COLTON COURIER Weekly
December 18, 2025
Vol 154, NO. 03
Colton’s 49th Christmas Parade Turns Museum Corner Into a Hub for Community Stories
IECN.com
IEHP Foundation Network Arms 80 Nonprofit Leaders for Inland Empire Policy Fights on Safe Housing, Hunger Pg. 4
Nonprofits Selected for Fontana, San Bernardino State Surplus Land Sites to Build 333 Affordable Homes
PHOTO MANNY SANDOVAL Members of Tomorrow’s Leaders Foundation and the Colton Area Museum pose during Colton’s 49th Annual Christmas Parade on Dec. 13 in Colton, Calif.
PHOTO MANNY SANDOVAL Kids wave from a holiday-themed float as families line North La Cadena Drive for Colton’s Christmas Parade.
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Reyes, Mayor Frank Navarro and Councilmember Dr. G, along with entries from Teamsters Local 1932, the Colton Area Museum, Colton Joint Unified School District, Colton police and the Tomorrow’s Leaders Foundation.
Among the parade participants were Colton native state Sen. Eloise Gomez
Bertha Flores, vice president of the Colton Joint Unified school board, said she attended the parade representing both the district and Tomorrow’s Leaders Foundation, which raises scholarship money for gradu-
By Manny Sandoval he Colton Chamber of Commerce’s 49th Annual Christmas Parade rolled down North La Cadena Drive on Saturday, bringing more than three dozen floats through the city in a showcase of civic pride, youth opportunity and local history.
ating seniors. “At Tomorrow’s Leaders Foundation, we raise money for scholarships for our high school seniors in Colton Joint Unified.” Flores said the foundation is still young, but has already expanded the size of its awards. “We’re a fairly new foundation, about two years old and the first year we gave $500 scholarships,” she said. “And Christmas Parade, cont. next pg.
Colton Joint USD Wins Golden Bell as its Wellness Centers Log 14,362 Annual Visits
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Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr. Delivers Holiday Joy to Muscoy Elementary Students Pg. 8
PHOTO CJUSD District leaders — including Board President Dan Flores, Vice President Bertha Flores, Clerk Israel Fuentes, Trustee Patt Haro, Assistant Superintendents Anthony Ortiz and Brandon Dade, and Director of Mental and Behavioral Health Antonio Castro.
By Manny Sandoval Inland Empire Community Newspapers Office: (909) 381-9898 Editorial: iecn1@mac.com Advertising: iecn1@mac.com Legals : iecnlegals@gmail.com
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campus-based mental health program that draws 14,362 student visits a year has earned Colton Joint Unified School District a Golden Bell Award, recognizing its Wellness Centers as a daily, school-day support system for students navigating stress, trauma and barriers to learning.
PHOTO CJUSD A Wellness Center staff member welcomes a student into a Colton Joint Unified Wellness Center, which provides school-day drop-in support, counseling and crisis intervention on campus.
The California School Boards Association honored Colton Joint Unified for “Equity Through Wellness: Serving the Whole Child at Every Site” in the Social-Emotional Health/Wellness category, citing the district’s Wellness Centers as school-based access points that provide drop-in counseling, group sessions, crisis intervention and case management. The centers are staffed by Master of Social
Work professionals and interns, and the association highlighted the district’s focus on timely, equitable and sustainable care. The district received the award at the annual California School Boards Association conference in Sacramento earlier this month. District leaders who attended the recogCJUSD Mental Health, cont. next pg.