PowerMentor.org

PowerMentor to Support Kathleen Harmon Event

2010-10-16T18:49:00.000-07:00

Today we were privileged to support a community effort by Kathleen Harmon in the Mountain View area to bring peace to their neighborhood. We were blessed to be a small part of their effort and congratulate them on impacting their community and bring city leaders together.

Anti-Gang Summit a Success!

2010-10-15T12:47:00.000-07:00

Last nights event at Hoover High School was very succesful. What an incredible group of parents and students! A special thank you to Jose and Agustin for sharing as they did and to the Hoover High School team for their greatness!

Anti-Gang Summit - Hoover High School

2010-10-10T17:02:00.000-07:00

Join us on October 14, 2010 at San Diego's Hoover High School Auditorium located at 4474 El Cajon Blvd. San Diego, CA 92115. This event is for parents, students, teachers, and community members. For more information, email us. Spanish Flyer

Garibay Family Thanks Everyone for Support

2010-10-04T07:23:00.001-07:00

A special thank you to the multitudes who stood with the Garibay family last night to give them support as they mourn the loss of their two year old daughter. We had a great crowd there to share love with the Garibay family. Please keep their family in prayers. Below you can view the video shown at the memorial. Lauren was especially fond of Elmo.

In Loving Memory of Lauren Garibay

2010-10-03T14:46:00.000-07:00

Please join us in our condolences for Armando & Anna Garibay who lost their two year old daughter from a vehicle accident on September 30, 2010. We are hold a memorial in her honor and invite everyone to support this family Sunday, October 3, 2010 at 7 PM at Mountain View Park. If you would like to contribute to a trust fund for the family, please contact Pastor Jose Villaescuza at 619-619-947-5179.

The Gift of ADHD

2010-09-18T13:40:00.001-07:00

Every Tuesday at 6 PM, parents and their children can take advantage of a weekly forum to discuss best practices for managing difficult behaviors with their children. The forums are free and a great way to gain insight into leading your child and sharing things that you have found to work best. Download a flyer English Spanish

Movie Night at Promise Charter School

2010-09-10T22:41:00.000-07:00

What a great turnout for the first movie night of this school year at Promise Charter. Families enjoyed the Chipmunks while snacking on chips and juice. Thanks to Mr. Orozco for coordinating this event.

Javier Killer's to be Sentenced

2010-08-25T16:55:00.000-07:00

Agustin Pena will be reading a victim statement on behalf of his family for the senseless murder of his 14 year old brother Javier Quiroz who was gunned down August 27, 2007. Here is the text of Agustin's letter:

Victim Statement by Agustin Pena

This statement is on behalf of myself, my family, and the City Heights community. We have been forced to endure three long years as a broken family; three years in a constant state of pain. The type of hurt that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, because of its debilitating effects on the will and the damage to one’s soul. But it’s something we must become accustomed to because of the decisions you took on August 27th 2007. What you helped in doing that night was cowardly; surrounding a helpless 14 year old boy in the middle of the street and ending his life. Even as his cries for mercy echoed into the night, you showed him none. Even after pleading with you, several times, not to kill him, you ignored him and demanded the execution. As his blood spilled onto the ground from his fatally wounded body, you began taking something from us. Not only did you take his tangible presence, but you took his intangible love; the love of a kind boy, with his entire life ahead of him. Nonetheless, because of you; because of your actions, my family is now bound to never-ending mourning. Because of your selfishness, not only have our lives changed forever, but so have yours, your family’s, and most of all your kid. You put your neighborhood before your kid and now he’ll grow up fatherless. You are not a man; your actions were childish, cowardly and not indicative of what a man would do. Your actions reflected a commitment to the gang, and a rejection of everything else. A rejection of our livelihood, a rejection of your own family, and rejection of your kid as well. And as a result, we all bear the burden of having to live with your decisions. I find your misguided sense of commitment and dedication sad. It is that very mentality that divides our communities causing rifts of destruction instead of bonds of empowerment. But we’ve gone full circle, and it all comes down to your actions and how they effect the rest of our lives. As far as I’m concerned, there isn’t punishment in the world proportionate to what we feel day-in and day-out; forty-four years of incarceration is nothing compared to our life sentence.

Yosemite 2010

2010-08-22T22:05:00.000-07:00

Agustin put together a nice montage of our photos from our annual trip to Yosemite. Enjoy...

Jennifer Van Luyn Story - UPDATE

2010-07-17T22:19:00.000-07:00

VIDEO

Jennifer along with her family have been quite troopers in her illness. Jennifer was the first candidate to undergo an experimental liver dialysis called MARS and was then able to receive a liver transplant.

Special Thanks to Miguel Samaniego

2010-06-20T18:01:00.001-07:00

Miguel donated his time and installed tile in place of the carpeting in the Mobile Outreach Trailer so it will be easier to maintain. Thank you very much Miguel, you did a great job!

Anti-Violence Rally - June 12, 2010

2010-06-13T21:04:00.000-07:00

Just a note to say thank you to everyone who came out to support the families last night. I think we can all recognize how vital all of our roles are in this community. To hear all of the stories from the different families and see how their lives have been forever changed should be the motivating factor in our commitment to making a difference. It is awesome to see how the barriers come down and we can all be united for a cause. From different families, to different organizations, we are all one with unity in our purpose to make our community a positive place to live.

Thank you to Jose Villaescuza for handling all of the challenges with Park & Rec, and the Gang Commission for taking care of the cost, Gary and Raymond for making sure the parks looked better than we found it, for Alliance for Community Empowerment, YMCA, Crime Stoppers, Project Compassion, San Diego Urban League and then many others who do so many great things in our community. Lastly, Thank you to the Collins family for making this event happen.

Congratulations to Lalo and Dara on their New Baby

2010-06-07T07:20:00.000-07:00

Anna Elizabeth Gunther was born at 6:47 AM to Lalo and Dara at 7lbs 4 oz, 20 inches. "We prayed for this child and the Lord has granted us what we asked of Him," said Lalo quoting I Samuel 1:27. We are so proud of you for what you have accomplished and for beginning this new journey of raising your own...

Supporting the Cormier Family in their Loss

2010-06-03T07:51:00.000-07:00

Last year Stephen Cormier was gunned down near 39th and El Cajon Blvd. One year later his dad Mark seeks to help make his community a safer place. PowerMentor supported Mark and his family last night as Mark brought together community groups, families, and the police to raise awareness for crimes of violence in City Heights. Pastor Jesus Sandoval shared his heart with the community as well encouraging people to come together.

With Unity Comes Strength - Families Against Violence!

2010-05-29T15:26:00.001-07:00

Over the past few years many young people have been killed in the San Diego area for senseless acts of violence. Families have been destroyed because of the violence that plagues many neighborhoods. On June 12, 2010, families who have lost their children to violence will be hosting a rally to raise awareness of the senseless acts of violence, and to empower others to make a difference in their community. There will be other organizations that provide resources to families available during the event such as Crime Stoppers, California Western School of Law Latino and African American Student Associations, ACE, YMCA, and many other. During the event, we will have a march heading west on University, then south on Fairmont and conclude across from the Mid City Police Station. We will then have a candle light vigil and commission community members to make a difference by preventing violence. If you or your organization would like to be involved, please email us.

Click here for flyer.

Movie Night 33rd & J Street

2010-04-17T22:31:00.000-07:00

What a great Movie Night at the Park for the community of 33rd and J Street. We had a great time meeting all of the families and seeing how much they care about one another and their community. The new giant movie screen was incredible and well worth the investment. A special thank you to all of those who made this evenings event a success.

Sion Coming Home from Iraq

2010-04-08T14:09:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody,

12 long months in Iraq has finally come to an end, and my unit is currently redeploying back to the States. The March 07 elections were a complete success, and the Iraqi's did an excellent job providing their own security for the polling sites. My unit's mission in Iraq is done, and we can finally leave knowing Iraq is a much better place. My platoon of Soldiers did an outstanding job all year long, and I am so proud of them. We conducted over 150 combat patrols in the areas of Nasiriyah and Basra.

I have no regrets about coming to Iraq to serve my Country. I leave here with a better appreciation of the freedoms, luxuries, and way of life we unfortunately sometimes take for granted in the States. We truly do live in the greatest country on Earth, and I thank God every day I am an American. I only hope for the best now for the Iraqi people, and I hope they too can one day flourish as a new & young democracy.

I am very excited about finally coming home. I am looking forward to having a Starbuck's coffee as soon as I hit the ground. I appreciated all of your support, emails, packages, and letters over the past year, and I can never thank you enough. My platoon will be arriving into Fort Bliss, TX soon. Thanks again for everything. I love you guys.

Click here for PowerPoint Slide Show

1LT Sion Brannan
Infantry Platoon Leader
Northern Basra, Iraq

Outreach Opportunity

2010-04-07T17:30:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, April 17, 2010 we will be having a Movie Night at the Park in a local community located just west of 32nd Street on J Street. This is a small park between two homes identified in red above. This community is seeking to bring positive change to their neighborhood. If you would like to be involved with this project, please email us. Here is a link to poster and flyer.

2010 Movie Nights in the Park Launch

2010-04-04T00:39:00.000-07:00

On April 3, 2010 we launched our first official Movie Night at the Park for the Summer of 2010. The event this evening was hosted by PowerMentor's Jose Villaescuza at a little park located near 32nd and Ocean View. This park is typically a haven for gang and narcotics activity, but tonight it was filled with families who took back their park. Tonight was very successful and to see a park filled completely to capacity with families was incredible. To request PowerMentor to provide a Movie Night in your neighborhood park, contact us.

Promise Charter Alumni Workshop

2010-02-27T22:32:00.001-08:00

Promise Charter School reached out to their alumni students to support them in being successful in high school, and eventually onward to college by providing a two day retreat at Foster Lodge in Mt. Laguna. PowerMentor provided a workshop for the young people designed to help them create a strategic road map to be successful in their life. It was a great opportunity to see how the students re-connected with one another after being separated by different high schools. What a great group of young people. How incredible to see the commitment of their former teachers standing alongside of them.

Jose & Maria Orozco Takes the California BAR Exam

2010-02-24T16:01:00.001-08:00

Keep Jose and his wife Maria in your thoughts while the journey through the California State BAR exam Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. They will not have the results until May, but we certainly are proud of them and look forward to their successful completion.

Strengthening Families Program

2010-01-21T20:00:00.001-08:00

Over the past three days, PowerMentor's Miguel Samaniego, Pedro Corrales, and William Nguyen completed a 21 hour certification in the Iowa State University Strengthening Families Program. This training was sponsored by UPAC and involves curriculum developed at Iowa State University. This training was invaluable for the three who have said they learn great techniques in helping strengthen families. We look forward to working with UPAC to serve our local communities.

Promise Charter Holiday Program 2009

2009-12-19T11:41:00.000-08:00

What a great opportunity to support Promise Charter School in their annual Holiday Program. For details regarding the event, click here.

Agustin Pena Featured at CWSL

2009-11-20T21:46:00.000-08:00

Agustin Pena was featured at California Western School of Law in a video sharing his story. See below:

A Life Taken Leads to a Life of Giving

Agustín Peña has overcome his share of challenges and obstacles to make it to law school. Raised in the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego, he grew up in an environment where expectations for education beyond high school are virtually non-existent.

With the help of his mentor, Jose A. Orozco ’09, Peña co-founded PowerMentor, a non-profit organization committed to changing lives through mentoring relationships. PowerMentor is one way Peña gives to the community that claimed the life of his 14-year-old brother. Watch Peña's story.

Jose Orozco Story in Cal Western Alumni Magazine

2009-11-17T19:34:00.000-08:00

Jose Orozco was featured in the California Western School of Law Alumni magazine. To read the story, click here.