CSET Newsletter - May 2016

COMMUNITY VOICE

VOLUME 19

COMMUNITY VOICES

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FROM MARY ALICE ESCARSEGA-FECHNER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

This year, CSET celebrates its 40th anniversary as Tulare County's Community Action Agency (CAA)! CSET has proudly taken on this role since 1976 and it's fitting that we take a moment to celebrate a stellar 40 years during the month of May, known nationally as Community Action Month.

Community Action emerged from the heart of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s 1964 proclamation of America’s “War on Poverty” where battles must be won in the field, in every private home, in every public office, from the courthouse to the White House. For the past 40 years, CSET has put a human face on poverty in Tulare County by advocating for limited-income citizens without a voice, so they may achieve self-sufficiency and reach for the American dream.

As an organization, we remain committed to the communities we serve and will continue to implement innovative and cost-effective programs to improve the lives and living conditions of the impoverished. To recognize our anniversary, the City of Porterville and the Tulare County Board of Supervisors will be presenting CSET with proclamations honoring our organization's 40 years of dedication and service to the people of Tulare County.

Inside this issue John Muir Graduates

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Inside This Issue #LEAD Hosts STEM Event

We have witnessed the impact our programs and services make on individuals and in turn affects generations of families within our communities. Because of this, we believe the work CSET staff does each day is invaluable; making Tulare County a better place to live for all. Happy 40th Birthday, CSET! — Mary Alice Escarsega-Fechner

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CSET YouTube Channel

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Meals on Wheels Program Employment Connection VITA Program Numbers

DROUGHT RESOURCES STILL AVAILABLE

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The historic California drought continues to affect our state on a grand scale and hundreds of Tulare County residents are still living with dry wells. CSET is proud to be a strong partner contributing to the drought relief efforts provided by the County of Tulare and other local non-profit agencies. In an effort to show solidarity with drought-affected residents, CSET will be holding a Resource Fair at the East Porterville Drought Resource Center on the evening of Friday, June 10, 2016.

The Resource Fair will feature informational booths from various partners including Family Healthcare Network, United Way, Tulare County Health and Human Services and many more! Residents are encouraged to attend the event to learn about the services available to them as we enter into another hot summer season.

For more information about the Drought Resource Center and the services available, please call 1-866-284-5142.

May 2016

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#LEAD PROGRAM HOSTS STEM EDUCATION SUMMIT The Youth Development Department, in partnership with Southern California Edison (SCE), hosted the first ever Regional Education Youth Summit for 60-75 #LEAD students from Visalia, Tulare and Porterville on Friday, April 22, 2016. The purpose of the summit was to expose high school juniors and seniors in the #LEAD Program to the various careers available in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) with the goal of inspiring students to consider STEM career options.

Although numbers are increasing, few American students pursue careers in STEM fields. Now, more than ever, it is important for youth across the country to become equipped with the knowledge and problem-solving skills an education in STEM affords them. At the summit, #LEAD students were treated to expert guest speakers currently working in each of the STEM career fields as well as a tour of the SCE Energy Education Center.

The educational event featured resource booths, giveaways and a fine-dining lunch experience for the students.

Social media was also incorporated with CSET staff encouraging students to share their experiences using the event's hashtag- #LEADinSTEM. The summit proved to be a great success and #LEAD Program Coordinators hope to continue hosting the event on an annual basis. More information about the #LEAD Program is available online by visiting www.cset.org/services/youth/LEAD.

CSET JOINS YOUTUBE In an effort to join the social media video revolution, the CSET Marketing team has launched a CSET YouTube channel. The video sharing platform joins CSET's existing social media family, which currently includes accounts on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Billions of people use YouTube everyday to discover the world around them through originally-created videos made by users around the globe. The new channel will allow CSET to branch out into video production and will provide an opportunity to showcase the large scope of programs and events the organization offers to a broad audience. In this ever-changing world of modern media, CSET strives to stay connected to our local communities by engaging in media practices that cross boundaries and open the doors of communication. The new CSET YouTube channel will help us do just that.

Each video produced will highlight a different topic relevant to CSET including departments, special events, services and beyond. The first video produced features the Youth Development Department and covers each program it offers our young leaders of tomorrow.

Visit CSET’s channel by typing “Community Services Employment Training” in the YouTube search bar. Be sure to like and subscribe to our channel in order to stay updated with all the latest CSET video projects.

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HOME-DELIVERED MEALS DELIVER HOPE TO THE ELDERLY For most of us, it's hard to imagine what it would be like to be completely housebound, isolated from the outside world and left to wonder how your aging body will make it to the kitchen to warm up some lunch. Sadly, this is the reality for nearly 200 senior citizens living in communities throughout Tulare County- and with new requests coming in each week, that number continues to rise.

Enter CSET Senior Services' Home-Delivered Meal Program, more affectionately known as Meals on Wheels. The primary purpose of the program is to provide nutritionally balanced meals to elderly, disabled, and/or convalescing persons who are housebound, cannot cook for themselves and are age 60 or older. Each client in the program is delivered ten diverse frozen meals every Herrera, pictured on left, delivering stockings during the holidays. other week.

The secondary, and perhaps the more poignant, purpose of the program is to offer isolated seniors an opportunity to interact with a kind and trusted person in the community, a CSET staff member. Through their roles as meal delivery drivers, Sandy Sauceda and Rick Herrera, dispense warm conversations and a smile to senior citizens enrolled in the meal program. This simple interaction has been scientifically proven to reduce the risks of dementia, depression, and even mortality in elder adults. CSET Senior Services is proud to serve Tulare County's most distinguished citizens.

If you are aware of a senior citizen in need of assistance, please refer them to the Senior Services hotline number: 1-800-321-2462. Information about services is also available online at www.cset.org/senior-centers.

MAKING CONNECTIONS The 4th Annual Porterville Employment Connection Job Fair took place on May 3, 2016 at Porterville City College. The event was attended by more than 80 employers and an estimated 700 job seekers. Many employers chose to conduct interviews at the Job Fair, and several attendees reported being hired on the spot! The event was a success thanks to the participation of various business partners and employers. As one job seeker explained, “[the Job Fair] was great... definitely going to more!”

In other news, a pat on the back is in order for CSET staff member Sara Arce, a Job Developer at the Visalia Employment Connection. Sara received high praises from business partner, Sorma USA, a packing solutions company bringing produce “from farm to table with ease and freshness” who takes advantage of the Employment Connection’s employee training and recruitment services. In the words of a Sorma USA representative, “[we] have a great working relationship with Sara and the Employment Connection. The candidates referred to Sorma are all great quality.”

To date, Sorma USA has hired four participants referred to them by the Employment Connection and three remain employed with the company. The Employment Connection is a project funded by the Workforce Investment Board of Tulare County. To find more information regarding job opportunities and business resources, visit www.EmploymentConnect.org.

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INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE PROGRAM Tax season is over and the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) was a success once again! VITA is an IRS program designed to help low and moderateincome taxpayers complete their annual tax returns at no cost. The program ran from February 6th through April 9th in Visalia, Tulare, Porterville and Cutler-Orosi. Here’s a look at some numbers:

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 304 E. Tulare Ave. Tulare, CA 93274 Tel. 559.684.1987 Porterville Employment Connection 1063 W. Henderson Porterville, CA 93257 Tel. 559.788.1400 Earlimart CSET 114 N. Front St. Earlimart, CA 93219 Tel. 661.849.2960

Orosi CSET 12691 Ave. 408 Orosi, CA 93615 Tel. 559.528.6108 CSET Senior Services 1.800.321.2462 Cutler-Orosi, Earlimart, Exeter, Goshen, Lindsay, Porterville, & Woodlake Community Voice is published quarterly by Community Services Employment Training. Unless otherwise noted, articles are written by CSET staff. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send an email to jeff.forbes@cset.org.

May 2016

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