AKA’s Get Contract To Operate
Cleveland Job Corps Centers
Aloha Kaooa Aloha Sororitv. Inc..
AIT A final
a 120,000-member service organiza
tion, has received a $15.5 million
federal contract to operate the
Cleveland Job Corps Center (Ohio)
for a two-year period beginning Feb.
1.
AKA is one of only four black and
two female contractors chosen to
operate one of the nation’s more than
100 centers, which provide basic
education, vocational training, hous
ing and work experience for disad
vantaged youths.
With slots for 530 corpsmembers,
the Cleveland Center is a mid-size
facility. While there are four centers
with slots for more htan 1,000, the size
of the others ranges from 125 to 735.
operate the Cleveland Center in 1965, \
but for the past 10 years has survived t
strong challenges from giant cor- s
porations which operate most of the {
centers. <
Mary Shy Scott, AKA international t
president, said she was particularly i
pleased to have received the contract (
at this period in history. “It is critical t
now more than ever that these at-risk i
youths be given a second chance, and ‘
despite federal cutbacks and the t
recession, this contract ensures that
AKA can continue to provide that se- s
cond chance and make a positive dif- c
ference in their lives,” Ms. Scott said, v
In addition to offering vocational s
training in career areas from child v
BY BARRY COOPER
If you walk Into a grocery store to
buy, say, a carton of eggs and a
gallon of milk with a $100 bill as pay
ment, you can expect a mighty strong
stare from the sales clerk. That is
because the $100 bill has developed a
bad rap. It has become agoo<fway of
drawing attention to yourself.
Merchants are so afraid of taking in
counterfeit bills that many are reluc
* tant to accept $100 bills. In South
Florida, where the drug trade is
heavy, some banks are requiring
customers to have an account before
cashing $100 bills. Other banks are
forcing customers to sign affidavits (
leclaring that the bills aren’t fake.
Even some post offices are requir- t
ng driver’s licenses before taking the £
1100 bill. t
This paranoia over the $100 bill (
:ould be wide-ranging, as .more and
nuhfb mSrchahts seek to help cut
losses, what with the country ap- t
sarently headed into a recession. c
The issue could affect the average f
man or woman, too. “If the bill is bad, •
whoever holding it is stuck,” said an t
official with the United States Postal e
Service. B
That means that if you take in a s
Scams On Rise With New Advertisina
BY BARRY COOPER
There are some folks out there who
are spending a lot of time these days
trying to think of ways to separate
you from your hard-earned dollars.
Here are some scams to look out for:
• “One-shot” credit cards. Some
companies have begun marketing
credit cards that may seem Just like
the major credit card issued by your
bank. But be careful before paying
any fee for these cards. Consumers
around the country who have paid as
little as $35 for the cards have
discovered that the cards are good
only to buy products from a specific
department store or catalog. And
often the merchandise made
available for sale is at an inflated
price, and the credit card carries a
higher interest rate than other cards.
Companies marketing these “one
shot,” “guaranteed approval” cards
generally aim their advertising at
consumers who have credit problems
or low income.
If you are looking around for a
credit card, stay with the names you
are familiar with. Even consumers
with poor credit can obtain one of the
major cards. You will have to place
some money in a bank—at least
$800—for collateral, and the interest
rate likely will be slightly higher. But
you will have a legitimate credit card
that is accepted worldwide, and by
making your payments on time, you
will be improving your credit.
• Bogus health-care products.
Some ripoff artists are targeting
elderly people, promising them that a
cure has been found for various
ailments such as arthritis or im
potence. Some senior citizens have
fallen for these scams, only to find
themselves having purchased $600
worth of vitamins. See a doctor
before buying any expensive health
care items.
•Work-at-home schemes. Con
sumers should carefully investigate
any work-at-home offers that seem
too good to be true. There are many
such scams today, ranging from
advertisements seeking housewives
to address envelopes at home for $10
an hour, or for people to assemble
kids’ toys on commission.
One recent advertisement offered
$10 an hour for people who would
agree to stay at home and take credit
applications for a company. In nearly
every case, all such offers should be
avoided. Consumers end up paying
fees to the company for materials
and that is the extent of the scam.
For example, in the case of the toyi
scam, consumers are asked to buj
hundreds of dollars worth of toy parti
to get started. Then, once the con
sumer starts to send in the toys for
commission, the company rejects
(See AD. SCAMS, P.18)
Oprah Donates
To Poor, Less
Fortunate Ones
Responding to the plight of the less
fortunate, talk-show host Oprah Win
frey, who is known for her generous
spirit, recently gave $50,000 to help a
church in San Francisco fund its an
nual holiday grocery giveaway.
The Glide Memorial United
Methodist Church has been
distributing thousands of groceries to
the poor since 1979. However, last
month the church reported that holi
day contributions were down and ask
ed for public donations.
vote w avvvuuuugi uiv piwgiaui |»v
vides the opportunity for corp
smembers who do not have a high
school diploma to earn a GED and
gives those who have a diploma the
chance to earn college credit.
While all craters provide a core
curriculum and basic services, Ms.
Scott said that corpsmembers at the
Cleveland Centra receive an addi
tional benefit because AKA members
are actively involved in the centra.
“We provide special, personal
touches,’’ Ms. Scott said.
Such touches include celebrations
and events which are held at the
centra, care packages, scholarships
which AKA sets aside for corp
smembers, and social and etiquette
workshops and/or experiences
fake $100 bill from say, a friend as
payment for some service, you are
out of luck. Your only choice would be
to press charges against your friend
for passing bad bills and then seek to
collect payment through small
claims court.
There are ways to spot counterfeit
bills, however, and just as the banks
and merchants are protecting
themselves, so should the average
citizen.
Here is what to look for:
•Check the serial numbers on the ’
bill. The serial numbers on
counterfeit bills sometimes are im
properly spaced and aligned.
•Beware of odd coloring on the
bill. Red and blue fibers are imbedd
ed in authentic bills. Counterfeit bills
may have red and blue fibers
simulated by surface printing.
• Check the Federal Reserve seal,
which has a large “J” in the middle.
If the bill is counterfeit, the saw-tooth
points on the circumference of the
seal likely will be uneven, blunt or
broken off.
• Examine the portrait of Ben
Franklin. Hie portrait should be
clear and vivid unless the bill is ob
viously worn through years of use.
The portrait on counterfeit bills ap
pears to be lifeless and merges into
the background, with the hairlines in
distinct.
AKA Celebrates
Founders Day
In January
Sunday, Jan. IS, marked an ex
traordinary Founders’ Day program
celebrated by Sigma Tau Omega
Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha
Sorority, Inc., of Cary.
Chapter members and guests
united in worship service at the
historic St. Paul AME Church in the
city.
The affair was held at the Velvet
Cloak Inn in Raleigh. Basileus Robin
D. Whitaker conducted the program
and rededication ceremony. The
sorors then listened to an inspira
tional message from guest speaker
Soror Lucille Piggott, a former Mid
Atlantic regional director from the
(See FOUNDERS DAY. P. 18)
Reebok
THE
CAROLINIAN
Are • The • Proud • Sponsors • Of
Reinvestments —- Community
GROUPS TOLD TO U8E SAVINGS
' IN SELF-HELP PLANS
Fra CAROLINIAN Stall Report!
National black organisations across the United
8tates are being urged to either scale back or cancel
their 1M2 conventions and use those dollars in a self
help economic development plan.
The proposal is being advanced by television
Journalist Tony Brown, who is the host of “Tony
Brown’s Journal” on Public Television.
“Each year, 156 national black organizatons
spend |3 billion In white hotels discussing white
racism and black poverty,” said Brown.
He pointed out black groups should redirect
convention dollars that would have been spent on
travel, meals, lodging and entertainment to form a
capital base for new business enterprises. Buying
hotels would be a start.
“This Is a self-initiating wealth creation program.
In effect, we are rechanneling our own wealth back
into the community," Brown said. “We can’t rely
any longer on government program* to stimnlate
our business economy.”
Brown mM he aelected hotel* as the first phase of
the pl^n, “because there Is a definite need on our
part tp use them and they could create an
immediate cash flow.”
In 1M3 black organisations would resume
national conventions in those black hotels.
Economists and Mack organisations say Brown’s
convention plan is a progressive alternative to
government programs for tackling social problems
and promoting black financial independence. To
date, no major black organisation has canceled
convention plans for 1M2.
The National Association of Black Journalists,
with 2,*00 members, .the Black Data Processing
Associates, 5*0 members, the Tuskegee Airmen, 050
members, and the Progressive National Baptist
Convention, 10,000 members, are among groups
that plan! to hold *02 conventions in Detroit at the
(See REINVESTMENT, P. 18)
'Reinvestments in the Community" is a weekly column appearing
in API publications throughout the USA.
NEA Conference
Opens-Up Major
Planning, Tool
WASHINGTON, D.C.-The Na
tional Education Association will
open up its two major conferences in
1901 for the first time to the full
education community and to others
who have an interest in technology
and partnerships in education, an
nounced NEA President Keith
Geiger.
In the past NEA conferences, which
explore new dimensions and trends in
the education field, have been
restricted to participation by its
members.
“If genuine education reform is go
ing to happen, everyone has to buy in
to it—from the planning stages to ac
cepting responsibility for its im
plementation,” Geiger said.
The first conference, set for San
Francisco March 8-10, will examine
public education’s access to and use
of technological advances.
“It’s a revolution limited to the
business sector so far. All segments
of the public, our schools and our
classroom teachers, must be ac
quainted with its dimensions and be
allowed to participate,” said Geiger.
The second conference, set for Pitt
sburgh April 19-21, will consider how
all of the nation’s resources can be
mobilized to, address the governors’
natdiohal education agenda goals.
(See NEA MEET, P. 18)
I _
INTERNATIONAL CONSULTANT-Eva
M. Clayton, President of Tochnlcal
Rotourcot International, Ltd., and
Commissioner of Warren County, with
WMam Hibson, Cantor for RaOgion,
Ethnic and Social PoNcy, Comal
Univorslty. Ithaca, Now York wH
roprosont the Presbyterian Church
(USA) as an International consultant on
environment In Some. Switzerland.
Host Families Needed
For Foreign Students
me international r nenasmp pro
gram at North Carolina State Univer
sity has put out a call for volunteers
to serve as host families for interna
tional students.
An orientation course for new hosts
is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Jan. 24 ip
the Green Room of the NCSU Univer
sity Student Center.
The IFP program has been a
catalyst for cultural exchange since
the 1970s. Host families help interna
tional students adjust to life in the
United States, says IFP coordinator
Louise Eiswirth.
Each semester she recruits
volunteer hosts willing to make a one
year or one-semester commitment to
befriend a student or student family.
About 20 new hosts are needed to
meet requests from international
students arriving at NCSU for the
spring semester.
“There are 1,100 international
students at NCSU, representing 93
countries,” Eiswirth said. “About 125
of them request host families each
academic year. The first year far
away from home and family is
always the most difficult for them.”
Hosts, who include single people,
couples, people with children or
retired people, are asked to help the
students understand the American
way of life, the language, customs
and community.
Special events sponsored by the
IFP help “break the ice” for hosts
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Valentine social, planned for the
NCSU University Student Center on
Feb. 10, will introduce students to
slice of pure Americana—square dan
cing.
Ordinary activities can be mutual!,
rewarding for host and students,
Eiswirth added. One student helped
her host pick strawberries at a local
farm. Another helped put in a row of
tomato plants in his host’s backyard
garden. Later, they all enjoyed the
fruits of the harvest American
style—strawberry shortcake and
tomato sandwiches.
Don Roberts, director of the NCSl
International Student Office, said too
IFP experience “always turns ou‘
be a surprise’’ for the American ho- s
as well as the international students.
(See NEEDED, P.18)
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