Pearls of Wisdom

The Bill Pickett Memorial Scholarship Fund (”BPMSF”) strongly supports education and benefits youth each year by providing scholarships to Black high school and college students involved or interested in pursuing careers in Rodeo or animal Science.

This special scholarship is awarded based on academic standing, determination, student needs, community involvement and professional recommendations.

The BPMSF is also very fortunate to receive direct financial support from various individuals and businesses. These funds help to ensure selected students an opportunity both to further their education and to participate in rodeos, one of the most exciting sporting events, and one which is constantly growing in popularity. More importantly, these funds provide these youth with a commitment to their future.

The first donations were received from Ed Frazier, Tulsa Oklahoma, Former State Senator Regis Goff, and Former State Representative Sam Williams of Breckenridge, CO., Bill Raye of Los Angeles, CA, Jim Poole of Pueblo, CO and R&B singer Joyce Kennedy. Corporate sponsors were Jerome Whitney/UPS, Northwest Bank/Bob Willis, and Moses Brewer/Coors Brewing Company. We would like to thank these individuals for their generosity and support in getting the BPMSF started.

The first scholarship recipients were Angela Moreaux of Beaumont, Texas, Nikki Douch of Houston, Texas, Lee and Dawn Akin of Hemet, California, Heather Buck from Hempstead, Texas and Tiffany Carter (1993) Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo Rookie of the Year) from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Amber Stovall, (1997) Rookie of the Year, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Tamsen Douglas, (1999) Rookie of the Year, Reno, Nevada, and Craig Jackson, (2001) Bull Riding Champion, Prairie View, Texas.

The BPMSF congratulates and salutes these students who have persevered beyond expectations, and commends their selfless spirit, as they become upstanding citizens of their respective communities.

The BPMSF currently is developing a traveling exhibit of Black Cowboys of the West and
“The Bill Pickett Spirit of the West Trail Ride”.

For donations and volunteers, please call (303) 373-1246 or fax information to
(303) 373-2747.

http://www.billpickettrodeo.com/new/scholarship.html

FYI - Application is available on the website!

Maryland and Virginia Chapter

First Annual Youth Leadership &

Empowerment Conference

Saturday-Sunday, March 29-30, 2008

Hands-on workshops & activities on topics like:

§ Public Speaking

§ Islam & Democracy

§ Our Role in American Society

§ Civic Activism

§ Media Relations

§ Our Role in Shaping Media & Public Relations

§ Message Framing

§ The Art of Interviewing

- Learn from experienced workshop leaders.

- Watch & evaluate yourself on TV with peers & experienced media personnel.

- Two days of hands-on experience that will empower you in your school or work.

Application Deadline: March 24, 2008. Seats are very limited.

Contact: (703) 689-3100 or (202) 439-5432

Location: CAIR Maryland Virginia Offices

585 Grove Street

Suite G-10

Herndon , VA

This is a free workshop, but pre-registration is mandatory.

CAIR Maryland and Virginia Chapter

FIRST ANNUAL YOUTH LEADERSHIP AND EMPOWERMENT CONFERENCE

Application for CAIR-YLE Conference March 29-30, 2008

· COMPLETE ALL QUESTIONS.

· Type into the gray boxes the requested information.

· Please email the completed form to cairmdva@gmail.com

· If you have any questions, please call CAIR at 701 689 3100, or email us at cairmdva@gmail.com

· Cost: There is no cost for this conference

· Applications can be sent via

· Mail CAIR MD & VA

585 N. Grove Street Unit G10,

Herndon , VA , 20170

Fax: 703 689 9858

email:

Name: First: ______________ Middle: Last: ___________________

Address:

Street: _______________________________________________________

City: ________________ State: ______ Zip Code: __________________

Telephone: ( _____ ) ______ - ________ Cell: ______________________

E-mail address: ______________________________________________

Parent or Guardian: ___________________________________________

High School /Univ.: ____________________________________________

Check one: Check one:

­­­ Junior Senior Female Male

1. Why are you interested in the program?

__________________________________________________________

2. Describe your involvement within your community:

__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

­­

How did you hear about the CAIR Youth Conference? Please check all that apply:

Youth Group E-newsletter or email

Masjid (specify)

Community Organization (specify) Muslim Student Association

specify organization here Other specify here

E-mail the application as an attachment to cairmdva@gmail.com Please put the term application followed by your full name in the subject line. Applications must arrive at our office by March 24, 2008

Have you ever met someone and instantly said to yourself, “I don’t know why, but I really like that person,” or “There’s something about that guy that bugs me.”

You have just formed an impression of the other person. And most of our first impressions are subconscious — we don’t even know we are making them. We only know that we have an overall, general feeling about this person.

Eight subconscious impressions that happen within seven seconds

Here are eight opinions people generally make of you within the first seven seconds of meeting you:

* How much money you make
* How much education you’ve had
* How much you can be trusted
* Your personality style and how agreeable you are
* How confident you are
* How intelligent you are
* What your work ethic is
* How dependable and accountable you are

Wait a minute! How can someone make all these decisions about someone in the first seven seconds? Good question.

Let’s talk about some tips to make a good impression in the first seven seconds.

The walk

The first thing people notice about you is your walk. If you keep three things in mind, you will be on your way to projecting a more professional image:

* Stand upright. Hold your head up. This shows how confident you are.
* Don’t hide your hands. Don’t put them in your pockets or hold them behind your back. Why? Because if your hands aren’t showing it sends a subliminal message that you can’t be trusted — that you have something to hide.
* Walk with a purpose and with enthusiasm. This shows your personality and confidence. No one likes to see someone trudging up to them, head down, eyes diverted.

The tune-in factor

People want to know that you’re interested in them. You can do that by:

* Maintaining eye contact for four seconds. If you don’t hold the eye contact, you appear to have “shifty eyes” and, therefore, you seem non-trustworthy.
* Smiling strategically. But don’t have a smile on your face as approach the person. As you start to shake the person’s hand, look into their face, and let a smile slowly creep across your face. If you walk up to someone overexcited, the other person may feel as if you want something. In fact, you very well may want something. But you’ll have a far better chance of getting it if you use the “slow creeping smile” technique. (Note: It’s a slow creeping smile; not a slow creepy smile.)
* Showing enthusiasm while greeting people. We all like upbeat people. But there is a caveat here: you should appear enthusiastic — not overmedicated.
* Shaking hands with sincerity. A handshake is a gesture of welcome: the palms interlocking signify openness and the touching signifies oneness.

Courtesy HP Learning Center (Business Etiquette)

Diversity is all around us. Take a look at any major city. Where I live in Montgomery County, Maryland, there are 37 different languages spoken.

The benefits of diversity are touted by up and coming organizations. Different backgrounds give different and helpful new perspectives on old problems. Yet with all the talk, there are still a ton of problems.

This past week I spoke on a panel at the MBA Leadership Summit hosted by Pitney-Bowes in Stamford, Connecticut. The event, sponsored by the National Society of Hispanic MBAs and the National Black MBA Association addressed the generational and cultural evolution and how diversity played a part in it. I had the privilege to work the panel with Ken Roldan, author of Minority Rules and Jim Huerta, intellectual property expert from ResearchPAYS! Our audience had great questions regarding the role of leaders in bridging the gap both generational and culture differences. My overall reaction is that while progress is made, much work is left to be done.

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Prince George’s Muslim Association (PGMA) is currently seeking an experienced and qualified part-time office manager to support PGMA and its full-time Islamic Educational Programs, An-Nur Academy and Tafseer Al-Quran (TAQI) Hifz School.

We need someone who is flexible, self-motivated, and has the ability to provide outstanding customer service with exceptional communication skills, both verbally and in writing.

This position is availalble immediately. A further description of duties and job details is available upon request. Only serious candidates need apply. Please submit your resume via email
pgmacommunity@gmail.com and include Office Manager position in the subject line, or via fax at (301) 542-0128.

www.PGMAMD.org