Angels in Our Community - The Spectrum Magazine

As I Was Saying… (Continued from p6)
supporters and friends the opportunity to make the election night rounds and
meet others who support the same candidates and also meet their families, etc.
It is just awkward going to an event where you want to congratulate someone
and have to do so with those you don’t want to congratulate or have not supported.
It just creates a false scene of acceptance and support that in reality is not there.
In case you have not heard, Redwood City has a new police chief. Although
I was secretly hoping one of the internal candidates (Captains Chris Cesena
and Ed Hernandez, who both applied and served as interim chiefs) would get
the appointment, I must say that after meeting J.R. Gamez, I am impressed
with City Manager Bob Bell’s decision.
It would have been so much easier for Bell to appoint one of the internal candidates,
but since taking over, he has not been too intimidated to make decisions he feels
are in the best interest of our community. The council, the Police Officers
Association and the Police Sergeants Association have all come out publicly
and stated their support for Bell and his decision. I don’t think it is just standard
public relations either, as I feel both associations would have expressed their
displeasure had it been there.
During the process of selecting a new chief, I had the pleasure of getting to
know both the internal candidates better as they were out in our community
attending meetings and events. We are not always given that opportunity
because our officers are so busy and can’t be out doing public relations all
the time. But the positivity it brings should be considered and continued. I
hope that they both continue to do so, as they represent our officers in such a
positive and professional manner.
Happy Holidays to everyone.
As I was saying…
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Angels in Our Community
striving to understand reality and understand their
world from a spiritual perspective, that there is
something greater and bigger and that they were
created with a purpose. And what I experience in the
classroom is supernatural as I watch how these kids
process their lives.”
The Adobe Youth Voices Peapod Academy is a
joint alliance between the Adobe Foundation, pop
group the Black Eyed Peas and the Entertainment
Industry Foundation, which has academies stationed
in Redwood City, San Jose, Oakland, Los Angeles
and New York City. All academies are year-round
and specifically designed to empower and endow
youths from underserved communities with extensive
training in the arts by way of state-of-the-art digital
technology and coaching from industry professionals.
“This is a very powerful experience for these
young people,” said Miguel Salinas, senior manager
of Adobe Youth Voices. “ ‘Angel in [My] Sky’ is
an example of the magic you see that can happen
when you connect young people with the tools,
encouragement, mentorship and the technology
to be able to creatively express themselves and tell
their stories. These young people are keeping a
positive attitude while staying focused on pursuing
their dreams despite their circumstances. That’s
inspiring and what Adobe Youth Voices is all
about. I have the best job in the world because I
work for a great company that has a commitment
to educating younger people and I am able to help
Adobe and their foundation accomplish this.”
In return, these up-and-coming gifted youths are
doing the best job ever in redefining their own destiny
and eloquently impacting their community through
their collaborative, creative projects in music and
filmmaking at the same time. They have found
their niche and voice within the arts and “Angel in
My Sky” is a phenomenally expressive example
of this. “I do really feel this short film will impact
our community,” said Gasparini. “I hope the
community listens to the message of hope and change
and overcoming adversity. [And] I hope the community
will see these high school students and know
we must support our schools and youth-serving
organizations like Boys & Girls Club of the
Peninsula. I am so proud of the staff and leaders
of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula. They
have such amazing staff, and to mentor these kids
as they do each day is amazing to me. I just can’t
describe how impactful this staff is. They hold the
members of BGCP to a high standard. They have
high expectations of these kids and hold them
accountable. I feel very strongly about one of their
mantras: ‘graduate with a plan.’ So programs like
the Peapod Adobe Youth Voices help youths find
their passion, stay in school and map out their future.”
And “Angel in My Sky” is already responsible
for mapping out a promising future for all of the
remarkable teens who worked on this short film.
It’s a very well-written and well-made film abounding
(Continued from page 13)
with powerful scenes that embody layers of deep,
compelling messages of having hope, keeping
the faith and trusting in God, especially during
very dark and trying times. The most universal,
profound affirmation in this short film was made
by Angelo (played by Kaho): “Everyone can hear
what the heart says to them, but not everyone has
the courage to follow it. Sometimes you have to
risk everything to gain everything.” Perhaps that’s
something an angel would say as well!
Viewers of all ages can visit the Adobe Youth Voices
Peapod Academy media gallery online, where they
can watch “Angel in My Sky” along with an archive
of many other artistic projects from all of the
existing academies, at youthvoices.adobe.com/
youth-media-gallery.
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