“When I saw what these young men had done to bring the community together, I wanted to be part of it to make it an annual event,” Boxing for Christ Founder Sonia Ramos said. She and Vincent Arres, SBC Vice President, collaborated to create a free event for the whole community to come together.

“The event is mostly a bike meet-up centered around good food, music, and good vibes,” Arres said. “It is really about bringing people together. We are grateful to everyone who has stepped up to support, donate, and help make the event possible.”

Riders and others were greeted at the park with donuts, Danishes and orange juice at 10:30. Volunteers were on hand to do some serious cooking to treat riders to a filling lunch of tacos, chicken, carne asada and fish with rice and beans after their return. Each rider was awarded a medal for participating. Sonia Lamas with LAMAS Housing Project, a Hemet-based nonprofit, served snow cones and Cynthia Rodriguez brought some delicious cookies from Cynthia’s Sweet Treats.

“Our goal is to bring the community together in a healthy way,” Ramos said. “We want the community to come together and meet people and have a good time. It takes a village to raise these youth and the community and business leaders have shown that they care about the youth in the community.”

She said many of the kids from Boxing for Christ participated this year, some on bikes and some on scooters. “That is why we try every year to give away more bikes,” Ramos said. “There are a lot of kids that don’t have bikes, so they use their scooters, but when they win a bike the next year, they are happy and ready to go on the new bike.”

Arres said e-bikes are allowed as well. “We do encourage our more experienced riders to keep an eye out for fellow riders and help make sure everyone stays safe and together,” he said.

The Ride the Valley Together pedaled off from Sallee Park in San Jacinto, rode out past the Hemet Public Library near Latham Ave. and State St. and then to the Gibbel Park Skate Park on Devonshire Ave. in Hemet before riding back to Sallee Park, where Boxing for Christ is headquartered.

“What I enjoyed most was seeing the community really show up for each other,” Arres said. “Seeing the lowriders, families, kids, businesses (big and small), and riders from different areas all in one place. We had a few small tire issues, but overall, it was a smooth ride. We were getting honks from drivers all through the city showing love—good vibes—and it felt good seeing people get out of the house in a healthy way and just be together.”

Arres gave a big shoutout to San Jacinto Mayor Crystal Ruiz, Mayor Pro Tem Clarisa Sanchez, and Councilmember Valerie Vandever. “They rode the entire ride like champs, and it meant a lot to have leadership out there riding with the community,” he said. “Huge thank you to the San Jacinto City Council as a whole, and to everyone who came out and took the time to spend the day with us.”

Other riders included Wolf Jones, who participated last year as well. He said it’s always been an amazing time for him and his family, who joined him riding last year. “Although this year I was riding on my own, my family followed behind in our car but still enjoy the festivities and the family-friendly environment.” After attending local school with some Soboba Tribal members, he said it was like a full-circle moment to be riding with them as adults now.

Kenny Gonzalez is involved with the Soboba Bike Crew and was glad to be part of the ride for the third time. “They are my good friends,” he said. “We met about four years ago riding bikes and our friendship grew from there. This year’s highlight was seeing the kids riding their bikes with mom or dad or other family members. “It was awesome; it brings the community together,” Gonzalez said.

The Soboba Bike Crew is active all year long, usually meeting two or three times a week. The club started with about nine members and has grown to 20-plus when everyone is out riding together. Charles Resvaloso serves as SBC President, but Arres pointed out that if the leaders aren’t available, other ResLyfrz will step up and run it so everything keeps moving and the group continues riding. Arres said the growth has been amazing to see. He also has seen many families on and off the Soboba Reservation buying more bikes and getting involved. Co-hosting the annual Ride the Valley Together is such a great extension of what the club does.

“We never thought that this event would grow the way it has,” Ramos said. “Now it’s up to Vincent and me to keep this event going every year.” Arres said they are proud of what they are building.

“The kids had a great time receiving medals and prizes and I loved seeing the smiles on everybody’s faces,” Ramos said. “And having city council members involved in the run and the mayor helping was great.”

San Jacinto Councilmember Valerie Vandever has participated in this event since its inception and loves the community outreach and seeing young and old riders come together. She said a highlight was seeing the kids’ faces when they won raffle prizes, including brand new bikes.

“It just gets bigger and bigger every year,” Vandever said. “I am able to ride my heart out and hang out with my community and enjoy the event. The mayor and mayor pro tem also showed up this year, so it was the first time I didn’t ride alone.”

The city advertised the event on social media and through word of mouth.

“It means a lot to see the growth and support around something that started small and continues to bring people and families together in a good way,” Arres said. “Support has continued to grow from the community since the very first ride. It started with the support of our families and Sonia’s family’s support, and from there more people continued to step in. People have been offering to be part of it because they share the same vision and goals of growing something healthy and positive for the community.”

Arres and Ramos are grateful for the businesses, individuals and groups that stepped up to donate and/or participate in this year’s event. They were SEDC/Roadrunner Express, San Jacinto Unified School District and the SJUSD Parent Center, San Jacinto City Council , Hemet Elks Lodge, Soboba Casino Resort, Valeous Law, Familia Car Club, HCSB, LAMAS Housing Project, Native Avenue, Fina Blend, Sevilla Portrait Studios, Chef Anita Morillo from Soboba Kitchen, Ladies are Optimists of Hemet, Orozco’s Taco Man (food vendor), Mike Saenz, Mia Basquez and Bianca Machado.

“We also want to shout out to the other bike crews/teams that came out and showed love, including Cruisin’ & Brew, Block Heads, and Los Frijoleros BMX, along with other local riders,” Arres said. “Some even donated merch and shirts for the raffles for the kids, which was really thoughtful.”

More information can be found on Instagram at res_lyfrz and on TikTok under SBC@reslyfrz. For information on Boxing for Christ, please visit https://boxingforchrist.com.

The post Bike run unites the community appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

Family members confirmed that the teen was hospitalized following the incident and is currently undergoing treatment. While specific details about the accident have not been publicly released, loved ones say the recovery process is expected to be lengthy and will require ongoing medical care and rehabilitation.

In response, friends and relatives launched an online fundraiser to help ease the financial burden associated with medical expenses, travel, and time away from work. Within days, the effort gained traction, drawing support from neighbors, classmates, and even strangers moved by the family’s situation.

“The support has been overwhelming,” a family member shared. “We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has reached out, donated, or kept our family in their thoughts.”

Local schools have also stepped in to provide support, offering counseling services to students affected by the news and encouraging messages of unity and compassion.

Community members have taken to social media to share updates, organize meal trains, and coordinate additional ways to assist the family during this difficult time.

Officials reminded residents to remain mindful of safety, particularly in busy areas where pedestrians and vehicles frequently intersect. While investigations into similar incidents are ongoing throughout the region, authorities emphasize the importance of awareness and caution for both drivers and pedestrians.

As the teen continues the road to recovery, the community’s response stands as a reminder of how quickly people can come together in times of need.

Those wishing to support the family are encouraged to look for verified fundraising efforts and continue sharing messages of encouragement as recovery efforts move forward.

The post Community Rallies Around Local Teen Injured in Weekend Accident appeared first on The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle.

The kickoff event featured prominent figures from various news organizations, including Inland Empire Community News, KVCR Public Media, Black Voice News, and Frontline Observer, among others. The highlight of the event was a keynote address by Paulette Brown-Hinds, PhD, Chair of the Journalism Innovation Hub+ Fund and Publisher of Black Voice News.

“Both media and philanthropy play a crucial role in advancing a multi-racial democracy and serving the public good. I’ve been particularly excited by philanthropy’s response to the crisis in local news media,” Brown-Hinds said. “As a fund, we are focused on the future, committed to building a stronger news ecosystem by thinking creatively about improving the civic health of our region through community engagement and solutions reporting on vital conditions for thriving communities.”

The Journalism Innovation Hub+ Fund is designed to support innovations in community news, expand reporting on essential conditions, and invest in sustainable models for local news and civic information. The initiative aims to combine philanthropic efforts to enhance impact, connect donors and funders committed to amplifying community voices, and foster more active, informed communities.

The fund’s establishment comes at a critical time. Since the explosion of the pandemic in early 2020, at least 85 local newsrooms in the U.S. have closed. Others have barely remained in operation, cutting staff, salaries, and work hours. About 1,800 newspapers have shut down across the country since 2004. These closures have left many communities as “news deserts,” lacking reliable local news sources.

“Study after study shows how local news fosters informed communities and civic engagement,” Brown-Hinds continued. “We are proud to announce that the Inland Empire has become one of the first regional chapters in California to benefit from this initiative.”

The event also featured remarks from Dean Baquet, former editor-in-chief of The New York Times, who emphasized the critical role of local journalism in maintaining a healthy democracy. “There is an absolute crisis in local news,” Baquet stated. “I’ve visited newsrooms that once had hundreds of journalists and now have just a handful. Collaborative journalism is the way forward. None of these news organizations have the resources to do big investigative stories alone, but together, we can.”

Baquet, who reported on cases of corruption and money laundering between 1990 and 1995, also discussed the need for news organizations to move forward from competitors to collaborators. “Competition was good for journalism when we could do it, but it can’t be sustained anymore. It’s time for us to collaborate to survive and thrive.”

During the Q&A session, Evan Sanford, executive director of the Redlands Area Chamber of Commerce, asked Baquet about his thoughts on whether there are two sides to every story. Baquet responded, “No. There’s no two sides to racism and anti-Semitism. Some stories do have two sides, but most don’t.”

Baquet highlighted the importance of embracing technology in journalism. “We should not run away from tech,” he said. “While there are challenges, there are also tremendous opportunities. Newsrooms must learn to drive change and adapt to the fast-paced demands of the digital age.”

The Journalism Innovation Hub+ Fund aims to support local journalism through collaborative reporting, resources, and innovative solutions. By fostering partnerships and investing in media infrastructure, the initiative seeks to ensure the long-term sustainability of local news and bolster civic engagement.

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