OCTOBER 2023
ALAMEDA COUNTY SOCIAL SERVICES AGENCY • OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS & COMMUNITY RELATIONS • EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER
RESPECT • INTEGRITY • CUSTOMER SERVICE • INITIATIVE • RESPONSIBILITY
A Message from the Agency Director
IN THIS ISSUE 1 Agency Director’s Message 1 Eastmont Holiday Job Fair Attracts More than 700 Job Seekers 2 Together Again: 49 Children Reunified with Parents 3 Stand Down Event Connects Veterans with Valuable Services and Community Resources
Dear SSA Staff, I wish you a safe and happy Halloween! Sincerely, Andrea Ford
4 Pleasure in the Job Makes Perfection in the Work: Employee Appreciation 6 Attention SSA Staff: Consider Becoming an IHSS Provider! 7 Workforce Professionals Building Connections Mixer 8 SSA Safety Corner: Tips for a Safe and Healthy Halloween 8 Were YOU Prepared for the Great ShakeOut?
Eastmont Holiday Job Fair Attracts More than 700 Job Seekers PHOTOS BY: Rochelle Baxter-Green, Job Developer
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Eastmont Self-Sufficiency Center
oes it feel like the holiday season starts sooner every year? As the saying goes, the early bird catches the worm. More than 700 job seekers were in attendance and eager for a head start at the Spetember 29 Eastmont Holiday Job Fair. 45 employers were present, looking to fill seasonal and permanent positions across a variety of industries. Companies and organizations included EBMUD, Oakland Zoo, Sysco, Southwest Airlines, Amazon, and Tesla, among others. To add to the excitement, $25 VISA gift cards were awarded to the first ten candidates to receive a contingent offer. On the day of the fair, twelve candidates received on-the-spot job offers from HEPPA C, Manos Home Care, Restoration Management, FedEx, FedEx Express, and the West Oakland Job and Resource Center. Many more job-seekers were scheduled for future interviews. Continued on page 2
Continued from page 1: Eastmont Holiday Job Fair Thank you to the SSA staff who supported the event: Rochelle Baxter-Green, Job Developer Max Brownlee, Career Development Specialist (CDS) I Marylin Kan, CDS II Kimberly Martinez, CDS I Rosie Miramontes, CDS II Sarahi Ontiveros, CDS I Elizabeth Reinhold-Holtz, Employment Counselor Lorena Ruiz, CDS II Donna Saffold-Williams, CDS I Brandi Simpson, CDS I ChiAurelia Spencer, CDS I Tosha White, CDS I Ramona Wilkins, Program Manager
Together Again: 49 Children Reunified with Parents from May through September 2023
to the child welfare workers of SSA’s Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) for their hard work and support that made it possible for 49 children to reunite with their parents between May and September 2023! K120 Unit Katrice Davis - 3 children
K130 Jessika Garcia - 4 children George Williams - 5 children
K140 Kourtney Chevalier - 1 child Debra Long - 12 children
K150 Samantha Hampton-Scott - 1 child Julia Vielma - 1 child
K170 Charles Colston - 2 children Zaira Garibay-Perez - 3 children Elizabeth Miyamoto - 2 children
K190 Paisley Pettway - 7 children Milan Sanders - 5 children
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Stand Down Event Connects Veterans with Valuable Services and Community Resources WRITTEN BY: Faith M. Battles, Assistant Agency Director
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Department of Adult & Aging Services
ollowing a lengthy hiatus due to the pandemic, Alameda County returned to hosting the Veterans Stand Down event on Saturday, September 16, 2023 at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton. David Haubert, Alameda County Supervisor for District 1, sponsored the event with the help of a number of organizations and the County Veterans Services Office (CVSO). Dating back to its start in 1999, the goal of the Stand Down Event is to provide critical support to Veterans including dental and health screenings, legal services, clothing, child support services, haircuts, assistance applying for Veterans’ benefits, and more. To make the event easily accessible, transportation was provided to our unhoused Veterans. Every Veteran received a healthy breakfast and lunch, including a food box to take home with them. Newly appointed County Veterans Services Officer, William Orecchia, stated that the Stand Down was “a start to get back into the battle to help Veterans in our community, and help the County build a relationship with Veterans and their families.”
CVSO staff at the Stand Down event: (above) Rebecca Ramos and Trina Jennings (right) Becky Wong
four Veterans were assisted with accessing benefits at the CVSO booth, and one Veteran visited the CVSO at Eastmont the next business day to file a claim.
Becky Wong, Veterans Services Representative with the CVSO, noted the event was a good experience and an opportunity for community-based organizations and vendors to make resources more readily available to our Veterans. As proof positive of the immediate impact of the Stand Down Event,
If you or anyone you know is a Veteran and in need of services, be sure to connect them to the CVSO at (510) 577-1926 or send an email to Veterans@acgov.org.
Express your gratitude for living by giving. For a donation of as little as $2 per pay period, you can make a difference. You can pay for your donation through payroll deduction that will begin in January 2024, by regular check, or credit card. The sooner you donate, the more chances you’ll have in the weekly prize drawing!
The campaign ends December 1, 2023! Donate today!
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Pleasure in the Job Makes Perfection in the Work: SSA Departments Celebrate Employee Appreciation SA staff work hard...and play harder. Departments showed off their creativity in planning events to honor staff and their dedication. From colorful decorations to tasty treats to lively games, these events had the right mix of ingredients for a good time.
SSA in Wonderland Workforce & Benefits Administration (WBA) South County • June 29, 2023 Staff were invited to enjoy the delights of Wonderland, including tea time treats at morning break, a luncheon, and games.
¡Fiesta Like There’s No Mañana! WBA - Enterprise • July 27, 2023 Let’s “Taco About Enterprise” and their fabulous celebration, featuring a taco truck in the parking lot and mouth-watering paletas at break time. Staff posted messages of appreciation to each other on a digital whiteboard. 4
Continued from page 4: Employee Appreciation Reunited… and It Feels So Good! Government & Communiy Relations (GCR), Human Resources, and Finance • August 17, 2023 The San Leandro Marina Park was the ideal location to enjoy music, lunch, a dessert contest, prize drawings, snow cone and popcorn machines, Jenga, Yard Pong, and cornhole Check out this video!
Backyard BBQ Dept of Adult & Aging Services • September 21, 2023 This epic event offered scrumptious burgers and hotdogs, a rubber ducky selfie contest, bingo, a game room, raffles, prizes, great music, and more!
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Being Better Together: Workforce Professionals Building Connections Mixer ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY:
n Thursday, September 21, 2023, SSA’s Career Development Specialists and Job Developer team hosted a Workforce Professionals Building Connections Mixer at the Cherryland Community Center in Hayward. The vision of the event was to bring together stakeholders in the local workforce community, raise awareness of available services and resources, and foster connections that will ultimately link clients with training, employment, supports, and opportunities. After the social distancing enforced by the COVID-19 pandemic, this was the time to put faces to names.
Andrea Wong, Office of Public Affairs
With so much to offer, the two-hour event moved at an energetic pace. 99 guests were in attendance, representing local employers, non-profits, training programs, and government agencies. Presenters included Xian Ballasteros from the East Bay Economic Alliance (EDA), Jim Britto from SSA, Ann Gonzalez from the East Bay Inter-Agency Training Council (EB/ IATC), and LaToya Reed-Ajdei of the Alameda County Workforce Development Board (WDB). The presenters highlighted opportunities and pathways to connect jobseekers with companies seeking employees, including the AC Hire wage subsidy program, high-tech focused training, career center services, and WDB’s no-cost employer hotline providing advice on tough HR and workforce questions.
Tabling representatives were invited to give a brief overview of their services or available job openings. Attendees enjoyed lively ice breaker and mingling activities, prize drawings, and refreshments. At the end of the event, there was free time to chat and network. And as with all good things, there is always demand for more. Attendees expressed enthusiasm for future networking events and resource sharing. As one attendee noted, “Getting vendors and resources together is a great way to create renewed interest as well as to establish new connections.”
A special thank you to the following people who supported the event: SSA’s Career Development Specialists and Job Developer Team
Community Partners Xian Ballesteros, Head of Marketing & Communications of the East Bay Economic Development Alliance (donation of 2 roundtrip tickets on Southwest Airlines for prize drawing) Ann Gonzalez, Manager of Special Projects, East Bay InterAgency Training Council Gloribel Pastrana, Business Service Manager at Rubicon Programs Mai Quach, Director of Programs at Lao Family Community Development (donation of 5 tote bags for prize drawing) Latoya Reed-Adjei, Interim Assistant Director, Alameda County Workforce Development Board Darlene Sloan-Hawkins, RFP Action Team, East Bay InterAgency Training Council Nancy Soto, Grant Project Support Liaison, Alameda County Workforce Development Board
Kimberly Nutting, Career Development Specialist I (Co-Coordinator of the Mixer) Shannon Murphy, Career Development Specialist I (Co-Coordinator of the Mixer) Monica Contreras, Program Manager Brenda Barber, Career Development Specialist II Marilyn Kan, Career Development Specialist II Jim Britto, Job Developer Teresa McGill, Job Developer Kimberly Martinez, Career Development Specialist I Mark Mithaiwala, Job Developer Yolanda Moreno, Career Development Specialist I Maria Potter, Career Development Specialist I Elizabeth Reinholz-Romero, Employment Counselor Donna Saffold-Williams, Career Development Specialist I ChiAurelia Spencer, Career Development Specialist I
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SSA Safety Corner Tips for a Safe and Healthy Halloween Pumpkin and decorating safety • Consider using a flashlight or glow stick instead of a candle to light your pumpkin. If you do use a candle, a votive candle is safest. • Do not place candlelit pumpkins on a porch or any path where visitors may pass close by. They should never be left unattended.
Are you looking forward to welcoming trick-or-treaters at your home this year? Here are some tips to help you provide a safe and enjoyable experience for visitors! Preparing Your Home • Remove tripping hazards to keep your home safe for visiting trick-or-treaters. Keep the porch and front yard clear of items such as garden hoses, toys, and bikes. • Check outdoor lights and replace burned-out bulbs. • Sweep wet leaves or debris from sidewalks and steps to prevent anyone from slipping on them. • Restrain pets so they do not jump on or bite a trickor-treater.
Healthy treats • Consider offering non-edible goodies. Halloween is one of the trickiest days of the year for children with food allergies. Possible items include glow sticks, spider rings, vampire fangs, pencils, bubbles, bouncy balls, finger puppets, whistles, bookmarks, stickers, and stencils.
the Were YOU prepared for
While seated at their desks and even during break time and meetings, these staff rocked the Great ShakeOut drill by following the steps of Drop, Cover, and Hold On!
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REACH OUT TO THE BUZZ Send comments to Sylvia Soublet • ssoublet@acgov.org Thank you to the SSA Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (DPEM) for leading the ShakeOut drill and to departments for contributing photos.
Content and Design Editor: Andrea Wong
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