Vitality, a new community with 93 homes, debuted Saturday in the Miralon neighborhood in Palm Springs.
Construction has begun on the homes, which are part of a broader “agrihood” built by Lennar and developed by Freehold Communities.
Visitors to the community can tour three model homes that are now open.
Those model homes will offer a sampling of the one- and two-story floor plans coming. Homes will range in size from 1,742 to 2,937 square feet with three to four bedrooms and two to three- and one-half baths.
Prices will start in the $900,000s, according to Freehold Communities.
Miralon’s master plan will eventually include 1,150 homes that centers on a former 309-acre golf course that is being redeveloped into working olive groves, gardens and walking trails.
For more information about the homes, go to tinyurl.com/27gxpukz
Visitors can tour Lennar models and the seven-acre amenity center, The Miralon Club,
School for new moms opens in Rancho Cucamonga
A New Mom School location recently opened in Rancho Cucamonga.
The concept was created to fill a gap in care for postpartum in what’s commonly called the “fourth trimester.”
New Mom School offers an eight-week program that guides new moms through early motherhood, providing “research-based, doctor-recommended, expert-led, mom-focused sessions.”
The series costs $575. An eight-week Rising Toddler series is $345.
Daniela Mejia is the owner of the Rancho Cucamonga location. As a first-generation Latina and Rancho Cucamonga native, Mejia says she understands the diverse needs of the Inland Empire, which includes a large Spanish-speaking population. She is bilingual and has a background in healthcare administration.
Mejia told us they keep the group sizes small, so that moms are able to engage with and ask questions with our visiting experts.
Each class has a maximum of 14 moms (and their babies).
For more information, go to newmomschool.com/rancho-cucamonga-ca
Address: 11940 Foothill Blvd. Suite 206
EV truck charging facility opens in Fontana
An electric-charging station for commercial electric trucks debuted Sept. 24 in Fontana.
The facility — built by Velocity Truck Rental & Leasing — includes 14 charging stations for medium and heavy-duty electric trucks.
The company said its station includes 45,120 kW Detroit e-Fill and two ChargePoint chargers. The Detroit e-Fill units, for example, can charge the Class 8 Freightliner eCascadia, Class 6 and 7 Freightliner eM2, and RIZON Class 4 to 5 battery-electric cabover trucks to an 80% charge in 90 minutes or less.
Address: 15724 Valley Blvd.
The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians recently awarded $450,000 to Make-A-Wish Orange County & the Inland Empire. The money will help the organization fulfill at least 78 wishes for children living with critical illnesses in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. (Photo by Josh Barber, Contributing Photographer)
San Manuel gives $12.6 million to tribes, nonprofits
The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians recently awarded 228 grants worth a combined $12.6 million to American Indian tribes and local nonprofits.
Among the grants was a $450,000 check for Make-A-Wish Orange County & the Inland Empire. The money will help the organization fulfill at least 78 wishes for children living with critical illnesses in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.
This year, the tribe said its SMBMI Cares program targeted half of its grants to programs benefiting Native American communities.
“The Spirit of Yawa’—acting on one’s beliefs—is at the heart of everything we do and has guided us since the days of our ancestors to serve those in need,” said Lynn Valbuena, Chairwoman of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians .
SMBMI, which has donated $400 million since 2003, noted that nonprofits in the Inland Empire receive only $26 in per capita funding, compared with the California statewide average of $262 per capita.
The tribe gave $100,000 to the Native American Land Conservancy in Southern California. NALC acquires land where sacred sites are located, then preserves and protects the sites from desecration. The grant will support maintenance of Mamapukaiv and Coyote Hole, and increase accessibility of Morongo Canyon.
Other grants included:
$2.4 million for the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians to help expand power capacity at the tribe’s new Bad River Health and Wellness Center.
$500,000 for the Time for Change Foundation to increase emergency shelter capacity and access to affordable housing.
$100,000 for the Native Forward Scholars Fund, which provides educational scholarships for Native American students.
$83,000 for the Mesa Grande Band of Mission Indians to expand language and cultural services year-round.
Eye specialists’ open house is Oct. 3
Riverside Eye Specialists is hosting an open house from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday Oct. 3 to introduce the company’s newest ophthalmologist, Khalid Aldaas.
Aldaas graduated from UC Riverside School of Medicine, and is returning to the community after completing his residency in North Carolina, the company said.
Address: 4605 Brockton Ave, Suite 100
Riverside-based Jon Mowl, founder of Play With ASL, won second place in SCORE’s 60th Anniversary Pitch Competition in Los Angeles. Seen here from left to right are Ron Cates, incoming president of SCORE Foundation; Shellie Peters, head of benefits and charitable giving at Global Atlantic, a sponsor of SCORE’s 60th Anniversary Pitch Competition; Jon Mowl, founder of Play With ASL; and Ed Coleman, regional vice president of SCORE Mid-Atlantic Region. (Photo courtesy of SCORE)
Milestones
Riverside-based Jon Mowl, founder of Play With ASL, won second place in SCORE’s 60th Anniversary Pitch Competition in Los Angeles.
The event, held Sept. 26 and one of the five nationwide pitch competitions hosted by the nonprofit business organization, provides a platform for small business owners to showcase their businesses and ideas.
Play With ASL is a mobile application designed to make learning American Sign Language “engaging and accessible” through gamification.
The company was founded by a deaf entrepreneur and combines gaming elements with structured language learning, according to Mowl, who won $10,000 for his pitch.
The money will go toward developing more educational games, he said. Winnings also will support marketing efforts to expand the app’s availability to Android devices.
Appointments
Riverside resident Sean Varner was recently appointed to the California Volunteers Commission. A managing partner at Varner & Brandt LLP since 2006, he is also a board member of the Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital Foundation, the First Tee of the Inland Empire, the National Orange Show, and the Riverside ExCITE Business Incubator and Accelerator. This commission position does not require Senate confirmation. There is no compensation. Varner is a Republican.
Commission seats available
Yucca Valley is seeking applicants for its Parks, Recreation and Cultural Commission.
The commission advises the town council and other agencies on public recreation, development of open spaces, parks, playgrounds, and other recreational facilities and programs.
Applications can be found on the town’s website or at Town Hall at the Community Center Complex at 57090 Twentynine Palms Hwy.
Those interested can submit an application to the town clerk at townclerk@yucca-valley.org by Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024.
The business briefs are compiled and edited by Business Editor Samantha Gowen. Submit items to sgowen@scng.com . High-resolution images can also be submitted. Allow at least one week for publication. Items are edited for length and clarity.
