Garner Holt, President and CEO of Garner Holt Productions, Inc. (GHP) of Redlands, a creator and manufacturer of Audio Animatronics and Robots, Sets and Scenery and Special Effects, for Theme Parks, Museums, and many other venues around the World, recently announced the creation of The Garner Holt Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) Non-Profit Organization,

Holt said, “I am pleased to announce the creation of our Non-Profit, The Garner Holt Foundation, to help us further our goals in supporting the Youth of our Communities in the Area of Career Education, with a focus on innovative STEM and STEAM Learning”. Two years ago, GHP created “Education Through Imagination”, a new Division of the Company, to work with the Education Community. Focusing on student Career Education, utilizing their manufacturing process and facilities to expose students to over twenty-five different jobs and career opportunities in Manufacturing.

Holt continued, “Over the years we have had thousands of young people tour our facility and now with the creation of our Education Through Imagination Division, we want to make sure all the youth of our communities have access to the exciting hands on training we have created.”

Serving on the Board of Directors of the new organization are Debbie Brown, Bob Botts, Chairman, Charlotte “Char” Burgess, Mark Edwards, Gary Miller, Beverly Rainbolt, Joe Richardson, Dr. Mike Stull, and Stan Weisser. Also serving on the Board are Garner Holt, Ryan Rainbolt, Michelle Berg and Carole Mumford.

“We look forward to continue working with the K-16 Educational Institutions in the area, providing exciting Career Education Programs through the schools. And now to be able to support and promote a non-profit, community-based facility, called “Garner’s Garage”, is kind of a dream come true for me” Holt concluded.

Plans and construction are moving forward for the completion of the eight thousand square foot Garner’s Garage in Redlands, where the community and youth will be able to attend classes, seminars, and hands on Workshops and work with Robots, Computers, Laser Cutters and 3D Printers with a focus on STEM and STEAM Career Education.

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A veteran counts his blessings

November is a season of giving and receiving: people coming together, colder weather, warmer drinks, friends, families and communities come together. And our community does a great job at this. Wonderful things are happening in our community and I wanted to share this story of collaboration between our non-profits and our community.

Sometimes life seems over whelming. External forces sometimes seem chaotic, dramatic and immediate and they can cause fear and turmoil. Marine Sean Turner knows all too well how quickly this can happen.

For the past year and a half, this Marine and his family lived in a single room at the Days Inn in Hemet. There were only two beds and one bathroom for a family of five. To cook their meals they had a microwave and a George Foreman grill. They spent 22 holidays and 7 birthdays in that hotel. A month after arriving, Turner was laid off.

Funds from his 401k $2,100 quickly evaporated, paying for the the hotel, while credit cards were used to keep the family afloat. Sean, a good marine was not sure how things were going to work out, but a good solider keeps going.
Everything changed for Turner and his family on September 21, 2019. A good marine brother, Major Tony Williams, came to the rescue. Williams, who over-sees the Marine Corps JROTC at Tahquitz High School, at which Turner’s son Gabriel is a cadet, learned of the family’s situation and started networking. Through this, Turner came in contact with a family he never knew he had: the veteran family. The veteran community stepped in, collaborating with The American Legion Post 53, together with “Paying it Forward,” “Maneuvering Veterans Forward,” and “The Cloverlane Foundation” and The Valley Community Pantry as all stepped up to move Sean Turner and his family forward in a way they never expected.

(This the season to be blessed)

The Turner family is in a new apartment thanks to the Cloverlane Foundation; The Valley Community Pantry stocked their home with food: Paying it forward donated a car to the Turner family, and, as if it had come straight out of a scene from the film, “It’s a wonderful life,” an anonymous donor came forward, and paid for a surprise dinner for Sean Turner and his wife Lisa for their 16th wedding anniversary on October 31. No Hollywood screenwriter could have scripted a better, more heart-warming tale.

A shocked and overwhelmed Turner could only say, “These groups did more than my family and I could have ever imagined, and way more than I thought I deserved. With all their help, my family and I now have a sense of normalcy; we were losing hope that we would ever make it. I can never express enough gratitude to do justice for what all these organization have done for me and my family. I am proud I served, and my oldest will be going in the Marines very soon.  I am blessed he has seen first hand how our Veteran family came together for us. Again, THANK YOU.”

They are now in a new apartment and able to save money to get their life back on track and spend the Holidays in their new place and enjoy family time. And we have a new active family living in and giving back to our community. “Welcome home” to the Turner Family.  We are so grateful and blessed in our community.

If you hear of great stories about a veteran or a non-profit in and around our community e-mail me at gotosandydee@gmail.com or call 562-719-6826

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Grandfathers for Golf is a non-profit, charitable 501(c)(3) program. They are staffed mostly by senior citizens, all of which are volunteers. The organization currently has 40-50 volunteers, all dedicated to teaching Golf to young children that come from both low-income families and financially solvent families, all at no cost. They are partnered with Golden Era Productions to use the Golden Era Golf Course in San Jacinto, as well as with Valley-Wide Recreation to use the Echo Hills Golf Course, in Hemet.

Everyone that is a part of Grandfathers for Golf is there for the betterment of the children’s lives, as well as to be a part of something bigger than the individual. President of the organization, Tony Viola, describes, ” I’ve noticed a phenomenon over the years that I have been here, and that is the fact that all of these volunteers out here have bonded together and become a family. They became their support system, helping each other throughout senior citizenship”.

He continued, adding, “The kids and volunteers all come from different backgrounds and cultures, and they’ve meshed very well. They learn from each other’s differences and use them to have a great experience”.

Another volunteer, Bob Wadlow, has volunteered with Grandfathers for Golf for three and a half years. He tells of his experience, “Helping the kids every day gives us a chance to give back. I’ve been volunteering my whole life, helping children, and not only is it a good experience for us but at the same time, we are helping these children learn the game of golf, the proper etiquette of the sport, the behaviors, and mannerisms. It gives life a purpose”.

The Grandfathers offer beginner, intermediate, and advanced classes. They have programs every season of the year. For the fall, winter and spring programs, their charter partners with the San Jacinto Unified School District to have busses at every middle school in the valley to provide the kids with transportation to every class.

Once enrolled, GFG provides every child with a golfing hat, shirt, and their own set of clubs, free of charge. Parents are always welcomed to come to watch and can be down on the course, taking every step of the session alongside their children.

A new volunteer, Ron Davis, found a few hours of his time that he could dedicate to such a positive and impactful cause. Davis, who lives in Huntington Beach, called the organization, “inspiring” and “welcoming.”

Many of the volunteers, like Davis, found out about the organization through their Men’s and Women’s Club, where adults gather and hang out, around the game of Golf. On Thursday mornings, they meet at the Golden Era Golf Course, at 7:30 a.m. For the mere price of $25, you will receive a continental breakfast, lunch, and 18 holes of Golf. $5 of the $25 is entered into a prize pool, while the rest of the proceeds go directly to Grandfathers for Golf. This is a great way to meet the volunteers and gather more information on what the Grandfathers are all about.

Another option, as Davis suggests, is, “…to come down and hang out. See everything that these guys have going on here. You see the difference it makes for these kids once you’re here helping them out”.

Viola praised his volunteers, but also the donors, stating that, “Golden Era Productions, San Jacinto Unified School District and Soboba are our main contributors, along with the many other individual donors here in the valley.”

He also spoke on the lasting effect that his organization has had on families. He described a young boy with autism, whose parents signed him up with Grandfathers. He was nonverbal, and they took him in and taught him Golf. He was able to socialize with the children, as well as with the Grandfathers. In the end, they helped him towards becoming verbal. Years later, Viola receives a call from the boy’s parents, saying that he is doing well and has a job. They credited the Grandfathers for Golf as the ones who changed that boy’s life, forever.

This one example is a perfect representation of what Viola, Wadlow, Davis, and the rest of the organization stands for. They wake up each morning, looking forward to walking onto the course, and sharing their knowledge and wisdom with the children of our community. Seeing the smiles on the faces of our youth is their biggest goal. As they put it, “Volunteers come in all types: men, women, older, younger, liberal, conservative. The core value that unites them all in a single purpose is that they want to make a difference in a child’s life”.

The Grandfathers for Golf are always looking for more volunteers, and are ready to welcome you to the golf course. They plan on pursuing future growth, changing their official name too, “Grandfathers for Golf, Inc.” If you are interested in volunteering or getting your children involved, please visit: www.grandfathersforgolf.org

The author of this story can be contacted at villalobos3fidel@gmail.com

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Playing the role of Mulan is Star Loza and Adan Nunez is Captain Shang. Dara Bailey is playing the mischievous dragon, Mushu. Mulan’s Ancestors, who narrate the play and keep a watchful eye on Mulan are Olivia Pena, Nadaici Davis, Mya Votaw, Ivanna Manzyuk, Cosette Cardenas. The Emperor of China is Andy Ballard and his advisor, Chi Fu is
Drake Rogers. Mulan’s Soldier comic buddies are Ellie Ballard, Nick Jones, Joshua McLeod.

The evil leader of the Huns, is Devon Young. The Fa family are James Serna as Father Fa, Chamisa Inoway-Mann as Fa Li her mother, and Deja Carrillo as the humorous Grandma Fa. The Matchmaker is played by Kaitlyn Armas and Clarissa Vasquez.
The children rehearse for three weeks before they present the show in the Ramona Bowl. They learn singing techniques, choreography, and acting.

For more information about this program or ticket sales call 951 658 3111, visit the Ramona Bowl Amphitheatre Facebook or website, ramonabowl.com.

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