MESSAGE FROM THE EDITORS

Dear Readers,

Please note that we have made the decision to convert to an online magazine, and we arae very excited about it. We will have only one print version, and that will be during the month of the Onyx Awards. By going on-line it gives us the opportunity for frequent updates, which helps to better serve our readers. This year, the Onyx Awards is being held on October 16, 2010. Please remember that the awards is a statewide gala. Nominees hail from different parts of the state (Florida); you are encouraged to come and support those from your area. This is an event that you don’t want to miss.

Go to www.onyxawards.com for more information.

You will find a variety of topics in this issue, including the Onyx Awards which was held on the Space Coast. If you have any ideas for a story, please let us know. Meanwhile, please enjoy what we have prepared for you in this issue.

Lillian and Lester Seays

Our Mission

The mission of LBS Publications, Inc. d/b/a Onyx Magazine is to empower its readers by offering educational, inspirational and entertaining stories and editorials that focus primarily on the interest and needs of Black Americans. Further, it is the intent of Onyx Magazine to provide a venue for positive exposure for the accomplishments of Black people, and to promote a seamless diversified connection with other cultures throughout the state of Florida.

HISTORY OF THE ONYX AWARDS

The Onyx Awards, which is presented by LBS Publications, dba Onyx Magazine, was conceived as a means of giving back to the community. Therefore in 2002, the owners of Onyx Magazine created LBS Foundation as the philanthropic arm of LBS Publications in order to make a meaningful impact in its giving. The Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3). In May 2003, the Onyx Awards made its debut at the Rosen Plaza Hotel. Three hundred guests were in attendance. In 2004, there were 600 in attendance. Our guests include proactive individuals from throughout the state (from state and local government representatives to leaders of large corporations to upper and lower level professionals and people who are committed to making a difference in the community. The Onyx Awards Gala brings all of these people into the same room; thus, making this venue a perfect place for making new and meaningful contact, a place where knowledge is shared and a place for the merging of cultures. Each year Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida has been our signature sponsor.

The Onyx Awards is a presentation that serves a dual purpose: A. To celebrate selected individuals’ professional accomplishments and community service, which we believe will provide an incentive for others to become more community oriented; thus, forming a solid network of people helping people. B. To generate revenue to go directly to the Foundation to benefit Health and Education initiatives (special emphasis on literacy and Sickle Cell Disease.

As a result, the formal mission of The Onyx Awards Benefit Gala is to create a working partnership with community entities that we might encourage individuals, businesses, social and civic organizations to maintain a proactive presence in protecting the health, education and socio-economic status of the people we serve. Our major focus is Sickle Cell Disease and education initiatives. Our attack for seeking funding for our charities is deliberately designed with flair. We believe that the work of those persons who have been nominated to receive the Onyx Award deserve to be celebrated because they have gone above and beyond that which is expected so that everyone they touch can have an opportunity at quality of life. We want to present their lives as a beacon and an inspiration for others to follow. With more people falling into the footsteps of our honorees, the load gets lighter and the benefits broader. Secondly, what better way to honor a person for his/her unselfish acts except by publicly saying, “Thank you.”