Living Advantage Inc. Reveals Ways To Invest In Our Foster Youth and Author BeNeca Ward Explains "The Makings of a Man" on 710 ESPN Radio

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Southern California Experience with LaFern Cusack

710 ESPN Radio Los Angeles

Sunday, May 2, 2010 (5a-6a PST)
Listen Online: ESPN Los Angeles.com

Pamela Clay, Living Advantage Inc, Foster Youth Salute at USC Saturday, May 15, 2010.

"Living Advantage gives foster youth their identity, family history and a chance for success in the community." 

Pamela Clay, Executive Director of Living Advantage, came in studio to kick off Foster Care Month!   "Living Advantage would like to take this opportunity to invite you to our luncheon“FOSTER YOUTH SALUTE YOU”, at the USC Galen Center, 3400 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, 90089. The luncheon will honor advocates of foster youth, Speaker Emeritus Karen Bass, Congresswoman Diane Watson, and Assembly Member Mike Davis. We are also recognizing 75 of our foster youth for their participation in the community.  We are pleased to thank USC for their participation and support."

Living Advantage Inc., is a non-profit organization, founded in 1993, whose mission is to eliminate unemployment, homelessness, and incarceration of youth in the foster care system. They are the lead agency for Children’s Council USC/Jefferson Park district, recognized as a primary advocate for foster youth and as a result, have had the opportunity to partner with the University of Southern California, (USC) Joint Educational Project (JEP) providing youth mentoring. In our collaboration with the 25 inner city USC neighborhood schools, which have some of the highest percentage of foster youth, USC students will provide mentoring assistance and we will be responsible for identifying and ensuring that the foster youth receive mentoring services, have their life documents and uninterrupted access to such resources like schools, jobs, and medical services.

Clay discussed the rise of foster youth and their needs, "We have identified 3 schools and 300 at risk students that need our services the most.  Living Advantage, Inc. is in need of updated technology, accessories and staff to carry out  our services. Our goal is $250,000.00 and I feel confident that we can depend on your investment in our future and the future of our foster youth! You are invited to contact our office at 323.731.6471 or email us at  info@LivingAdvantageInc.org to discuss how you can become a part of our services to our  most under served youth in Los Angeles County."

To attend the luncheon or view partnership opportunities please click here.
Help Living Advantage Inc. salute these tireless individuals who have worked to enhance the image and outcomes of foster youth. http://livingadvantageinc.org/

A portion of Living Advantage Inc. with Pamela Clay, will also air on Radio Disney AM1110 - 6:30am-7am (PST)- May 2, 2010.

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Airing Sunday, May 2, 2010 (5am-6am PST)
Segment II and III

BeNeca Ward, Author of 3rd Generation Country, a Practical Guide to Raising Children with Great Values

Nominated for the 2010 41st NAACP Image Awards
Outstanding Literary Works- Debut Author


BeNeca Ward highlights the practices that were once used to set the American standards on raising children to be kind, respectful and responsible adults in her newly released guide:  3rd Generation Country, a Practical Guide to Raising Children with Great Values.

In a generation where parents are their children's "buddy" and the boundaries that are supposed to exist between parents and their children are non-existent, Ward sheds light on the timely topic of how to instill great values into today’s children.  This book focuses on GETTING BACK TO THE BASICS OF PARENTING utilizing the lessons that were used for at least three generations but for many reasons are no longer being taught. Subtle and informative, this book infuses humor and wit as readers reflect upon their own experiences and are tuned into the experiences of others. It also spotlights how much was once taught through the simplest lessons. With chapters like, “Hold My Hand”, “The Patience of a Pomegranate”, “The Makings of a Man” and Family Ties” readers are in for a memorable illuminating experience. As Ward states, it is never too late to mold America’s children into kind, respectful and responsible adults.

“Being neighborly was…a bit like
mandatory community service.”

"This book focuses on the values and practices that were instilled into American children for at least three generations but for many reasons are no longer being taught. Years ago, parents passed on to their children the lessons that they learned as children while stirring in life experiences that related to what was going on in the world as their children were growing up."

CHAPTER FIVE
The Makings of a Man

Shoes, as simple as they are, have become very symbolic of the mentality of many young men today in regard to how they feel about hard work. Years ago, it was not uncommon to walk into someone’s house and see a pair of dirty work boots that had been left at the door. Even those men whose jobs did not require that they wear work boots usually still owned a pair and wore them whenever they did yard work around their house. In the past, men had no problem doing dirty work because they understood how they would benefit from their labor. Today, there are some who refuse to get themselves, their clothes, or their shoes dirty. Being well-groomed has always been important, but several men today are overly concerned. Casual tennis shoes have become more popular than ever before...

...Young men were taught the value of working hard. Even though “work smarter and not harder” has become a very popular saying in our society and is great if you are able to do so, we have to remember to teach young people that there is nothing wrong with getting dirty or doing hard work if there is a need to do so.   [Excerpted from 3rd Generation Country, a Practical Guide to Raising Children with Great Values by BeNeca Ward Copyright © 2009. BeNeca Ward. All Rights Reserved. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.]

 BeNeca Ward began her career in 1993. As an enterprising high school student she sought out an opportunity to work on FOX’s hit show “ROC” and has been navigating her way through the entertainment industry ever since. She has provided production services and made contributions to “Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry & Brave New Voices,” Run’s House”, Cedric the Entertainer’s Taking You Higher” and various other sitcoms and entertainment programs.

BeNeca is a mother of two who comes from a large blended family. She learned first-hand how to instill great values into the lives of children by watching her mother who owned and operated an in-home daycare center. She is currently the Vice President of Operations at Simmons Lathan Entertainment and Media Group in Los Angeles.

NOW on Kindle, iPhone, iPod, NOOK, Sony Reader and more...3RD GENERATION COUNTRY, A Practical Guide to Raising Children with Great Values.  For more information log onto www.3rdgenerationcountry.com  or e-mail info@momentsoffocus.com

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Airing on Radio Disney AM1110 - 6:30am-7am (PST)

The Shark Ladies Are Back! 

Iemanya Oceanica's, Laleh Mohajerani, President/Executive Director and Patty Civalleri, Executive Vice President/Board of Directors. 

Iemanya Oceanica is dedicated to the worldwide conservation of sharks, rays and their habitats. They achieve their mission through research, environmental education and the promotion of sustainable management policies and marine protected areas.

Adopting a Shark is a fun and unique way to get involved in shark and ray conservation. AdoptaShark is an excellent program for adults and kids because everybody learns A LOT about sharks and the oceans. When you adopt a shark, your donation is contributing towards the purchase of new tags for continued research on the movement of sharks. You will learn about your adopted shark and will be able to see tracking maps of your shark, depending on when and how the shark was tagged. As we learn new information about your shark, we will pass it on to you via our website.  Read more...

Next Shark Tagging Trip Scheduled for July 1 - 5, 2010! 
For more information: http://adoptashark.com/

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Stressed Out? Make Change Successful Not Stressful with Dr. Singh.   

Stress Seminar, Saturday May 8th, 2010, 9:00am to 1:00pm.

Are you feeling the effects of too much stress in your life?  What can you do to reduce your stress?  Is there a sense of chaos and lack of balance at home?  Is your professional life increasing your stress?  Do you feel that there is not enough time and money to make ends meet?

If this sounds familiar and you are ready to take action, make changes and produce long-lasting results . . .WE WANT YOU!  This is not just another seminar where you will sit back and listen passively or take notes on some esoteric techniques to manage your stress.  Instead, this is a potentially life-changing experience where you will design an overall blueprint for your life. We will help you to create a more fulfilled life; a life of passion and vitality.  We're determined to address the root cause of your stress and help you determine an effective strategy to transform your life.

WHEN: Saturday May 8th, 2010
TIME: from 9:00am to 1:00pm
Your Investment: $49.99
WHERE: 6200 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 100
Los Angeles, California 90048
Call 323-933-1112 for Reservations

Contact Information: 6200 Wilshire Blvd., #100 Los Angeles, CA90048 phone 323-933-1112 fax 323-933-9994 Please visit our updated website www.singhneurology.com

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LaFern Cusack currently produces and hosts 710 ESPN's Experience (Sun. 5a-6a) and Radio Disney AM1110 Playground (Sun 6:30a-7a). With these shows LaFern delivers an inspiring, dynamic and insightful experience to listeners. She brings her humor, warmth and talent for tackling topical community issues with her unique style connecting with every aspect of the show.

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Affecting Social Change in "Langston and Nicolas" and Tagging Sharks

Tune in Sunday, April 25 2010 (5a-6a PST)

Southern California Experience with LaFern Cusack

710 ESPN Radio Los Angeles

Listen live online HERE: http://bit.ly/aABxWF

"Langston and Nicolas"
Two men - one voice
Directed and Produced by NAACP Theatre Award Winner Nancy Cheryll Davis and Co-Staring Brian Evaret Chandler and Armando Ortega.

Towne Street Theatre presents "Langston and Nicolas", the fascinating story of poets Langston Hughes and Nicolás Guillén - Havana, 1930.

Young journalist Nicolás Guillén harbors dreams of becoming a poet. Langston Hughes visits Havana in search of a composer for a new opera. After Nicolás interviews Langston for a local newspaper, the two men inimitably bond.

Langston’s keen interest in black Cuban life impresses Nicolás, who guides him to a vibrant Afro-Cuban club, uncorking an unquenchable thirst. Meanwhile, their union also profoundly empowers Nicolás—perhaps he can speak for black Cuba the same way that Langston is speaking for black America? Hughes leaves Cuba, but their deep connection is kept alive through letters (to the discovery and disdain of Guillén’s wife). A fever dream inspires Guillén to write poetry marrying the vernacular of contemporary black Cuba with the native musical style of Son(mirroring Hughes’ poetic mesh of African-American vernacular and Blues music).

The play explores their friendship over the next thirty years—covering the Spanish War, the Cuban Revolution and the Civil Rights movement—to Hughes’ death in 1967. As with all friendships, theirs is a tapestry woven of joy, conflict and demands from each other—some that are met, some that are not.

Nancy Cheryll Davis

An alumna of American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and Lincoln Center Directors Lab West, her directing credits include “Nevis Mountain Dew,” “Passing,” “Madwoman of Chaillot”, “Five on the Blackhand Side,” “30 Love,” “Medals,” and more.

Also an actor, she won the NAACP Theatre Award for “Passing” which she also conceived and has appeared in the films “Menace 2 Society,” “The Court Martial of Jackie Robinson,” “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka,” “The Five Heartbeats” and “Hollywood Shuffle.”

As Founding Artistic/Producing Director of Towne Street Theatre, L.A.’s premiere African American theatre company, she has executive produced all 35 shows in its 17-year history.

James Mercer Langston Hughes,
(February 1, 1902–May 22, 1967) was an American poet, novelist, playwright, short story writer, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best-known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance. He famously wrote about the Harlem Renaissance saying that "Harlem was in vogue."

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up

like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore--

And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?

Or crust and sugar over--

like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags

like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?
        
                             ---Langston Hughes

"Nicolás Cristóbal Guillén Batista (July 10, 1902–July 16, 1989) was an Afro-Cuban poet, journalist, political activist, and writer. He is best remembered as the national poet of Cuba. Guillen made an international mark for himself with the publication of Motivos de son. The work was inspired by the living conditions of Afro-Cubans and the popular music of son. The publication consisted of eight short poems that were composed using the everyday language of the Afro Cubans. The collection stood out in the literary world because it emphasized and established the importance of Afro-Cuban culture as a valid genre in Cuban literature."

Founded in the aftermath of the 1992 Los Angeles riots with the belief that we could affect social change through our art, the Towne Street Theatre's mission is creating, developing and producing original work that is reflective of the African-American experience and perspective for theater and film.

In order to further illuminate the role African-Americanartists have played in the history of the American theater, we also produce a series enitled "Black Classics," dedicated to the work of playwrights seldom produced, such as Loften Mitchell, Alice Childress and Steve Carter.  Towne Street Theatre's mission of affecting social change is extended with our commitment to developing the next generation of theater artists through our children's programming.  http://www.townestreet.org/  on Facebook.

"Langston and Nicolás" 'Two men...one voice'  Written by Bernardo Solano. Conceived and directed by Nancy Cheryll Davis. Commissioned by Towne Street Theatre and Robey Theatre Company. A Towne Street Theatre production. Produced by Nancy Cheryll Davis, Nancy Renee, and Nathaniel Bellamy. Choreography by Nancy Renee. Musical director: Dane Diamond. 

This show runs through May 2, 2010 at: Stella Adler Theatre, 6773 Hollywood Blvd. 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90028. Box Office: 213 - 624-4796. Parking is available across the street in the Hollywood/Highland Center, $2 for 4 hours with Stella Adler validation.
For more information: http://www.townestreet.org/ on Facebook.

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SEGMENT II and III
Tune in Sunday, April 25, 2010 (5a-6a PST)
Southern California Experience with LaFern Cusack
or listen live online HERE: http://bit.ly/aABxWF

The Shark Ladies Would Like to Take You On A Shark-Tagging Expedition
Iemanya Oceanica's, Laleh Mohajerani, President/Executive Director and Patty Civalleri, Executive Vice President/Board of Directors.

Laleh and Patty tell us how we can 'Tag' Sharks in the wild and how you can take part in the Great Shark Race 2011!

Iemanya Oceanica is dedicated to the worldwide conservation of sharks, rays and their habitats. They achieve their mission through research, environmental education and the promotion of sustainable management policies and marine protected areas.

GET THE FACTS!  "Sharks have been given a very bad reputation. In reality, there are over 400 different shark species in our oceans of which very few (such as the bull shark, great white shark, and tiger shark) can be potentially dangerous to humans. The likelihood of being attacked by a shark is less than being hit by lightening. The average number of shark attacks worldwide is approximately 50 per year with the majority being non-fatal attacks." If you want to learn more about shark attacks and behaviors, go to www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/isaf/isaf.htm

Adopting a Shark is a fun and unique way to get involved in shark and ray conservation. AdoptaShark is an excellent program for adults and kids because everybody learns A LOT about sharks and the oceans. When you adopt a shark, your donation is contributing towards the purchase of new tags for continued research on the movement of sharks. You will learn about your adopted shark and will be able to see tracking maps of your shark, depending on when and how the shark was tagged. As we learn new information about your shark, we will pass it on to you via our website. The shark's tracks depend on the type of tags used to track them, so for example, if your shark was tagged with acoustic tags, the track might only show a few days of movement. (more)

GET INVOLVED! If you have donated to this program, you have already taken your first step towards participating in shark conservation. We need your help to be able to do this important work and we are very grateful for your support.

The first step towards achieving change is through educating yourself and others about sharks, their conservation status and the importance of their survival in the ocean. You can help by avoiding eating or using shark products, such as shark cartilage pills, shark meat, shark liver oil, and shark fin soup. Research sea food sources to make sure you are supporting sustainable fisheries.

Finally write to you government representatives and urge them to support and prioritize ocean conservation and the creation of marine protected areas. Our ocean resources are finite and we must act now to ensure that our children and grand children enjoy them as well. For more ideas about protecting sharks, visit  Sharks in Danger 

Next Shark Tagging Trip Scheduled for July 1 - 5, 2010
Sign up NOW to SWIM with the SHARKS!

Join our Science and Research Team as we travel to Bahia de Los Angeles
to tag Whale Sharks for research, education and ocean preservation.
Space is extremely limited - only 20 seats available.
Click here for Tagging Trip details and Application
http://www.iemanya.org/   http://www.adoptashark.com/

Shark Photos by Iemanya Oceanica and Adopt A Shark.