by Allison Miles

Family life is a balancingact. Between transportingchildren to activities, manag-ing the household and earn-ing a living, life gets busy.Just ask Sid and EarnestineGarner.

The Corpus Christi resi-dents managed to raise threechildren, Kim, Krystal andKeith, while working as edu-cators. But the husband/wifeduo added something else tothat act. They still foundtime for school.

Both had already earnedbachelor’s degrees, butdecided it was best to contin-ue on. Sid attended TexasA&I University, CorpusChristi, while Earnestineattended Corpus ChristiState University. They grad-

uated with master’s degreesin 1975, one step closer totheir goals of working inschool administration. Thehome had a busier atmos-phere, however, as theirfamily grew.

Earnestine and Sid don’t

claim to be superheroes.Sure, at times it was tricky,but continuing with theireducations was just some-thing they had to do.

“Somehow, in my mind,God just blessed me to know

Vol. 1 - No. 5 August 2009

by Allison Miles

Dennis Brown hasn’t beenin Victoria long, but thetimeframe isn’t as importantas what he’s doing. As theFood Bank of the GoldenCrescent’s executive direc-tor, Brown and his team arehelping out, one meal at atime.

The Chicago native beganhis Victoria post on May 8but entered the non-profitworld in 1981. He beganwith the Salvation Armyafter coming out of semi-nary, but has also workedwith Meals on Wheels and ineducation. After three yearsof food bank work inIndiana, he tired of the coldwinters and decided to movesouth.

“I like food bankingbecause it’s so basic andeasy to understand,” he said.

The board of directorsheard from many good, qual-ified candidates during theirsearch for a director, butBrown stood out, BoardMember Emett Alvarez said.Brown’s experience and

background with charitableorganizations impressedthem and his past fundrais-ing experience also played arole, he said.

“Like any charitable non-profit, that’s what sustainsthe organization,” he said.“To be able to fundraise suc-cessfully. That’s almost a

See BROWN, pg. 11

Brown named new food bank ED Grimes assumes United Way post

Dennis Brown / Contributed photo

by Allison Miles

Thirty-two years is a longtime to be doing anythingbut, as Clifford Grimes willlikely tell you, it’s rewardingwhen that time is spent giv-ing back to the community.Now Grimes has set hissights on the GoldenCrescent region.

Grimes took on the role ofexecutive director of theVictoria County United Wayon June 1 and, although hemight not be a long-timeVictorian, he’s no newbie tothe non-profit world. The Ft.Hood native started out withUnited Way more than threedecades ago, straight out ofcollege.

“Like any college student,when I graduated I needed ajob,” he said with a laugh.

A fraternity brother of hisfather’s was involved withUnited Way in Ft. Wayne,Ind. and knew of an intern-ship program with 12 openspots. He made the cut.

Though born in Texas,Grimes grew up in Ft.Wayne. He earned a bache-

lor’s degree in sociologywhile minoring in economicsat Indiana State University.As a United Way of America& Annie E. CaseyFoundation fellow, he hasalso completed severalcourses at HarvardUniversity’s John F.

Clifford Grimes / Contributed photo

See GRIMES, pg.11

See GARNER, pg. 2

WE SALUTE COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP AND PROGRESS IN EDUCATION

Garner family committed to academic excellence

Dr. Sid Garner/Contributed photo Dr. Earnestine Garner/Contributed photo Dr. Kim Garner/Contributed photo Krystal Garner, M.S. in

Counseling/Contributed photo

Keith Garner, B.S. in Speech

Communication/Contributed photo

In This

ISSUE

Jennifer Yancy:New Pilot Program at VC

Dr. Peter Rojas: Wonders Awards Honorees

Dr. Tywaun Tillman:Health Tips

Back To School!!! Threewords that create an enor-mous amount of excitementfor students (new clothes,friends, teachers & classes),tedious planning by parentsto adjust to student schedules(wake up & pickup) andadjustments to traffic controlby drivers (observe schoolmarkings and traffic signals).I wish all students a success-ful and happy school year,and a reminder, hard workwill be required to achieveboth!

Voices United Publicationof Victoria will continue topublish informative articlesdesigned to inform andinspire students to strive forExcellence in the classroomand beyond. Good Studentswho are good Citizens is anawesome combination.

My thanks to Dr. TywaunTillman, Jackie Johnson andClaud Jacobs for articles onHealth Tips, Social Security& You, and MoneyManagement, respectively.Read and heed!

On November 5, 2009 TheGreater Victoria CivicCoalition, Inc. fundraiser“Wonders of Victoria Awards& Academic ScholarshipCelebration” will be held at

the Victoria CommunityCenter Dome, This will bethe grandest affair inVictoria, ever, and thataccomplishment will becommensurate with the illus-trious reputations of theWonders of Victoria Awardshonorees. See page 7 for thecomplete roster of honoreesand contact information.

2 - Voices United - August 2009

Publisher’s MessageI needed to go to school,”Earnestine said, just as sheknew she also needed toattend PTA meetings and bethere for her children.

Sid decided soon after togo on to Texas A&MUniversity for his doctorate,but Earnestine put her educa-tion on hold until after herchildren graduated highschool.

“I went back late,” she saidof her journey to obtain adoctorate, which she did in2003. “I was going to schoolthe same time as Kim.”

All three children say theirparents led by example.They didn’t just say educa-tion was important. Theywere living proof. In fact,while Kim was a sophomoreat Texas A&M, Sid wasattending the same school,working toward his doctor-ate.

Sid and Earnestine musthave done something right.Each child continued to col-lege degrees.

All three obtained bache-lor’s degrees from TexasA&M University. Kim con-tinued on for her master’sand doctorate and is now an

administrator for the AldineIndependent School District.Krystal earned a master’sdegree in counseling andteaches fifth grade in theSpring Independent SchoolDistrict. Keith is an admis-sions representative for ITTTechnical Institute inRichardson.

Neither parent attributedtheir childrenís success toany one thing they did whileraising them. Instead, thecouple instilled a variety ofvalues in their offspring.

They made sure their chil-dren knew what was expect-ed of them, such as attendingchurch, making it to schoolon time and studying,Earnestine said, and theywere encouraged to prayabout everything. Both par-ents gave hugs and kisses astheir children grew and madeit a point to support them atcompetitions, school func-tions and the like.

They were fair but firm,Earnestine said, but her chil-dren still tease her aboutbeing too hard on them.

“But also, on a daily basis,they call me to say, ‘Thankyou, Mom, for who you areand how you raised us,’” she

said.Kim and Earnestine even

teamed up to write a book.“Fading Glory: ContributingFactors to the Decline ofAmerica’s Public Schools”examines issues such as edu-cational environments,school violence and whatleads to some studentsíanger.

Success is possible for anychild, Sid said, explainingthat parents should begineducating children in atti-tude, manners and more evenbefore they can walk. Hequoted Proverbs 22:6. “Trainup a child in the way heshould go; and when he isold, he will not depart fromit.”

“We tried to instill in ourchildren, first a strong senseof faith with God all thingsare possible,” Sid said. “Wetried to instill the attitudethat they were not limited towhat they could achieve orbecome.”

But parents aren’t the onlyones with advice. Keith,Krystal and Kim had theirown tips to pass on.

Regardless of status,money or what outsiders say,

GARNER, from pg 1

See GARNER, pg. 8

Rick Perkins/ Contributed photo

August 2009 - Voices United - 3

by Dr. Thomas Williams

Associate Professor of English and

Chair of Humanities at the University

of Houston-Victoria

When I was in high school,I was a jock. A basketballplayer, to be precise, and Inever dreamed I’d one dayhave the job I do now: asso-ciate professor of Englishand Chair of Humanities atthe University of Houston-Victoria.

In fact, when I was in highschool, I never dreamed thatcollege would be anythingbut the training ground formy eventual professionalbasketball career. Andthough I did go to college ona basketball scholarship,something along the wayshort-circuited my dream.Injuries, for one, along withthe recognition that I wasneither quick enough, strongenough, or even tall enoughto play at a higher level thancollege.

But I was fortunate to learnsomething along the way.Basketball might not seemlike a useful model for aca-demic success, but it notonly helped me get to col-lege, it demonstrated to me astrategy that I’ve been usingas long as I’ve been learning.

You see, even though I hadsome physical attributes forbasketball—height, coordi-nation, leaping ability—I

still had to learn to play thegame. And I didn’t get betterjust by playing. I had to doall these drills: dribblingthrough cones with mystrong hand t)ied behind myback; the Mikan drill ofalternating left and righthanded hook shots; and thisreally arduous number calledthe Superman drill, where Itossed the ball off the back-board, caught it with bothhands and landed outside thelane, then tossed the ballagain and tried to do thesame thing on the other sideof the lane.

None of this is particular tome. Every guy I played within college had a similar story.No one got there on talent orphysical ability alone.Everybody had to work at it.And what each playerbrought, along with physicalgifts, was patience, disci-pline and desire.

I needed patience so thaton a day when I didn’t seemto be improving, I’d believe Imight get better the next day,or the next month. I neededdiscipline because I had todo this stuff every day, notwhen I felt like it, or whenthe weather was cooperative.And I needed desire becausewhen all else failed, I had towant to get better.

These same qualitieshelped me in the classroom.They can help anyone in the

classroom, I’m convinced.Patience isn’t the same asprocrastination; it’s not wait-ing for the last minute tostudy or write a paper.Instead, it’s the ability tocalmly understand thatyou’re not going to learn allyou need to learn right now. Ididn’t dunk the ball the firsttime I tried to. Neither didKobe Bryant, I’d bet. Both ofus, I’m sure, are glad we hadthe patience to continue totry. In school, any assign-ment, whether it involvesreading or writing, takestime to complete. You’regoing to learn when you’veput in the time that you needto learn.

The time you put in, along

with the quality and quantityof effort, makes up disci-pline. Just as I woke up everymorning in high school andwent immediately to mydriveway to shoot five hun-dred free throws, as a studentin difficult classes, I neededto commit myself daily tostudying that subject. Anhour every day, often at thesame time of day. I knowmany students now havemore demands on their timethan I did, but that’s all themore reason for a disciplinedapproach to study. An hourof drills a day did more forme as a player than just anhour of playing. So too didan hour of study a day, foreach class, do more for me as

a student than just crammingbefore tests or slappingtogether a paper the nightbefore it was due.

The last quality is desire.On its own, desire can’t getus where we want to go. HadI just wanted to play basket-ball at college, I’d not havemade it. But desire, whenadded to these other quali-ties, can be the greatest kindof fuel. I went to college forone reason—to play basket-ball—but came out of it withdifferent goals. And becauseI wanted to go to graduateschool, I worked harder,studied more effectively,read as many books as Icould get my hands on. Iasked professors for advice. Imade mistakes. But I kept ontrying and learning and mak-ing myself into a better stu-dent—a far better studentthan when I started.

It’s almost a bit of a riddle:Do you want things morewhen you work at them or doyou work at things harderbecause you want them? I’mnot sage enough to decide. Ido know, though, that everystudent I’ve encounteredwants to do well, at whateverlevel of education they’re at.The question is, what willyou do to improve? I like tothink this story of minemight offer a helpful hint inthe right direction.

Dr. Thomas Williams / Contributed photo

Drills, patience, discipline, and desire

by Voices United Staff

Few careers are asdemanding as being a nurse.Between the odd hours, longshifts and patient interaction,they certainly have a lot ontheir plates. But workloadaside, one group of areanurses is going above andbeyond their time at the hos-pital.

Shades of ColorProfessional Club is a nine-person group made mostly ofnurses, with one goal inmind: to give back to thecommunity. It got its namebecause it is comprised ofblack individuals and blackcomes in all different shades,said Bobbie Bosier, the orga-nization’s president.

Bosier and Pat Leonardbegan the group in June of1994 as a social club becausethere just wasn’t much to doin the area. Over time, theydecided it was time to give

back. And they’ve done thatin a variety of ways.

Through the years,they’ve collected school sup-plies, hosted health-relatedseminars, given out academ-ic scholarships and workedwith various charities.

One event that stands outin Bosier’s mind is whenShades of Color donatedThanksgiving dinner to alocal family in need. Thefamily consisted of a singledad with two young daugh-ters and the looks on theirfaces were priceless, shesaid.

“The kids came out andexpressed their thanks, andthe father was so apprecia-tive,” Bosier said, dabbing at

her eyes. “That was probablyone of the most rewardingthings we’ve done.”

The non-profit group’sannual Christmas dance andbarbecue fundraiser are thetwo main ways they bring inmoney.

In the future, Bosier said,she hopes to see the groupgrow to 15 members. Shedoesn’t want it to get too big,she said, because keepingthings small helps with com-munication.

The group will also con-tinue to assist the communi-ty through donations, educa-tional seminars and in otherways as they arise.

“We are busy,” she said.“Probably more than people

realize. But it’s good.”Bosier has worked at

DeTar Hospital for 41 years.She worked as a critical carenurse for 37 of those years,but is now employed as apatient/nurse liaison. Shealso works as president ofPalestine Baptist Church’snurses ministry since 1996.In her role at the church,Bosier organizes meetingsand workshops and cares formembers of the congregationwho become ill duringchurch services.

For more information onthe organization or its schol-arship program, write to:

Shades of ColorProfessional Club, P.O. Box342, Victoria, TX 77902.

Bobbi Bosier / Contributed photo

Club helps nurses give back to the community

4 - Voices United - August 2009

by Jennifer Yancy

Vice President External Affairs, The

Victoria College

At The Victoria Collegewe want to make sure everystudent reaches his or hereducational goals and werealize that the first year incollege can be a difficulttransition for some students.This semester, we’re pilotinga brand new First YearExperience program that willhelp these students adjust tocollege life and college-levelexpectations so that the tran-sition to college is successfuland enables students toachieve their dreams.

The First YearExperience programaddresses the needs of firstyear students on both an aca-demic and personal level.The program helps studentsform communities to foster asense of belonging and pro-vides connections with otherstudents for networking andsupport. Students will learnto develop critical thinkingskills and generate a sense ofownership for their own edu-

cation that will help clarifyeducational direction andgoals.

Students will be taughtsuccess strategies that can beused throughout their collegecareer, such as study skills,personal empowerment,organization and time-man-agement. They will alsobenefit from an in-depthintroduction to the campusand its resources, plus get theopportunity to build positiverelationships with facultyand staff. These connections

create a sense of comfort andconfidence for first-year stu-dents allowing them to takefull advantage of all the serv-ices the College has to offerand enable them to create asupport network specificallysuited to their own individualneeds.

Nationally, First YearExperience programs havebeen proven to help studentsadjust to college, which inturn helps them as they pre-pare to build the foundationof a responsible, successfullife in a world that is highlytechnical, ever-changing,interconnected and diverse.Because this programaddresses the issues first-year students have from bothan academic and personalperspective, students can addskills, develop habits, buildnetworks and clarify theirgoals in a way that that willnot only benefit them in suc-cessfully obtaining an educa-tion, but will continue to beuseful throughout their per-sonal and professional lives.

First-year students succeed withnew pilot program at VC

Jennifer Yancey/Contributed photo

Area school districtinstructional aides and long-term substitutes who want tobecome teachers are eagerlysigning up for the Universityof Houston-Victoria’sAccess to Success program,but the program’s coordina-tor still is trying to recruitstudents who want to teachmath or science.

“These are high-needsareas in Texas because therearen’t enough math and sci-ence teachers,” said CarolKlages, Access to Successfaculty coordinator and anassociate professor of educa-tion. “Access to Success pro-vides an additional incentiveto students who become cer-tified to teach in math or sci-ence, and some school dis-tricts even pay these teachersmore and give them signingbonuses.”

UHV received a three-yeargrant totaling $492,672 fromthe Greater TexasFoundation to fund Access toSuccess beginning in the fallof 2008. The program pro-

vides scholarships, tuitionand books to paraprofession-als and long-term substituteswho want to become teach-ers. The grant also fundsresearch expenses to studythe effectiveness of the pro-gram and provides an addi-tional incentive of $3,500 tothose who become math orscience teachers.

The purpose of the pro-gram is to alleviate the stateteacher shortage and toencourage more teachers to

Access to Success

provides extra incentive

Carol Klages/Contributed photo

See ACCESS, pg. 9

August 2009 - Voices United - 5

Last spring, The VictoriaCollege began a supplemen-tal instruction pilot programto help students get throughcourses that are consideredhistorically difficult based onwithdrawal and failure rates.The goal of the program is toincrease student success andretention through smallgroup learning and the sup-port and guidance of atrained supplemental instruc-tion leader.

The pilot program willcontinue this fall while aproposal for grant funding ispending that will helpexpand the program in futuresemesters and allow theCollege to institutionalize it.

According to VCís vicepresident of instruction, Dr.Pat Vandervoort, increases inretention and success rateshave proven significant withsupplemental instruction.The College intends to con-tinue expansion of the pro-gram to eventually include

all gateway courses at VC.Rachel Winkenwerder joinsthe VC staff this semester tocoordinate, administer andevaluate the program.

Supplemental instructionforums are facilitated bytrained leaders, typically stu-dents who have completedthe subject course in anexemplary fashion. SI lead-ers are recommended by fac-ulty members and must be inat least their second semesterat VC with an overall GPA of3.0. Leaders will attend thesubject class throughout thesemester and are trained toconduct learning forums thataddress some of the commonissues that present barriers tostudent success.

Student participants jointhe program voluntarily. In

addition to receiving guid-ance throughout the coursefrom the SI leader, they ben-efit from the safety and sup-port of a group environmentcomprised of fellow studentswhere they will learn tobecome more comfortablewith the transition to college.

SI forums help studentslearn to make connectionsbetween what they alreadyunderstand and the newmaterial given in their cours-es. Additionally, studentspractice success strategiesdesigned to help them copewith the expectations of acollege environment. Smallgroups also allow the SIleader to tailor discussionand relevant materials tosupport the individual andchanging needs of each par-ticular group. Course mate-rial can also be addressedfrom varying perspectives ina way that is best suited tothe learning styles of thegroup.

Pilot program at VC helps students

pass gateway coursesHuman ambition is an

amazing thing. It can push aperson to make life-alteringdecisions, overcome obsta-cles and set clear futuregoals. Such was the case forAmber Salazar, who wanteda brighter future for herselfand her family.

When she found out shewas pregnant with her firstchild, Salazar decided it wastime for a career change –something that would allowher to obtain a certificate ordegree quickly. VictoriaCollege’s one-year LVNseemed to be the right fit, shesaid, and the fact that theprogram required no prereq-uisites helped.

“I was working in salesat that time, and felt that Ineeded a more solid founda-tion and chose nursing,” shewrote.

With that, she began thecourses she hoped wouldprovide both her and her sona better life.

As if a full class loadwasn’t enough, Salazar wasjuggling a pregnancy and allthat goes along with it. Hercourse requirements were

intense and nursing studentsare only allowed a certainnumber of absences, shesaid, so she even had to planher son’s birth around herschedule.

Surprisingly enough, theobedient little guy cooperat-ed. Salazar went into laboron a Thursday evening andgave birth to her eldest sonvia c-section. She remainedin the hospital that weekend,made it home on Sunday andwas back to work for herclinicals on Wednesday.

“Now, if that’s not deter-mination, then I don’t knowwhat is,” she wrote.

Salazar will be the first totell you it wasn’t alwayseasy. Along the way, her

VC nursing success story

Amber Salazar/Contributed photo

See SALAZAR, pg. 11

6 - Voices United - August 2009

Lalia Ali and Rick Perkins/Contributed photo

Adrianna Girdy and Tashia Gray. Back row: Donald

Girdy, Tanya Girdy, Sterling Knight, Katherine Bailess,

Dre and Larramie Shaw/Contributed photo

Gary Sturgis and Donald Girdy/Contributed photo

Gary Sturgis, Larramie Shaw, and Rick

Perkins/Contributed photo

Arianna Girdy, Larramie Shaw, and Tashia

Gray/Contributed photo

Tanya Grady, Lalia Ali, and Shannon Girdy/Contributed

photo

On June 28, 2009Producer/Director OscarHernandez- Perkins, the cre-ator of Educating YoungMinds Scholarship AwardsGala was proud to report thatthe 11th Anniversary was asmashing success.

Held in Los Angeles at theLos Angeles Airport MarriottHotel, 15 deserving studentsreceived scholarships rang-ing from $8,500.00 to$10,000.00. In addition eachrecipient received a fullyloaded lap top.

The corporate Award waspresented to J.L. Armstrong,the National Manager ofExternal Affairs for ToyotaMotor Sales, USA.

The Show was hosted byGary Anthony Sturgis, hestarred in Tyler Perry’sbiggest hit films, “Diary of aMad Black Woman” and“Daddy’s Little Girl.”

Some of the evening’s pre-senters were, KatherineBailess, star of the hit televi-sion show, “One Tree Hill”and Sterling Knight, star ofthe Disney Channel’s hitseries “Sonny With AChance” and the feature filmSeventeen Again.”

The Young AchieversAward was presented toLarramie Shaw, who por-trays Malik on Tyler Perry’s#1 hit show, “House ofPayne.” The Chairman’sAward was presented toLalia Ali, the youngestdaughter of VeronicaPorsche and the legendaryMuhammad Ali.

She is the co-host of“American Gladiators” withHulk Hogan. Lalia was alsoa finalist on “Dancing Withthe Stars.”

Rick Perkins of Victoriawas the evenings MusicalDirector. The smooth run-ning production showcasedthe production skills ofOscia Production’s CastingDirector Tanya Girdy andProduction Manager, DonaldGirdy Jr.

Scholarship award

banquet a success

August 2009 - Voices United - 7

a person should never limitoneself, Krystal said.

“If you have an internaldesire to do something, doit,” she said. “Don’t let any-body tell you you can’t.”

Keep the final goal in mindand work toward it, Keithadvised.

“I always tell my studentsthey can go to any college inthe U.S.,” he said. “Whatmatters is how they use it totheir benefit.”

A student has the rest oftheir life to relax, Kim said.It’s worth it to attend schooland earn a degree early on.

“The longer you take off,the harder it is to comeback,” she explained. “It’slike medicine. You know it’sgood for you, but at the timeit doesn’t taste good.”

These days, Sid andEarnestine are retired fromtheir positions as schoolprincipals, but their childrensay their lessons live on.

“Just seeing what theywent through and seeing thethings they had to do to getto where they wanted to be, Ithink it’s what made me theperson I am,” Keith said. “Iknew they believed in me.That makes a lot of differ-ence.”

GARNER, from pg 2

8 - Voices United - August 2009

by Dr. Tywaun K. Tillman M.D., F.A.C.C.

Board Certified in Internal Medicine,

Cardiovascular Disease, and

Interventional Cardiology

Despite decreasing mortali-ty from cardiovascular disease(CVD), it remains the No.1killer in the United States.CVD has been the leadingcause of death every year in theUS since 1900 except for theyear of the influenza pandemicin 1918. Nearly 2500Americans die of CVD eachday, an average of 1 death every35 seconds. CVD claims morelives each year than the next 4leading causes of death com-bined (cancer, respiratory dis-eases, accidents, and diabetes).Unfortunately, CVD dispropor-tionately affects minorities,those of lower socioeconomicstatus, and the lesser educateddue to a myriad of cultural,genetic, and socioeconomicfactors.

Major contributing risk fac-tors to developing CVD includediabetes, smoking, hyperten-

sion, elevated cholesterol, andobesity/sedentary lifestyle. Theprevalence of diabetes inMexican (11.7%) and AfricanAmericans (9.6%) is at leasttwice that of non-Hispanicwhites (4.6%). Diabetes is alsovery prevalent among NativeAmericans with the PimaIndians at the extreme—theirprevalence of diabetes is 40-50% over the age of 35. Whilethere are minor differences inthe prevalence of smokingamong ethnic groups, AfricanAmerican men have among thehighest prevalence of hyperten-sion in the world. Also, minori-ties who are diagnosed withhypertension are less likely tohave their blood pressure opti-mally controlled. AfricanAmericans do have a lowerprevalence of high cholesterolcompared to non-Hispanicwhites. However, AfricanAmericans and Hispanics areless likely to be aware of theirhigh cholesterol and conse-quently, less likely to receive

appropriate treatment.There is a continuing

worldwide pandemic of obesitywhich is epidemic particularlyamong minority populations inthe U.S. Obesity in the U.S.has increased by 61% since1993 progressing among allethnic groups. AfricanAmerican women have beendisproportionately affected bythe obesity epidemic as they arealmost twice as likely to beobese (39.3% vs 23.4%) atages 18 and over compared

with non-Hispanicwhites. Amongvarious ethnic andracial groupsM e x i c a nAmerican men andAfrican Americanwomen have thehighest rates ofobesity. The riskof developing dia-betes, hyperten-sion, and high cho-lesterol increaseswith increasing

obesity. In fact, it is estimatedthat 70% of diabetes risk in theUnited States is attributable toobesity. Also, non-Hispanicwhites are significantly morelikely to participate in regularleisure physical activity thanblacks or Hispanics.

Education of the public andour medical professionals isvital to continued progress inthe fight against CVD as wellas the disparate effect that it hason minorities and those oflower socioeconomic status.

There has been a steadydecrease in mortality fromCVD over the past 30 years—particularly sharp in the past 15years. This decrease is due tolower rates of smoking,improved treatment of risk fac-tors, and improvements in themanagement of acute heartattacks and strokes. Theseimprovements have been lessdramatic in minority popula-tions for reasons mentionedpreviously. Through empower-ment with education andlifestyle changes, the causativerisk factors of CVD (diabetes,obesity, smoking, high choles-terol) and thus CVD itself maybe largely avoided. Given theoverall burden of CVD on ourhealthcare system, closing thegap regarding prevalence andtreatment of CVD in minoritiesbenefits all.

Heart Disease and Stroke

Statistics—2006 Update (Circulation.

2006;113:e85-e151.)?© 2006

American Heart Association, Inc.

HEALTH TIPS:Cardiovascular disease increase linked to obesity

Dr. Tywaun Tillman/Contributed photo

REVEREND GREGORY O. WYATT, PASTOR

608 EAST CONVENT STREET,

VICTORIA, TEXAS 77901

361-573-6173SUNDAY SCHOOL: 9 am

MORNING WORSHIP: 10:30 amBaptist Training Union: 6 pm

Sunday Evening Worship: 7:15 pm

PALESTINE

MISSIONARY

BAPTIST CHURCH

by Jackie Johnson

Social Security District Manager in

Victoria, TX

Question: I got marriedand I need to change thename on my Social Securitycard. What do I do?

Answer: If you changeyour name due to marriage,you’ll need to report thechange by getting a newSocial Security card withyour new name. Just fill outform SS-5, which you canget at our website atwww.socialsecurity.gov/ss5doc or by calling our toll-freenumber, 1-800-772-1213(TTY 1-800-325-0778).Youíll also need to providethe original marriage certifi-cate showing your new andold names, which you can doby mailing or bringing thedocumentation to your localSocial Security office. Insome cases, we may needother forms of documenta-tion as well. For more infor-mation, visit www.socialse-curity.gov/ssnumber.

Question: Do I have to givemy Social Security numberout whenever Iím asked?

Answer: No. Giving yournumber is voluntary, evenwhen you are asked for thenumber directly. If request-ed, you should ask why yournumber is needed, how yournumber will be used, whatlaw requires you to give yournumber and what the conse-quences are if you refuse.The answers to these ques-tions can help you decide ifyou want to give your SocialSecurity number. The deci-sion is yours. However, keepin mind that requestors maynot provide you their servic-es if you refuse to providethe number. For moredetailed information, we rec-ommend you read the publi-cation†Your Social SecurityNumber And Card, availablea twww.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10002.html.

Question: Will my benefitsincrease if I wait and retireafter my full retirement age?

Answer: Yes. You canincrease your Social Securitybenefit in two ways: Yourbenefit will be increased by a

certain percentage if youdelay retirement. We willadd these increases automat-ically from the time youreach full retirement ageuntil you start taking benefitsor reach age 70; and If youwork, each additional yearyou work adds another yearof earnings to your SocialSecurity record. Higher life-time earnings may result inhigher benefits when you doretire.

For more information, readWhen to Start ReceivingRetirement Benefits atwww.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10147.html. You also canuse our RetirementEstimator to find out yourestimated future benefits. Touse the RetirementEstimator, go to our websitea twww.socialsecurity.gov/esti-mator.

Question: I have childrenat home and I plan to retiresoon. Will my children beeligible for monthly SocialSecurity payments after Iretire?

Answer: They will getmonthly Social Security pay-ments if they are: Unmarriedand under age 18 (age 19 ifstill in high school); or Age18 or over, and becameseverely disabled before age22 and continue to be dis-abled. This applies to bothbiological and adopted chil-dren as well as dependentstepchildren or grandchil-dren. For more informationread our online publication,Benefits For Children, atwww.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10085.html.

Question: I’m thinkingabout getting disability pro-tection from a privatecompany. If I become dis-abled and have a private

August 2009 - Voices United - 9

by Claude Jacobs

My how times havechanged. Just 3 years agoeverybody that wanted towork had a job, everybodywas feeling good, using theircredit cards to buy every-thing (needed or not). Wehad to have every new pieceof technology (cell phones,computers, video games andMP3 players). We all want-ed to have everything newtoday, so we went out andbought it, mostly all on cred-it. Many of us that are olderwere amazed at how ouryoung people spent theirmoney and never saved forthat financial emergency.Credit had gotten so easyyou could make purchaseswith nothing down and yearsto pay or even purchase ahouse with little or nothingdown. This was a realchange for us that wereraised in the 50’s, 60’s and70’s where if you wanted tobuy something you had tosave and have the money tobuy.

We are now facingunemployment of 10%,banks and credit card com-panies are cutting creditavailability and the nation asa whole is in an economictransformation, from where Ican buy anything to control-ling what I buy and how do Ibuy it. It is a shift to the neweconomic conditions of high

unemployment, high debt,no wage increases, highertaxes and more demand forgovernment services.

So what can we do tocope if lost our job, havelarge debt, or collegeexpenses. Many that facethese problems go intodepression, become mean orstandoffish to their familiesand friends and in generaljust go into hiding. Thereare many things we can do tochange how we feel and live.If we go back in history wefind that our forefathers hadvery little of anything,money, food, houses orcrops. They had to worktogether as neighbors to sur-vive. They helped each otherbuild houses, barns andshared gardens, food plotsand processed meats.Neighbors helping neigh-bors. This is a good time forus to get to know our neigh-

bors, find out what skillsthey have and be willing toshare some your skills withthem. I know a small groupof neighbors that have start-ed a community garden.Two or three of the neigh-bors take care of it. Othersin the neighborhood are aplumber, nurse, a painter,banker, teacher and an attor-ney. They have agreed tohelp each other when facedwith problems. Once amonth they have a dinnerand each bring one dish.They truly are acting asneighbors and are helpingeach other in hard times.

To help keep your sanityif you become laid off andare temporarily out of workis to volunteer to help otherslike yourself or others.There are many organiza-tions that can you part timehelp. It will make you feelbetter and it will also keepyou connected with others.Working out in the commu-nity might also help you findthat next job; you neverknow where that nextemployment opportunitywill come from.

Also if you are out ofwork this is a great time todo some of the things youhave put off around thehouse that needs to be donelike clean the garage or attic.You might even find things

How times have changed

Claude Jacobs /Contributed photo

SOCIAL SECURITY AND YOU

Social Security questions and answers

See SECURITY pg. 11

Jackie Johnson /Contributed photo

to go into math or science,Klages said. Research showsthat new teachers stay in theclassroom an average of fiveto seven years before theyburn out and move on to anew career.

“The idea is if you’ve beenin the schools before, you’remore likely to stay in theclassroom as a teacherinstead of changing careers,”she said. “These people whohave been working in theschools know what the class-room is like and what toexpect.”

UHV Access to Successstudent Claudia Acree saidshe can’t wait to teach fourthgrade or be a sixth-gradesocial studies teacher afterbeing a substitute teacher inthe Victoria school districtfor the last 15 years. She

expects to graduate in May.“Access to Success has

been really helpful for me,”she said. “The extra moneyI’ve received was greatlyneeded for me to come backto school.”

UHV’s Access to Successprogram started in 1994 withfunding from the HoustonEndowment. But the grantended in 2006-2007, causingstudent financial support todwindle and fewer teacher’saides and substitutes toenroll in the program.

Under the new grant, 31students graduated lastschool year, Klages said.Forty-one new students haveenrolled in the program sofar for the fall, in addition tothe 38 students already in theprogram.

Data about the program’sgraduates still is being col-lected, but Klages said she

was pleased that 100 percentof the Access to Successgraduates who took theTexas Examination forEducator Standards in Junepassed it. Students must passthis exam to be certified toteach in Texas.

Now Klages would like tofocus on meeting the pro-gram’s goal of about 50 per-cent of the program’s gradu-ates being certified to teachin areas of critical need.

“A lot of people have mathand science phobias, so theydon’t want to teach thoseareas,” she said. “But we arein desperate need of goodmath and science teachers.”

Those interested in Accessto Success need to apply tothe program and demonstratea financial need. They mustcomplete their classesthrough UHV in Victoria orFort Bend County.

ACCESS, from pg 4

See JACOBS pg. 11

10 - Voices United - August 2009

The vision of Diamonds inthe Rough is to provide aconducive, nurturing envi-ronment for self-validation.Through the principles ofself-respect, self-love anddiscipline, our young ladieswill develop a positive selfimage which will enablethem to take ownership oftheir lives by making healthychoices.

This program is definitelya vital part of developmentfor a young girl and youngladies.

Everyone no matter whoyou are needs to have a placeto go, someone to talk to,someone to discuss thingswith, and sometimes, some-one to just listen. If ouryoung ladies have someoneto go to for a listening earknowing that what they say

will be kept in strict confi-dence with an open heart andwillingness to get assistancewith what is needed, theywill succeed.

Our young ladies turn todrugs, sex, and violencebecause they feel they haveto carry the weight of theworld on their shoulderswhen what they think is aproblem has a simple solu-tion. Most times, they justdon’t know what resourcesare available to them.

“Diamonds in the Rough”is an organization formed toassist, teach, train and sup-port our young ladies inbecoming successful selfsupporting, self sufficientyoung women. It is never tooearly or too late to learn toreach for the stars.

Group meetings will be

held twice a month – one atStroman Campus and one atthe Memorial Senior cam-pus. This organization is anextension of the Destination

Success Summer TransitionProgram. Young Ladies thatparticipated in the programduring the 2009/2010 schoolyear will meet at the

Stroman campus and youngladies going to the 10thgrade that participated in theprogram will meet at theMemorial Senior Campus.

Some of the activitiesplanned for these youngladies are: College Visits,Community ServiceProjects, Project Read,Adopt a Nursing Home,Thanksgiving and Christmasdinners, Etiquette Training,guest speakers and variousother activities.

Special thanks to the VISDSchool District for allowingthis innovative program to beoffered to our young ladies.

For any additional infor-mation please contactDestiny Consulting @ 832-298-5101 or 713-425-9265.

“Diamonds in the Rough”: helping young women succeed

Young Men Taking Chargeis an organization foundedby Destiny Consulting tomeet the needs of the youngmen we serve. This organi-zation believes that the keyto the success of our youngmen will be in the relation-ships formed, communityservice, social skills devel-opment, a focus on careerchoices, etiquette training,and self esteem building.Young Men Taking Charge isan extension of the“Destination SuccessSummer Transition Programand will address the needs ofthe young men on theStroman 9Campus and the10th grade transition stu-dents at the Memorial SeniorCampus. These young men will meet twice a month with one meeting being held at

the Stroman 9th campus andone at the Memorial SeniorCampus. A mentoring com-ponent will focus on provid-ing role models for theseyoung men who will sharetheir expertise and offervaluable insight necessaryfor their future success.

“Young Men TakingCharge” will expose theseyoung men to the rigors ofcollege life while exposingthem to the opportunitiesoffered in the business sec-tor. It is also the vision ofYoung Men Taking Chargeto build a strong relationshipwith Victoria College andUniversity ofHouston/Victoria to help ouryoung men chart a course for

a successful future. Throughbuilding a deeper sense ofvalue in our young menwhile helping them with therigor of high school, DestinyConsulting will help themstay on course to graduatefrom high school.

Special thanks to theVictoria School District formaking a commitment tochanging the lives of theseyoung men. It was onlythrough their innovativevision that Young MenTaking Charge is now a real-ity in the Victoria SchoolDistrict. For additional infor-mation please contactDestiny Consulting at 832-298-5101

Young Men Taking Charge meets the needs of young men

that you can sell to help yousurvive. Clean up the yard orthe house; fix that leakyfaucet or toilet. This cansave you money on yourwater bill. Take time tomake a grocery list and planyour meals a week inadvance so you don’t spendunnecessarily at the grocerystore. Spend time doingthings with your family thatdon’t cost you extra money.There are many free walkingand nature trails, parks forpicnics, and ponds to fish.Last but not least, monitor

your shopping habits, com-pare prices, look for alternateproducts and look for differ-ent places to shop. Thinkmore about whether youreally need an item or justwant to buy it on impulse.

Also remember as we havediscussed in the past, have abudget and follow it. Don’tspend money you don’t haveand save something for thefuture. In other words, knowyour assets and liabilities andplan your spending withinyour means, always savingsomething for the future.

mother developed congestiveheart failure, was in and outof the hospital and came todepend on Salazar quite abit. Salazar was left withoutanyone to look after heryoung son and, at one point,her mother suggested shequit the nursing program tofind a job.

“I had actually given theidea some thought,” shewrote. “But thankfully, I did-n’t listen to her.”

Salazar graduatedVictoria College’s LVN pro-

gram in 2003 and, threeyears later, went back for herRN.

Salazar’s goals, however,don’t end there. She hopes togo on to Texas Tech’s RN toBSN program and then go onto obtain a master’s degree,possibly in Houston.Eventually, she hopes tobecome a nurse practitioner.

“Why did I push myselfso hard?” she wrote. “For themere fact that I had a goal ofproviding a comfortable lifefor my son. I wanted jobsecurity.”

policy, would it reduce mySocial Security disabilitybenefit?

Answer: No. Your eligibil-ity for Social Security dis-ability benefits is not affect-ed by any private insuranceyou may have. But, you maybe interested to know thatworkersí compensation andcertain other public disabili-ty payments may affect yourSocial Security benefit. Youcan learn more and evenapply for disability benefitsonline at www.socialsecuri-ty.gov/disability.

Question: I understand thatto get Social Security dis-ability benefits, my disabilitymust be expected to last atleast a year.† Will I have towait a year to receive bene-fits?

Answer: No. You do nothave to wait a year afterbecoming disabled to receivedisability benefits.† In fact,you should apply for disabil-ity benefit as soon as youbecome disabled. It maytake months before a finaldecision is made on your

claim. If your application isapproved, we will pay yourfirst Social Security disabili-ty benefits for the sixth fullmonth after the date yourdisability began. For exam-ple, if your disability beganon January 15, we would payyour first disability benefitfor the month of July.However, we pay SocialSecurity benefits in themonth following the monthfor which they are due. Soyou will receive your Julybenefit in August. To learnmore, visit www.socialsecu-rity.gov/disability.

Question: I am gettingSupplemental SecurityIncome (SSI). Can I getother kinds of help?

Answer: You may be ableto get other assistance. Forexample, in most states, SSIrecipients also get Medicaid.You should contact yourmedical assistance office.SSI recipients also are gener-ally eligible for social servic-es provided by the state, cityor county where they live.These may include arrange-ments for meals or trans-portation. SSI recipientsalso may qualify for ìfoodstampsî in many states.

More information is avail-able at your local publicassistance office.

Question: My grandmoth-er receives SupplementalSecurity Income (SSI) bene-fits. She may have to enter anursing home to get thelong-term care she needs.How does this affect her SSIbenefits?

Answer: Moving to a nurs-ing home could affect yourgrandmother’s†SSI benefits.It depends on the type offacility. †In many cases, wehave to reduce or stop SSIpayments to nursing homeresidents. When your grand-mother enters or leaves anursing home, assisted livingfacility, hospital, skillednursing facility or any otherkind of institution, you mustnotify Social Security rightaway. Learn more about SSIreporting responsibilities atwww.socialsecurity.gov/ssi.You can call SocialSecurity’s toll-free number,1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) for moreinformation or to report achange.

August 2009 - Voices United - 11

daily, routine part of the job.”Since he began in his role,

the food bank has alreadyseen a tremendous increasein the amount of grant appli-cations going out, Alvarezsaid, which is critical, espe-cially in today’s economy.

“Since he got here, he’s hitthe ground running,” Alvarezsaid. “I’m impressed.”

Brown is already busy withseveral projects.

The first is a Back PackProgram aimed at certainelementary-age students.Through the program, thestudents’ backpacks will beloaded with nutritious, kid-

friendly food each Friday tolast them through the week-end. Texas is the worst statewhen it comes to childrengoing hungry or living in“food insecure” homes,where they might have foodone day but not the next,Brown said. It’s important todevelop good eating habits ata young age.

“That’s when they’re intheir formative years, grow-ing physically and mentally,”he said. “If you can get themoff to a good start whenthey’re young, they’re liableto develop good habits,become good students.”

The food bank is also

working on a Mobile FoodPantry Program to get foodto low-income and ruralareas that might not haveagencies such as foodpantries available. Wal-Martmight donate a truck, hesaid. With that, they could

load boxes and travel toother areas, where peoplecould shop directly from thetruck.

Brown might be settling in,but his transition won’t becomplete until September,when his wife, Carolyn,

moves down from Indiana.Carolyn works withGoodwill Industries, he said,and the couple had to spendtheir July 31 weddinganniversary apart.

“She’ll be here soon,” hesaid.

BROWN, from pg 1

Kennedy School ofGovernment.

Through the years he hasworked with seven UnitedWay groups across theUnited States. His mostrecent station was inCharlotte, N.C. The move toTexas was a good thing, hesaid, explaining his retiredparents have a home in theLone Star State and visit

often. “I knew this was an oppor-

tunity I wanted to pursue,”he said. “And it’s a chance tobe near them when they’re inTexas.”

United Way’s Victoriachapter currently supports 20non-profit organizations,ranging from the YMCA toMid-Coast Family Servicesand scouting programs,Grimes said, and it founditself in an interesting spotthis year.

While other chaptersremained flat or brought inless funding than anticipat-ed, the Victoria groupbrought in 6 percent morethan it set out to. The goalfor 2008 was $888,000, hesaid, but the community con-tributed a whopping$892,000.

“It’s outstanding,” he said. Grimes said he couldn’t

disclose the group’s targetfundraising goal for 2009 –they’ll announce that on

Sept. 10 – but said he hopesto see the organization con-tinue to grow in the future.Plans are to increase thenumbers of companies andindividuals involved in theorganization, get to know thedonors better and formstronger relationships withthe agencies United Wayfunds.

The ultimate goal, howev-er, is to advance the commongood. Everyone can help intheir own way, whether

through advocating for acause, volunteering orthrough donations, Grimessaid. There are thousands ofpeople out there who needhelp, he said, and UnitedWay wants to do what it canto assist.

“When they are uplifted, ituplifts everyone in our com-munity,” he said. “We allwin.”

GRIMES, from pg 1

SALAZAR, from pg 5

JACOBS, from pg 9

SECURITY, from pg 9

12 - Voices United - August 2009