Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Dec. 27, 2012, edition 1 / Page 8
Part of Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
??i 3 m, HJHI M. Ji^_ Photo by Lay la Garnu From left: Kimberley Park students Jazmin Castillo, Graciela Guzman, Tamya Hardy, Tre'Shaun Withers and Da'Mon Stokes were among the toy recipients. f * - - ? -? . ?? ? ?. ?* * i <1 ?? Kimberley from page AI the student body, which hails almost exclusively from low income homes. Les Arbres, which is home to just over a dozen active members, collected 76 toys from those who attended the club's annual Black and White Ball, which was held at the pri vate club on New Walkertown Road last month. An additional 24 toys were donated by Dr. Robert Benningfield of Benningfield Chiropractic & Acupuncture in Mooresville. The delivery hit home fpr Dr. Amber Baker, Kimberley Park's principal. "For the first four years of my child's life, I couldn't afford Christmas. It was things like this that helped my child get Christmas," revealed Baker, the mother of one daughter. "...I always get over whelmed because I know how impactful it is when you need help." The Les Arbres - or The Tfee (its English translation) - social club was birthed from a private club of the same name. A local institution for more than SO years, Les Arbres was founded to give African American professionals a classy venue in which to dine and socialize, Johnson said. "We had no place for the blacks to go, so I figured they should have something," com mented the 95 year-old. "To run a private club in the com munity when I came along, it wasn't no such thing." The Club recently opened its membership to women, attracting new members like Sims, who joined three months ago. Sims, who is currently studying at Forsyth Technical Community College and the University of Virginia, said she was glad to lend her support to fh<? tnv Hriv? "Doing the toy drive was a good thing," said the city native. "I used to drive a school bus, so I love the kids." Many local agencies and organizations have supported Kimberley Park students in a variety of ways over the years, but Baker said receiving the help of a historically black organization made the gifts even more poignant. "When we have people who are so kind like them, who give us gifts, it helps make (students') Christmas a little better," she declared. "It warms my heart even more so than what others have done, because it says uiai tney aian i forget about us." For Williams, a city native who attended Kimberley Park as a youngster, returning to his old stomping grounds evoked a wave of nostalgia. "I actually did a play on this stage when I was in fifth grade," recalled the father of four, surveying the gymnatori um where the toys were held. "It's a warm feeling that you get when you come back." The delivery marked the first collaboration between the school and the club, but it like ly won't be the last. Baker and * ? ??r*?i? __ _ _ n? _l? _aa Mr. Williams, a ingni uucn dant for US Airways, have already begun discussing hold ing the school's fifth grade graduation ceremony at the Club. Mrs. Williams said partner ing with the school could help Les Arbres fulfill its newly adopted philosophy, which emphasizes community serv ice. She added that the Club plans to make the Kimberley Park toy drive an annual event. "I see there's a lot of work that could be done here," said the retired US Airways cus tomer service manager and mother of four. "The kids were in need, and I like to work with children ... I really feel good wnen i uo uiai. Baker is also putting together a male mentoring pro gram to help expand the stu dents' horizons. "So many of our students don't have a positive adult influence in their lives, so if we can show them a positive influence, it will go a long way," she said. "Getting them exposed, getting them out of the community (is important)." Baker said she will always remember the kindness of those who helped her in her time of need, and thanks to the support of groups like Les Arbres, she is able to make sure that her students and their families have the* same joy of knowing that someone cares about them. "I have to always remem ber where I came from so 1 can always stay humble, and this is a way of remembering my journey," she said of the toy drive effort. "Where you are is not where you have to stay, and just like somebody helped me, I'm going to reach back and help somebody else." For more information about Les Arbres social club, contact, Michael Williams via email at michaelawilliamsl @flic a .net. Taylor attends gathering for young elected iy? ? i officials I SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE City Council Member James Taylor Jr. traveled to Los Angeles 1 recently to meet with education poli cy experts and young elected offi cials from around the country about ways to improve public education for Winston-Salem families. At the Young Elected Officials Network's Education Policy Academy, Taylor discussed educa tion in Winston-Salem with officials from the U.S. Department of Education, school district leaders, and education poli cy groups. At the con ference, Taylor studied innova tive education al approaches such as com m u n i t y schools, parent accountability, technology in education and nfodem benchmarking. "As an elected official, I am con cerned about those things that affect the quality of life and vitality of our community," Taylor said. "Education . is a big part of that, and attending the academy helps me better understand the issues affecting education." Andrew Gillum, the executive director of the Young Elected Officials Network, said, "Every elected official, at any level of office, has a significant role to play in creat ing an opportunity to learn for all of our children. Our generation of young leaders can serve as agents of change on education reform, given the access to research and tools to develop effective policies." The Young Elected Officials Network, a program of People for the American Way Foundation, unites and supports leaders under the age of 35 who share a passion for building communities that reflect the values of freedom, fairness and opportunity for all. Taylor |m I3R||I MR >jj$ M M J I Si
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Dec. 27, 2012, edition 1
8
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75