News Of By and For The People of Contra Costa County, California
Fabulous Feet Dance Studio presents their Winter Ballet Performance of “Alice in Winter Wonderland” Sunday, Dec. 18 at Heritage High School in Brentwood. The ballet begins at 4:00 p.m.
Artistic Directors Kimberley Karbowski and Denise Williams.
Tickets are $20 each and available at Eventbrite.
For more information about the studio visit Fabulous Feet Dance Studio or their Facebook page.
DLS Lacrosse Team supports SVdP – St Francis Turkey Drive on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. Photo: St. Vincent de Paul
By Brian Boyle, Communications & Development Associate, St. Vincent de Paul of Contra Costa County
On Saturday, November 19, 2022, the St. Vincent de Paul branch at St. Francis Assisi church in Concord, and the coaches and players on the De La Salle Lacrosse teams provided over 100 turkeys and over 100 volunteer hours to help hungry Concord families. As a result, these 100 families, (over 400 individuals), will have a special holiday meal to serve their family this Thanksgiving.
Isabel Lara, the leader of the St. Vincent de Paul volunteer team in Concord said that they would not be able to extend this program to the needy without the help of the De La Salle Lacrosse teams.
“The kindness and support of the DLS Lacrosse players and coaches at the Thanksgiving distribution was a gift to the community!” she shared. “The happy faces from the parents and their children as they received their turkey, and the bags of food was a beautiful expression of their gratitude.”
The St. Vincent de Paul branch at St. Francis of Assisi operates a food pantry, provides home visits to extend basic needs assistance, (rental & utility assistance), and other services for the needy.
The De La Salle Lacrosse teams have provided this assistance to St. Vincent de Paul for 12 years, distributing over 1,650 turkeys, raising over $35,500 and contributing over 1,230 volunteer hours.
If someone needs help, please contact SVdP at www.svdp-cc.org, or (925) 439-5060.
About St. Vincent de Paul
The mission of St. Vincent de Paul: A network of friends, inspired by Gospel values, growing in holiness and building a more just world through personal relationships with and service to people in need.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Contra Costa County provides help to neighbors in need regardless of gender, national origin, race, or religion. It is part of an international non-profit, organized locally to bring concrete aid and comfort to those who are poor and suffering in Contra Costa County. The Society collaborates with other people and organizations of good will in mitigating need and addressing its causes, making no distinction in those served.
Source: Youth of Promise Fund
The Youth of Promise Fund, a partnership between the Contra Costa County Probation Department and the Antioch Community Foundation, is now open to accept applications for micro-grants of up to $10,000 for non-profit organizations serving Eastern Contra Costa County youth and families and to support priority program/service areas described below for the period: October 1, 2022 – September 30, 2023.
Priority Program/Service Areas Include:
Among others that support and promote strategies and best practices that effectively prevent or reduce juvenile crime and provide youth and their families with opportunities to achieve, grow, and thrive.
Application Process and Timeline
Non-profit (501c3) organizations serving justice-system involved youth and/or youth at risk of justice-system involvement in East Contra Costa are eligible to apply. (A pool of $85,000 has been allocated for this grant application cycle.)
Applications must be submitted to the Antioch Community Foundation via online or by email at grants@acfcommunityimpact.org. See the link below for the application.
Applications are due no later than 5:00pm Friday, October 28, 2022.
For questions, please send your inquiry to grants@acfcommunityimpact.org or contact Keith Archuleta at 925-584-5944/ keith@emeraldhpc.com.
Delvon Hasain Hasan & Dioni Tamira Patton. Photos by Brentwood PD.
By Brentwood Police Department
On Tuesday, Sept. 20 at approximately 3:25 PM, Brentwood Police officers responded to the Bank of America located at 6261 Lone Tree Way for a robbery that just occurred. The victim reported that after exiting the bank, she was approached by one suspect who attempted to grab her purse. A struggle ensued with the suspect while a second suspect was waiting close by in a getaway vehicle. The victim’s wallet and purse, containing an undisclosed amount cash was stolen during the struggle. Both suspects fled the scene in the getaway vehicle, described as a black four-door sedan was seen traveling eastbound on Lone Tree Way.
The victim sustained minor injuries and it was determined a second minor victim was on scene but did not sustain any injuries.
Our investigators quickly performed follow-up and with the help of Concord PD and Antioch PD, identified and arrested 18-year-old Dioni Tamira Patton and 20-year-old Delvon Hasain Hasan both from Antioch. Our investigators also recovered two firearms, other related evidence and two vehicles associated with the robbery. Additionally, it was determined through surveillance footage, these suspects were responsible for a similar robbery that occurred at the same location on Sept.16, 2022, at approximately 2:25 p.m.
Guns confiscated by Brentwood police and Delvon Hasan perp walk.
According to MaxPreps Hasan is a 2021 graduate of Antioch High School where he played baseball and football. According to hudl.com he wore jersey #5 and played quarterback and tight end in 2019.
Through collaboration and partnership, we were able to safely take both suspects into custody. A special thank you to Concord PD and Antioch PD for their assistance.
Please remain vigilant at all times and aware of your surroundings. If you see something suspicious immediately report it to the police.
If you have any information related to this crime, please contact Detective Sares at 925-809-7733. Callers may remain anonymous.
Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.
Brentwood SWAT at Myrtlewood Court home in Antioch. Tauane following his arrest on Wednesday, August 24, 2022. Photos: BPD
Faatino Tauane. Photo: BPD
By Brentwood Police Department
During the course of the investigation into the deadly shooting that occurred at the 24-Hour Fitness in Brentwood on Thursday, August 11, 2022, at approximately 1:54 a.m., Brentwood Police investigators positively identified 20-year-old Pittsburg resident Faatino Arona Tauane as the second shooter in this case.
On Wednesday, August 24, 2022, at approximately 4:45 a.m., Tauane was peacefully taken into custody at a home in the 900 block of Myrtlewood Drive in Antioch. He was later booked at the Martinez Detention Facility for murder. To date, one firearm has been recovered and the vehicle Tauane used to flee the scene is now in police custody. A second firearm used in the shooting remains outstanding.
On Friday, August 26, 2022, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office charged Tauane with one count of murder with enhancements and additional felonies.
On Thursday, August 11, 2022, the first of two suspects detained during the early stages of the investigation had been positively identified as one of the shooters who was wounded during the altercation. The suspect, a 17-year-old Brentwood resident was booked into the Contra Costa County Juvenile Detention Center for murder. His name is being withheld due to age. The second suspect was released from police custody after it was determined he was not a shooter.
The decedent has been identified as, 21-year-old Antioch resident, Cesar Arana. Our hearts go out to the family and friends impacted by his untimely death.
Arana was an innocent bystander not involved in the initial altercation. He was struck by gunfire while trying to help a person who had fallen to the ground during a physical fight outside.
Additionally, our agency would like to thank those who came forward with additional video footage and the staff at 24 Hour Fitness for their full cooperation throughout the entire investigation.
According to localcrimenews.com, Tauane was also arrested by Pittsburg Police in December 2021, for carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle and when not the registered owner.
Anyone with information regarding the outstanding firearm or any additional information related to this investigation is asked to contact Detective Greene at 925-809-7797.
Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.
Freedom High Varsity cheerleader and honor student Presley Miller and with Dr. Andre in Tanzania. Photos courtesy of Presley Miller.
By Allen D. Payton
Presley’s surprise Award of Excellence certificate and letter from the Congress of Future Medical Leaders inviting her to attend.
Brentwood resident Presley Miller, a senior at Freedom High School in Oakley, California recently returned from a two-week summer honors program in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania with FutureDocs Abroad for high school and undergraduate students who aspire to a career in the medical field.
She was selected for the opportunity through her participation as a delegate to The Congress of Future Medical Leaders, a nationally recognized high school honors program of the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists. Students must have a minimum 3.5 GPA to qualify. Miller’s GPA is 4.0. She attended the Congress which was held via Zoom in June 2021.
A separate group of students went to Vietnam during the same weeks. Miller chose Tanzania to apply for “because it was in Africa where I’ve never been.”
FutureDocs Abroad is an honors-only program, of the National Leadership Academies, that allows qualified high school students a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to gain real-life experience and access what only third and fourth-year medical students can in the United States. The purpose of this internship is to honor, inspire, motivate, and direct the top students in the country, to stay true to their dream and, after the program, to provide a path, plan, and resources to help them reach their goal.
It puts passionate and qualified students into an intense medical environment overseas, where every single day it allows them an opportunity to experience, now what they’ve only been able to imagine.
FutureDocs Abroad was founded on the belief that strong emotional intelligence is the cornerstone of student success and is committed to supporting students in their development. The National Leadership Academies also recognizes that prospective talent must be identified at the earliest possible age and help must be given to these students to acquire the necessary experience and skills to take them to the doorstep of vital careers as leaders and in the fields of medicine and the sciences.
“It was exciting to be able to personally experience international medicine and learn the culture of Tanzania, while creating lifelong friendships and memories!” said Miller. “It was an experience of a lifetime.”
Presley (back row, fourth from left next to guy in black scrubs) with her entire group in front of the hospital where they worked.
During the program, she joined students from across the U.S. and spent time observing surgeries taking place in the operating room, with the surgeon explaining the procedure as it was being performed. Miller also spent time in the gross anatomy lab with a professor, learning about the anatomy and proper dissection of human cadavers and practicing dissection techniques on animal parts. In addition, she shadowed physicians in the emergency room, clinics, and wards in over a dozen areas of specialty, including pediatrics, oncology, surgery, orthopedics, OB/GYN, and more.
“I got to observe a C-section, cesarean, and watch a baby take his first breath,” Miller shared as her favorite part of the trip. That gave her the desire to focus on “neurosurgery and work in pediatrics.”
One of about 50 students on the trip, she was the only one from Freedom High and encourages other students to participate, as well.
“If you have the opportunity to be a part of The Congress and be able to sign up and be selected to go on this trip, other students should do it. I would do it again, personally,” Miller stated. “If other kids in our area are able to experience this it will be amazing.”
“It took about 30 hours of travel each way,” she shared. “We had to first fly to New York to meet up with the group and fly together from there.”
They landed in Dubai after a 12 or 13-hour flight, followed by a five-hour flight to Tanzania, Miller explained.
“But coming home it was longer due to layovers,” she added.
Presley with fellow student Tora Solbach from Iowa on the hospital’s roof where they ate lunch, each day.
Asked how she learned about the program she explained, “I got a certificate in the mail from a doctor, Stephen Mitchell, the dean of Georgetown Medical School in May 2021.”
“I was like, ‘what is this?’” Miller said. “It was a selection for the Award of Excellence from the Congress of Future Medical Leaders and an invitation to attend it.”
There’s a fee to participate in the program. “But part of it was covered by a sponsor who paid for everyone,” she shared.
As part of the Congress, Miller did extra course work to earn one college credit. She has also been taking high school courses, more than required, for a degree in medicine.
“I took anatomy and physiology this last year and taking AP biology and chemistry, this year,” Miller shared.
Asked about her college plans, she said, “my goal is to go to UCLA, but I’m open to anything, anywhere for undergraduate school that would be a good connection to medical school, whatever God has planned for me.”
Miller is also a varsity cheerleader at Freedom High and the daughter of Antioch chiropractor, Dr. Lance and Treasure Miller.
Asked if she was inspired by her father being a chiropractor, Miller said, “Yes. Growing up around it and always being in that environment of the medical field.”
She works with her dad and mom in the office during the summer. Miller’s older sister Haley is starting chiropractic college in the fall.
“As a parent, we’re proud of our daughter’s dreams and inspired by her desire to enter the medical field in neurosurgery,” dad, Lance stated. “When she was younger, Presley wanted to find a cure for Alzheimer’s because my Aunt Pam died of it at an early age.”
“We were a little nervous about her going over there in another country for two weeks, but excited at the same time,” he shared. “Thank God for technology because we were able to speak with her every day on WhatsApp and Facetime.”
Presley’s mom, Treasure spoke about the trip and her interest in medicine from early childhood.
“I took her to New York, and we met with the program at JFK airport, then they took her from there to Tanzania. We had to participate in Zoom meetings before she went,” she shared. Presley said they got to New York City two days before and went shopping in Manhattan.
“I’m not sure how they got her information, but I’m sure it was during COVID when the students went online and she was showing her interests in college and they got her information,” Treasure explained.
“She’s always known since she was five that she wanted to be a neurosurgery,” her mom, continued. “I asked, ‘why neurosurgery?’”
“She said ‘you, know, Mom, everyone needs a brain and I’ll never be out of a job,’” Treasure stated.
Presley (front row third from left) with a group of her fellow students in the program.
“I’m extremely proud of her and I know God has a plan for her in her life and has definitely set her up for this,” Presley’s mom, said. “It was very hard for me to let her go to a third world country at 17-years-old. So, I had to really give it to God and pray about it and let her go and trust she would be fine.”
“She was 13 hours ahead,” Treasure stated. “So, when her day was ending my day was starting,” and vice versa,
“I’ve always known since she was very little that God gave her this gift to heal people, kind of like her dad, to heal people with his hands,” she continued. “But she’s going down a different road. They work together. You can’t live without your brain or your spine. She’s a different child, a very old soul, very mature for her age and always has been.”
“She does work hard at it. But she’s very dedicated,” Treasure added.
About The Congress of Future Medical Leaders
High-achieving and deserving high School students are selected to become Delegates of the Congress of Future Medical Leaders by parents, teachers, and other educational avenues. Student Delegates are screened through an application process that includes GPA verification. Academically superior high school students are honored for their dedication, talent, and leadership potential in medicine.
During the Congress, Delegates hear from the world’s leading medical pioneers, groundbreaking researchers, young prodigies who are carving the way for the future of medicine and medical technology, and from patients who have had their lives changed (or saved) by medicine.
The stage is graced by the greatest living minds from different areas of medicine, medical technology and engineering, research, and science—some that Delegates may not know exist! They share insights into who they are, what they do, their successes, failures, and practical advice for Delegates.
For more information, visit www.TheNationalLeadershipAcademies.com or call (888) 986-6563.
CineJet video screenshot and Cinejet with Shotover F1 Camera. Source: Patriots Jet Team
By Allen D. Payton
Planes, aerobatic pilots, crew chiefs and other members of the Patriots Jet Team based at the Byron Airport in Contra Costa County helped make the new movie Top Gun: Maverick, starring Tom Cruise, now in theaters. As in the original Top Gun film, the sequel features a variety of jet training and combat scenes in which the team provided their L-39 CineJet™ to film the high-speed, in-air shots.
According to their website, the Patriots Jet Team is the largest civilian-owned aerobatic jet team in the western hemisphere. The team was started in 2002 by founder and owner Randy “Howler” Howell, a Discovery Bay resident, who also helps pilot the special jet. Howell has more than 26,000 hours of flight time and over 30 years of flying experience with United Airlines. He has been an advanced instructor in aerobatics, formation, UPRT (upset prevention and recovery training) as well as a Check Airman and Simulator Instructor in a multitude of aircraft.
The CineJet™ high-speed, cinematography platform was launched in 2017 when the Patriots Jet Team partnered with Helinet.
In a March 2 post on the team’s Facebook page it shows a brief video during filming of the movie from the CineJet™ Facebook page asking, “Recognize the jet?”
In another Facebook post on April 1 it reads, “The Patriots are so excited to finally see Top Gun Maverick come out. The #cinejet was key to many of the aerial scenes, can’t wait to see them on the big screen.”
Then on April 18 the team posted, “Lots of Patriots L-39’s in the latest #topgunmaverick Trailer. https://twitter.com/tomcruise/status/1516039183332216838…”
A June 6 post on their Facebook post reads, “If you haven’t already seen Top Gun: Maverick, you won’t want to miss our Helinet CineJet aerials on the big screen! #TopGun #TopGunMaverick #TGM #CineJet #PatriotsJetTeam” and includes a brief trailer from the movie.
At the Top Gun-themed, Patriots Jet Team Foundation annual fundraiser last September, the Guest of Honor and speaker was American actor, writer and producer Glen Powell, who is co-starring in Top Gun: Maverick. He plays the part of pilot, Lt. Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin. The evening’s program also included a special behind the scenes look at the involvement the Patriots Jet Team pilots had in the aerial shooting of the new movie.
Patriots Jet Team founder and owner Randy “Howler” Howell with one of his CineJets specially equipped for the Shotover F1 cameras inside the Hangar of Dreams in Byron, California. Photo by Allen D. Payton
Howell Provides Details of His Team, CineJet, Filming and Training Cruise and the Other Actors
According to Howell quite a few members from the team participated in the making of the film, which includes two pilots, Howell and Scott “Intake” Kartvedt, and five crew chiefs to mention a few.
He provided more details about his organization and the filming of the movie.
The team provides three services, “one is flying a six-ship airshow similar to the Blue Angels or the Thunderbirds,” he shared. “We also provide upset training, teaching corporate and airline pilots how to recover from an unusual attitude or an upset due to wake turbulence, weather, or mechanical failures, flight controls.”
The third piece of the puzzle, is “the CineJet operation for filming,” he stated. “We partnered up with Helinet, a company in Southern California. They own the Shotover F1 which is a large, gyro-stabilized platform which can hold many different types of cameras for filming.”
“We designed, engineered and mounted it to the front of a highly modified L-39 Albatross jet.”
“This all started when my good friend, Kevin LaRosa, Jr., who I have shot commercials and movies with, in the past, came to me and said, ‘hey, would you be interested in partnering up on putting a big, Shotover F1 system on the front of an L-39?’” Howell explained. “My first question was that’s usually used on helicopters with a maximum speed of 150 knots. We need to go a lot faster if we’re going to start doing aerial filming of Top Gun and the likes.”
LaRosa has worked in the film industry for over 16 years as a stunt pilot and aerial coordinator. He and Howell are the pilots for the CineJet.
“So, we worked with the company Shotover based in New Zealand and they then started doing modifications to the six-axis, gyro-stabilized system that can be controlled, to look straight up, straight down, behind you, right and left,” Howell stated. “We needed to do 350 knots and sustain three G’s for maneuvering with the Super Hornets in the movie. So, they modified the arms, gears, motors and other items within the unit. They would then send it to us, and we’d test it up to the next speed, and the next until we reached 350 knots and 3.5 G’s. They did a lot of studies in the wind tunnel and a lot of engineering prior to this.”
“Once it was ready to go, we started launching every jet that every friend had, corporate jets. I flew the Mig-17, the Saberliners, as well as multiple L39’s intermixed with the Mig-17 and we created an exciting, one-minute sizzle reel,” Howell continued. “We sent that to Paramount, and they contacted us and said, ‘we like it. We want to talk.’ So, that’s how it all started.”
Patriots Jet Team Foundation 2021 fundraiser invitation. Source: Patriots Jet Team
Work on Top Gun: Maverick
“We were then contracted to work on three different areas for the movie over about a year-and-a-half period,” he shared. “First was filming the Super Hornets in flight and the majority of the tactics that you see in the movie. The second was training all of the actors and actress, Monica (Barbaro) is the only actress who portrayed a pilot in the movie. We flew with every single one of the actors including Tom. He then wanted to get checked out in the airplane because he loved the L-39 so much. I flew with Tom many times getting him up to speed in the airplane.”
“The purpose for training all the actors and Tom was the Super Hornet was going to be pulling up to seven-and-a-half G’s,” Howell explained. “So, we went up in the L-39 which is stressed to eight G’s and we flew over, and over and over again at eight G’s. We flew up to 18,000 feet, we’d get a lot of energy up and we would put it into a spiral and sit at eight G’s for long periods of time. That was to get all of them into a mindset that they could act, which is a lot of energy. Acting, you can’t be putting energy into getting sick and nauseas, throwing up and all of that, and acting. So, we flew a lot with all of them.”
“Then Tom loved the airplane so much, and Tom is an awesome pilot, a really, really good pilot, and a really good formation pilot, as well, which is a whole different skill set from normal aviating” Howell shared. “I trained him, and he took a check ride with the FAA. Now, he’s qualified to fly by himself in the L-39 or with other people.”
He then mentioned a video of Cruise in which he flew TV talk show host James Corden in the L-39.
“The other piece of the puzzle was to paint two of our L-39’s in movie grey, sort of a flat, grey color and then put targets on both sides of the tail, both sides of the nose, top and bottom of each wing,” Howell explained. “Production was not able to get a flying F-14 because they don’t fly anymore, they’re all retired and they couldn’t get a Russian Sukhoi 57, either. We did the flying for that.”
“So, it’s real flying,” he added.
“They blocked off 40 miles of the Feather River for us up near Chico,” Howell said. “Then one of our pilots, Scott ‘Intake’ Kartvedt, a former Hornet and Blue Angel pilot in the Navy, and I flew all the two-ship stuff with the two Su-57’s and the F-14 through the Feather River. When we did that, it was about a six-week project, and we flew two to three times every day. We also flew off the coast of Point Mugu for the over water, ocean scenes with the two airplanes along with the CineJet filming us.”
“The first time we flew, we scouted the river in a helicopter,” he explained. “There’s a lot of hairpin turns, reversals, with granite walls, a thousand, two thousand feet high on both sides of you. So, as you come up on these switchbacks, come back the other way, you need to know you’re going to be able to come around there and some of them you can’t, they’re too tight. So, now you’ve got to come up over top of the mountain, roll inverted, pull down the other side of the mountain and roll out. All while being filmed by a helicopter or the CineJet with Shotover systems on them.”
“After we flew the first one in the L-39’s and spending several days scouting the area, taking notes, memorizing exactly which turns you were going to make all the way around, which turns you had to come over the top in,” Howell shared. “And we were down in the dirt, we were down 10 feet off the trees through a lot of that and the first time we landed the two of us were visibly, our hands were shaking. We walked toward each other and hugged, ‘Intake’ backed up and said, ‘I have 153 combat missions under my belt. I’ve never been under such high stress flying, before.’”
“So, it was definitely high-risk, but very calculated in the way we executed with all the scouting ahead of time,” he continued. “We started flying up higher, first. Then we came down as we got more comfortable and then we started filming once we got really comfortable down low.”
Asked how many times they flew the canyon route Howell responded, “many, many, many times.”
“You know to get one second of film, you’re gonna film an hour,” he said with a chuckle.
“Every last, little detail in the Super Hornets, everything, everything is the real deal,” Howell stated. “All the internal cameras they would mount inside one of our L-39’s for proof of concept to show what it would look like to the producers, to the director, and what angles they wanted. Then they could go the Navy and say, ‘we’ve already tested all these cameras in the airplane now, we need to mount them inside your airplane’.”
“That’s the whole story of Top Gun. A year-and-a-half involvement, but we were not filming for a year-and-a-half,” Howell shared. “We might film for six weeks, then have a month or two off. Then we’d go back and film for a month or two months, and then we’d have time off. So, it was just over a period of a year-and-a-half.”
They started filming in 2018 and finished up in 2019.
Patriots Jet Team airshow. Source: PJT
Filmed Another Movie Set During Korean War
Howell then shared about another movie they filmed, “which is going to be spectacular. It’s based on a true story, during the Korean War era where there’s an African American and a white pilot in flight school. The African American was a sharecropper’s son. He was homeschooled. He only wore shoes on Sunday. The white pilot’s dad was a prominent attorney, he belonged to the country club. The two of them became best friends in flight training.”
“They finished flight training and started flying in combat. They were assigned to F-4U Corsairs, the gullwing Corsair, and they went into battle,” he continued.
“I won’t ruin the rest of the story for you,” Howell stated. “There’s a book out called ‘Devotion’ by Adam Makos. You can order it on Amazon. It’s a really, really good story and it’s a true story. I love true stories. It’s going to be a great movie.”
The aerial scenes were filmed in 2021, January to March in Wenachee and Pasco, Washington and then Savannah, Georgia.
The name of the movie is the same as the book, “Devotion” and will be in theaters Thanksgiving weekend beginning Wednesday, Nov. 23.
“Our good friend, Glen Powell, who starred in Top Gun and others, and who was our speaker at our fundraiser is one of the two stars, he plays the pilot/character ‘Tom Hudner’,” Howell shared.
He also played John Glenn in the movie Hidden Figures, “and he’s starred in other movies, as well,” Howell added.
Q&A
Asked how many members from the team participated in the filming of Top Gun: Maverick he said, “There was probably seven of us at different times. We took different crew chiefs who would maintain the airplanes. We have a big hauler, an 18-wheeler and it carries spare everything for the L-39’s. Then we took Jet 7 and Jet 8 which are both set up with the Shotover wiring. There’s a lot of mods to the airplane before mounting the camera. So, we had both airplanes at every event. We had other airplanes there too for doing other training, as well.”
Asked how many pilots the team has Howell said, “we have six airshow pilots.”
According to the Patriots Jet Team website, “they have logged over 105,000 hours of flight time and performed in more than 1500 air shows.” Most recently, they performed over Venice and Mandeville Islands in the Delta prior to the fireworks show on Sunday evening, July 3.
The Patriots Jet Team Foundation
Lastly, the accomplishment that Randy is most proud of is the Patriots Jet Team Foundation, a separate non-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation which he founded in 2011.
“The Foundation educates and mentors youth in America in aviation/aerospace and STEM career paths. The Foundation has partnered with other STEM based Foundations, as well as public, private, charter and University school programs.” Howell shared. “We cater to nearly 10,000 kids a year with rocket launch competitions, high-altitude balloons, introduction to aviation classes, aerodynamic classes and many more that we do, right here, at our facility as well as in the public schools system.”
Be sure to attend the PJT Foundation Benefit Gala on September 17th. You can learn more and register at PJTF.ORG.
To learn more about the Patriots Jet Team visit www.patriotsjetteam.com.
Source: Travis Credit Union
Adulting can be challenging when it comes to finances. That’s why Travis Credit Union (TCU) is offering an in-person Mad City Money Youth Financial Boot Camp, designed to prepare the next generation with personal finance skills for the workforce. All young adults between the ages of 12 – 18 are encouraged to attend and learn these financial skills that will last a lifetime.
Mad City Money is a three-and-a-half-hour simulation that gives young adults the chance to make decisions regarding budgeting, spending, and saving in an assigned-life scenario. For example, each participant will be given a temporary identity that includes an occupation, salary, debt, marital status, children, etc. The goal is to show the reality of financial responsibilities and equip them with the skills needed to make better financial decisions.
Travis Credit Union is offering a free Mad City Money event in Pleasant Hill.
July 8, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Diablo Valley College, 321 Golf Club Road.
Students will learn how to practice budgeting as an adult under realistic circumstances. They will be able to distinguish between good and poor financial decisions. and begin making good judgments regarding spending.
Admission to this event is free. To register, please visit traviscu.org/mad-city-money.
In a tweet on the West Contra Costa Unified School District Twitter feed it reads, “Haven’t heard? @RichmondPromise is throwing a #5k! Join on June 11th for a little family friendly competition and a whole lot of fun. Snag your ticket today at tinyurl.com/RPFunRun. Can’t wait to see you there! @cranewaypavilion @assemblemarketplace”
According to their website, the Richmond Promise works to increase the number of students, particularly low-income students and students who are the first in their family to go to college who:
The non-profit organization believes “all students deserve access to higher education and the tools to achieve their dreams.”
The Richmond Promise Scholarship is a $1,500 college scholarship, renewable for up to 4 years. Students may attend a 2-year or 4-year college, and/or pursue a Career Technical Education Certificate at any not-for-profit institution in the United States.
Agamroop Kaur. Source: LinkedIn
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Agamroop Kaur of San Ramon, CA, has been named the Barrie Fiske National Youth Advocate of the Year by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Agamroop will be honored on May 5, 2022, for her leadership in the fight against tobacco at the Tobacco-Free Kids’ annual Youth Advocates of the Year Awards celebration in Washington D.C.
Now, a senior at Dougherty Valley High School, Agamroop Kaur’s advocacy work began in middle school when she noticed that every bathroom smelled like a candy store and many of her classmates were already hooked on Juul e-cigarettes. She made it her mission to educate her peers about the dangers of vaping and to stop the tobacco industry from targeting her generation. She has also authored op-eds and produced a documentary on the youth e-cigarette epidemic – titled “BIG Tobacco BIGGER Epidemic” – that won a prize in C-SPAN’s student documentary contest. Agamroop also worked on successful campaigns in five California cities and Contra Costa County to end the sale of flavored e-cigarettes and other tobacco products, expand smoke-free policies and limit tobacco retailers in youth centered areas.
“We are thrilled to honor Agamroop Kaur as the Barry Fiske National Youth Advocate of the Year,” said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. “Seeing first-hand the impact of tobacco use, Agamroop has become a passionate advocate for the health of her peers and community. She exemplifies the qualities of a new generation of leaders who are standing up to the tobacco industry and fighting with us for a healthier and more equitable future.”
The National Youth Advocate of the Year Award is named after Barrie Fiske, a tireless champion for the right to breathe smoke-free air and a longtime member of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Board of Directors, who passed away in 2019.
Every year, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids honors a National Youth Advocate of the Year, four Individual Youth Advocates of the Year and a Group Youth Advocate of the Year. The winners receive scholarships to continue their tobacco prevention efforts and serve as youth ambassadors for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
“I am an ambitious high school student, venturing through the world with an open mind,” Agamroop wrote on her LinkedIn page. “With my passion for policy, research, human biology and behavior, I seek to expand the realm of public health with innovative solutions.”
Last year, she served for four months as a Policy and Media Intern for the Contra Costa Health Services Tobacco Prevention Project and has been a Teen Research Advisor for the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media since February 2021. Agamroop is also a Stanford University Research and Policy Intern serving as a Youth Action Board member of Stanford’s REACH Lab where she’s working to build and review curriculum reaching 2 million youth.
Tobacco use is the No. 1 cause of preventable death in the United States, killing over 480,000 Americans and costing the nation $226 billion in annual smoking health care costs.
In California, tobacco use claims 40,000 lives annually and costs $13.29 billion in health care bills each year. Currently, 1.2% (24,400) of California high school students smoke cigarettes, and 8.2% use e-cigarettes.
Additional information about the youth award winners can be found at tfk.org/awards and more resources and information about tobacco can be found at www.tobaccofreekids.org