media contact:
David Perry & Associates, Inc / (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com 

Come on up and Sit a Spell!

Saturday, September 21 Is the First Annual Porchfest Benicia:
A Celebration of Music, Community, and History
www.porchfest-benicia.com

2 July 2024, Benicia, CA:  Is there anything friendlier than a front porch with a view? The folks at Benicia Magazine (https://www.beniciamagazine.com) are inviting, well, everyone to come down to the Bay’s historic and charming town and see for themselves on Saturday, September 21 (1pm – 5pm) at the inaugural Porchfest Benicia (www.porchfest-benicia.com). A vibrant and community-driven music festival, the first annual Porchfest Benicia will transform the charming porches of Benicia’s vintage homes and the bustling storefronts of First Street into lively stages for a diverse lineup of musical performances, art and interactive family-friendly experiences.

“Come on up and sit a spell,” quipped Mary Hand, publisher of Benicia Magazine and the visionary who is spearheading the event. “Those of us who live, love and labor in Benicia know what a hiding-in-plain-sight gem our little town is.  We want to re-introduce it to the world, especially our neighbors around the Bay.”

Porchfest is an annual celebration that began in Ithaca, New York, in 2007, and has since spread across the United States and Canada. It brings together local musicians and community members to showcase their talents on front porches, storefronts, and driveways, promoting a sense of community and pride.

“Benicia, known for its artistic spirit and historic charm, is the perfect new host for this beloved tradition,” Hand continues.  “Porchfest is more than just a music festival. It’s a celebration of community, creativity, and the unique character of our town. We’re blessed with talented musicians and beautiful porches, making Benicia the ideal setting for this joyous event. This festival is our way of sharing the spirit of Benicia through music, inviting both locals and visitors to experience the warmth and charm of our community.”

Porchfest Benicia will feature live music from an array of genres including country, rock, pop, reggae, blues, jazz, Latin, R&B, and folk. Attendees can stroll from one beautiful vintage home to another, as well as enjoy performances at various First Street venues. In total, between eight and ten porches along with eight First Street locations will host musical acts, ranging from local favorites to artists from beyond Benicia plus 18 bands.

Adding to the festivities, local shops will offer special Porchfest deals, and restaurants will prepare “To Go” boxes for festival-goers to enjoy as they wander from porch to porch. This family-friendly event will also see the Benicia High School Band serving as “roadies” for the bands and performing during the day, with volunteers, affectionately called “groupies,” assisting throughout the festival.

Benicia Mayor Steve Young expressed his enthusiasm: “Porchfest Benicia is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the beauty and spirit of our town. It’s a celebration that aligns perfectly with Benicia’s tradition of community engagement and artistic expression. We invite everyone to join us in this unique celebration of music and community, experiencing firsthand what makes Benicia such a special place.” 

To ensure a smooth and enriching experience, off-site parking will be available with shuttles transporting visitors to the event. As a special touch, docents from the Museum of History Benicia will narrate the rich history of our town during the shuttle rides. A trolley will also circulate along First Street, providing stories about Benicia’s vintage homes. Maps and schedules will be distributed to guide attendees through the day’s activities. Maps are interactive and can be downloaded via QR code online via the Porch Fest website.

Porchfest Benicia is a free event open to all ages, with optional VIP tickets offering enhanced experiences for those looking to enjoy even more of what the festival has to offer.  VIP tickets are available online at  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/porchfest-benicia-tickets-936906621927?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

Nestled on the Carquinez Strait, Benicia is a city rich in history and culture, known for its vibrant arts scene, historic architecture, and welcoming community. Porchfest Benicia aims to highlight the best of what the city has to offer, blending music, history, and local flavor into a memorable celebration for all.

media contact: David Perry / (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com 

KICK BULLYING TO THE CURB:
A Free Community Wellness Festival & Celebrity Kickball Game

Saturday, September 28: 10am – 3pm

Palm Springs Power Stadium

Free admission and parking.  Free food and drink. 
Free activities for youth and families

24 June 2024 – Palm Springs, CA:  The acclaimed nonprofit Boo2Bullying (www.boo2bullying.org) — providing outreach, mentoring, inspiration and hope to bullied youth and their families — is celebrating its 2nd Annual Kick Bullying To The Curb, Wellness Festival on Saturday, September 28 (10am–3pm) in the Palm Springs Power Stadium in Sunrise Park (480 S. Sunrise Way).  Everything is FREE for youth and adult attendees thanks to generous Sponsors and Community Partners.  Registration begins at 10am.  Advance registration is recommended at https://boo2bullying.org/events/

From 10am. until 1pm, Boo2Bullying and Community Partner organizations will host information tables/booths and family-friendly activities, DJ, glitter bracelets, balloon animals and face-painting for children.  Festival-goers will also be treated to a “Petting Zoo and Cool Critters” show by the Mobile Zoo of Southern California and free hot dogs, nachos, icy lemonade and more at the ultra-fun Blue Truck Mobile Snack Bar and Atomic Game Truck.

From 10am – 1pm, attendees will engage in activities for all youth, families and community allies including the Palm Springs Unified Districts. At noon, the action shifts to the Palm Springs Power Stadium field where Coachella Valley notables and out-of-town celebrities will compete in Boo2Bullying’s “2nd Annual Kick Bullying to the Curb” game.  A special guest singer will sing the National Anthem followed by a team of Hollywood actors and A-Listers,  all to be announced in the coming days.

Sponsor underwriters of Boo2Bullying and this event are the City of Palm Springs, BIGHORN Cares Foundation,  Contour Dermatology,  and the Palm Springs Unified School District’s Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Tony Signoret, who will also be playing in the “Celebrity Kickball Tournament” as Captain of “Team Palm Springs”.

A partial list of Community Partners participating in the Wellness Festival includes the City of Palm Springs Parks & Recreation Department, Boys & Girls Club of Palm Springs, First Tee-Coachella Valley, Gay for Good, The LGBTQ Community Center, and Transgender Health & Wellness Center, The Bianca Group, Guru Magazine with more to be announced in the coming weeks.

The mission of Boo2Bullying is to provide outreach, mentoring, inspiration and hope to bullied youth and their families.  The nonprofit organization founded in 2013 provides free programs in schools and community organization settings and online over social media platforms.  Mental health is enhanced when children and teens feel empowered, build their self-esteem, realize they are not alone, and discover that they have a voice and are capable of standing against bullying to create positive change. For information about scheduling a Boo2Bullying program in your school or community organization, contact Dimitri Halkidis at (310) 435-8528 or dimitrihalkidis@boo2bullying.org.

Report from European Jewish Association Annual Conference in Amsterdam, June 2024

On the 3rd-4th of June, we at the EJA gathered over a hundred and fifty Jewish Leaders for our Annual Conference in Amsterdam – ‘Fighting back for our future’ – which became an emergency summit on the antisemitism crisis that has blighted the continent, and our communities since October 7th.

We were intent on finding practical solutions. And we did.

At a concluding plenary session before the close of the conference, having taken the many important ideas from the Jewish leaders throughout the summit, we passed a resolution of action for governments to take. It is attached, for your convenience, in 5 Languages (EN, FR, D, SP, I).

In it, we asked for the immediate establishment of an online reporting mechanism for the ongoing harassment of Jews and antisemitic threats suffered, and that this reporting mechanism be directly linked to law enforcement agencies for rapid response.

We also called for comprehensive police officer training in identifying antisemitism, dealing with antisemtism and arresting those that perpetrate antisemtic acts.

We urged each European public prosecutor office to appoint a dedicated proffesional to deal with antisemitic complaints, with a view to adopting much tougher responses to antisemitic incidents.

We reiterated our call for the IHRA definition of antisemitism to have legal “teeth” or in other words to be integrated into the country’s legal system, in order to ensure that breaches are punishable.

Finally, we delivered a criticism of EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell for his anti-Israel bias that has been a significant contributory factor to the rise of antisemitism.

The conference was widely reported in the media, and contributed to the fact that Borrell’s spokesperson had to participate in an extremely uncomfortable press conference questioning at the European Commission.

Now, we have the responsibility to ensure that the resolution is turned from words into concrete action.

We shall be advocating at the highest political and diplomatic levels on your behalf, to ensure that this happens.

Above all, the aforementioned summit and similar such activities exist for you, European Jewish Leaders, to unite in a common purpose, to share and propose solutions and to increase our impact, via our united strength.

We were also delighted to welcome new Jewish communities who have joined our Association in the past months, communities from Spain, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Moldova. The EJA is growing and hence- your voice is growing louder.

If you could not make it this year, we invite you to join us in Madrid on the 26-27 May, 2025, coinciding with Jerusalem Day, for our next Annual Conference. We shall be delighted to welcome you and other Jewish communities that you may wish to introduce to us, that share our values.

Meanwhile, we invite you to share the attached resolution widely and to click on the link below, to see the many pictures from our event.

Website: https://ejassociation.eu/eja/the-european-jewish-association-annual-conference-in-amsterdam-has-officially-concluded

Pictures:http://gofile.me/62Q7y/UcqXtkts6

Yours respectfully,

Rabbi Menachem Margolin
Chairman

European Jewish Association
www.ejassociation.eu

media contact: DP&A, Inc / David Perry / (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com

On Friday, June 28 “Suit Up” For Good!

Macy’s and the Union Square Alliance 
Presents the Third Annual “Suit Up” Fashion Show and Makeover featuring 14 young men and women from the Bayview Neighborhood.

20 June 2024 — San Francisco, CA: Call it fashion forward paying it forward. On Friday, June 28, the annual “SuitUp!” fashion show and training program provides 14 young men and women from San Francisco’s Bayview with personalized outfits selected by Macy’s stylist team to better prepare them for the work-a-day world. Alongside advice and mentoring, the program focuses on building self-esteem and life skills for professional development. Sponsored by Macy’s in collaboration with Black Men Enhanced, Operation Genesis, the SF Police Department, the SF District Attorney’s Office, and the Union Square Foundation, SuitUp culminates with a fashion show(June 28, 3pm – 4:30pm, 6^th Floor of Macy’s at 251 Geary Street) where participants model their new outfits, followed by a celebratory luncheon at The Historic John’s Grill.

“These young people are truly inspirational, and their dedication to their goals inspires us all,” said Marisa Rodriguez, CEO of Union Square Alliance. “Having worked for many years in the San Francisco District Attorney’s office, I know how important initiatives like ‘SuitUp’ are to breaking the cycle of violence. I want young people of our city to experience Union Square as a place for them to celebrate life’s greatest moments. This program defines a smart and compassionate partnership between business, law enforcement, and the community. I applaud all of the organizations involved with a special thank you to Macy’s.” 

The inaugural 2022 cohort of Suit Up!, which included young African American men from Bayview’s Alice Griffith Community, participated in a year-long mentorship program focused on empowering and supporting young men during a crucial age. Last year, the second cohort of fifteen young African American women, aged 13-20 from SF’s Ladies in Powerprogram, participated in a six-week intensive program focusing on self-esteem and confidence building, addressing unrealistic beauty standards and social media pressures. This year’s group of young men comes from Operation Genesis. The women’s contingent is drawn from interns and others working in the District Attorney’s Office.

Upon completion of this year’s program, the young people will have the opportunity to meet with a Macy’s stylist and purchase their first work suit and accessories courtesy of Macy’s. They will also participate in the Macy’s Runway Show on June 28, showcasing their new suits and celebrating their growth and transformation. 

The idea for “SuitUp” came in 2021 through Robert Newt, a Supervisor at the Street Violence Intervention Program. Determined to see the young people he works with succeed, Newt started a mentoring program with a year-long curriculum focused on self-esteem and positive transformations. 

“My vision for this mentoring program was to collaborate with community partners and teach young people about the power of self-esteem,” said Newt. “I strongly believe that if we can get these young people to love themselves and see how powerful they are, we can help set them up to be strong leaders in our communities.” 

The San Francisco Street Violence Intervention Program is an outreach and crisis response program hosted in the Department of Public Health. Created in 2013 to reduce and intervene in youth-related street violence for the City and County of San Francisco. The “SuitUp” pilot project has gained enthusiastic support from its community partners, including the SFPD and District Attorney’s Office.

“Congratulations to the young people participating in Suit Up,” said San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.  “They are exceptional young people with bright futures ahead who have demonstrated their commitment to improving themselves and our community.” 

“We are so proud to support 15 young people in this third year of the program,” said San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott.  “The ‘Suit Up’ initiative is about helping young people build confidence to learn to help themselves and their communities.” 

For more information on this Violence Intervention Program, please contact Chief Tiffany Sutton, SFDA’s Chief of Collaborative Justice, at tiffany.sutton@sfgov.org

About the Union Square Alliance: 
The Union Square Alliance serves members and creates a high-quality visitor experience by managing and activating public spaces, attracting new investment, and advocating for the District’s future success. Union Square is the vibrant heart of San Francisco and an international destination where visitors enjoy exceptional retail experiences, luxury hotels, world-class cultural institutions, and excellent public spaces found only in the City by the Bay. A lively 27-block community surrounding Union Square Park in the heart of San Francisco makes up the Union Square Alliance. It is bordered to the north by Bush Street, to the east by Kearny Street, to the south by Market Street, and on west Taylor Street. For more information on the Alliance, go to www.visitunionsquaresf.com