editor@yourmonthlypaper.com
May 2012 Wardrobe for Opportunity By Fran Miller Take a good look at the contents of your closet. Do you actually wear everything you own? Do some items still bear the original tags? The rule of thumb in the closet-organizer world is: if you haven’t worn an item in the past year, then consider getting rid of it. In doing so, you could be helping to change someone’s life for the better. Donations to Wardrobe for Opportunity (WFO), of new and gently worn business clothing, accessories and shoes, help to empower low-income women and men to achieve economic viability and selfsufficiency. The successful and growing Bay Area nonprofit organization offers professional clothing, interview skills, and career support to those in need. WFO’s mission is to work in partnership with the community to assist low-income individuals to “Find a Job, Keep a Job, and Build a Career.” W F O ' s p r o g r a m s consistently help clients overcome challenges to accomplish their goals and achieve success. Founded in 1995 to address often overlooked, yet critical barriers to finding Wardrobe for Opportunity program and retaining graduate Sara Aboei before (left) employment, and after (right) her WFO interview WFO has served wardrobe consultation. nearly 20,000 people, referred from over 150 partner social service and job-training agencies across the Bay Area. WFO clients face significant barriers including poverty, drug abuse, disabilities, racism, and homelessness; 80% are single parents, 73% receive government assistance, and 85% are minorities. WFO programs include professional imaging, interview workshops, the nine-month Success Series featuring training, career coaching, and community mentors, and the follow-up Pathways program, a six-week communication and conflict resolution seminar helping clients to excel at their new jobs. All programs are free of cost. Professional imaging begins with a visit to one of their two private boutiques (on 14th St. in Oakland, and on Harrison St. in Concord) at which professional stylists offer assistance in selecting two interview outfits. This service helps clients gain a more positive sense-of-self and empowers them to become confident job applicants and successful employees. Monthly corporate-sponsored interview clinics help clients to
See WFO continued on page 24
Local Postal Customer
PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit 21 Lafayette, CA
ECRWSS
Serving the Lafayette Community Introducing GoLafayette! A smarter way to get around town Imagine that you’re about to jump in your car and drive from Burton Valley to the Lafayette Library. What if you knew that riding your bike instead of driving the SUV in the driveway would only take five extra minutes, save you $3.52, save a third of a gallon of gas, prevent 8.7 pounds of CO2 emissions, and help you burn almost 200 calories (round trip)? GoLafayette.org is an innovative new web-based tool being launched this month, exclusively in Lafayette, that will show all of this information and more in seconds. Developed by Sustainable Lafayette, and in the works for months, GoLafayette is billed as “a smarter way to get around town.” It was designed to help Lafayette residents figure out how to get from point A to point B for work, school, or shopping, using the most efficient mode of transportation. All you have to do is enter a starting point and destination and click “View Your Options.” GoLafayette will then display a table and map showing the distance, time, cost, fossil fuel use, CO2 emissions, calories burned, and recommended
See Go Lafayette continued on page 16
Look inside for information about the 2012 Concert at the Res to be held Saturday, May 12th, and the 10th annual Taste of Lafayette to be held Tuesday, May 15th.
Sentinels of Freedom Investing in Veterans Futures By Jody Morgan Opportunity would need to begin at home, San Ramon resident Mike Conklin realized as soon as the Twin Towers fell. Gathering community leaders together, he advised them that they might soon see local youths coming home physically broken from the imminent war. How would the community prepare to support them? Those present shared Conklin’s belief: “The least we can do for those who have served and sacrificed is to assist them in attaining their life goals.” The Sentinels of Freedom plan Conklin devised at their behest was implemented in 2003 when DanVolume V I- Number 5 Ryan Sykes celebrates ville resident Jake 3000F DANVILLE BLVD #117 Memorial Day. Brown became the ALAMO, CA 94507 Telephone (925) 405-6397 first beneficiary, the first Sentinel. Conklin Fax (925) 406-0547 recognized that each Sentinel would need editor@yourmonthlypaper.com appropriate housing, interim employment, transportation, and the education requisite Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher The opinions expressed herein belong to the for his or her chosen career. writers, and do not necessarily reflect that Like most of the 90 plus Sentinels who of Lafayette Today. Lafayette Today is not for the content of any of the adhave since been accepted into the program, responsible vertising herein, nor does publication imply
See Sentinels continued on page 12