CSET Newsletter - August 2022

THE COMMUNITY VOICE A Quarterly Newsletter by Community Services Employment Training

August, 2022

Dear Community Partners, As the needs of local families evolve, so do the services CSET provides to the community. We strive to meet the needs of our residents to ensure that everyone, and especially the underserved and hard to reach populations, have equal and easy access to our programs and services.

In this edition you’ll learn more about the increased water bill assistance for many Tulare County cities, upcoming Senior Wellness events, and a few success stories highlighting our agency’s work.

Thank you to our CSET staff, partners and board members for your dedication and commitment to our mission and the residents and communities we serve. We are truly grateful for your unwavering support.

Please enjoy the stories and highlights featured in our newsletter.

Sincerely, Mary Alice Escarsega-Fechner, CSET Executive Director

WATER BILL ASSISTANCE NOW AVAILABLE The Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) provides financial assistance to eligible Tulare County residents with a one-time water bill payment. LIHWAP is funded by the State of California's Community Services and Development department and can help pay your past due water or waste water bill. Eligible customers are required to live in one of the participating Tulare County communities and show identification and the overdue bill.

LIHWAP is constantly expanding the list of participating water districts. To check the current list of cities and for more information, please visit www.cset.org/lihwap.

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PABLO RECEIVES WALKER ON BEHALF OF COMMUNITY DONORS Rodolfo Calderon is a driver for CSET’s Meals on Wheels delivery program.

Rodolfo was on his delivery route one day and noticed a senior, Pablo, was having difficulty getting around his house and was in desperate need of a walker.

Photo: Pablo receives his walker during a meal delivery to his home.

CSET’s Senior Services team collected donations from the community and raised enough resources to provide Pablo with a much needed walker. Pablo was extremely grateful for the love and support of CSET staff and the community.

BANK OF AMERICA DONATES $20,000 Bank of America gave CSET a generous donation of $20,000 to support student internships throughout Tulare County.

As part of the donation, Bank of America holds a series of financial literacy workshops at no cost to help young people learn to properly manage their money. Bank of America recently held a Better Money Habits workshop at the Visalia Employment Connection, which was attended by many youth participants and Youth Workforce staff.

Photo: Bank of America representatives presenting their generous donation to CSET.

In addition to the information learned by participating youth, the Youth Workforce team was also inspired by the knowledge they gained from Bank of America. The Youth team plans to use what they learned to help train and guide youth department participants throughout the year. Additionally, the team plans to invite Bank of America to hold ongoing quarterly financial literacy workshops for their participants.

Thank you Bank of America for your generous contribution and your inspiring leadership!

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SENIOR CENTER VACCINATION EVENTS Next month CSET is hosting Senior Wellness Fairs at the Cutler and Porterville Senior Centers, where free vaccines and vaccine information will be available to local seniors and their families. Each event will feature valuable information on community resources, music, a cake walk, and games. The Porterville Senior Wellness Fair will be held on Saturday, September 17, 2022 from 9am to 12pm at the Porterville Senior Center, 280 N. Fourth St. The Cutler-Orosi Senior Wellness Fair will be held the following Saturday, September 24, from 9am to 12pm at Ledbetter Park in Cutler, 45779 Road 128.

The mission of the Senior Wellness Fairs is to provide equal access to Covid vaccines and other health resources to the rural communities. Bringing vaccines and vaccine information directly to these outlying areas will increase the accessibility of vaccines for our most vulnerable populations. The Senior Wellness Fairs are funded through a partnership with Kings/Tulare Area Agency on Aging (KT/AAA) and Tulare County Public Health. Residents planning to get a vaccine at the event are encouraged to pre-register at myturn.com and bring their current vaccination card.

There are many opportunities to get involved with the Senior Wellness Fairs.

Community and public agencies are encouraged to sign up for a booth to share information. Volunteers and donations are also appreciated. Visit www.cset.org/seniorwellnessfair, or contact Rocio Duran at (559) 741-4676 or Rocio.Duran@cset.org for more information.

CALFRESH E&T HELPS SALVADOR FIND A JOB! Salvador was struggling to find employment on his own, until joining the CalFresh Employment & Training (E&T) program. CalFresh E&T staff provided Salvador with information on community resources, job readiness skills and resume writing. Salvador took advantage of an opportunity for hands-on experience through CSET’s Back2Work program.

By participating in the training and work experience opportunities, Salvador greatly improved his skills, knowledge and job readiness. Salvador interviewed for a job at Champion Homes and was hired on the spot! Salvador will be making above minimum wage, and is excited to start full time employment. He credits the CalFresh E&T program for the skills and confidence he gained to help him job search and obtain employment. We look forward to watching Salvador continue to grow!

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NEXT STEP HELPS ADILENE FIND EMPLOYMENT Adilene was referred to the NextStep (WTW) program in January 2022, seeking help to overcome barriers to employment. While working in general labor positions, Adilene successfully went to school and obtained an AA degree in Business Administration. Although Adilene obtained her AA, she found herself at a crossroads and was having difficulty finding work. She then contacted the NextStep (WtW) program for job search assistance.

The Next Step team focused on preparing Adilene to be more confident with her interviewing skills and coached her in how to talk to employers about the skills she obtained through her AA degree.

Visalia CSET 312 NW 3rd Ave. Visalia, CA 93291 Tel. 559.732.4194 Visalia Employment Connection 4025 W. Noble Ave. # B Visalia, CA 93277-1631 Tel. 559.713.5000 Tulare Family Resource Center & Employment Connection Affiliate 304 E. Tulare Ave. Tulare, CA 93274 Tel. 559.684.1987

Adilene was placed on a paid training contract with Tulare County Superior Court to help her gain hands-on work experience. A month into her contract, the Court offered Adilene a position as a Clerk for the Porterville courthouse. She happily accepted and was excited to be a part of a positive and professional work environment.

Porterville Employment Connection 1063 W. Henderson Ave. Porterville, CA 93257 Tel. 559.788.1400 Earlimart CSET 176 N. Front St. Earlimart, CA 93219 Tel. 661.849.2960 North County Youth Site 40802 Road 128, Cutler, CA 93615 Tel. 559.315.3223 Pixley CSET 927 Center St. Pixley, CA 93256 Tel. 559.575.0098

Her new job was a great fit as it was also close to her home and her children’s school. Adilene stated, “I am grateful to CSET Senior Services 1.800.321.2462 be able to show my kids that through hard work and Cutler-Orosi, Earlimart, Exeter, dedication you can achieve your goals and better Farmersville, Goshen, your life”.

Lindsay, Porterville, & Woodlake View more stories at www.cset.org/client-success-stories.

CSET inspires youth, families, and communities to achieve self-reliance through innovative pathways and collaboration.

To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Community Voice newsletter, send an email to: csetmarketing@cset.org Discover more information about CSET’s programs and services at: www.cset.org Follow us on social media for the latest updates:

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