CSET Newsletter - June 2017

COMMUNITY VOICE

VOLUME 23

Volume 1

FROM MARY ALICE ESCARSEGA-FECHNER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Each year during the month of May, Community Action Agencies across the United States celebrate the signing of the Poverty Bill, also known as the Economic Opportunity Act, of 1964.

For over 50 years, this important piece of legislation has worked to alleviate the causes of poverty and gave birth to Community Action Agencies like CSET. CSET remains committed to working closely with partners to develop short and long term solutions to the issues of poverty and leverage resources to assist families while strengthening local communities.

Community Action changes lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities, and makes America a better place to live. We care about the entire community. We are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other.

CSET is proud to be the Community Action Agency for Tulare County and we thank you for your unwavering support and dedication to the people we serve. — Mary Alice Escarsega-Fechner

Inside this issue John Muir Graduates

BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

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They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Inside This Issue Our Workforce Development staff made sure that 2 FRCs Accredited statement was true at E. Porterville Kids Art Day 2 the first-ever Employer Appreciation Breakfast Recycling Facility Restored 3 at the Visalia EmployNext Step Paves Path 3 ment Connection.

Biz Hub Workshops Senior Day in the Park

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On Thursday, April 6th, multiple employers attended the delicious event catered by Corner Bakery, Panera Bread and Starbucks.

A short presentation with comments from Stephanie Trujillo, HR Manager for JM Eagle, a business partner, and CSET staff including Workforce Development Director Craig Plath preceded breakfast.

The purpose of the breakfast was to demonstrate CSET's appreciation and commitment to local employers who support the CSET mission by training, mentoring and hiring local participants. This partnership is instrumental in lowering the unemployment rate in our communities and helps foster essential workplace skills and abilities participants need to be successful in the job market. Major kudos to the Workforce Development staff members who planned the event!

June 2017

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FAMILY RESOURCE CENTERS RECEIVE ACCREDITATION CSET is thrilled to announce the SafeCare Accreditation of the Family Resource Centers in Tulare and Earlimart!

The SafeCare model is an evidence-based parent training program for the prevention of child maltreatment among families with a history for maltreatment or with risk factors for maltreatment.

The program is administered through four modules of training: Health, Home Safety, Parent-Child/ParentInfant Interactions, and Problem Solving and Engageement. All modules involve baseline assessment, intervention (training) and follow-up assessments to monitor change. Staff members conduct observations of parental knowledge and skills for each module by using a set of observation checklists. Each module is implemented in approximately one assessment session and five training sessions and is followed by a social validation questionnaire to assess parent satisfaction with training. SafeCare providers work with parents until they meet a set of skill-based criteria that are established for each module.

The mission of the Family Resource Centers is to increase family success by providing a system of services that are culturally sensitive, comprehensive and responsive to each family’s unique needs. These one-stop resource centers, provide families with access to services ranging from nutrition, health and education to housing, utility assistance and employment training.

CSET and other Family Resource Centers implementing the program will be accredited by the National Safecare Training and Research Center on an annual basis. A very special thank you to staff members Marco Silva and Angel Avitia for their hard work, professionalism and contribution to CSET’s Family Resource Centers.

EAST PORTERVILLE KIDS ENJOY ART DAY In collaboration with the Urban Art Collective, CSET hosted a Kids Art Day at the East Porterville Drought Resource Center for drought impacted children under the age of 12. Children and their families were invited to enter an art contest and share their story about the drought’s impact on their lives. The outdoor event included arts and crafts stations, dancers and music, local art demonstrations, and resource tables staffed by partner agencies providing service information to attendees.

Five art contest winners were chosen and selected to be interviewed for the the Urban Art Collective’s video project entitled “Young Faces of the Drought.” The video animation project will depict drought stories of youth in Tulare County and those of community leaders with the use of graffiti art.

The project will culminate with family-friendly screenings in three target communities: Porterville, Cutler-Orosi, and Allensworth/Alpaugh.

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CORPSMEMBERS SPRUCE UP RECYCLING FACILITY Year after year, the Sequoia Community Corps, a division of CSET, is named the top beverage container (CRV) recycling collector in the state of California. The Corps is proud to be known as the number one collector, but the large amount of recycled material takes a toll on the Corps’ recycling equipment and Materials Recovery Facility where CRV items are delivered, sorted and consolidated.

As a result of carbonated beverage and other liquid spills, the floors of the Corps processing facility corroded over time and it was time for a facility makeover! Corpsmembers and staff worked together to perform a deep clean of every inch of the facility. Once clean, corpsmembers went to work patching up floor cracks and corroded areas on the concrete.

Corpsmembers then rolled Rhino Liner over the facility’s sorting line floor to prevent slipping due to spills. A final seal followed one last scrubbing and the work was done. The facility has been restored to its original state and is prepped to take on the upcoming recycling season.

Thank you to staff and corpsmembers for their hard work and dedication to the Sequoia Community Corps and its facilities.

NEXT STEP: PAVING THE ROAD TO SELF-SUFFICIENCY The Next Step program, also known as Welfare-to-Work, serves underemployed and unemployed parents who receive CalWORKs cash aid to learn work skills and find employment, so they can support their families. Next Step offers program participants with support while also placing responsibility on participants to take the necessary steps to make their employment goals a reality.

Program elements include job readiness workshops, case management, job training opportunities and referral services to other CSET programs. The purpose of the Next Step program is to guide participants on the road to self-sufficiency ensuring local families have the tools to become successful.

N XT ST P W T W

BIZ HUB WORKSHOPS READY TO BEGIN Biz Hub is a community based program that works with new and aspiring small business owners. The program goal is to help small businesses survive and ultimately thrive. We aim to spur job creation in our region.

Informational discussions on small business management include: • Understanding Credit • Labor Relations • Personal Budget • Market Research • Business Map • And many more!

FREE Introduction Workshops Date & Time Tuesday, June 20, 2017 from 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Thursday, June 22, 2017 from 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Location Pixley CSET - 927 Center St., Pixley, CA 93256 To register, contact Amy Espinosa: (559) 741-4657 or (559) 623-5064 or amy.espinosa@cset.org.

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SENIORS ENJOY A DAY IN THE PARK Visalia CSET 312 NW 3rd Ave. Visalia, CA 93291 Tel. 559.732.4194

With a shake, a rattle, and a little rock and roll, over 1,000 Tulare County senior citizens were celebrated on May 12th at the 48th Annual Senior Day in the Park. The yearly event, held from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at Mooney Grove Park in Visalia, provides local seniors with an opportunity to enjoy a day filled with games, live entertainment and informational booths while socializing with hundreds of their peers.

“Our goal was to host an event that would bring joy to this valuable population of Tulare County residents - senior citizens,” said Albert Cendejas, Assistant Director – Senior Services for CSET. “Senior Day in the Park allows us to show our support, admiration and appreciation for the contributions seniors have made to our families and communities.”

Fifties music, décor and costumes worn by volunteers brought this year’s “Sock Hop” theme to life and dialed into feelings of nostalgia for many seniors in attendance. Activities included a cake walk (nearly 200 cakes were donated by local agencies), bingo games with raffle prizes donated by exhibitors, and a classic car show.

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

Live musical entertainment performed by local singer Chloe Gowin, Mariachi Juvenal Nueva Generación, and perennial fan-favorite, Jeremy “Elvis” Pearce, helped make the event a resounding success.

The annual event is provided by a partnership between CSET, Kings/Tulare Area Agency on Aging and the Tulare County Health and Human Services Agency.

Sponsors include Culligan, Vapor Trailers, Humana, A&W Restaurants, Family HealthCare Network, Tulare County Area Transit, Kaweah Delta Health Care District, Salser & Dillard Funeral Chapel and many others.

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 Pixley CSET 927 Center St. Pixley, CA 93256 Tel. 559.575.0098 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 csetmarketing@cset.org.

June 2017

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