6th Annual Cinderella Ball featuring Meagan Good

On January 15th, 2012, seven HerShe Debutantes, Meagan, Precious, Angelica, Ashley, Audriahna, Elizabeth, and Felicia, celebrated their very special night with loved ones and long time supporters at the beautiful Olympic Collection.

The night commenced with an art auctionhosted by Kenadie Cobbin Richardson, HerShe Founder and CEO, and HerShe board member, Juanita Palacios-Sims. The art was created by our very own HerShe girls under the tutelage of the very talented Michael Massenburg.

The auction quickly gave way to an inspirational dance of Michael Jackson’s “Earth Song,” choreographed by HerShe Debutante Program
Manager, Kendal Robinson and performed by our HerShe Girls.

From “Love that Girl,” the Disney Show “Shake it up!” and the DC Comics DVD “Justice League: Doom,” Phil Morris presided over the entire evening as the host for our 6th Annual Cinderella
Ball.

Our HerShe girls’ second expression of artistic elegance was a theatrical presentation written and produced by the wonderful Kenneth Brown and directed by the industrious ladies of Onlave
Signature Productions, Alana, Lauren and Ontwanet. The theatrical presentation
was a tribute to female pioneers and trailblazers who have shaped our world and was
performed by HerShe ladies in waiting, Ebony and Kristine and HerShe debutante,
Ashley.

One of the hottest young female singing groups out there, Lil Miz, who have also opened for Lil Kim, followed the theatrical presentation with a very high energy performance.

A reading of our HerShe girls’ poetry and prose, which was collected and developed for two beautiful years by HerShe writing coach, Annie Stein, was performed by the talented Meagan Good (from the films "Stomp The Yard" "Waist Deep” and "Jumping The Broom") Kendyl Joi, Phyllis Bailey Brooks (From CBS’ Comfort Creatures) and by our Cinderella Ball Production Director, Iona Morris (From TV Show “Moesha”). A Featured singer with Macy Gray, Fantasia’s background singer and the lead singer of the group The Endangered, Miss Maiya Sykes immediately sang the moving song “Beauty from Ashes” after the reading.

The prose and poetry read by our talented celebrity supporters can now be found in our first
published book entitled “Beauty from Ashes: Volume 1.”

Before our beautifully talented Debutantes and escorts were presented by Debutante Program Manager, Kendal Robinson and our Host, Phil Morris, our ladies in waiting were presented by HerShe Program Director, Indiana Garcia and HerShe Graduation Coach, Phaebra Croft.
After being presented to their HerShe family and long time supporters, our HerShe debutantesand escorts moved many Ball attendees to tears through their choreographed dance of CeCe Winans “Always Sisters” and Mary J. Blidge’s “Living Proof.”

After acknowledging and thanking thevolunteers, staff and donors that made the 6th annual Cinderella Ball a reality, the elegant and magical night ended with a celebratory desert
reception!

Special Thanks to the following people for making the 6th Annual Cinderella Ball not only possible, but also a success!

HerShe Caregivers

HerShe Mentors:
Aasia Kinney
Amy Gumbs
Amy Meyers
Candice Swinson
Kari Archie
Kimberly Vandriver
LaQueena Litzey
Lauren Duda
Melena Taylor
Schanda Stroud
Shinina Butler
Staci Smith
Ta’mur Rashul
Tammy Burrell Henderson
Tonya Gorham
Yahvoh Totimeh
Yung Phan
Zenja Dunn
Twinkie Byrd

HerShe Staff:
Kendal Robinson
Nina Bryson
Phaebra Croft
Desma Simon
Indiana Garcia
Darice Goodwin

Escorts:
Shaunkese Hamer
Douglas Sallie
Jae Hughes
Darnell Cates
Isiah Johnson
Drew Phillips
Malik Gillum

Production Director:
Iona Morris

DJ & Sound:
Edward Lair
Alana Smith

Presenters/Performers:
Phil Morris
Maiya Sykes
Meagan Good
Kendyl Joi
Lil Miz

Volunteers:
Phyllis Bailey Brooks
Courtney Wayne Linsey
Elayn Taylor
Patrice Marshall
Maria Rice
Maurissa Sanders
Juanita Palacios-Sims
Jasmine Stovall
Porchia Burnett
Delores Bonner
Patrice Williams
The Ladies of Sigma Gamma Roe

Segment Producers:
Renda Pettis
Kenneth Brown
Ladies of Onlave: Ontwanet, Alana and Lauren
Michael Massenburg

General Support:
Christian Epps
Angstrom lighting
Blair Brooks
Christina Bentley
Yvonne Guillen
Perfect Success Event
Management
Scarlett Flowers Design

Photographer:
Leah Lerner
Erik V. Simpson Photography

Make-Up:
Merc Arcenaux
Denise Ruiz
Belinda Simpson
Jasmine Stovall
Angela Young-Brinn

Wardrobe:
Wendell Carmichael
(Wynningz by Wyndell)
Chuck Brown
Georgine Clayton
Rent‐A‐Tux


DCFS:
Annie Fultz
Stacie Ottley

Maurissa Sanders Mitchem

HerShe Board of Directors:
Duffy Humbert
Kenadie Cobbin Richardson
Annie Stein
Barbara Savage
Cynthia Oredugba
Delaina Thomas
Jalenda Motley
Joyce Guinyard
Juanita Palacios-Sims
Mary Anderson
Pamela Bright-Moon
Roberta Falke
Michelle Barton Brown

Donors:
HerShe Fundraising
Committee
Bob Poe Charitable
Foundation
Jamila Hunter
Simon Strauss Foundation
Benenson Family
Foundation
Capital Group Companies
Charitable Foundation

Table Sponsors:
Annie Stein
Duffy Humbert
Delaina Thomas
Jamila Hunter
Kenadie and Gentry
Richardson
Pamela Bright Moon
Roberta Falke
Yasmin Delahoussaye

Additional Cinderella Sponsor:
Bebe
Westchester Christian Church

Hair:
Spa 313
Keokia Childress
Sharon Mackey

Westchester ChristianChurch:

Sharon Mackey
Barbara Ford
Pastor Crissina

One-on-One HerShe Mentoring

Thirteen unmatched HerShe girls were paired up with mentors.

On Match Day, the girls and their soon to be mentors were busy with a ton of get-to-know-you games and activities provided by our wonderful Mentor Program Manager, Nina Bryson. During the same time, already matched HerShe girls went over their goals for the upcoming year with their mentors. Maurissa Sanders Mitchem, our HerShe PEP (post-emancipation program) Manager, led this discussion and offered many words of wisdom to the matched girls and mentors.

After lunch, which was generously donated by the wonderful Michelle Barton-Brown, unmatched girls were individually called up and told by Nina Bryson who their new mentors were. The girls responded in a multitude of ways (shrieks of pleasure, smiles, hugs, etc), but all in all everyone was most definitely happy with their match.

HerShe girl, Alisa W. stated “I had fun. I enjoyed myself. I really wanted Kari and I got her!” and HerShe girl, Molly D. stated “I liked it because I got who I really wanted. I screamed when I heard Yung’s name,” when asked what they felt about Mentor Match Day.

Good luck to all of our Mentor/Mentee pairs as they start off a new year together! And always remember that being a good Mentee/Mentor means spending lots of time together!

HerShe's Community Service Day - 8/6/11

On Saturday, August 6, 2011, the HerShe Group had its first community service day of the Zeta program year at the Cahuenga Branch Library in Hollywood.

Every month, individuals from the Los Angeles community gather together at the library and have a mini-cleanup/gardening session. Andrew Carnegie built the library in 1916, making it the oldest library in the state of California.

HerShe girls were fortunate enough to help with the cleanup. Elson Trinidad, a member of the CahuenGardeners, which is the organization responsible for setting up the monthly cleanups, put the girls straight to work immediately after they arrived at the library.

The HerShe girls helped pick up trash, weed, water plants and sweep the front and backside of the library. By the end of the session, the library looked great and we went home rejuvenated with the spirit of giving.

Thank you, CahuenGardeners for inviting us to this mini-cleanup! We look forward to working with you again!

Also, a special thanks to Indiana Garcia for finding this opportunity to give back to Mother Earth!!

Drinking for a Good Cause -- Wine Tasting @ Rideau Vineyard

The HerShe group hosted a wine tasting fundraising event at the tranquil and beautiful Rideau Vineyard (http://rideauvineyard.com) in Solvang, California.

HerShe supporters had a chance to sit back and enjoy the ride up the coast in a comfortable private bus with DVD players showing classic Soul Train episodes and of course, presentations of events featuring the HerShe girls.

The day started out cool and overcast but by the time we arrived to the Santa Ynez Valley vineyard, it was sunny with a slight breeze. We were greeted by the hospitable Iris Rideau, who graciously advised two of our HerShe girls on how to achieve greatness, mainly by believing in themselves. She also shared the fascinating story of how she started with an old dilapidated farm but with a dream and determination, turned that blank canvas into an award winning winery owned by the first African American in the United States. What a fine realization to a dream.

We were all enjoying the beauty of the rose gardens, the fabulous home Ms. Rideau built and the remodeled barn that she transformed into a wine tasting room that is now a historical landmark.

The wine tasting was fun, the food was delicious and the peaceful tranquility was difficult to leave but as we boarded the bus to depart, our bus driver surprised us with the news that the fun wasn’t over yet. We had time to make one last stop in downtown Solvang to see its shops, Dutch appeal and pick up additional souvenirs besides the wine that accompanied us from the Rideau vineyard. Aaaahhhh the wine.

On the ride home, some of us slept, some read, some chatted and then there were the ones who couldn’t wait to open their sweet Rieslings and it took the game of Taboo to a whole ‘nother level of fun.

HerShe would like to thank all the supporters of this event. The feedback was so positive that the decision was made to make this an annual event. So get ready for next year where drinking will be for a good cause.

by Michele Clark

HerShe Salutes Dr. Frank Ryan

Dr. Frank Ryan, a loyal supporter of the HerShe Group, died on August 16, 2010 around 4:30 p.m. Dr. Ryan drove his 1995 Jeep Wrangler off a cliff on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California. The Jeep landed on rocks below and he was trapped in the vehicle and had major head injuries.

The HerShe Group, a mentoring and youth development organization for girls in foster care, frequently traveled that same path at Dr. Ryan's invitation to the Bony Pony Ranch. He was a generous friend of HerShe who frequently opened his home and his heart to HerShe girls. We shall always cherish our memories at the Bony Pony Ranch playing games, eating delicious barbecue, feeding the animals, and admiring the view. It was always a great experience that the girls loved. He would also frequently take the girls to sit courtside with him at Laker games. It was always exciting for the girls to watch Kobe and sit among other celebrity spectators. Moreover, Dr. Ryan was always creating ways that he could personally be of value to HerShe and was trying to create a winning fundraiser to benefit the girls.

I appreciate the life and legacy of Dr. Frank Ryan. I was privileged to to cross his path and spend such meaningful time with him over the last five years. We never know when our time is up and I am saddened by his too early departure of this life. I hope he knows how much he is loved by me, by HerShe girls and by all of the lives he has ever touched.

Rest in Peace, Dr. Ryan,

Kenadie Cobbin Richardson, CEO

HerShe Group Foundation, Inc.

(Pictured: Dr. Frank Ryan with Eve and HerShe girls, Rhyan and Tiana)

HerShe Girl “Bridges” into Adulthood

Last Sunday, the HerShe Group invited over 75 guests to witness the first annual HerShe Bridging Ceremony designed and written by Hattie Winston, Lynn Claire Stuart and Kenadie Cobbin Richardson. This year, three HerShe girls will be transitioning from adolescence into adulthood; however, the ceremony honored one young lady – Erika Jones.

The ceremony began with all of the girls dressed in all-white entering the room. Twinkie Byrd was the regal mistress of ceremonies, director and also the one-on-one mentor of the young lady “bridging” into the adult world. As Twinkie began speaking from the podium, she held back tears as she contemplated the road that was completing and the road that was just beginning for her mentee.

As famed musician, Munyongo Jackson, played a determined drum beat, the younger girls who have yet to reach emancipation age showed their HerShe sister love by placing symbolic artifacts in a decorative box.   In this box, Erika received silver ribbons that represented each person in the HerShe community, a glass slipper symbolizing her ability to take her place in the world, an ankh symbolizing her faith and femininity, and a butterfly representing her transformation from a girl to a woman.

After all of the girls presented the HerShe prayer, pledge and song, Erika Jones was “sworn in” to adulthood by HerShe Group founder, Kenadie Cobbin Richardson. Erika promised to leave childish things behind and embrace all that it means to be a young adult woman.

Finally, the time came when she would physically bridge into society. With the HerShe community behind her and the community at-large in front of her, charismatic Rev. John Cager spoke words of wisdom and encouragement on behalf of the world she was now entering. He reminded her that her HerShe family would always be there and it would be up to her to include and involve her HerShe family with her new life as an adult. It was truly an amazing moment.

Kenadie would like to send a special THANK YOU to LYNN CLAIRE STUART who was the catalyst for this ceremony taking place. She worked tirelessly in her effort to create, perfect and format the ceremony especially for HerShe girls. She deserves all of the love and adoration from all 75 guests and especially HerShe Group’s founder, Kenadie Cobbin Richardson.

Sparkletts Water sponsors a HerShe Christmas

Sparkletts Water, a brand of DS Waters, sponsored Christmas for HerShe girls. It was an amazing day that began bowling with the mentors at Jillian’s at Universal City Walk. Every year, the girls write a top five item wish list for Christmas. As wish-lists go, they are written without any guarantee to receive the items listed. But thanks to Sparkletts, each girl received EVERY item that they wished for!

This very special day was made possible by Amy Gumbs, HerShe mentor and Human Resources Manager for DS Waters, Tami Jones, HR Generalists and Kevin Altieri, VP of Customer Service. The girls received IPods, cell phones, designer purses, clothes, designer shoes, jewelry, art sets, video games, books, bath and body items, baseball caps, gift cards, music and much much more. Amy was so pleased with the her company’s eager participation in this community project. “We are happy to play such an integral part in the HerShe Group’s program; whatever we can do to help the girls, we will gladly do,” says Amy.

DS Waters is the premier U.S. home and office water delivery company, offering pure and refreshing bottled water. Their family of regional water brands includes Alhambra®, Belmont Springs®, Crystal Springs®, Hinckley Springs®, Kentwood Springs®, Nursery® Water, Sierra Springs®, and Sparkletts® - each with a reputation for quality.

HerShe Girls Feed the Homeless

At the beginning of the program year, HerShe mentors decided to formally organize themselves into a Mentor Auxiliary Board and form committees. One committee that has really made a difference in the lives of others is the Community Service Committee. For both Thanksgiving and Christmas, HerShe girls spent these two holidays feeding the homeless at the Union Rescue Mission and the Salvation Army. This effort was led by mentor, Marlene Bonner. Marlene thought that the girls needed to know that they had something to give and that no matter how bad their situation is — there is always someone who needs their help.

For many of us hardworking Americans, 68% of us are only one paycheck from being homeless ourselves. Homeless people aren’t a random subset of the American population, but they are people like us who are suffering from an unfortunate circumstance.

Moreover, homelessness affects 70% of all foster youth emancipated from foster care. Half of LA’s homeless are foster youth. We hope that HerShe girls will never be on the receiving in of our service to the homeless.

Ebony Magazine Honors Kenadie Cobbin & the HerShe Group

Ebony’s first annual Sisterspeak Luncheon salutes “women making a powerful difference.” Ebony and Pine-Sol Brand Cleaners hosted the Los Angeles Sisterspeak Luncheon featuring the very funny and inspiring, Diane Amos (the Pine-Sol Lady) and author/speaker, Natasha Munson. Anchorwoman Pat Harvey was the mistress of ceremonies. The event was held on September 8 at the Omni Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. The uplifting event was limited to 250 lucky women.

The Ebony/Pine Sol award was given to Kenadie Cobbin-Richardson in honor of her hard work and dedication to the HerShe Group. Clorox, the makers of Pine Sol also made a donation to the HerShe Group in support of its important work in the foster care community.

Ebony Magazine expects to feature the Sisterspeak Luncheons in the December issue. Sisterspeak Luncheons were also held in Atlanta, Chicago, and New York.

Sanaa Lathan Surprises the HerShe Group

Sanaa Lathan makes surprise visit at annual ‘Cinderella Ball.’ Sanaa Lathan was a surprise guest at the HerShe Group’s second annual “Cinderella Ball” for girls in the LA foster care system this past weekend. Lathan congratulated debutantes at the event, where she was also honored with a $20,000 donation from Soft & Beautiful hair care to the program, in recognition of Lathan’s volunteer work.

Foster Care's Belles of the Ball - LA Times

By John Mitchell, LA Times staff writer

There’s a fairy tale of sorts in the story of how a group of girls from a foster care program in Compton blossomed into beautiful debutantes at a Cinderella Ball.

The tale begins with 29 teenage girls and young women who gathered over the course of three weeks last month at the Pepperdine University campus in Malibu. They were there to be schooled in the basics of life, to learn how to confront their worst fears about their childhood and to map their emancipation from the foster care system. The story climaxes with a ball, a coming-out party for 11 of the older girls, young debutantes who, for one night, dressed in white gowns and waltzed with tuxedoed escorts across the marbled floors of the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History. “Cinderella is more than a tale of a girl who lost a shoe and found a prince,” said Kenadie Cobbin, executive director of the HerShe Group, the mentoring and youth development organization behind the camp and ball. “She is the journey of a girl who is treated like an outsider, but dares to follow her dreams, and in the end achieves them. Although the denouement of the story has yet to be written, the beginning is frighteningly familiar.

Almost all of the girls in the program were taken from their families during some crisis and shuffled among relatives, foster families and group homes – from school to school and neighborhood to neighborhood – until, for many, the future seemed as bleak as the past. “The clock strikes 12 when they turn 18, and they are very fearful of what that does,” Cobbin said. “They have to be adults, and they’ve never really had a chance to be children.” Connie, for one, is not very enthusiastic about reaching the milestone. “I’m just not ready,” the 17 year-old said softly. “I don’t have dreams. I usually have nightmares about my past. I really don’t talk much, period.”

In Los Angeles County, 18-year-olds are not automatically turned out on the street with a token bus fare and a hefty garbage bag in which to pack their belongings. Of the 21,000 foster care children living outside their parent’s homes, the Department of Children and Family Services has placed more than one-third in transitional care, which allows young adults to delay emancipation until the age of 21. Nonetheless, studies indicate that pregnancy, homelessness and incarceration remain problems for the estimated 1,200 who age our of the system each year.

Cobbin’s goal is to the smooth the bumps in the road. Before the Cinderella camp opened in late June, the Los Angeles chapter of the Links, Inc., an African-American civic and charitable organization, held a formal tea for the girls at a member’s home in Hancock Park. That meant the girls were acquainted by the time they checked into campus dorms, but trust didn’t come easily. At the beginning of their stay at Pepperdine, there was little interest in sharing their stories. What’s more, their appearance – tattoos, boyish clothes, garish jewelry – was a barrier. “Is that a tongue ring in your mouth?” retired Judge Veronica McBeth, a strong backer of the program, asked one of the soon-to-be debutantes walking across campus. “You know it’ll be hard to get a job with that in there.” The judge didn’t comment on the 16-year-old girl’s nine tattoos, including one with the numbers 5150 on the back of her neck: state Welfare and Institutions Code shorthand for someone with a mental disorder, a danger to themselves or others. “That’s the only one I regret getting,” said Keanakay, who admitted that she didn’t immediately feel comfortable among the other girls and the women who were trying to help them. “It was the most I’ve been around women my whole life,” she said. “This is my introduction to womanhood.”

There was an uneasy tension when the girls first arrived. “Some of them would not go to bed and they wouldn’t try to be quiet.” Said Tann Moore, a camp counselor. “If you asked for quiet, you’d get on of those eye-rolls, neck-rolls or hard-breath reaction.” But attitudes slowly began to change as the girls shared some of their experiences.

Angel, 17, lives with a foster mother who has threatened to throw her out. She doesn’t talk much about the pain she carries, but she loves to write, keeps a daily journal and dreams of becoming a journalist some day. She wrote about her bittersweet feelings in a poem:

I’m grateful for my brother who doesn’t know much of what I’m going through
I don’t worry about it.
Sometimes I ask: Am I supposed to be thankful for the love that is not here?
Her love, her memory, her hugs, her destiny.
She looks down on me.
I say thanks mommy for making me strong.
You are not here, but I still hug on.
I’m thankful for mother’s day . . . I hate father’s day.
I’m thankful for Angel.

The camp was split between two sessions with two age groups, one for the younger girls 12-15, and the other for those closer to transitioning out of foster care. Morning exercise began at 6 a.m. with yoga and stretching. The girls swatted flies while riding horses and broke nails as they went rock climbing. They bowled gutter balls at a local alley and sang karaoke off-key. There were picnics and campfires on the beach – experiences had never had in their lives.

In addition, mentors and role models visited the campus to teach life skills – how to balance a check book, fill out applications for jobs, college or apartments. The girls kept journals and told stories of their abandonment, neglect and abuse. They discussed forgiveness. “Forgiveness is really big,” Cobbin said. “They have to forgive the two most important people in their lives. To be in foster care, your mother and your father have let you down: molestation, alcohol, drugs, and incarceration. The younger girls in the group still have hope, still believe that their mother will get off drugs, straighten up and come back home. The older girls have gotten beyond that and move to ‘I don’t care.’” Cobbin said.

Theresa Fair, a life coach at the session, said she learned that maternal hatred can lead to self-hate. “I used to hang with the guys because they would stroke me and tell me I was cute,” Fair recalled, relating her own experience to the girls. “But I had to be honest with myself, I had to learn to dance the dance with women. They became my mirrors and my shadows. I had to learn from them just who I was.”

During one final session of the camp, Danielle, 17, said the most important lessons she learned came from the simple experience of being in the group. “We learned just how to bond, we learned how to trust each other,” she said. “You can’t be sisters and have that bond unless you have trust.”

Each young debutante walked away from the camp experience with something different:

Tara, a 17-year-old in the system since she was 13 months old, said she has learned patience.

Porchia, 21, who has a 2-year-old son, doesn’t want to follow the same drug-laden path as her mother.

Tinesha, 17, vowed to complete high school and go to college to major in communication, an area she sees as a weakness.

Tarilynn, 17, just figures it’s OK to open up and let people know how you feel. “It’s OK to love and not get hurt.”

And Eva, 20, says she just want to “dance in the rain without getting wet.”

As the date for the ball approached, rehearsals become more intense.

“Shoulder back! Stand straight! Smile! Don’t forget to smile,” implored choreographer, Tyna Andrews Parish.

The women were supplied with gowns, and stylists volunteered to do their hair. A West Hollywood spa, l.a. vie l’orange, prepared their nails. Makeup artists were brought in to do their foundation, eye makeup – shadow, liner, mascara and contour – cheeks and the lips.

The tab for the camp and the July 29 gala came to $82,000 raised largely through private donations and fundraising events.

Dr. Dre’s record label, Aftermath Entertainment, donated a 2006 Chevrolet Suburban and helped raise $25,000 of the money from various rappers. County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke arranged for the museum site.

On the night of the ball, nearly 300 guests packed the museum’s North American Mammal wing. The audience erupted in applause as the young women made their entrance, escorted by boys who also are supervised by the Compton office of the Department of Children and Family Services.

Betty Hall was more than pleased with her foster daughter, Kim, 17, a senior at Compton High who is on the cheerleading squad and has a 3.8 grade point average. “She is so beautiful,” she said. Hall recalled how rough around the edges Kim and her sister were when she took them into her home. “I said I’d take her for a week and I ended up having them for five years,” she said, watching Kim dance. “I told them, I’m keeping these two because I believe they can change.” They did.

No one seemed happier than Kimasha Houston, Eva’s older sister. “She is the life of the party,” Houston said. “Just to see her happy and focused” She is a reflection of her inner beauty.”

Eva has been in the foster care system since birth. She never knew her father, and her mother, who struggled with crack addiction, has been diagnosed with cancer. At 16, Eva ran away from a relative’s home where she was hit with a belt buckle and called a crack baby. She graduated from high school, tasted college and now has a burning desire to be a social worker.

Eva doesn’t like it if someone says she’s blossoming like a flower. “I’d much rather be a tree,” she said. Trees stand still and I just want to stand still.”

The ball ended with embraces, picture-taking and promises to keep in-touch. The music switched to hip-hop and the girls broke out into their own dances. They are scheduled to meet next month with program mentors, who will keep track of their progress over the year.

And they no doubt will recall the “Cinderella” theme that was played at the ball:

A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you’re fast asleep.
In dreams you will loose your heart aches
Whatever you wish for, you keep.
Have faith in your dreams and some day
Your rainbows will come smiling through.
No matter how your heart is grieving
If you keep on believing
The dream that you wish will come true.

Author: John L. Mitchell
Date: August 14, 2006
Start Page: B. 1
Section: California Metro; Part B; Metro Desk