In Service to our Communities
Who is making a real difference in peoples’ lives?
By Valerie D Nixon
Vote socially responsible and honest individuals into public office.
Esther Yang is running for New York State Assembly, 74th district which covers a large portion of the lower East Side of Manhattan. She is a community and judicial activist who believes in accountability and in bringing governmental power back the citizens in which it serves. Esther, a woman of integrity and innovation, has vowed to open her district office 24/7 with free legal and medical advice from a licensed attorney and a health care practitioner to address the needs of her constituents. Her goal is to create a mutually caring community that will support families and individuals who live and work in the Lower East Side. Fed up with elected officials' complacency and broken promises that has made all New Yorkers suffer, Esther decided to run for State Assembly to effect some much needed changes. Esther Yang is probably the best suited candidate to date slated to become the first Asian NY State Assemblywoman. www.estheryang.net
“Neighbors in Health” Central Valley Kaiser Permanente Hospitals benefiting the Valleys’ uninsured and underinsured.
For the 9th year in a row, Kaiser Permanente facilities in California’s Central Valley held their annual community health fair on Sunday August 20th. Clinics in Manteca, Modesto, and Stockton offered free dental exams, children's clinic (free immunizations and medical, dental, hearing, vision, school entry, and sports exams), women's exams, men's physicals, STD screenings, HIV counseling, adult chronic conditions diagnosis, a one day with no-charge laboratory and pharmacy services, plus referrals to no-cost or low-cost services and follow up exams. Turn out was expected to be in the thousands and more than 200 Kaiser physicians and 1,500 volunteers, from both Kaiser and United Way, offered their medical expertise and assistance. Numerous interpreters were on hand. As an individual who both utilized the free services and acted as a volunteer, I can attest to the fact that the professionalism was exceptional and the volunteer staff eager to assist any and all who came. Rarely will the uninsured find the kind of assistance I witnessed, and all for free. www.kaiserpermanente.org
Aids education and spiritual guidance in Rwanda and beyond.
Evangelical pastor of the Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, Dr. Rick Warren is probably best known for his series of books and media titled the “Purpose Driven Life”. Already well known to those who follow his teachings, it came as no surprise that the use of his book would be thrust into public scrutiny and ultimately praised during a hostage crisis in March of 2005. Hostage Ashley Smith, of Atlanta, Georgia read excerpts from the Purpose Driven Life to accused killer Brian Nichols and changed both of their lives on that fateful day. Dr. Warren is now concentrating his efforts to combat what he terms as the five “Global Goliaths”- spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, extreme poverty, pandemic disease and illiteracy/poor education. Money and extreme power is a corrupting influence in every area, in government, business and in personal lives. Character- good character is needed to resist the temptation to ignore personal ethics and morals and to do what is in the best interests of all, selflessly. The Warrens were determined that the new-found fame and fortune from the Purpose Driven Life series was not going to change their lives drastically. He repaid 25 years of church salary, began “reverse“ tithing in which they kept only 10% of earnings, giving away the remaining 90%, and they began 3 charitable foundations.
Dr. Warren, admittedly at the initial urging from his wife Kay, have teamed to bring education and spiritual guidance to the battle worn African nation of Rwanda. Kay Warren was motivated by an article chronicling the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa, a quote box in the middle of the article read: "12 million children orphaned in Africa due to AIDS" caught her attention and ultimately her determination to make a difference in the lives of the orphans. Kay was convinced that God was calling her to the front lines of ministry against HIV/AIDS in Africa, a calling her husband supported but initially didn’t respond to. Rwanda's President Kagame read The Purpose-Driven Life, he wrote Warren and invited him to visit. With this visit, the seeds of a humanitarian ministry developed. The PEACE plan was born, a plan that set a goal of the placement of spiritual minded individuals within each community, to train and assist each local church to become a Purpose Driven Church. The responsibility of HIV/AIDS awareness and education would become a focus of each local church, urging personal responsibility for one another onto each and every member of the church. More than being missionaries, these PEACE team members are visionaries, and they envision a world without HIV/AIDS and where spirituality is supported by a strong backbone of like minded community members. www.purposedrivenlife.com
By Valerie D Nixon
Vote socially responsible and honest individuals into public office.
Esther Yang is running for New York State Assembly, 74th district which covers a large portion of the lower East Side of Manhattan. She is a community and judicial activist who believes in accountability and in bringing governmental power back the citizens in which it serves. Esther, a woman of integrity and innovation, has vowed to open her district office 24/7 with free legal and medical advice from a licensed attorney and a health care practitioner to address the needs of her constituents. Her goal is to create a mutually caring community that will support families and individuals who live and work in the Lower East Side. Fed up with elected officials' complacency and broken promises that has made all New Yorkers suffer, Esther decided to run for State Assembly to effect some much needed changes. Esther Yang is probably the best suited candidate to date slated to become the first Asian NY State Assemblywoman. www.estheryang.net
“Neighbors in Health” Central Valley Kaiser Permanente Hospitals benefiting the Valleys’ uninsured and underinsured.
For the 9th year in a row, Kaiser Permanente facilities in California’s Central Valley held their annual community health fair on Sunday August 20th. Clinics in Manteca, Modesto, and Stockton offered free dental exams, children's clinic (free immunizations and medical, dental, hearing, vision, school entry, and sports exams), women's exams, men's physicals, STD screenings, HIV counseling, adult chronic conditions diagnosis, a one day with no-charge laboratory and pharmacy services, plus referrals to no-cost or low-cost services and follow up exams. Turn out was expected to be in the thousands and more than 200 Kaiser physicians and 1,500 volunteers, from both Kaiser and United Way, offered their medical expertise and assistance. Numerous interpreters were on hand. As an individual who both utilized the free services and acted as a volunteer, I can attest to the fact that the professionalism was exceptional and the volunteer staff eager to assist any and all who came. Rarely will the uninsured find the kind of assistance I witnessed, and all for free. www.kaiserpermanente.org
Aids education and spiritual guidance in Rwanda and beyond.
Evangelical pastor of the Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, Dr. Rick Warren is probably best known for his series of books and media titled the “Purpose Driven Life”. Already well known to those who follow his teachings, it came as no surprise that the use of his book would be thrust into public scrutiny and ultimately praised during a hostage crisis in March of 2005. Hostage Ashley Smith, of Atlanta, Georgia read excerpts from the Purpose Driven Life to accused killer Brian Nichols and changed both of their lives on that fateful day. Dr. Warren is now concentrating his efforts to combat what he terms as the five “Global Goliaths”- spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, extreme poverty, pandemic disease and illiteracy/poor education. Money and extreme power is a corrupting influence in every area, in government, business and in personal lives. Character- good character is needed to resist the temptation to ignore personal ethics and morals and to do what is in the best interests of all, selflessly. The Warrens were determined that the new-found fame and fortune from the Purpose Driven Life series was not going to change their lives drastically. He repaid 25 years of church salary, began “reverse“ tithing in which they kept only 10% of earnings, giving away the remaining 90%, and they began 3 charitable foundations.
Dr. Warren, admittedly at the initial urging from his wife Kay, have teamed to bring education and spiritual guidance to the battle worn African nation of Rwanda. Kay Warren was motivated by an article chronicling the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa, a quote box in the middle of the article read: "12 million children orphaned in Africa due to AIDS" caught her attention and ultimately her determination to make a difference in the lives of the orphans. Kay was convinced that God was calling her to the front lines of ministry against HIV/AIDS in Africa, a calling her husband supported but initially didn’t respond to. Rwanda's President Kagame read The Purpose-Driven Life, he wrote Warren and invited him to visit. With this visit, the seeds of a humanitarian ministry developed. The PEACE plan was born, a plan that set a goal of the placement of spiritual minded individuals within each community, to train and assist each local church to become a Purpose Driven Church. The responsibility of HIV/AIDS awareness and education would become a focus of each local church, urging personal responsibility for one another onto each and every member of the church. More than being missionaries, these PEACE team members are visionaries, and they envision a world without HIV/AIDS and where spirituality is supported by a strong backbone of like minded community members. www.purposedrivenlife.com
posted by Valerie | 10:02 AM
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