Bay Area News: 11th Annual "In the Trenches" Awards 2013

The 11th Annual “In the Trenches” Awards Program is part of the Bayview Hunters Point Multipurpose Senior Services, Inc which includes the Senior Ex-Offenders Program. The awards ceremony honors and recognizes community leaders and the formerly incarcerated. The recipients are people who have overcome incredible struggles and strife and have fought the hardest comebacks of their lives in order to reach a place where they are the new breed of role models. Their strength to fight has now spread into the community where their dedication and commitment have a collective purpose. They are the soldiers fighting the community’s struggles as they help put an end to the violence and substance abuse afflicting their clients, their neighbors, and the community.

These awardees are leading by example, they are changing the community, and as they gather force through future rehabilitators on the same mission for complete recovery, they are focusing on CHANGE. Through change, hard work, passion, and the will of God, change is the one thing that is unpredictable but guaranteed.

The 2013 11th Annual “In the Trenches” Award Recipients are the Change Makers: Martha Stein, Fred Johnson, Charles White, and Dennis McCray, Director of Operations for Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency; the Change Agents: Monty Peeler, Case Manager for Hope House Supportive Housing Program, Brad Reiss, Program Director of the Keys to Change Program, Steve M. Larson, Deacon, Stanley Maurice Whiters, Substance Abuse Counselor, Chloe Turner, Program Coordinator of the Women Rising Program, Monica Elaine Chambers, PsyD, Alice Washington, Non-Profit Advocate, CheRonn Piper, Site Coordinator at the SFCJ 5, Davey White, Operations Manager at Health/Right 360 Warehouse, Dennis J. Windham, Motivational Speaker and Staff Facilitator for Manalive 52.

The recipients for the Community Recognition: Elizabeth Brett, SF VAMC, Paula Pringle-Wilson, Founder and President of Save Our Lil Children (SOLC), Kyong Yi, Licensed Clinical Social Worker with Citywide Case Management Forensic Program and NoVa, and Ruben Urbina, Student Advisor at Everett Middle School. Naim Harrison is the recipient of the Dr. George W. Davis Award, for his advocacy of human rights, community activism, and Leadership within the Bayview Hunter’s Point.

Former Honorees were tribute in the event’s program.

Emerson Arnold, SEOP Counselor, is the recipient of the Ulysse T Bill Award for his selfless service to help all with whom he encountered. He passed away April 23, 2013. Melvin Clyde Neutall, recipient of the 2nd Annual “In the Trenches” Awards in 2004 and recipient of the Ulysse T. Bill award in 2011. He passed March 13, 2013. Earnest Anderson, Jr., honored as a Change Agent in the 3rd Annual “In the Trenches” Awards. He passed away May 13, 2013. Mrs. Willie B. Kennedy, Community Builder, Activist, Inspirational Leader for over 50 years, President of Kennedy-Tompkins Consultants, Inc. with the SF Redevelopment Agency, and honored as an Honorary Change Maker at the SEOP “In the Trenches” Awards in 2005.

The services provided by the Senior Ex-Offenders Program range from counseling, treatment and rehabilitation programs, advocacy, sponsorship and mentoring all collaborating with city government and community outreach programs and social services. The SEOP Programs Direct Services Referral Services End the Chaos (in jail service) No Violence Alliance (NoVa) Health care Homeless Veterans (HCHV Bayview) The Ulysses T. Bill House The George D. House SD Reentry/SF Mentoring Case Management

For more information, suggestions, volunteering:

Bayview Hunter’s Point Multipurpose Senior Services, Inc.
1706 Yosemite
San Francisco, CA 94124
415-822-1444
www.bhpmss.org

Contact Frank Williams, Director, Senior Ex-Offender program (SEOP) frank.williams@bhpmss.org

Save Our Lil Children
P.O. Box 305
Hayward, CA 94557
510-2587566
www.solcbayarea.com

Contact: Paula Pringle, President

My experience with Black Cuisine, and no this is my not first time eating Soul Food. Keep reading.

I find myself at this wonderfully inspiring awards program taking video of acceptance speeches and snapping up shots of the recipients and their friends and family thinking to myself, I wonder how I can be of service to the BHPMSS organization. I enjoy volunteering and doing pro-bono photography for non-profit groups, local community events, and people who need media to assist with interesting projects where they need the additional exposure, but what else could I do for this organization? I knew I had to get into the mix of things to see what it is that community members needed, and I figured I will start keeping mental notes for a future blog about the event, provide compelling imagery, if possible, by capturing the raw emotion behind real movement and solid change among the people being honored, and those that are honoring them, as well.

It’s something that I must continue to think about.

After the awards program ended, there was a reception that was a class act all on its own. I met up with Tami Bryant, community activist and frontrunner against social injustices in San Francisco, and we discussed the greatness that the recipients have achieved. The atmosphere was celebratory with warm hugs and kisses flowing between old friends, mentors and mentees, and between an array of community members reaching out to the recipients, or the new breed of role models as I like to call them, and expressed their gratitude allowing them to listen to their stories, hearing about the struggles they faced, yet overcame with dignity.

Martha Stein, Lola Preza, Frank Williams

It was an amazing feeling to be part this event with in the presence of such powerful people who are changing the community one day at a time. The band, Terrence Jay’e Richardson and Friends played a world wind of jazz melodies. The band was jamming to the old school sounds of Michael Jackson and Earth Wind and Fire. I felt good!

Terrence Jay'e Richardson and Friends

The catering was provided by Black Cuisine, which is an organization dedicated to volunteerism and serving the community. The menu consisted of three bean salad, macaroni salad, a walnut and feta cheese salad, and a savory fruit salad, jambalaya, gumbo, stewed chicken served on a biscuit, red beans and beef sausage, greens, rice, cornbread, mini-burgers, grilled cheese, and vegetarian dishes. The desserts were strawberry and lemons cakes and sweet potato pie. I was excited, to say the least. I started with a piece of strawberry cake because I know how long of a line would be for soul food, especially with as many choices being served. However, I did not have to wait more than a minute. There was food spread out so that each station had its own signature dish. The community volunteers had the food displayed beautifully and made sure everyone tried the various dishes. The food was beyond delicious. I felt like I was at my mother’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. The red beans and rice and sausage was so flavorful, I had a second helping.

Red beans and beef sausage

Greens and cornbread

The greens tasted old school traditional, greens that went back to the basics of greens, if that makes any sense. At home, we have greens with vinegar to add that punch of flavor so these greens were good, but I’m going to have to really sit down and try them again to be sure. The cornbread was very first-class and with the greens, gave it that punch that I’m used to so it’s all good for now. I also tried the walnut and feta cheese salad which was on point and is my favorite dish of the night. It was perfect.

I have to admit I threatened to take the salad bowl with me if I couldn’t have a second helping, but of course, there was so much food there, everyone could have had seconds or thirds, with enough left over for plates to be given out at the end of the event. This was real catering, and real food. The mini burgers and fruit salad were also good. Through all my antics of asking for thirds, measuring pieces of foil, trying to get the recipes’ secret ingredients, no one, as in the Black Cuisine volunteer staff, gave me less than a genuine smile and appreciation for eating their food.

Black Cuisine

The Black Cuisine volunteers were happy to be there, serving up the food, sharing small talk with the community members, making sure people knew where to go to get what: they really personalized the food and event, and their collective volunteer experience showed me how committed they were to giving great "customer" service while genuinely enjoying themselves.

Black Cuisine

I then met up with my fellow media and social community correspondent Mahnani Clay, who graciously invited me to the event, proceeded to introduce me to other like minded people that gave us valuable insight on how the media and the community should continue working together to raise more awareness on social injustices, and to showcase the members of the community who are creating change. We took more pictures, ate some cake, mingled until the very end, and devised a future plan to help all communities achieve their goals with our combined skill set of media, technology, filmmaking, and journalism. The best is yet to come, people.