Aspires' Stars
DEC 2018
Ms. Betty Ford
Coming soon!
SEPT 2018
Ms. Blanchie Ross
Ms. Blanchie Ross and her committee members Ms. Barbara Bigby, Ms. Shirley Brown, and Ms. Lois Tuson have all agreed to provide nutritious and delicious snacks to children at the Aspires Student Success Center After School Program Monday through Thursday between 3:30 pm and 4:00 pm, beginning Monday, September 10, 2018.
Affectionately called The Aspires Snack Bar Committee, this team is comprised of Scott United Methodist Church members with a passion to stay active in the community.
SEPT 2017
Ms. Janet Randolph
On behalf of the Aspires West Pasadena Board of Directors, Staff, Volunteers, Students and Parents, we would like to take this opportunity to welcome Ms. Janet Randolph, our newly selected Aspires Program Coordinator.
Aspires is an after school student success program serving students in grades 3 - 12 building skills in Mathematics, Language Arts (reading, writing, speaking), Life Skills and Computer Literacy. Ms. Randolph brings with her a wealth of experience to this position which she assumed August 28, 2017. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration/Human Resources from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, California. She has also been active working with parents in the community.
Ms Randolph works well with the president and the entire Aspires organization. With her gregarious and sociable personality, to go along with her background, we are looking forward to a great and prosperous future under her leadership.
Feel free to visit the Aspires Center at 119 E. Washington Boulevard,(lower level) Pasadena, California 91103 and meet her in person and learn about the program which welcomes students, parents, and volunteers.
“We Inspire, so Others May Aspire” Jacqueline Jacobs, PhD President/CEO
JUN 2016
Mr. Truman T. Brown, Jr.
In the downtown offices of Los Angeles City Hall, Truman Brown is the Information Systems Coordinator and Senior Systems Analyst of the City of Los Angeles Board of Public Works. He has provided Information Technology services throughout City Hall for over 26 years. When he’s not busy installing, connecting, troubleshooting or otherwise managing computer systems, he designs and maintains the websites of both the Board of Public Works and the Department of Public Works.
Truman’s love of technology began in the early 80’s after a tour of duty in the United States Marine Corps and with the purchase of a $99 Timex Sinclair 1000 (one of the first, and cheapest home computers sold internationally). Sporting 2K of RAM and a tape recorder for data storage, this computer enabled Truman to teach himself the fundamentals of structured programming, 8086 Assembly Language, and BASIC. This knowledge assisted him greatly when he returned to college to earn a degree in Business Information Systems. He later went on to teach himself COBOL, Pascal, C, C++, and many different flavors of web programming.
During the past three decades, Truman has been an active participant in several online communities specializing in computer graphics and art. A showcase of his computer artwork and videos can be viewed on his blog at http://www.browngrafix.com and his YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/trumanbrown.
For the past 25 and 17 years respectively, Truman has been single-handedly responsible for the design and creation of all of the event/program booklets for the Martin Luther King Community Coalition and the Aspires West Pasadena organization. He has spent countless hours creating quality souvenir booklets for both organizations and has never actually charged us for his desktop publishing and other computer services. Had he done so, we would not have been able to afford it. He has saved us thousands of dollars, for which we are eternally grateful.
Truman is a proud Blair High School Class of ’75 Viking, a Pasadena City College Class of ’77 Lancer, and a California State University, Los Angeles Class of ’89 Golden Eagle. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Madrid, and together they have three beautiful daughters, Jamaica, Martinique, and Savannah.
Mr. Brown is indeed “special” and we hate to think how we would have fared without him.
FRAN GILMORE, assistant
In her free time, volunteer Fran Gilmore assists with the uploading of photos to the Aspires website when staff emails them to her. One thing she notes, "I'm learning a great deal from Truman!"
-Dr. David L. Jacobs, Program Director
NOV 2015
Ms. Judy Hudson
Evidently the Aspires West Pasadena program is making a difference in the Pasadena / Altadena and surrounding areas through its Pasadena Student Success Center. I say this because so many outstanding people are coming forth to volunteer time to work with us. We are truly once again blessed to have Ms Judy Hudson join our team as front desk receptionist on Tuesdays, 3:00 - 6:30 PM. Her pleasing personality and warm, caring spirit in greeting the students, their parents, and others who enter the Center makes all the difference in the world.
Ms Hudson grew up in Los Angeles and later moved to Pasadena where she graduated from John Muir High School and went on to Pasadena City College to study Dental Hygiene. After college, she traveled all over the world for about five years. She joined Scott United Methodist Church in 1980 and got married there in 1982, raising three children under Scott's leadership.
Volunteering is not new to Judy. She volunteered for over eighteen years in her children's classes while they attended the Pasadena Unified School District. She worked with disabledadults for five years in the Pasadena area. She was the proprietor of a childcare service, finally retiring in 2010.
In addition to her volunteer service, she is also a philanthropist, giving generous financial donations for worthy causes.
Judy enjoys traveling, shopping, riding her bike, working in the yard, and of course, volunteering at Aspires.
OCT 2015
Ms. Herbertean (Teana) Morris
Aspires West Pasadena has been truly blessed to have Ms Herbertean Morris volunteer her precious time to the Center every Monday, 3:00 - 6:00 PM as front desk Receptionist for the past three (3) years. We have irrepressible joy because she is a part of our team. She is a volunteer who takes her work seriously and is a no-nonsense individual when it comes maintaining a wonderful conducive environment for children, parents, and others who come into the office.
In addition to serving as Receptionist, Ms. Morris has also served as our Aspires Shoe Drive Czar and has raised hundred's ($$$) for the organization. Dedicated and professional volunteers are hard to find, but we have certainly found one in Ms. Morris.
Ms. Morris was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. She graduated from the University of New Orleans, Booker T Washington School of Nursing as a Licensed Vocational Nurse. As a young adult, she moved to Southern California, where she later decided to obtain an Adult Teaching Credential from University California Los Angeles. She worked at Kaiser Permanente for 33 years in various clinics throughout the San Gabriel Valley until she retired about 10 yrs ago.
Some of her hobbies include cooking, reading, traveling, theatre, and spending time with her family. She also is a member of Scott United Methodist Church where she sings in the adult choir. The educational success of young people is very important to her and she truly enjoys working with them.
Ms Morris would like for someone to sign-up to cover the office on Thursday's from 3 - 6:00 PM and join her and the other three (3) loyal ladies.
OCT 2015
Mr. Steve Brorby
In America every year, million of men, women and children spend time helping others. Mr. Steve Brorby has been one of those persons. Steve has been enjoying spending time helping the Aspires West students for two days a week for the last three years as a volunteer. He has seen the students mature and learn the skills that will be needed for their future. He looks forward to another year being able to help the students.
He grew up in Wyoming and after graduation from the University of Wyoming, he worked at Dow Chemical in various sales and product management positions for 33 years primarily in the mid-west snow country. After he retired, he and his wife moved to sunny southern California and has enjoyed the climate, people, and diversity of the area. He enjoys gardening, reading, house projects, volunteering and traveling. He has participated in a nondenominational Bible study, BSF International, for 14 years and he attends All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena. He has taught English as a second language for four years in the Pasadena area through the San Gabriel Valley Literacy Council.
We are indeed happy to have Steve working with us.
SEPT 2015
Ms. Joan M. Banks
Ms. Joan M. Banks is a retired Pediatric Nurse Practioneer. She worked at the Pasadena Unified School District for 38 years as a school nurse. As the first African American school nurse hired by P.U.S.D., Joan was involved in supporting families in the community. The “school nurse” made sure that families were connected with the social and medical resources needed to support the family.
Joan graduated from Pasadena City College, Los Angeles County School of Nursing, Bachelor of Science Degree Nursing Cal State Univ. Los Angeles, Masters Degree in Behavioral Science Azusa Pacific University, and completed a 2 year PNP program at the USC School of Medicine.
Joan’s hobbies include gardening, quilting, sewing, playing Bridge, cooking and reading books about History. She also enjoys family, friends and fellowship with my church members.
For several years Joan has supported the Aspires West Student Center by donating snacks, writing paper, pencils, scissors and erasers. These items enable The Center to concentrate on each student’s academic needs. Joan participates in our annual fundraiser by creating “the money hat”, which generates hundreds of dollars in donations. “It takes a village to raise a child. I am Blessed to be part of the village”.
AUG 2015
Rev. Dr. Joseph McGowan, Sr Pastor, Altadena Community Church
The Rev. Dr. Joseph (Joe) McGowan is the Senior Pastor of the Altadena Community Church, United Church of Christ. Several members of this congregation serve as volunteer tutors for Aspires West. Dr. McGowan, a Monday volunteer has been with us for two years. He feels that this is a great way to encourage young people to obtain the educational skills necessary for a bright future. Without patient parents who sat with him many a night going over homework, Joe might not have been able to complete his education and pursue his call into the ministry. Obviously, it worked, for Joe has been a life long student and just completed his doctoral degree at Wesley Theological Seminary.
In addition to this ministry, Dr. McGowan is a Hospice Chaplain with Kaiser Permanente. Dr. McGowan believes in daily prayer and daily walks, loves to travel and read, and looks forward to winter so he can go skiing. All of us at the Aspires West Student Success Center are delighted to have Dr. McGowan and his parishioners to volunteer their time at our Center.