Zion United and Countrywide Team Up For Enhanced Member Services
To assist more members in realizing the dream of homeownership, Zion United Credit Union has established a relationship with Countrywide Home Loans, Inc., a national leader in residential lending, to help provide one-stop convenience for qualified members’ financing needs. As a result, Zion members can conveniently apply for a loan from a lender with one of the widest selections of competitively priced home loans in the industry and access other Countrywide resources, such as down payment assistance and zero-down payment programs through Zion United Credit Union.
Countrywide offers a full menu of innovative loan programs. Credit union members are encouraged to take advantage of Countrywide’s free homebuyer education and credit counseling services through Countrywide’s House America Counseling Center at (800) 577-3732 (English) or (800) 293-6316 (Español). For more information about other services available, call 303-333-2910.
Denver Health Receives $2.86 Million To Help Cancer Patients
Denver Health has received a $2.86 million grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to develop a patient navigator program to help patients and their families manage cancer diagnoses, and access appropriate cancer care and treatment. Patient navigators will help coordinate services, schedule appointments, arrange translation or interpretation services, arrange transportation for medical visits, and arrange for child-care. The five-year grant will be administered by the NCI’s Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities. Denver Health is one of only eight sites in the United States to receive funding for this program.
Denver Health, formerly known as Denver General Hospital, is the Rocky Mountain Region's academic Level I trauma center, and the safety net hospital for the Denver area.
Denver Public Library Receives $670,000 Grant From Institute Of Museum And Library Services
A $670,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), has been awarded to the Denver Public Library. The funds will sponsor a three-year scholarship program for librarians to attend the University of Denver or Emporia in the Rockies a program of Emporia State University in order to develop bilingual staff and staff who can serve minority populations. The IMLS grant is the largest federal grant the Denver Public Library has ever received.
Twenty full-grant recipients will be able to receive full tuition and fees for a Master’s Degree in Library Science at either the University of Denver, or Emporia State University’s Program in the Rockies. Emporia State University is based in Kansas. Ten of the grant recipients will be Denver Public Library Employees and 10 will be from outside the Library.
The purpose of the program is for the Denver Public Library, the University of Denver and Emporia State University to collaborate in the recruitment and education of diverse students for future librarianship. Candidates for the program must possess one of the following criteria: 1) be an ethnic minority, or 2) be fluent in two or more languages, or 3) demonstrate a commitment to becoming fluent in a second language.
A range of activities have been developed to support recipients.
Notable Denver African Americans To Trace Ancestry Through DNA
Denver Broncos defensive player Trevor Pryce and City Council members Elbra Wedgeworth and Michael Hancock will take a DNA-based genealogy test to trace their ancestry as part of the first fund-raiser for the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library.
Others to be tested by Dr. Rick Kittles of African American Ancestry include Philip Bailey of the singing group Earth, Wind and Fire; Grammy-award winning singer Dianne Reeves; Denver Post Editor Greg Moore; radio disc jockey Gloria Neal of Jammin 92.5; and Rev. James Peters of New Hope Baptist Church.
African Ancestry, based in Washington, D.C., has tested about 3,000 people. The company’s database has more than 22,000 DNA samples from nearly 400 indigenous African groups. The testing has become popular with African-Americans wanting to trace their ancestry before slavery. Several celebrities have taken the test, including director Spike Lee.
Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb announced that Kittles will be in Denver on Feb. 9 to conduct the tests as part of African American History Month. The fundraising event at New Hope Baptist Church will be open to the public.
The library fundraising group was formed last month to raise more operating dollars for the $16 million facility, which opened in 2003 before Webb left office. Half of Denver's 23 libraries will have to cut hours because of budget shortfalls. The Blair Cladwell is closed on Thursdays and Sundays currently because of the budget crunch. The library system's proposed $28.4 million budget for 2006 is $30,600 less than this year.
Exercise May Be Good For Men With Prostate Cancer
Exercise studies for cancer patients are currently underway at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center to further examine the role exercise might play in helping men with prostate cancer. In Colorado last year, more than 2,500 men were newly diagnosed with prostate cancer and over 300 men died from the disease. Because testosterone can increase the growth of prostate tumors, a type of hormone therapy called Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT) keeps testosterone levels low and is used to treat men with prostate cancer. During ADT men can gain body fat, lose muscle mass, and have thinning of their bones. Exercise training has been shown to have a favorable impact on many of these factors that are negatively affected by ADT. Some recent studies also indicate that exercise might reduce fatigue and may improve survival and quality of life in men with prostate cancer.
For more information, contact Dan Dahl at 303-372-2911.
Get Tested, Stay Healthy – STDs Among African Americans On The Rise
When it comes to preventing sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among African Americans, the nation has seen significant progress in recent years. Screening and prevention efforts have helped reduce the syphilis rate among Blacks by nearly half from 1999 to 2003. But new STD surveillance data from CDC are a reminder that continued progress is not guaranteed, and people are urged to get themselves tested as soon as possible. From 2003 to 2004, syphilis rates among Blacks increased for the first time in more than a decade--rising almost 17 percent in a single year--and other STDs continue to pose a serious health threat for African Americans. While syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia can be easily cured with antibiotics, the majority of STD cases remain undiagnosed and untreated, because they often lack noticeable symptoms. Make sure you get tested as soon as possible.
BCBB Urges Consumers To Post Business Reviews On Web Site
The Black Consumer Business Bureau officially launched on Aug. 31. The BCBB provides an online forum for African American consumers to post comments or complaints regarding their business experiences and rate companies based on these experiences. African American consumers are urged to visit the site and post comments or complaints regarding their business experiences. Use of the BCBB web site is free. All comments and complaints are forwarded to the top persons in authority at the companies that are reviewed and member companies are required to respond to the consumer. The BCBB was created out of recognition that inequality in business practices exist and that the African American consumer is often the victim of systematic discrimination by business practices as evidenced by disclosures of discriminatory practices in finance, lending, health care, insurance, and disparity of treatment in retail, hotel, and restaurant services as well as those that exist within many other venues.
For information, visit www.blackconsumerbb.com.
Denver Awards $1.4 Million in SCFD Funds
The Denver County Cultural Council has awarded their 2005 Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) Tier III grants totaling $1,412, 292. The grants, ranging from $500 to $39,600, were presented to 105 scientific and cultural nonprofit organizations at a ceremony at Four-Mile Historic Park. The 2005 Tier III funds for Denver County increased by over $135,000 from last year. Every year each of the seven SCFD counties receives 13 percent of the district revenues collected in that county, then allocates those funds to local nonprofits that provide cultural and scientific programs that benefit the general public.
For more information, visit www.scfd.org.
Denver Offers "Mile High" Hotel Packages Starting At $52.80
Denver is 5,280 feet above sea level – exactly one mile high. In honor of that fact, the city is offering "Mile High" hotel packages through January that start at the "Mile High" rate of $52.80 per night.
More than 20 hotels are participating in the promotion as part of the city’s Mile High Holidays campaign. The Adam’s Mark Hotel, the Burnsley All-Suite Hotel, the Comfort Inn, Courtyard by Marriott, the Magnolia Hotel and the Oxford Hotel are just some of the downtown properties offering this rate, while many other downtown hotels have other specials. For instance, the Brown Palace Hotel is offering a credit of $52.80 off their best rate when the special is booked online.
To book the special $52.80 rate, visit www.MileHighHolidays.com.
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Kids' Book World Promotes Early Reading Skills In African American Children
Cerritos, CA - Kids' Book World, an online retailer of personalized books for kids of all ages, has just introduced four books geared to the African American community. Seven Candles for Kwanzaa, Kwanzaa, African-American Santa and African-American Heroes all encourage children to read and make learning fun by repeatedly using the child's name and referring to the child's personal friends. The ultimate goal is for African American children to develop a life-long love of reading while learning more about traditions and people prominent in the African American community.
For more information or to place an order, visit www.kidsbookworld.net.
New Fellowship Available For Minority Students
Washington, DC - The Nonprofit Sector Research Fund (NSRF), a subprogram of NSPP, is now accepting applications for the William Randolph Hearst Endowed Fellowship for Minority Students. NSRF previously offered the fellowship each summer, but due to increased endowment will now offer it three times a year. The fellowship, which is based on academic excellence and need, is open to both undergraduate and graduate students who are members of minority groups and are US citizens. A fellowship grant of between $2,500 and $5,000 will be awarded, depending on the recipients educational level, financial need, and time commitment. Recipients may also arrange with their colleges or universities to receive academic credit for this experience.
For information, visit www.aspeninst.org or www.nonprofitresearch.org.
Lagrant Foundation Increases Awards, Opens Scholarship Program To Graduate Students
Los Angeles, CA – The Lagrant Foundation (TLF) announced that it will increase its scholarship awards from $50,000 to $100,000 and open its programs to graduate students for the first time since the Foundation was founded in 1998. During its inaugural year, TLF awarded $20,000 in scholarships; however, donor and industry support was higher than expected and the TLF board of directors made the decision to increase scholarship dollars from $25,000 to $50,000. Six years later the support continues to grow as do the scholarship dollars. TLF will be opening its programs to graduate students seeking master’s degrees in advertising, marketing or public relations in an effort to continue its mission of increasing the number of ethnic minorities in the industry.
Graduate and undergraduate applications are available online at www.lagrantfoundation.org or call TLF at 323-469-8680.
William Carey College Unlawfully Expels Four Black Students
Hattiesburg, MS - William Carey College, a predominantly White Southern Baptist private school, has recently wrongfully expelled four Black students for using an electric generator during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the presidentially declared disaster. Senior Jeremy Irby, Junior Marvin Flemmons, Senior Dante Hardy, and Junior Jeremiah Blackwell were all expelled for using the generator that many students and school staff used to charge cell phones, charge batteries, and use for lights. They were told and given written notice that they were being expelled for conduct that was contrary to the school’s handbook, and there was not to be any appeal nor could they return to campus as visitors. This action itself was against school policy, and no other students were expelled or reprimanded.
If you can provide legal help or any other assistance or want to show support, contact Dante Hardy at 601-297-4365, or write Dante at 118 College Drive #8177, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, or mdantehardy@yahoo.com.
Does The Church Limit Black Progress?
Stone Mountain, GA - More than half of all Black people in the United States attend church on a regular basis and nearly 82 percent are members of churches. Currently, there are approximately 85,000 predominantly Black churches in the United States. Blacks could have 1,700 churches in every state. The Black church is a $50 billion asset business and rakes in over $3 billion annually. Why is it, then, that Blacks are amongst the most Jesus-praising people on earth, yet the most fragmented and economically dependent? Jeremiah Camara, author of the new book Holy Lockdown: Does the Church Limit Black Progress?, contends that many Black preachers are routinely delivering sermons that keep the Black collective in a state of powerlessness, and that Holy Lockdown is an interpretation about what many Blacks are feeling toward the church who don't quite know how to express their frustrations. Holy Lockdown takes a critical look at the collective impact the church has made on the Black psyche, and it explores the possibility of the church as being a contributing factor to the many social problems facing Blacks.
For information, visit www.twelvehp.com.
Ex-Gay Black Activist Denounces Homosexuality In New Book
Fort Wayne, IN - In his fascinating new book, Love Lifted Me Because Of The Church: Why One Can NOT Be Gay & Christian, ex-gay author, K. Godfrey Easter, intimately describes his recent and dramatic transformation from a lifestyle that lasted for over 22 years. Since the release of the book, Love Lifted Me: In Spite of the Church back in 2002, Easter has uplifted the spirits of thousands of Black, gay Christians. But nowadays when visitors arrive at LoveLiftedMeNetwork.com they'll immediately notice that the author has completely denounced the past 22 years of his life. In a marquee strolling atop every page of his web site the once passionate gay activist concedes, "Man, was I wrong!"
For information, visit www.loveliftedmennetwork.com.
Katrina Survivors Sue FEMA To Produce Timely Aid
Washington, DC - The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers' Committee) along with the New York law firm of Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP; John Pierre, Attorney and Professor at Southern University Law Center; the Public Interest Law Project; and the Equal Justice Society, filed a class-action suit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana to force the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide timely aid to the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. The lawsuit states that FEMA has violated and continues to violate Federal law by failing to discharge its obligations as the federal agency charged to care for survivors of natural disasters. The suit seeks a court order to require FEMA to make it easier for survivors to apply for temporary housing assistance, to improve the agency's outreach and accessibility, and to immediately provide trailers or other alternatives to replace shelters, tents and other makeshift arrangements. The suit also asks the court to force FEMA to establish application guidelines under which survivors can obtain continued financial assistance beyond a three month period and receive adjustments based on family size and other factors.
For information, visit www.lawyerscommittee.org.
In Wake Of Katrina, Activists Launch ColorOfChange.org
San Francisco, CA - Angered by the government response that followed Hurricane Katrina, two Black activists have launched a new, online organization, ColorOfChange.org, to give a stronger voice to Black concerns in U.S. politics. In its first month, the site has attracted 10,000 members. The founders of ColorOfChange.org, James Rucker and Van Jones, see their early success as a sign that African Americans and those who are concerned about Black issues see Katrina as a "wake-up call--and that they're ready to make a difference politically. The effort already has some successes under its belt. More than 5,400 people signed the groups online petition to hold radio host and former U.S. Secretary of Education Bill Bennett accountable for his racial comments that "you could abort every Black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down."
For information, visit www.colorofchange.org.
McDonald's Continues To Push Hurricane Relief Efforts
Oak Brook, IL - Ernie Adair, President of the National Black McDonald's Operators Association (NBMOA) and NBMOA officers Rita Mack, Roland Parrish and John Dawkins presented Reverend Jesse L. Jackson with a $100,000 contribution to the Rainbow / PUSH Coalition's Student Relief Fund during the 2005 NBMOA Convention held in Atlanta, GA. To date, McDonald's has contributed $5 million in direct support of Hurricane relief efforts and millions more in food and supplies.
Cigarette Makers Still Reaching Youth With Candy Flavored Cigarettes
Washington DC - Research released in the journal Health Affairs found evidence that the tobacco industry has developed flavored cigarettes and packaging in order to appeal to young people. The article, New Cigarette Brands With Flavors That Appeal to Youth: Tobacco Marketing Strategies, compiled once secret tobacco industry documents that reveal the tobacco industry's intention to create cigarette flavors that appeal to young people. The research was conducted by the Division of Public Health Practice at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo and funded in part by the American Legacy Foundation. According to the report, internal documents show that cigarette manufacturers were aware of trends in flavored products such as soft drinks and snack foods and intended to apply that information in the development of new products.
For information, visit www.americanlegacy.org.
Free Marijuana Help For Black Teens
Alexandria, VA - Every day more than 4,700 teens under 18 try marijuana for the first time. Among African American teens, the statistics are as alarming. To help keep teens drug-free, the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) developed Keeping Your Teens Drug-Free: A Guide for African American Parents and Caregivers. This free booklet is designed to give parents, grandparents, school coaches, mentors and anyone who works with young people tips for talking to them about drugs. The booklet also describes some of the physical, social, and emotional problems caused by drug use and how to spot the signs and symptoms of possible use.
For information call 703-683-7742 or e-mail gscreen@campbellandcompany.com.
NASCAR Employee Wins BET New Faces Search
Daytona Beach, FL - NASCAR employee Terrence Jenkins has been selected as a new host for Black Entertainment Television (BET) as part of the network's "New Faces Search." Jenkins, a Senior Account Executive in NASCAR's Diversity Department, was selected from thousands of applicants after open auditions across the country. Jenkins auditioned in Atlanta and was chosen as one of 10 finalists. The final announcement was made live on BET.
For information, call 386-681-4285 or e-mail jhamilton@nascar.com.
New Black Invention Makes Online Debut At SamsClub.com
Los Angeles, CA - Beasley Creations, the Black-owned billiard company known for their invention table golf, has officially gone national. Based in the Los Angeles area, the company produces innovative games tables that allow players to combine the experience of pocket billiards with the all new sport of table golf. The game tables have been highlighted on MSNBC, Fox News, Tech TV, The Wayne Brady Show, and The Price Is Right. The game tables are now available online at www.SamsClub.com.
For information, visit www.tablegolf.com or call 866-GAME-TABLES.
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