Rose Hill, "The Heart" of The City
Thursday, July 15, 2021 - Texarkana, TX
#BuyBackTheBlock Texarkana Initiative


There are very few families from Texarkana, no matter race, who do not have some sort of history that doesn't include Rose Hill or its sister communities Beverly and New Town. In the early nineties, Rose Hill was the place to be. It was a diverse community that seemed to paint the best picture of Texarkana's future. It was a vibrant community of individuals from all ages, races, and backgrounds, thriving and living together peacefully. Half of the middle school students within Rose Hill attended Pine Street, and the other half attended Westlawn at the time. A couple of notable athletes like Craig Monroe(MLB) and Nathan Vasher(NFL) have roots in Rose Hill. They could surely attribute the love and support from friends and others in the community as part of their professional and personal success.


National best-selling author & publisher, Armani Valentino, attributes much of what he learned in Rose Hill as preparation for life. Therefore, upon arriving back in Texarkana full-time in 2016, he decided to contribute to the community that nurtured him and helped him become a man. The easiest way he felt he could contribute was by regularly cleaning up the trash near W. 18th and Bowie street. In the early nineties, before Summerhill Road connected to Lake Drive, the main roads that ran through Rose Hill were Milam and Bowie Street. According to Valentino, residents regularly mowed their yards, alleyways were clean, and trash was not the regular decorative accessory often seen along the streets. There was a certain level of pride taken by the diverse demographic of residents in Rose Hill. "We truly enjoyed living in Rose Hill and took pride in being from Rose Hill," says Valentino.


A lot has changed since then. Many of the businesses, churches, schools & community centers, and hundreds of homes filled with love and direction are memories of the past. Some are still there, but many have been torn down or burned down, leaving hundreds of empty lots, overgrown brush, and trash. For the past 15+ years, the revitalization efforts have been a challenge for all who have attempted to do so. This has caused many businesses to leave and many natives to Rose Hill to sell their homes and leave.

In recent years, the most successful efforts have been led by Antonio Williams of the Texarkana Texas Housing Authority. Under his leadership, they have preserved and improved many of its current housing to ensure residents most in need of housing are not left without adequate accommodations. An independent effort from Valentino has also made some headway and inspired others to come back and invest in the Rose Hill area. Valentino, founder of the #BuyBackTheBlock Texarkana initiative, started by doing mini cleanups in a four-block radius. He stated, "The amount of trash that somehow accumulates on the streets of Rose Hill is absurd. We have to do better, and the businesses around the area have to do better in making sure Rose Hill is clean.


Last year, during the pandemic, Armani Valentino and others with roots from the Rose Hill area - coaches Justin Coats, Robbie Junior, Shawn Dangerfield, and Shantikwa Smith - planned and executed the first large community cleanup, specifically for Rose Hill, in many years. The event was supported by individuals and a few organizations like Believe in Beverly & The Scholars, as well as businesses in the community like Langford Roofing.


This year's event will be held on Saturday, July 17, 2021, from 9:00am - 1:00pm. Meetup will be held at Tiger Stadium at Grim Park on W. 13th and Summerhill Rd. Volunteers will meet at the parking lot, pray, have words of encouragement, and commence to clean throughout the Rose Hill community. It is sponsored in part by Majestic Living, Inc. and VRALIAM Tech, LLC.


It is advised that you wear comfortable shoes and clothing that covers your legs. Gloves, rakes, and trash pickers are still needed. Lowe's will provide the commercial cleanup bags, and Waste Management will provide the trash containers. Men with trucks are being asked to show up to pick up the bags and heavy items.


Valentino believes, "Rose Hill is truly "The Heart" of the city. Therefore, we have to take care of it. Help us keep Rose Hill clean by coming out and serving the community this Sunday."


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If you would like to donate towards the lunch to feed the volunteers, we are still taking monetary donations to provide lunch for volunteers.


Please feel free to contact the organization's community liaison, Armani Valentino, for more info at info@armanivalentino.com or 972-591-3739

Often, people want to get information, but when they get it they never do anything with it, or they have an issue paying for the knowledge. While knowledge is important, it does nothing for you or anyone else if it is not put to use. Much like MONEY, knowledge is USELESS UNTIL IT'S USED. Having knowledge without understanding is also useless. THEREFORE, it may actually be worse because knowledge without understanding can have serious repercussions if not used correctly.  Incorrect use of knowledge happens when there's a lack of understanding.

At some point, knowledge should become WISDOM or MAKE YOUR DOME WISE. WISDOM is the CORRECT use of KNOWLEDGE. It's the reason why King Solomon wrote, "WISDOM is the principal thing, therefore GET WISDOM. And... In all thy getting, GET UNDERSTANDING!" Understanding means HAVING GOOD INSIGHT or JUDGEMENT. Gaining the ability to have good insight or JUDGEMENT especially in a particular field comes through INTIMATE relationship with that particular field. Intimate relationship in a particular field or area ONLY happens with THE INVESTMENT of FOCUSED TIME!

In closing, as the 8th century prophet Hosea stated, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Why do people lack knowledge? People lack knowledge because they usually REJECT it when it comes to them. If you get KNOWLEDGE make sure you also GET UNDERSTANDING because without the understanding you'll NEVER be able to STAND OVER your KNOWLEDGE with the principal key, WISDOM. ~Armani Valentino

Until next time...

My new course, MINDSET MAKEOVER IS NOW AVAILABLE GO HERE to get it today as well as other trainings to help you achieve more success! GET THE COURSE ---> https://bit.ly/3at7c3r

Texarkana, TX, July 11, 2020
11:11pm

This Sunday, July 12, 2020, Armani Valentino, founder of #BuyBackTheBlock Texarkana, plans to continue to bring hope to the neighborhood that shaped him and many others. He has led numerous small independent cleanups in the Rose Hill area since his return to the city in late 2016. Sunday's cleanup will be the largest community led cleanup in Rose Hill in many years.

Valentino says, "When I grew up in Rose Hill, it was clean, and people kept their yards mowed. They picked up the little trash that the wind would blow from time to time, but they never purposely trashed the community. They took pride in being from Rose Hill. It was a great place to be and I hope this cleanup will inspire others to want to make Rose Hill clean again and keep it that way."

Lowe's, Waste Management, Langford Roofing, Believe in Beverly, The Rose Hill Neighborhood Association, The Scholars, Faith Love & Hope, and individuals in the community contributed in some way to help make the cleanup successful.

The cleanup will start @9:30am and volunteers will meet up at Tiger Stadium formerly known as Grim Stadium. If you'd like to participate, show up ready to work and have a great time.

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Texarkana, TX--- 2:09am, Tuesday, 12/17/2019 --- Armani Valentino, 39, of Texarkana, TX, decided on Monday, December 9, 2019, to run for County Judge of Bowie County, TX. In 1991, he moved to Texarkana with his mother and two sisters. He holds a Bachelor's in Finance from the historical University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

As CEOE, Publisher/Director of Marketing at College Boy Publishing, LLC, and a national bestselling author, he's written 12 books and published over 40 titles for other authors. He's also the owner of ArmaniValentino.com, The College Boy Company, and CBC General Contracting Services. In 2018, he was recognized by Four States Living Magazine as one of Fabulous 40 & Under during their 25th anniversary year. Most recently he received the 2019 NAACP Business & Economics Award by the Greater Texarkana Chapter.

Despite the challenges and opposition he's received at times, Mr. Valentino says he's most proud of the work in the Rose Hill community he's done over the past 3 years. He conducts regular independent mini-cleanups, and has helped reduce crime, drug abuse, and the sale of illicit drugs by purchasing and revitalizing properties that were once used for those purposes. He believes that the best way to lead is by example. Armani's goal is to continue to inspire other young people to take a more active role in their community through revitalization and entrepreneurial efforts.

POLITICAL

Why did you decide to run for office?
When I voted in 2016, I noticed that numerous positions were unopposed. To me, that was a sign that at some point mediocrity became acceptable in the minds of the people in Bowie County or as if their vote and voice didn't matter.

A voting community is an informed community, and an informed community is vibrant, problem conscious yet solution focused, and growth centered in a positive way for all citizens regardless of party, race, gender, religion, or socio-economic status. After living in other states and other counties in Texas, I believe I have some fresh ideas to attract businesses and much needed jobs to make Bowie County a more prosperous county for all residents.
What better way to make a difference in my city and throughout Bowie County than becoming the County Judge?

What do you plan to focus on if elected as County Judge?

1.) Being fiscally responsible, and finding creative ways to bring more revenue into the county without costing taxpayers exuberant increases in taxes.

2.) Attracting new businesses, industry, and good paying jobs.

3.) Making sure all citizens feel safe, especially the elderly, disabled, women, and children.

4.) Improving the health of the citizens, and access to quality health care to all individuals in the county. A healthier county is a happier county.

5.) Improve the county roads.

6.) Housing and homelessness in the county.

If you'd like to support Armani Valentino's campaign, please visit bowiecountyjudge2020.com and make your campaign contribution. You can also send donations through CASH APP at $bowiecountyjudge2020
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On Monday, January 21, 2019, I was invited by the Greater Texarkana Branch of the NAACP to deliver the Keynote Address for MLK DAY 2019. When I was initially asked to give the address, I was kind of concerned because in the past the speech had been given by preachers & pastors. I am neither a preacher or a pastor.

I knew if I was going to deliver a message, it had to be one that resonated with me and who I was at the core. Being the change agent and natural solution focused teacher that I am, I decided to focus on the issues that directly affect my city. I was unsure how I was going to be received, but once I wrote what the MOST HIGH put on my heart to deliver, I was at peace with delivering it.

Below are three videos that make up all but the last 10 minutes of my presentation. Enjoy and PLEASE donate to my community campaign and purchase products and serviceson my site. 

"People want connection without communication." Armani Valentino That's not how it works! There's an epidemic when it comes to relationships of all kinds. This is due to the lack of true communication taking place, first. When you're trying to connect your device to WiFi, your modem starts to search and obtain the address/location to COMMUNICATE with the device. If it's A WEAK signal or the device is too far away, the ERROR message will read something along the lines of "DEVICE CAN'T BE FOUND or DEVICE NOT REACHABLE!" Meaning the line of communication is not open. When this happens, some ADJUSTMENTS have to be made on one or both ends in order for there to be a CONNECTION! The devices can only communicate with one another if they're both in an OPEN position to SEND and RECEIVE a message. The lines of COMMUNICATION must be open in order for them to CONNECT and to stay CONNECTED!

​Relationship Advice of the Day: One of the quickest ways to start looking old, gain unhealthy amounts of weight, and develop high blood pressure and other issues...
STAY IN AN UNHEALTHY RELATIONSHIP, of any kind!

Relationships bring you into close proximity with people. Energy is contagious, and therefore, negative mindsets, thought processes, and habits are as well. There is nothing worse than being IN a relationship but still being alone and feeling unloved by the individual(s) with whom you're involved. This causes depression, self-esteem issues, and often feelings of not being good enough.

These thoughts have to be expressed outwardly, and often show up in the form of worry, sadness, and broken-heartedness. All of which show up in multiple forms of DIS-ease. Your overall health is most important. So, make the needed adjustments that create a healthy relationship, and be committed to learning the tools needed to be the best version of yourself in a relationship(s).

Depression, and lack of love primarily expressed through the lack physical touch and words of affirmation, are closely related. So, when you're in a relationship where you are not included and not affirmed, unless that relationship grows, the both of you will continue to slowly kill one another's goals, dreams, and desires. And what is life without faith, love, & hope that your goals, dreams, and desires are not only possible but probable? 

Until next time...

#healthiswealth #relationshipadviceoftheday #dontletnobodykillyourdreams

Life Advice of the Day: CHANGE YOUR STORY...CHANGE YOUR LIFE! Too often we have identified ourselves based on what others have said about us, our past, and things that do not define the essence of our being.

I challenge you to NOT "keep it real" (being negative) for 30 days and DON'T tell your struggle story for 90 Days. Literally write a new story for your life and your life will change to reflect the new story! One thing I've learned about life that's extremely accurate is, I AM THE WRITER of MY LIFE STORY.

I have to change the script or I'll continue to speak the words that will produce the same outcome that I do not desire. I also have to change the script of those who are in my LIFE. All roles in a play or movie are scripted by a writer and then directed by a director. In your LIFE, that's done by YOU. Remind yourself, I AM the writer, director, and star of MY LIFE! So, if you don't like the way your life is going, REWRITE THE SCRIPT and STAY IN CHARACTER!

Until next time... #ChangeYourStory #ChangeYourLife

Advice of the DAY: BE POSITIVE and COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS! Often, when things are not going the way we would like, it can be easy to get discouraged, become negative, and feel like a failure. While this may be the normal thing to do, it actually negatively effects the progress we desire.

One thing I often hear from people is complaints about their JOB, SPOUSE, CAR/HOUSE PAYMENT, etc.! If it's a friend, I remind them, "REMEMBER WHEN YOU DIDN'T HAVE A JOB? Or when you were wanting a spouse? Or when you were walking/on the bus?" It's important to remember to APPRECIATE where you aren't in your life and to TRUST GOD'S PLAN.

At the end of last year when things got a little heavy on me financially, because things didn't pan out the way I thought they would, due to my indecision and not enforcing the rental agreements, I started complaining and wanted to give up and sell everything I'd worked for in 2017. A few friends of mine talked to me and came by the house to encourage me. However, because I was in such a negative state of mind and COMPLAINING about what I had asked for not working out the way I thought it should, I couldn't see any other solution.

I was now in a state of WOE IS ME! It was not until I had a conversation with someone who told me very specifically, "So because one thing didn't work out, you're just going to sell everything? All of it? You put a lot of work into those houses, Armani! Building wealth is important to you. You sure you want to just sell them all?" Sometimes, when you're in a negative space, YOU HAVE TO BE REMINDED of your original FOCUS and GOALS.

What were my original goals? (1.) Transform my community/block and make it safe place to live (2.)Put good tenants in the houses who wanted to help create a sense of community (3.) Create long-term passive residual income through a solid investment vehicle in the event something were to happen. (4.) Create some income/jobs/skills for others in the community who may not otherwise be employable. (5.) Be an example of good to others who may want to do the same.

Why must YOU and I be reminded of our GOALS/DREAMS??? Because there was a time when what you have NOW was just an idea, desire, wish, or a dream. And because times will get tough and you will feel as if you aren't going to accomplish it. It's called doubt and it's a trick of that part of your MIND that doesn't like you.

So, instead of complaining and submitting to the negative thoughts, BE THANKFUL and know that you're blessed beyond measure, so count your blessings. WRITE THEM DOWN SO YOU CAN SEE THEM! Whatever you're going through it'll help you GROW through and get through it easier and quicker thank complaining will ever do. Until next time... #staypositive #keepthefaith #claimtheincrease #seeyouatthetop #dontletnobodykillyourdreams

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