.

The 58th Neighborhood Cleanup event will occur on Saturday, January 3rd from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in the newly incorporated Viera Avenue neighborhood. Volunteers should report to Wymore Way near East 18^th Street for parking.

Volunteers will receive instructions and the equipment necessary to accomplish the goal. The targeted area is within walking distance. Excluding inclement weather, future Neighborhood Cleanup events are scheduled for the first Saturday of every month and the locations will be announced in advance.

Remember, cleaning up your neighborhood can make life better for your family,

your neighbors and your community!

By Lt. Connie Hall, Corporate Officer, The Salvation Army of Antioch Corps

The Salvation Army needs your help. We are short on toys and may not reach our goal of providing Christmas to our neighbors in need. We have been able to fill nearly 270 request for help but are short on toys for nearly 100 families. We are in desperate need of brand new toys for girls age 6-12. Our shortfall comes due to a downturn in donations and our failure to receive our ‘Toys for Tot’ order. Please consider helping as every little bit can make a huge difference to a child in our community we are hoping that any agencies or community programs which have excess or have completed there distribution would be willing and able to share their resources.

Any thing at this point would help.

Please call (925) 778-0808 and drop off the toys at 620 E. Tregallas Road in Antioch, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information visit www.salvationsarmy.org.

By John Crowder

The Antioch Corps of the Salvation Army has an urgent need for volunteers to participate as Bell Ringers for their annual Red Kettle Campaign.

Lieutenant Connie Hall, Commander of the Antioch Corps, explained the need at the weekly meeting of the Kiwanis Club of the Delta-Antioch at their weekly, 7:00 a.m. meeting at Denny’s Restaurant on Tuesday, December 9. “People are very generous,” she said, “but we are experiencing an acute shortage of volunteer Bell Ringers.” With only two weeks to go for the campaign, she said, “without more volunteers to man the red kettles, we’ll be several thousand dollars behind on this important fund-raiser. That would mean having to cut programs, something I never want to say.”

Following the meeting, Hall provided Herald staff with a tour of the Salvation Army facility, located at 620 East Tregallas Road, and spoke about the Red Kettle Campaign and the work that the Salvation Army does for the local community.

Hall said that the vast majority of the Salvation Army’s support is derived from donor contributions received in the local community. They look to local volunteers, who work two-hour shifts manning the kettles in front of local stores that have allowed them to set up the donation kettles beside the store entrances. Hall said that, with a 100% volunteer campaign, the group could raise as much as $100,000 in contributions over a Christmas season, with $0.86 of every dollar going “directly to support the Salvation Army’s various community programs throughout the year.”

During the tour, Hall led us through the rooms where the myriad of community support programs are administered. They included a food storage area for their food bank, meeting areas for support groups, and a small classroom providing after-school care for local school children. She said they also funded summer camp opportunities for children, PG&E assistance for those encountering a financial emergency, and programs designed to help members of the community find employment. “We’re not just giving a handout, we’re giving a hand up,” she said.

John Sullivan, Immediate Past President of the Delta-Antioch Kiwanis, was one of several of the members of the local service organization who volunteered to help with the Salvation Army campaign. At 10:00 a.m. on the same day Hall spoke, he was out in front of Hobby Lobby, standing beside a red kettle and ringing the bell that so many recognize at this time of year. During his two hour shift, about half of those leaving the store made donations. Many young children placed donations in the kettle as their mothers’ looked on, approvingly. Each was greeted with a heartfelt, “Thank you, Merry Christmas,” by Sullivan, and most responded by thanking him for his work.

Asked about his volunteer effort, Sullivan said, “I’m retired, and my whole purpose now is to give back to the community. I think it’s kind of fun to ring the bell, and see people, and to see their generosity.”

People interested in volunteering should call Salvation Army Lieutenant Purnell Hall, Connie’s husband, at 925-778-0808, extension 12. Information about the Salvation Army can be found on the web at www.thesalvationarmy.org.

The Red Kettles and Bell Ringers began in the Bay Area almost 125 years ago

The red kettle has been an American icon for nearly 125 years. From Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve, the ubiquitous buckets can be found outside thousands of storefronts in small towns and big cities across the country. They can even be found on your TV, appearing in dozens of movies.

Red kettles raise millions for Salvation Army programs that provide food, shelter, rehabilitation, disaster relief, and much more for people and families in crisis. Last Christmas season, nationwide, kettles raised almost $136 million.

Indeed, red kettles are a Christmas force. But have you ever wondered who started the red kettle tradition, where, and why?

Wonder no more. Below is a short history of the Salvation Army red kettle, one of the most timeless and successful Christmas fundraising tools of all time.

Origins

In December of 1891, Captain Joseph McFee of The Salvation Army in San Francisco, Calif., was stumped. He wanted to provide a Christmas dinner for 1,000 poor people, but had no way to pay for it.

Then, an idea. He thought back to when he was as a sailor in Liverpool, England, where on the docks of the city’s waterfront he remembered seeing a large pot into which charitable donations could be thrown.

The next day, McFee secured permission to place a brass urn at the Oakland ferry landing. Beside the pot, he placed a sign that read, “Keep the Pot Boiling.” Soon, he had all the money he needed to fund the Christmas dinner.

Two years later, McFee’s fundraising idea had expanded to 30 kettle locations on the West Coast. He’d grown the program with help from two young Salvation Army officers named William A. McIntyre and N.J. Lewis.

Soon after Christmas 1895, McIntyre and Lewis were transferred to the East Coast. They took with them the idea of a Christmas kettle.

Kettle explosion

McIntyre was stationed in Boston. During the 1897 Christmas season, he, his wife and sister set up three kettles in the heart of the city. Their effort, combined with others on the West Coast and elsewhere, resulted in 150,000 Christmas dinners for the poor, nationwide.

Red kettles spread to the Big Apple, where the New York World newspaper hailed them as “the newest and most novel device for collecting money.” The newspaper also observed, “There is a man in charge to see that contributions are not stolen.”

In 1901, kettle donations in New York City funded a massive sit-down Christmas dinner at Madison Square Garden. The meal became a tradition for many years.

The rest, as they say, is history. Captain McFee’s idea launched a tradition that has spread not only throughout the United States, but across the world. Although red kettles are not found in all of the 126 countries The Salvation Army serves in, they can still be found in such distant lands as Korea, Japan, Chile, and many European countries.

Join the movement

You can be part of the red kettle tradition by signing up to bell ring.

Thousands of hours of ringing are available at hundreds of kettle locations across the country. Bell ringers raise an average of $30 per hour. In just two hours of ringing, you’ll raise enough money to provide a week’s worth of groceries for a family of four.