CAP Center AmeriCorps Members of the Month
November 2020
Member Name: Ashley Jackson
Nominator: Shannon Griffin
Site: Meadowview Family Resource Center
Program: Birth & Beyond
I am nominating Ashley Jackson for the AmeriCorps Member of the month. Over the past year, I have supervised Ashley and she has shown so much growth and engagement within the department. Ashley is a third year AmeriCorps Member. She has stretched beyond her reserve and quiet demeanor to be vocal and engaged with providing suggestions and support to the new members and staff. Despite the inability to see the families in person, Ashley has continued to engage her families and is open to receiving suggestions to keep the families showing up. She has taken the initiative to eek out resources to strengthen her families and have shared her ideas during supervision. Ashley has given 110% when it comes to serving her families and she has worked through some challenging families cases. She continues to search for outside resources and intervention services that support the families.
Nominator: Shannon Griffin
Site: Meadowview Family Resource Center
Program: Birth & Beyond
I am nominating Ashley Jackson for the AmeriCorps Member of the month. Over the past year, I have supervised Ashley and she has shown so much growth and engagement within the department. Ashley is a third year AmeriCorps Member. She has stretched beyond her reserve and quiet demeanor to be vocal and engaged with providing suggestions and support to the new members and staff. Despite the inability to see the families in person, Ashley has continued to engage her families and is open to receiving suggestions to keep the families showing up. She has taken the initiative to eek out resources to strengthen her families and have shared her ideas during supervision. Ashley has given 110% when it comes to serving her families and she has worked through some challenging families cases. She continues to search for outside resources and intervention services that support the families.
April 2019
Member Name: Kiara Quintanar
Nominator: Teresa Arriaga, Kate Moore
Site: Parents for Public Schools - San Francisco
Program: RISE VISTA
Parents for Public Schools is so grateful to have Kiara on our team! We are a small, dedicated bunch and Kiara's can-do attitude, her calm, intelligent demeanor and her kind, generous spirit make Kiara a star in our eyes. Kiara represents all that is good in the AmeriCorps VISTA program. Her commitment, capacity for learning and willingness to work hard to help our organization achieve its goals is outstanding. Kiara goes above and beyond for her co-workers and the parents and families we help. Her insight and value has really shown itself in her work with staff, families and parents whose first language is not English. Kiara's talents are exemplified in the successful launch of our new Parent & Family Leaders Program where she has recruited, trained and managed 8 people as they serve as an extension of our outreach team. Her deep compassion for marginalized populations shines through in her daily practice. She is so quick to understand, interpret and respond to others' needs in our professional setting, it is easy to forget she is not a permanent member of the team. We love you Kiara - you are our Member of the Year!
Nominator: Teresa Arriaga, Kate Moore
Site: Parents for Public Schools - San Francisco
Program: RISE VISTA
Parents for Public Schools is so grateful to have Kiara on our team! We are a small, dedicated bunch and Kiara's can-do attitude, her calm, intelligent demeanor and her kind, generous spirit make Kiara a star in our eyes. Kiara represents all that is good in the AmeriCorps VISTA program. Her commitment, capacity for learning and willingness to work hard to help our organization achieve its goals is outstanding. Kiara goes above and beyond for her co-workers and the parents and families we help. Her insight and value has really shown itself in her work with staff, families and parents whose first language is not English. Kiara's talents are exemplified in the successful launch of our new Parent & Family Leaders Program where she has recruited, trained and managed 8 people as they serve as an extension of our outreach team. Her deep compassion for marginalized populations shines through in her daily practice. She is so quick to understand, interpret and respond to others' needs in our professional setting, it is easy to forget she is not a permanent member of the team. We love you Kiara - you are our Member of the Year!
September 2018
Member Name: Kory Hardcastle
Nominator: Melody Easton
Site: Child Abuse Prevention Center
Program: RISE VISTA
I would like to nominate Kory Hardcastle – Community Engagement VISTA – for the Member of the Month award. Kory has incredible drive and is eager to make an impact in his community. Kory’s primary responsibilities include building the capacity of the Birth & Beyond Collaborative Parent Cabinet and associated Parent Leaders as well as assisting in the administrative oversight of the First 5 Sacramento Community Connections Grants.
One of Kory’s many strengths lies in his ability to “see a need; fill a need” within all aspects of the programs he oversees. Within the Community Connections Grants (CCG), Kory has identified various needs of the grantees. One of those needs was ongoing support with social media and marketing outreach. The grantees are community members who may or may not have outreach experience. Many of them struggled to spread the word about their programs. Kory developed an online webinar to provide grantees with helpful tips and tricks to more effective outreach. He also provided this presentation in-person to grantees within a local housing community. Additionally, Kory recognizes the importance of networking to a group’s success. He recently coordinated a networking “meetup” for grantees located in specific areas of town.
Kory accomplishes everything he has set his mind to with speed and efficiency. We’re happy to have him as part of the team! Go Kory!
Nominator: Melody Easton
Site: Child Abuse Prevention Center
Program: RISE VISTA
I would like to nominate Kory Hardcastle – Community Engagement VISTA – for the Member of the Month award. Kory has incredible drive and is eager to make an impact in his community. Kory’s primary responsibilities include building the capacity of the Birth & Beyond Collaborative Parent Cabinet and associated Parent Leaders as well as assisting in the administrative oversight of the First 5 Sacramento Community Connections Grants.
One of Kory’s many strengths lies in his ability to “see a need; fill a need” within all aspects of the programs he oversees. Within the Community Connections Grants (CCG), Kory has identified various needs of the grantees. One of those needs was ongoing support with social media and marketing outreach. The grantees are community members who may or may not have outreach experience. Many of them struggled to spread the word about their programs. Kory developed an online webinar to provide grantees with helpful tips and tricks to more effective outreach. He also provided this presentation in-person to grantees within a local housing community. Additionally, Kory recognizes the importance of networking to a group’s success. He recently coordinated a networking “meetup” for grantees located in specific areas of town.
Kory accomplishes everything he has set his mind to with speed and efficiency. We’re happy to have him as part of the team! Go Kory!
July 2018
Member Name: Carolyn Smitley
Nominator: Ali Neira
Site: North Sacramento Family Resource Center
Program: Birth & Beyond
In the time I have worked with Carolyn, I have had the pleasure of seeing her leadership skills shine, and her ability to build rapport with families grow. Although very knowledgeable in NPP and child abuse and neglect, Carolyn’s willingness to advocate on behalf of her families, learn as much as she can from those around her and independently is what makes her a great Home Visitor. It is clear that Carolyn will go above and beyond for her families, especially if it means she can help them grow and succeed. In working with Carolyn, it is evident that she not only values her families, but also maintains a crucial and active role in their lives. For many families, Carolyn is their only sense of consistently and normalcy in they have, of which they value and keep in high regards.
Currently, Carolyn works with the most “high risk and high needs” families. Many of which continue to suffer from trauma, Intimate Partner Violence, sexual abuse, mental health, and developmental and physical disabilities, just to name a few. Although many of us would see this list of challenges and run away from them, Carolyn is consistently asking for these special families to help serve. Using her own battles with obstacles she has faced in the past as a motivation to help others, Carolyn sees it as her mission to assists in the prevention of future abuse or neglect. Carolyn sees these “difficult to serve” families as people that have not had the opportunity to shine and grow as parents and individuals. Always with a positive outlook on life and of her families, Carolyn is able to take the notion of “strength based parenting” to another level. Insisting in only looking at the good in people and even in the most difficult situations, Carolyn continues to evoke in families the notion of change and hope for a better tomorrow.
This cannot be illustrated more perfectly than in this example. Most recently, Carolyn managed a family that was going through AOD issues and Intimate Partner Violence among other battles. For this family, Carolyn was their night and shining armor. After building trust and rapport with the family. Carolyn was notified of a potential high risk situation. Taking immediate action, Carolyn helped facilitate an intervention and was able to successfully diffuse the situation and combine forces with interagency and partner agency staff to help with this family’s urgent need. In the end, this family was given the upmost services and the empowerment to take back their sense of security and safety. It was through Carolyn’s work, that this family’s crisis was at the fore front of the FRC, PM, TL, IS, FRCC and its partner agencies. Giving the family a voice was Carolyn’s ultimate goal and it is my strong belief that through this action, Carolyn saved this family’s lives and prevented a potentially unavoidable catastrophe.
As her TL, I would depict Carolyn as a strong leader and advocate for families whose goal is to help those may not have the voice to advocate for themselves. She brings joy to families and continues to remind us all that change can happen with one family at a time. Therefore it is with great pleasure that I nominate Carolyn for Member of the Month.
Nominator: Ali Neira
Site: North Sacramento Family Resource Center
Program: Birth & Beyond
In the time I have worked with Carolyn, I have had the pleasure of seeing her leadership skills shine, and her ability to build rapport with families grow. Although very knowledgeable in NPP and child abuse and neglect, Carolyn’s willingness to advocate on behalf of her families, learn as much as she can from those around her and independently is what makes her a great Home Visitor. It is clear that Carolyn will go above and beyond for her families, especially if it means she can help them grow and succeed. In working with Carolyn, it is evident that she not only values her families, but also maintains a crucial and active role in their lives. For many families, Carolyn is their only sense of consistently and normalcy in they have, of which they value and keep in high regards.
Currently, Carolyn works with the most “high risk and high needs” families. Many of which continue to suffer from trauma, Intimate Partner Violence, sexual abuse, mental health, and developmental and physical disabilities, just to name a few. Although many of us would see this list of challenges and run away from them, Carolyn is consistently asking for these special families to help serve. Using her own battles with obstacles she has faced in the past as a motivation to help others, Carolyn sees it as her mission to assists in the prevention of future abuse or neglect. Carolyn sees these “difficult to serve” families as people that have not had the opportunity to shine and grow as parents and individuals. Always with a positive outlook on life and of her families, Carolyn is able to take the notion of “strength based parenting” to another level. Insisting in only looking at the good in people and even in the most difficult situations, Carolyn continues to evoke in families the notion of change and hope for a better tomorrow.
This cannot be illustrated more perfectly than in this example. Most recently, Carolyn managed a family that was going through AOD issues and Intimate Partner Violence among other battles. For this family, Carolyn was their night and shining armor. After building trust and rapport with the family. Carolyn was notified of a potential high risk situation. Taking immediate action, Carolyn helped facilitate an intervention and was able to successfully diffuse the situation and combine forces with interagency and partner agency staff to help with this family’s urgent need. In the end, this family was given the upmost services and the empowerment to take back their sense of security and safety. It was through Carolyn’s work, that this family’s crisis was at the fore front of the FRC, PM, TL, IS, FRCC and its partner agencies. Giving the family a voice was Carolyn’s ultimate goal and it is my strong belief that through this action, Carolyn saved this family’s lives and prevented a potentially unavoidable catastrophe.
As her TL, I would depict Carolyn as a strong leader and advocate for families whose goal is to help those may not have the voice to advocate for themselves. She brings joy to families and continues to remind us all that change can happen with one family at a time. Therefore it is with great pleasure that I nominate Carolyn for Member of the Month.
February 2018
Member Name: Sarita Ramirez
Nominator: Lidia Alvarado and Richard Martinez
Site: THINK Together
Program: First 5 Service Corps
Sarita is deserving of the Member of the Month award because of her dedication and willingness to get things done! Since the beginning of the term, Sarita has been punctual and responsible, but this month Sarita demonstrated what it means to be an AmeriCorps member.
Nominator: Lidia Alvarado and Richard Martinez
Site: THINK Together
Program: First 5 Service Corps
Sarita is deserving of the Member of the Month award because of her dedication and willingness to get things done! Since the beginning of the term, Sarita has been punctual and responsible, but this month Sarita demonstrated what it means to be an AmeriCorps member.
August 2017
Member Name: Stephanie Morris
Nominator: Terri Gentile and Bunny Keterman
Site: GraceSource Family Resource Center
Program: CWS AmeriCorps
We would like to nominate Stephanie Morris for AmeriCorps Member of the Month, as she is the epitome of how an ideal AmeriCorps member serves her families, the community and her team.
Like all AmeriCorps home visitors, Stephane has had a positive impact on many of her families and has planted the seeds we all talk about. Stephanie’s past experiences have allowed her to share that knowledge with parents who found themselves struggling with similar issues. She was able to walk a mother through the process of finding housing, and give support when this mother became frustrated with the tedious process. Stephanie was willing to take on the foothill referrals (meaning she was willing to drive about an hour, one-way, in an area with spotty or no cell phone service) and was able to make contact and provide services and support with some of those families. Stephanie shows her empathy with the families she comes in contact. Stephanie has the ability to have difficult and very honest discussions with her families without making them feel uncomfortable. She also has the exceptional ability to reframe circumstances that allow the family to think differently about their situation and be able to work through their barriers with a renewed, more positive outlook.
Stephanie exemplifies the meaning of AmeriCorps. She went above and beyond of what was required or asked of her to do. Without being asked Stephanie took on the task of creating Excel data collection templates for our team to use when collecting numbers for monthly reporting. This has made the collecting of numbers more efficient and easier to do. Also of her own initiative Stephanie created an Expungement Binder to help walk individuals through the process of completing the necessary paperwork to file. She has a leadership quality that allows her to take on tasks with minimal supervision and give guidance to others when needed. As a team we have benefitted from Stephanie’s empathy, humor, life experience and team support—we are definitely better people for having known and worked with Stephanie; Stephanie is someone to admire and look up to.
We can always count on Stephanie to make smart, well thought-out and professional decisions. Stephanie represents GraceSource Family Resource Center, the CWS AmeriCorps Program, and The Child Abuse Prevention Center well and with pride.
July 2017
Member Name: Anna Botello
Nominator: Angela Graham-Parrish
Site: Valley Hi FRC
Program: Birth & Beyond AmeriCorps
The Valley Hi Family Resource Center would like to recognize the amazing service of Anna Gaona Botello. Anna continues to display exceptional growth as she works toward completing her 2nd AmeriCorps term. Anna is an AmeriCorps member who truly “walks the walk” every single day, both during her service hours and her personal time. Every day she gives 110% to both her families and her peers here at the site and also by serving the community through volunteer work.
We only need look at one of many examples of families that Anna has worked with on order to see the life-changing impact that she has had on families: When Anna began serving a mother that had newly immigrated to this country, she expressed concerns that based on what she had learned in her Birth and Beyond training that the 2-year old child did not appear typically developing. Anna immediately pooled all resources needed as soon as possible to determine that if the child did have unmet needs, how we could support the family. After administering assessments, Anna connected the family with Alta Regional Services, at which time the child was diagnosed with autism. While the mother was originally saddened and concerned as to what this would mean for her child’s future, Anna took the lead in providing support and reassurance, including self-care resources for the mother. In addition, Anna went above and beyond ensuring that when this parent could attend classes here at the FRC with her child in an environment that would meet his needs while ensuring that classes still remained fun for all in attendance. Recently this child attended classes at our FRC and the social and communication milestones that he has achieved are amazing! This mother directly credits Anna with recognizing a need and connecting her with services and support that she had previously been unaware of.
Anna has contributed so much to our site during the time that she has been with us here at Valley Hi, as she moves on to serve her community on an even greater scale, we count ourselves lucky for the time that she has dedicated here!
Nominator: Angela Graham-Parrish
Site: Valley Hi FRC
Program: Birth & Beyond AmeriCorps
The Valley Hi Family Resource Center would like to recognize the amazing service of Anna Gaona Botello. Anna continues to display exceptional growth as she works toward completing her 2nd AmeriCorps term. Anna is an AmeriCorps member who truly “walks the walk” every single day, both during her service hours and her personal time. Every day she gives 110% to both her families and her peers here at the site and also by serving the community through volunteer work.
We only need look at one of many examples of families that Anna has worked with on order to see the life-changing impact that she has had on families: When Anna began serving a mother that had newly immigrated to this country, she expressed concerns that based on what she had learned in her Birth and Beyond training that the 2-year old child did not appear typically developing. Anna immediately pooled all resources needed as soon as possible to determine that if the child did have unmet needs, how we could support the family. After administering assessments, Anna connected the family with Alta Regional Services, at which time the child was diagnosed with autism. While the mother was originally saddened and concerned as to what this would mean for her child’s future, Anna took the lead in providing support and reassurance, including self-care resources for the mother. In addition, Anna went above and beyond ensuring that when this parent could attend classes here at the FRC with her child in an environment that would meet his needs while ensuring that classes still remained fun for all in attendance. Recently this child attended classes at our FRC and the social and communication milestones that he has achieved are amazing! This mother directly credits Anna with recognizing a need and connecting her with services and support that she had previously been unaware of.
Anna has contributed so much to our site during the time that she has been with us here at Valley Hi, as she moves on to serve her community on an even greater scale, we count ourselves lucky for the time that she has dedicated here!
April 2017
Member Name: Kelsey Stone
Nominator: Cori L. Allen
Site: Tuolumne County Department of Social Services
Program: CWS AmeriCorps
There are few, if any, people who I have worked with in my 20 year career with the level of drive and fervor for personal growth while ensuring a depth of connection to others in need that Kelsey exudes.
Kelsey came to AmeriCorps with a vision for all families; no matter their challenge ahead, to achieve the very best access, the very best support, and the very best success. Kelsey spent critical developmental years during her childhood in the foster care system and after a brief dip during her adult life, was faced with navigating the Child Welfare System and once again, experienced foster care but from the perspective of a fiercely connected mother to her boys. Kelsey rapidly paved the way to outstanding success in her life for and with her children, alongside her supportive husband.
Kelsey then became a Parent Partner (a formal peer mentor) and in that role supported families through their experience in the Child Welfare system. Her upfront, no-nonsense style, paired alongside her nurturing and authentic heart, gave others the opportunity to confide in and trust her guidance and support. This role was a perfect bridge for Kelsey to become a full-time AmeriCorps member, stationed at the Tuolumne County Child and Family Visitation Center. The Visit Center was developed in close collaboration with families, Parent Partners, professionals and caregivers. Kelsey saw the vision that community can come together to support families to grow and change and Kelsey saw her gifts could make that idea a reality. Since Kelsey has joined the team, the Center has officially opened and has supported hundreds of hours of visits, parenting education, one-on-one coaching, and family orientations. Kelsey works with the most challenging families yet has an ease about her as she sits alongside them to create meaningful visits and to develop parenting plans following her Nurturing Parenting curriculum.
AmeriCorps partnership is critical to the Visit Center’s function and Kelsey was highlighted in the grand opening ribbon cutting, representing AmeriCorps, family engagement, and community partnership. Kelsey served several hours in preparing for the event, developing a speech, delivering an outstanding presentation, and served for two hours in hosting the community at the open house. Kelsey was an excellent support in this project and during the open house mingled effectively with the County Board, California Department of Social Services staff from the Office of Child Abuse Prevention bureau, and responding to newspaper staff and community members to discuss the excellent work being done at the visit center. I was thoroughly impressed by the work and impact Kelsey had on nearly 100 participants.
Kelsey managed our very first Pinwheels for Prevention garden, honoring the reduction in child abuse referrals in the current year by planting a stunning 184 blue pinwheels at our local courthouse. Kelsey recruited a high school sophomore volunteer in that effort which was highlighted in our local newspaper.
Kelsey believes in growth every day; active, gritty, down in the weeds growth. To do this, she reaches out regularly to other professionals in the fields of behavioral health, parenting education, public health, social services, and recovery to further her understanding and to better her skill sets. Her effort in this area is driven by a desire to graduate college and to become a Child Welfare Services Social Worker. Kelsey is well on her way and plans to commit a second full year as an AmeriCorps member in order to mentor new members before she takes that step into the next phase of her career. Kelsey dedicates up to 40 hours every week to her work in addition to her full time status as a college student. This means Kelsey works very long days, covering our after hours and weekend needs. She is efficient and timely without fail and fully self-directed. As I write this nomination, Kelsey is heading out to intervene with a young mother in crisis and has her Nurturing Parenting toolkit so that she can guide the parent and child to a place that is connected and safe. That is Kelsey Stone every day.
Kelsey is a joy to work with and makes me, our team, and the families we work alongside better people and better citizens. For this, I wholeheartedly nominate Kelsey Stone as AmeriCorps Member of the Month.
Nominator: Cori L. Allen
Site: Tuolumne County Department of Social Services
Program: CWS AmeriCorps
There are few, if any, people who I have worked with in my 20 year career with the level of drive and fervor for personal growth while ensuring a depth of connection to others in need that Kelsey exudes.
Kelsey came to AmeriCorps with a vision for all families; no matter their challenge ahead, to achieve the very best access, the very best support, and the very best success. Kelsey spent critical developmental years during her childhood in the foster care system and after a brief dip during her adult life, was faced with navigating the Child Welfare System and once again, experienced foster care but from the perspective of a fiercely connected mother to her boys. Kelsey rapidly paved the way to outstanding success in her life for and with her children, alongside her supportive husband.
Kelsey then became a Parent Partner (a formal peer mentor) and in that role supported families through their experience in the Child Welfare system. Her upfront, no-nonsense style, paired alongside her nurturing and authentic heart, gave others the opportunity to confide in and trust her guidance and support. This role was a perfect bridge for Kelsey to become a full-time AmeriCorps member, stationed at the Tuolumne County Child and Family Visitation Center. The Visit Center was developed in close collaboration with families, Parent Partners, professionals and caregivers. Kelsey saw the vision that community can come together to support families to grow and change and Kelsey saw her gifts could make that idea a reality. Since Kelsey has joined the team, the Center has officially opened and has supported hundreds of hours of visits, parenting education, one-on-one coaching, and family orientations. Kelsey works with the most challenging families yet has an ease about her as she sits alongside them to create meaningful visits and to develop parenting plans following her Nurturing Parenting curriculum.
AmeriCorps partnership is critical to the Visit Center’s function and Kelsey was highlighted in the grand opening ribbon cutting, representing AmeriCorps, family engagement, and community partnership. Kelsey served several hours in preparing for the event, developing a speech, delivering an outstanding presentation, and served for two hours in hosting the community at the open house. Kelsey was an excellent support in this project and during the open house mingled effectively with the County Board, California Department of Social Services staff from the Office of Child Abuse Prevention bureau, and responding to newspaper staff and community members to discuss the excellent work being done at the visit center. I was thoroughly impressed by the work and impact Kelsey had on nearly 100 participants.
Kelsey managed our very first Pinwheels for Prevention garden, honoring the reduction in child abuse referrals in the current year by planting a stunning 184 blue pinwheels at our local courthouse. Kelsey recruited a high school sophomore volunteer in that effort which was highlighted in our local newspaper.
Kelsey believes in growth every day; active, gritty, down in the weeds growth. To do this, she reaches out regularly to other professionals in the fields of behavioral health, parenting education, public health, social services, and recovery to further her understanding and to better her skill sets. Her effort in this area is driven by a desire to graduate college and to become a Child Welfare Services Social Worker. Kelsey is well on her way and plans to commit a second full year as an AmeriCorps member in order to mentor new members before she takes that step into the next phase of her career. Kelsey dedicates up to 40 hours every week to her work in addition to her full time status as a college student. This means Kelsey works very long days, covering our after hours and weekend needs. She is efficient and timely without fail and fully self-directed. As I write this nomination, Kelsey is heading out to intervene with a young mother in crisis and has her Nurturing Parenting toolkit so that she can guide the parent and child to a place that is connected and safe. That is Kelsey Stone every day.
Kelsey is a joy to work with and makes me, our team, and the families we work alongside better people and better citizens. For this, I wholeheartedly nominate Kelsey Stone as AmeriCorps Member of the Month.
February 2017
Member Name: Natalie Avalos Fuentes
Nominator: Hannah Norman
Site: First 5 Fresno County
Program: RISE VISTA
Over her term, Natalie has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to build and support the capacity of the systems and services serving Fresno County children. She is constantly looking for new ways to grow and learn and offers her own ideas, creativity and input to finding solutions and projects to plug herself into. In the last month Natalie coordinated and hosted a day long seminar with key county, school, non-profit and policy making leaders focused on integrating community work to serve children and families throughout their life course. At the same time she supports community leads with research and documentation to develop and implement new and best practice approaches to serve children and families collectively. In an ever changing climate of projects and need, Natalie remains flexible and open to taking on new and varied tasks.
Jan 2017
Member Name: Mason Taylor
Nominator: Glenn Carson
Site: Meadowview FRC
Program: Birth & Beyond AmeriCorps
There are so many things Mason does that go above and beyond program requirements! When transitioning to the School Readiness Home Visitor (SRHV) position in September from a Home Visitor (HV) position Mason continued to carry home visitation families until all Meadowview AmeriCorps Members were selected and trained.
While Meadowview has always had a lot of success conducting outreach, very few of the referrals received benefited Meadowview. Mason suggested that targeted outreach at apartment complexes in our own service area was an untapped source. Mason quickly made contact with two apartment complexes and had secured invitations to conduct open houses at their location to share information about B & B and Meadowview’s programs. With Mason’s energy along with staff support led the apartment complex to ask us to offer a parenting class on site.
Mason co-facilitates English as a Second Language class for Spanish speakers at another off site location. This group has grown and become more committed to the class meeting more consistently. Several families have shared how much they enjoy not only the class but how open and supportive Mason is towards them in their attempts to learn English.
As a Program Manager who gets requests to attend Team Decision Making (TDM) reviews, Mason has on several occasions agreed to attend and almost always comes back with a referral of some type for FRC services. Additionally, Mason has been willing to attend several focus groups with our partner Child Abuse Prevention Center (CAPC). Mason has been so highly regarded that he was encouraged to become the Chairperson of the SRHV Subcommittee.
Mason is loved by his peers and is a great team player.
Nominator: Glenn Carson
Site: Meadowview FRC
Program: Birth & Beyond AmeriCorps
There are so many things Mason does that go above and beyond program requirements! When transitioning to the School Readiness Home Visitor (SRHV) position in September from a Home Visitor (HV) position Mason continued to carry home visitation families until all Meadowview AmeriCorps Members were selected and trained.
While Meadowview has always had a lot of success conducting outreach, very few of the referrals received benefited Meadowview. Mason suggested that targeted outreach at apartment complexes in our own service area was an untapped source. Mason quickly made contact with two apartment complexes and had secured invitations to conduct open houses at their location to share information about B & B and Meadowview’s programs. With Mason’s energy along with staff support led the apartment complex to ask us to offer a parenting class on site.
Mason co-facilitates English as a Second Language class for Spanish speakers at another off site location. This group has grown and become more committed to the class meeting more consistently. Several families have shared how much they enjoy not only the class but how open and supportive Mason is towards them in their attempts to learn English.
As a Program Manager who gets requests to attend Team Decision Making (TDM) reviews, Mason has on several occasions agreed to attend and almost always comes back with a referral of some type for FRC services. Additionally, Mason has been willing to attend several focus groups with our partner Child Abuse Prevention Center (CAPC). Mason has been so highly regarded that he was encouraged to become the Chairperson of the SRHV Subcommittee.
Mason is loved by his peers and is a great team player.
Dec 2016
Member Name: Myrian Montano
Nominator: Jeneba Lahai (Supervisor) and Erin McEwen/Anna Korotkova (Fellow CWS AmeriCorps members)
Site: Yolo County Children's Alliance - West Sacramento FRC
Program: CWS AmeriCorps
As Myrian’s supervisor, I would like to nominate her for AmeriCorps Member of the Month. Myrian is a 2nd term CWS AmeriCorps member at Yolo County Children’s Alliance and she is based at the West Sacramento FRC. As a bilingual member of our team, Myrian serves clients primarily in West Sacramento but also travels around Yolo County as needed. She has done great work with our migrant farming and undocumented population, and has been at the forefront in implementing SB 75 (the Health for All campaign) and educating undocumented parents about what health services they and their children qualify for. Myrian has a very calming presence and professionalism that puts our clients at ease and begins to break through the protective shell that many clients put up around themselves and their families.
She has also been very successful in facilitating group NPP classes and we hear nothing but great feedback from her participants! A picture of her most recent graduating class has been included (all clients have signed photo consent forms).
Our 2 other CWS AmeriCorps members also whole-heartedly support nominating Myrian for Member of the Month. Our 3-member team are all serving their 2nd terms and have grown tremendously individually and as a team!
Here is what one of our CWS members said about Myrian:
“As a fellow AmeriCorps member, I support nominating Myrian Montano for Member of the Month because of her outstanding service and dedication to the clients she serves. Myrian is here early every day, ready for appointments, walk ins, and any other duties that are asked of her. I’ve seen her assist eight clients in a day, either enrolling them into a program or case managing during crises. I rely on her constantly for her guidance and exemplifying professionalism. She is a leader and makes all feel welcomed, valued, and heard.
Although the list of success stories Myrian has been a part of is extremely long, I want to highlight a theme of her work that makes her so great. Many times, undocumented clients have walked into our office and felt that they don’t qualify for Medi-Cal or CalFresh. Myrian is always right there to calm their fears and assist them through the process. I was assisting her with a pregnant mom in a household of four apply for Medi-Cal, Myrian took that extra step to explain about CalFresh and the mother applied and was approved for over $300 per month of SNAP benefits. Think of what a difference that $300 worth of food will do for that family.
Myrian Montano changes the lives of her clients.”
Nominator: Jeneba Lahai (Supervisor) and Erin McEwen/Anna Korotkova (Fellow CWS AmeriCorps members)
Site: Yolo County Children's Alliance - West Sacramento FRC
Program: CWS AmeriCorps
As Myrian’s supervisor, I would like to nominate her for AmeriCorps Member of the Month. Myrian is a 2nd term CWS AmeriCorps member at Yolo County Children’s Alliance and she is based at the West Sacramento FRC. As a bilingual member of our team, Myrian serves clients primarily in West Sacramento but also travels around Yolo County as needed. She has done great work with our migrant farming and undocumented population, and has been at the forefront in implementing SB 75 (the Health for All campaign) and educating undocumented parents about what health services they and their children qualify for. Myrian has a very calming presence and professionalism that puts our clients at ease and begins to break through the protective shell that many clients put up around themselves and their families.
She has also been very successful in facilitating group NPP classes and we hear nothing but great feedback from her participants! A picture of her most recent graduating class has been included (all clients have signed photo consent forms).
Our 2 other CWS AmeriCorps members also whole-heartedly support nominating Myrian for Member of the Month. Our 3-member team are all serving their 2nd terms and have grown tremendously individually and as a team!
Here is what one of our CWS members said about Myrian:
“As a fellow AmeriCorps member, I support nominating Myrian Montano for Member of the Month because of her outstanding service and dedication to the clients she serves. Myrian is here early every day, ready for appointments, walk ins, and any other duties that are asked of her. I’ve seen her assist eight clients in a day, either enrolling them into a program or case managing during crises. I rely on her constantly for her guidance and exemplifying professionalism. She is a leader and makes all feel welcomed, valued, and heard.
Although the list of success stories Myrian has been a part of is extremely long, I want to highlight a theme of her work that makes her so great. Many times, undocumented clients have walked into our office and felt that they don’t qualify for Medi-Cal or CalFresh. Myrian is always right there to calm their fears and assist them through the process. I was assisting her with a pregnant mom in a household of four apply for Medi-Cal, Myrian took that extra step to explain about CalFresh and the mother applied and was approved for over $300 per month of SNAP benefits. Think of what a difference that $300 worth of food will do for that family.
Myrian Montano changes the lives of her clients.”
Oct 2016
Member Name: Kevin Fuhrmann
Nominator: Kathleen Buehler
Site: Blind Children's Learning Center
Program: AmeriCorps VISTA
Kevin has been a VISTA at Blind Children’s Learning Center for nearly two years. We gave him lofty fund raising, community outreach and marketing goals that could have overwhelmed a recent college graduate. Kevin not only met these goals, but has excelled in this position through his creative thinking, organizational skills, self-motivation and perseverance to meet and exceed expectations.
Kevin initiated a Board-led Marketing Committee, starting with a committee description, meeting times and agendas. He put together the committee’s fiscal year Marketing Plan to complement the Center’s annual Fund Development Plan and reports to me on quarterly progress. He leads the marketing for Bright Visions, our inclusive preschool, which now has wait-listed students and markets Family Visions, a bi-monthly parent education and networking opportunity. Attendance has increased 70% due to his efforts.
Kevin has worked with our Bright Visions program on the Summer Camp for the past two years to reduce cost, increase registrations and secure underwriting.
Through research and initial contact, Kevin has scheduled 11 corporate groups over the past few months. They have prepared sensory games for our annual 5k Walk, participated in Summer Camp, built projects and created tactile learning materials for our classrooms.
Kevin has designed and maintains both of our websites, writes and sends a monthly Volunteer E-Newsletter and writes, designs and takes photographs for bi-annual print newsletters and the Annual Report. Kevin has made a dramatic impact and we truly appreciate all he continues to do for BCLC.
Nominator: Kathleen Buehler
Site: Blind Children's Learning Center
Program: AmeriCorps VISTA
Kevin has been a VISTA at Blind Children’s Learning Center for nearly two years. We gave him lofty fund raising, community outreach and marketing goals that could have overwhelmed a recent college graduate. Kevin not only met these goals, but has excelled in this position through his creative thinking, organizational skills, self-motivation and perseverance to meet and exceed expectations.
Kevin initiated a Board-led Marketing Committee, starting with a committee description, meeting times and agendas. He put together the committee’s fiscal year Marketing Plan to complement the Center’s annual Fund Development Plan and reports to me on quarterly progress. He leads the marketing for Bright Visions, our inclusive preschool, which now has wait-listed students and markets Family Visions, a bi-monthly parent education and networking opportunity. Attendance has increased 70% due to his efforts.
Kevin has worked with our Bright Visions program on the Summer Camp for the past two years to reduce cost, increase registrations and secure underwriting.
Through research and initial contact, Kevin has scheduled 11 corporate groups over the past few months. They have prepared sensory games for our annual 5k Walk, participated in Summer Camp, built projects and created tactile learning materials for our classrooms.
Kevin has designed and maintains both of our websites, writes and sends a monthly Volunteer E-Newsletter and writes, designs and takes photographs for bi-annual print newsletters and the Annual Report. Kevin has made a dramatic impact and we truly appreciate all he continues to do for BCLC.
Member of the Month- Lee Yang
Member Name: Lee Yang
Program Name: Birth & Beyond
Nominator: Ejiro Okoro, Family Resource Center Coordinator
Site: River Oak Center For Children-Dunlap FRC
From my first interactions with Lee Yang, our River Oak Family Resource Center Aide, I knew that her heart was for service within the community at large. As the Family Resource Center Coordinator I have the blessing of having her on my team, and getting to see her offering parenting education, support and resources to families who are dealing with some of the most difficult challenges of their lives. As a facilitator of Effective Parenting Initiative classes, most of which are approved for court mandated parents, Lee has had worked with parents from several different backgrounds. Lee graciously lends a hand whenever and wherever needed and treats all families at the FRC with warmth and respect. She was our backbone when we had a large turnover of AmeriCorps staff last year and served without complaint as she took on many extra duties. Due to her knowledge and years of experience at the FRC, she is viewed as a leader by other AmeriCorps staff.
One family that comes to mind is a couple that attended one of our EPI classes, who left with information on how to reduce stress, effectively communicate with children, and more! Lee also shared community resources including information on entrepreneurship, and how to start a business. This couple was financially struggling to say the least, and was homeless. This couple took the information seriously, because Lee as a business owner herself came with relevant information. Some months ago, the couple returned to report that they had begun their own party rental business, had found stable housing and that they were in the market for a car! They also brought with them a relative that was a new mom, who needed support and resources as well who signed up for services that day. They were so excited to share with Lee what her support meant to them, and wanted others to connect with the services of the Family Resource Center. Lee is a true example of the heart of AmeriCorps, service and getting things done for America!
Program Name: Birth & Beyond
Nominator: Ejiro Okoro, Family Resource Center Coordinator
Site: River Oak Center For Children-Dunlap FRC
From my first interactions with Lee Yang, our River Oak Family Resource Center Aide, I knew that her heart was for service within the community at large. As the Family Resource Center Coordinator I have the blessing of having her on my team, and getting to see her offering parenting education, support and resources to families who are dealing with some of the most difficult challenges of their lives. As a facilitator of Effective Parenting Initiative classes, most of which are approved for court mandated parents, Lee has had worked with parents from several different backgrounds. Lee graciously lends a hand whenever and wherever needed and treats all families at the FRC with warmth and respect. She was our backbone when we had a large turnover of AmeriCorps staff last year and served without complaint as she took on many extra duties. Due to her knowledge and years of experience at the FRC, she is viewed as a leader by other AmeriCorps staff.
One family that comes to mind is a couple that attended one of our EPI classes, who left with information on how to reduce stress, effectively communicate with children, and more! Lee also shared community resources including information on entrepreneurship, and how to start a business. This couple was financially struggling to say the least, and was homeless. This couple took the information seriously, because Lee as a business owner herself came with relevant information. Some months ago, the couple returned to report that they had begun their own party rental business, had found stable housing and that they were in the market for a car! They also brought with them a relative that was a new mom, who needed support and resources as well who signed up for services that day. They were so excited to share with Lee what her support meant to them, and wanted others to connect with the services of the Family Resource Center. Lee is a true example of the heart of AmeriCorps, service and getting things done for America!
Member of the Month-Lizz Torres
Member Name:Lizz Torres
Program: First 5 Service Corps
Nominator: Erika Wright
Site: First 5 Madera
County: Madera
Lizz has been an exceptional AmeriCorps Member since she came on board here at our Family Resource Center this program year. Her upbeat and positive attitude have drawn children and families to her, as evident by her weekly activities filling up on the first day of registration. Since January, Lizz has been doing the work of two members since we lost one of our other members when he moved out of town. Despite this, she has not once complained and has always been committed to keeping services and activities at the same level, as she does not want to disappoint families by decreasing the number of activities the FRC offers. She is the sole person responsible for creating and implementing engaging lesson plans that are developmentally-appropriate and linked directly to the readiness domains and then assessing them using the GOLD Assessment. Over the last 5 months, she has planned and implemented 3 large events, 2 Pre-Kindergarten University graduations as well as conducted an average of 5 FRC activities and 6 Pre-Kindergarten University classes per week. All of this is in addition to assisting greatly with Week of the Young Child events and acting as the first point of contact for families when needed at our front desk. Lizz also often assists her fellow AmeriCorps members with their projects, despite the many demands on her time. She is friendly with everyone that walks through our door and is committed to help them find the resources they need to be successful. It is for all of these reasons I feel compelled to nominate her for Member of the Month!
Member Name:Lizz Torres
Program: First 5 Service Corps
Nominator: Erika Wright
Site: First 5 Madera
County: Madera
Lizz has been an exceptional AmeriCorps Member since she came on board here at our Family Resource Center this program year. Her upbeat and positive attitude have drawn children and families to her, as evident by her weekly activities filling up on the first day of registration. Since January, Lizz has been doing the work of two members since we lost one of our other members when he moved out of town. Despite this, she has not once complained and has always been committed to keeping services and activities at the same level, as she does not want to disappoint families by decreasing the number of activities the FRC offers. She is the sole person responsible for creating and implementing engaging lesson plans that are developmentally-appropriate and linked directly to the readiness domains and then assessing them using the GOLD Assessment. Over the last 5 months, she has planned and implemented 3 large events, 2 Pre-Kindergarten University graduations as well as conducted an average of 5 FRC activities and 6 Pre-Kindergarten University classes per week. All of this is in addition to assisting greatly with Week of the Young Child events and acting as the first point of contact for families when needed at our front desk. Lizz also often assists her fellow AmeriCorps members with their projects, despite the many demands on her time. She is friendly with everyone that walks through our door and is committed to help them find the resources they need to be successful. It is for all of these reasons I feel compelled to nominate her for Member of the Month!
Member of the Month - Kathryn Ragas
Member Name:
Kathryn Ragas
Program: Birth & Beyond
Nominator: Angela Graham-Parrish
Site: Valley Hi Family Resource Center
County: Sacramento
Katie has made it clear that Wonder Woman is not just for the comic books! As an AmeriCorps member, Katie regularly goes the extra mile for her families. She has a gift for building rapport and connecting with even the most challenging families and situations. Katie utilizes her own growth and experiences to empower parents with the knowledge that YES, they too can do it! She firmly believes that with the right tools and support, every parent can be the parent they desire to be. She also believes that every parent deserves this opportunity. She is not one to give up easily on the families she works with, even if it means adjusting her routine or schedule in order to accommodate them. Katie never waivers from her strong work ethic and professional boundaries, while continuing to build positive, trusting, relationships with those she is serving. For example, when the child of a parent that Katie was serving disclosed that she had witnessed her father physically abusing her mother, it was clear that action needed to be taken. Though our agency was required to file a CPS report, Katie was able to work with this mother to help her understand how valuable the safety of her and her children was. This mother later disclosed that thanks to Katie, she felt empowered to leave the domestic violence situation that she had been in for years. This mother now gets regular domestic violence counseling and services. Katie’s ability to take initiative is strong evidence of the leadership quality that she has come to be known for. Overall, Katie is an amazing representation of the values and mission of the AmeriCorps message. We are so happy to have her as a part of our team!
Kathryn Ragas
Program: Birth & Beyond
Nominator: Angela Graham-Parrish
Site: Valley Hi Family Resource Center
County: Sacramento
Katie has made it clear that Wonder Woman is not just for the comic books! As an AmeriCorps member, Katie regularly goes the extra mile for her families. She has a gift for building rapport and connecting with even the most challenging families and situations. Katie utilizes her own growth and experiences to empower parents with the knowledge that YES, they too can do it! She firmly believes that with the right tools and support, every parent can be the parent they desire to be. She also believes that every parent deserves this opportunity. She is not one to give up easily on the families she works with, even if it means adjusting her routine or schedule in order to accommodate them. Katie never waivers from her strong work ethic and professional boundaries, while continuing to build positive, trusting, relationships with those she is serving. For example, when the child of a parent that Katie was serving disclosed that she had witnessed her father physically abusing her mother, it was clear that action needed to be taken. Though our agency was required to file a CPS report, Katie was able to work with this mother to help her understand how valuable the safety of her and her children was. This mother later disclosed that thanks to Katie, she felt empowered to leave the domestic violence situation that she had been in for years. This mother now gets regular domestic violence counseling and services. Katie’s ability to take initiative is strong evidence of the leadership quality that she has come to be known for. Overall, Katie is an amazing representation of the values and mission of the AmeriCorps message. We are so happy to have her as a part of our team!
April Member of the Month-Katie McLelland
Member Name: Katie McLelland
Program: Child Welfare System Improvement
Nominator: Carolyn Burkhalter
Site: River Oak Center for Children
County: Sacramento
I would like to nominate Katie McLelland for Member of the Month. She very much deserves to be recognized for her hard work, great attitude, and team spirit! Katie is always on time and ready to work. Katie seeks out tasks and takes initiative to “get things done”. Katie has demonstrated exceptional service. During group she took the initiative to take on one of our more difficult clients one-on-one. She was proactive and prepared lessons, crafts, and activities specifically for him. She was able to make headway with this kiddo when nobody else could.
Katie is definitely a leader. She has welcomed every new member and made them really feel part of the team. She has a great sense of humor and is well liked by the rest of the team. Katie is very active and energetic, always looking for more to do. She is great at organizing and has played a huge role in getting our resource rooms and storage rooms organized and tidy. She is very professional and greets every family that she comes in contact with and makes them feel valued and heard. She treats her co-members, other staff members, clients, and families with the upmost respect.
Katie is very caring and truly interested in whoever she is working with or speaking to. She is creative and often sought out by River Oak Staff to use her talents, which she does with a smile. Katie is a huge asset to our team and we are privileged to have her.
Member of the Month - Briana Manning
Member Name: Briana Manning
Program: Youth Investment Center
Nominator: Cailen Woodward &
Renee John
Site: Folsom Cordova Training Center
County: Sacramento
Youth Investment Center Partner: Folsom Cordova Training Center nominated Briana Manning for Member of the Month. This is Briana’s second AmeriCorps term of service, first year here at the Folsom Cordova Training Center. Her term thus far has been characterized by dedication, diligence, compassion, and constant leadership! Briana has taken the lead in coordinating content and building relationships with high risk youth coming into the Training Center. There is no situation, regardless of difficulty, that she will not willingly move into with grace and compassion. She is a tireless advocate for youth and an expert in foster youth programs and resources. Briana also ready assists adults in our universal access room. She is so good with everyone who comes in that they ask for her and wait to talk with her. She has helped numerous community members obtain jobs and interviews. She is always ready and willing to help anyone who needs it. Briana is a self-starter and a natural leader. She has shown tremendous dedication and heart in the last 6 months and we are very excited to see where the rest of her term(s) takes her.
Program: Youth Investment Center
Nominator: Cailen Woodward &
Renee John
Site: Folsom Cordova Training Center
County: Sacramento
Youth Investment Center Partner: Folsom Cordova Training Center nominated Briana Manning for Member of the Month. This is Briana’s second AmeriCorps term of service, first year here at the Folsom Cordova Training Center. Her term thus far has been characterized by dedication, diligence, compassion, and constant leadership! Briana has taken the lead in coordinating content and building relationships with high risk youth coming into the Training Center. There is no situation, regardless of difficulty, that she will not willingly move into with grace and compassion. She is a tireless advocate for youth and an expert in foster youth programs and resources. Briana also ready assists adults in our universal access room. She is so good with everyone who comes in that they ask for her and wait to talk with her. She has helped numerous community members obtain jobs and interviews. She is always ready and willing to help anyone who needs it. Briana is a self-starter and a natural leader. She has shown tremendous dedication and heart in the last 6 months and we are very excited to see where the rest of her term(s) takes her.
Member of the Month - Amanda Salcido
Member Name: Amanda Salcido
Nominator: Angela Graham-Parrish
The Valley Hi Family Resource Center would like to recognize the exemplary service of Amanda Salcido by nominating her for Member of the Month. Amanda is a 1st term AmeriCorps member who jumped in with both feet. Her eagerness to learn, her dedication to the families that she serves, and her commitment to service is refreshing. From her first day out of training, Amanda was eager for new referrals to get into the community and serve families. She was quick to declare that she wanted as many referrals as she could get because the only way to learn was to be out in the community doing it. Realizing that she is still learning, however, she never hesitates to request coaching and shadowing and utilizes supervision opportunities as a means of growth.
When Amanda first came to Birth and Beyond, she was new to social services. She did not let this be a barrier to providing service to her community. Since she has been with us, Amanda has repeatedly reached levels of home visits typically seen by our veteran home visitors. In both the months of November and December, she has exceeded 50 home visits and is well on her way to do so again in January. Yet her paperwork, timesheets, and other required documentation are always completed in a timely fashion.
Amanda is a fun, dedicated, member of our team here at Valley Hi. Her positive energy can only be described as contagious. She is always eager to help, make a joke, or give a kind compliment when needed, making her a refreshing and well-liked addition to our staff. I recently had the opportunity to receive feedback from the CPS social worker of a teen parent who Amanda has been working with. This particular teen has been in the foster system for the majority of her life and has had many significant challenges along the way. The social worker shared with me that thanks to Amanda’s dedication and diligence, this young mother and her infant went from being in a dangerous, high risk situation to being in a safe, loving, environment, and on the way to reunification with a long-lost family member. This is but one of the many success stories that Amanda has already produced in the brief time that she has been with us. I am confident that there are many more success stories to come. In this first quarter of her term, she has already grown by leaps and bounds, making her an AmeriCorps member that we at Valley Hi are so happy to have as part of our team!
Nominator: Angela Graham-Parrish
The Valley Hi Family Resource Center would like to recognize the exemplary service of Amanda Salcido by nominating her for Member of the Month. Amanda is a 1st term AmeriCorps member who jumped in with both feet. Her eagerness to learn, her dedication to the families that she serves, and her commitment to service is refreshing. From her first day out of training, Amanda was eager for new referrals to get into the community and serve families. She was quick to declare that she wanted as many referrals as she could get because the only way to learn was to be out in the community doing it. Realizing that she is still learning, however, she never hesitates to request coaching and shadowing and utilizes supervision opportunities as a means of growth.
When Amanda first came to Birth and Beyond, she was new to social services. She did not let this be a barrier to providing service to her community. Since she has been with us, Amanda has repeatedly reached levels of home visits typically seen by our veteran home visitors. In both the months of November and December, she has exceeded 50 home visits and is well on her way to do so again in January. Yet her paperwork, timesheets, and other required documentation are always completed in a timely fashion.
Amanda is a fun, dedicated, member of our team here at Valley Hi. Her positive energy can only be described as contagious. She is always eager to help, make a joke, or give a kind compliment when needed, making her a refreshing and well-liked addition to our staff. I recently had the opportunity to receive feedback from the CPS social worker of a teen parent who Amanda has been working with. This particular teen has been in the foster system for the majority of her life and has had many significant challenges along the way. The social worker shared with me that thanks to Amanda’s dedication and diligence, this young mother and her infant went from being in a dangerous, high risk situation to being in a safe, loving, environment, and on the way to reunification with a long-lost family member. This is but one of the many success stories that Amanda has already produced in the brief time that she has been with us. I am confident that there are many more success stories to come. In this first quarter of her term, she has already grown by leaps and bounds, making her an AmeriCorps member that we at Valley Hi are so happy to have as part of our team!
Member of the Month - Sajana Budhathoki
Member Name: Sajana Budhathoki
Program: Birth and Beyond
Nominator: April Jean
Site: Arcade Community Center
County: Sacramento
The Arcade Community Center would like to nominate Sajana Budhathoki for AmeriCorps Member of the Month. Sajana is a 2nd term. AmeriCorps member and she exemplifies the true meaning of “service”. Sajana serves at Arcade as a home visitor and she is a great addition to the team. She is reliable, well-organized, never fails to show up to service on time. Throughout her term Sajana has displayed a great passion for serving within the community and working one-on-one with her families.
Sajana has displayed a strong passion for working with Middle Eastern families who have transitioned to America through a local refugee program. Sajana has been especially supportive to her families by providing them with social support, connectivity to local resources and just simply by being present for her families who are adjusting to a new country and new environment. Recently at a family event at our site, I had the pleasure of speaking with one of Sajana’s families who stated that Sajana has been a wonderful support to her family. She went on to let me know that we are lucky to have Sajana because she has encouraged her and given her the confidence that she needed to move forward towards her goals. Very simply, this family absolutely was right.
We are very lucky to have Sajana! She loves people, is extremely diligent, and constantly lifts the spirits of those around her with her presence. I can speak for the entire staffs by saying that these characteristics embody all that is positive in our agency, and we are very pleased to nominate Sajana as Member of the Month.
Program: Birth and Beyond
Nominator: April Jean
Site: Arcade Community Center
County: Sacramento
The Arcade Community Center would like to nominate Sajana Budhathoki for AmeriCorps Member of the Month. Sajana is a 2nd term. AmeriCorps member and she exemplifies the true meaning of “service”. Sajana serves at Arcade as a home visitor and she is a great addition to the team. She is reliable, well-organized, never fails to show up to service on time. Throughout her term Sajana has displayed a great passion for serving within the community and working one-on-one with her families.
Sajana has displayed a strong passion for working with Middle Eastern families who have transitioned to America through a local refugee program. Sajana has been especially supportive to her families by providing them with social support, connectivity to local resources and just simply by being present for her families who are adjusting to a new country and new environment. Recently at a family event at our site, I had the pleasure of speaking with one of Sajana’s families who stated that Sajana has been a wonderful support to her family. She went on to let me know that we are lucky to have Sajana because she has encouraged her and given her the confidence that she needed to move forward towards her goals. Very simply, this family absolutely was right.
We are very lucky to have Sajana! She loves people, is extremely diligent, and constantly lifts the spirits of those around her with her presence. I can speak for the entire staffs by saying that these characteristics embody all that is positive in our agency, and we are very pleased to nominate Sajana as Member of the Month.
Member of the Month - Tammy Rowen
Member Name: Tammy Rowen
Program: Child Welfare System Improvement
Nominator: Lindsay Call
Site: Mountain Communities Family Resource Center, Inc.
County: Kern
Tammy exemplifies every single piece of criteria listed for Member of the Month. She is punctual and thorough with her data collection and timesheet submission; she does this on her own with no prompting. She scours our local resources and agencies for trainings that are relevant to her work, so that she can increase her own capacity and that of our community. She has come up with innovative ideas to strengthen our community, including spearheading an event to support our youth alcohol and drug prevention program and finding additional supporters and participants to breathe new life into our community’s annual Health Fair, which has been struggling in recent years. Along with Shanene, our other CWS member, she is coordinating a shoe and sock drive to help low-income families in the area, as well as the local schools when they get emergency requests for these items. She has outreach to the local schools to increase awareness of the AmeriCorps program and receive referrals for at-risk families.
However, the most significant area that she excels in is the direct service that she provides to our struggling clients. Her friendly attitude and empathy allows her to connect with clients so that they trust her, even welcoming her into their homes. She has worked with our local CPS worker to strengthen coordination between our local agency and the county services, and reach out specifically to those families that have either had their children removed or are in danger of that outcome. One particular disabled client stands out as someone that our agency has struggled to assist over the last year that her child has been in foster care. Tammy was able to build a relationship of trust, something other case managers at our agency struggled to do, such that she allows her to present the Nurturing Parenting education weekly in her home. They discuss ways to improve her living situation so that reunification is possible. Since the client started meeting with Tammy, her home conditions have improved, her visitation has been increased to three times per week, and she is allowed more private time with her baby. Tammy has become such a trusted ally that she asked her to attend her upcoming court hearing on reunification. This is truly just one example of the exceptional service Tammy is offering in our community.
Program: Child Welfare System Improvement
Nominator: Lindsay Call
Site: Mountain Communities Family Resource Center, Inc.
County: Kern
Tammy exemplifies every single piece of criteria listed for Member of the Month. She is punctual and thorough with her data collection and timesheet submission; she does this on her own with no prompting. She scours our local resources and agencies for trainings that are relevant to her work, so that she can increase her own capacity and that of our community. She has come up with innovative ideas to strengthen our community, including spearheading an event to support our youth alcohol and drug prevention program and finding additional supporters and participants to breathe new life into our community’s annual Health Fair, which has been struggling in recent years. Along with Shanene, our other CWS member, she is coordinating a shoe and sock drive to help low-income families in the area, as well as the local schools when they get emergency requests for these items. She has outreach to the local schools to increase awareness of the AmeriCorps program and receive referrals for at-risk families.
However, the most significant area that she excels in is the direct service that she provides to our struggling clients. Her friendly attitude and empathy allows her to connect with clients so that they trust her, even welcoming her into their homes. She has worked with our local CPS worker to strengthen coordination between our local agency and the county services, and reach out specifically to those families that have either had their children removed or are in danger of that outcome. One particular disabled client stands out as someone that our agency has struggled to assist over the last year that her child has been in foster care. Tammy was able to build a relationship of trust, something other case managers at our agency struggled to do, such that she allows her to present the Nurturing Parenting education weekly in her home. They discuss ways to improve her living situation so that reunification is possible. Since the client started meeting with Tammy, her home conditions have improved, her visitation has been increased to three times per week, and she is allowed more private time with her baby. Tammy has become such a trusted ally that she asked her to attend her upcoming court hearing on reunification. This is truly just one example of the exceptional service Tammy is offering in our community.
March 2015
Member of the Month - Miraya Surya
Name: Miraya Surya
Program: First 5 VISTA
Position: AmeriCorps VISTA
Service Site: Family Support Network
Nominator: Linda Smith
County: Orange
Miraya continues to exemplify all of the qualities that you would want to see demonstrated in a AmeriCorps VISTA. She has shown so much initiative this past quarter by successfully completing a $5,000 campaign to support cribs for infants with disabilities; keeping them safe in their homes; she has worked with both CalWorks and Cal State LA to bring two volunteers into the office; she continues to collaborate with Biola University to create marketing and PR materials for an upcoming community campaign; she has presented at local school districts, sharing Family Support Network’s story and the programs Family Support Network can offer to the community.
Miraya was so successful last year in coordinating a food drive with Kraft Foods and the Second Harvest Food Bank, that she has been asked to coordinate a second drive this year. This food drive will support over 211 families in securing food and will provide emergency needs items for their children.
Miraya is a “go getter” requiring very little direct supervision. She is motivational to others in the office, inspiring them to support the organization.
Program: First 5 VISTA
Position: AmeriCorps VISTA
Service Site: Family Support Network
Nominator: Linda Smith
County: Orange
Miraya continues to exemplify all of the qualities that you would want to see demonstrated in a AmeriCorps VISTA. She has shown so much initiative this past quarter by successfully completing a $5,000 campaign to support cribs for infants with disabilities; keeping them safe in their homes; she has worked with both CalWorks and Cal State LA to bring two volunteers into the office; she continues to collaborate with Biola University to create marketing and PR materials for an upcoming community campaign; she has presented at local school districts, sharing Family Support Network’s story and the programs Family Support Network can offer to the community.
Miraya was so successful last year in coordinating a food drive with Kraft Foods and the Second Harvest Food Bank, that she has been asked to coordinate a second drive this year. This food drive will support over 211 families in securing food and will provide emergency needs items for their children.
Miraya is a “go getter” requiring very little direct supervision. She is motivational to others in the office, inspiring them to support the organization.
January 2015
Member of the Month - Mai Her
Name: Mai Her
Position: Family Resource Aide
Service Site: La Familia
Nominator: Jennifer Morales
Mai Her has been an AmeriCorps member for three years. I have had the pleasure of working with her for the last two terms. During this time Mai has shown extreme leadership skills. She challenges herself and her team to work collectively to achieve the success of our FRC. Mai exemplifies all the qualities an AmeriCorps member. She tries to make the world a better place by providing a safe space for the parents in her classes. Parents share they enjoy attending Mai’s workshops because she is very happy and welcoming. Mai helps children learn to share and play with each other. She makes children who have never been left in the care of others feel comfortable leaving their parents for a few hours. She also goes above and beyond to help families she works with find resources. Since I began working with Mai, I have felt that she has also challenged me to strive to be happy and nurturing every day. She is very hard working and is always eager to help our Family Resource Center and staff.
The way Mai interacted with her last Nurturing Parenting Program Class shows why she should be Member of the Month. She had a classroom full of parents who were nervous about attending our classes, however by the middle of their sessions I could hear them laughing and interacting with each other as if they had known each other for years. She made them feel so united that they decided to have dinner together and collaborated in purchasing pizza for the entire class. It is great to know Mai is part of La Familia’s team, she brightens our days and ensures we all feel motivated in the work we do for our community.
Position: Family Resource Aide
Service Site: La Familia
Nominator: Jennifer Morales
Mai Her has been an AmeriCorps member for three years. I have had the pleasure of working with her for the last two terms. During this time Mai has shown extreme leadership skills. She challenges herself and her team to work collectively to achieve the success of our FRC. Mai exemplifies all the qualities an AmeriCorps member. She tries to make the world a better place by providing a safe space for the parents in her classes. Parents share they enjoy attending Mai’s workshops because she is very happy and welcoming. Mai helps children learn to share and play with each other. She makes children who have never been left in the care of others feel comfortable leaving their parents for a few hours. She also goes above and beyond to help families she works with find resources. Since I began working with Mai, I have felt that she has also challenged me to strive to be happy and nurturing every day. She is very hard working and is always eager to help our Family Resource Center and staff.
The way Mai interacted with her last Nurturing Parenting Program Class shows why she should be Member of the Month. She had a classroom full of parents who were nervous about attending our classes, however by the middle of their sessions I could hear them laughing and interacting with each other as if they had known each other for years. She made them feel so united that they decided to have dinner together and collaborated in purchasing pizza for the entire class. It is great to know Mai is part of La Familia’s team, she brightens our days and ensures we all feel motivated in the work we do for our community.
December 2014
Member of the Month - Omar Zapien
Name: Omar Zapien
Position: Family Support Aide
Service Site: River Oak Center for Children - Sacramento
Nominator: Gloria Kruse
Omar is a 2nd term member as a Family Resource Aide. He is a pleasure to work with and always has a big smile and is ready to help in a very positive way. He is a member that exudes the AmeriCorps spirit. He is a helper in all aspects. He is very passionate with planning all activities for the children in play care. He is talented, hardworking, and innovative.
Omar has been an all-around “model member” and is always willing to do whatever is needed to get the job done. From the moment we met Omar, we knew we were very lucky to have him at our site. He is very bright. He works extremely well with managers, supervisors, clinical staff, and other AmeriCorps members. He has tremendous energy and optimism when engaging with families and their children. He represents River Oak well at Community Outreach events as we educate the public and the work and services of River Oak.
In his 1st term, we saw Omar grow every day. He is willing to learn from others and he is always willing to ask questions and give good suggestions. He has a great attitude, contagious smile, and is always ready when we need him. It is our pleasure to nominate him for this recognition (AmeriCorps Member of the Month). I am an incredibly proud supervisor of Omar. He makes my job easy!!
Position: Family Support Aide
Service Site: River Oak Center for Children - Sacramento
Nominator: Gloria Kruse
Omar is a 2nd term member as a Family Resource Aide. He is a pleasure to work with and always has a big smile and is ready to help in a very positive way. He is a member that exudes the AmeriCorps spirit. He is a helper in all aspects. He is very passionate with planning all activities for the children in play care. He is talented, hardworking, and innovative.
Omar has been an all-around “model member” and is always willing to do whatever is needed to get the job done. From the moment we met Omar, we knew we were very lucky to have him at our site. He is very bright. He works extremely well with managers, supervisors, clinical staff, and other AmeriCorps members. He has tremendous energy and optimism when engaging with families and their children. He represents River Oak well at Community Outreach events as we educate the public and the work and services of River Oak.
In his 1st term, we saw Omar grow every day. He is willing to learn from others and he is always willing to ask questions and give good suggestions. He has a great attitude, contagious smile, and is always ready when we need him. It is our pleasure to nominate him for this recognition (AmeriCorps Member of the Month). I am an incredibly proud supervisor of Omar. He makes my job easy!!
September 2014
Member of the Month - Derek Slama
Name: Derek Slama
Position: School Readiness Home Visitor
Service Site: Meadowview FRC
Nominator: Jami Alexander, Program Manager
Derek is an outstanding member. Since his first term (he is now beginning his 3rd) Derek has done nothing but amazing work with families, giving all to the team and overall expanding his knowledge to be able to grow as a member. Derek started out as a Family Resource Aid and after completing the NPP
training, embraced Fathers Inc. Derek had many successes working with the dads at mi Casa Recovery Home, imparting parenting knowledge to the dads with
substance abuse issues. Per the dads and staff at Mi Casa, Derek’s class has been a very important piece of the case management plan with many of the dads.
As Derek progressed in his position as FRA, he became interested in the home visitation aspect. Derek was able to show supervisors how well he could juggle the requirements of the FRA position; facilitating NPP classes, etc. He was able to test his hand taking on home visitation clients.
Derek has so many important characteristics that make him shine. He is dependable and reliable. He will jump in any time to assist a fellow member or
bend over backwards to meet the needs of staff and families without compromising his ethics.
At the end of Derek’s second term he found out that the site would need a new SRHV and he just jumped for joy at the opportunity to once again expand
his skills and knowledge. Derek’s successes are many. He has made amazing strides with the father’s through Fathers Inc. and has grown immensely in the process.
Position: School Readiness Home Visitor
Service Site: Meadowview FRC
Nominator: Jami Alexander, Program Manager
Derek is an outstanding member. Since his first term (he is now beginning his 3rd) Derek has done nothing but amazing work with families, giving all to the team and overall expanding his knowledge to be able to grow as a member. Derek started out as a Family Resource Aid and after completing the NPP
training, embraced Fathers Inc. Derek had many successes working with the dads at mi Casa Recovery Home, imparting parenting knowledge to the dads with
substance abuse issues. Per the dads and staff at Mi Casa, Derek’s class has been a very important piece of the case management plan with many of the dads.
As Derek progressed in his position as FRA, he became interested in the home visitation aspect. Derek was able to show supervisors how well he could juggle the requirements of the FRA position; facilitating NPP classes, etc. He was able to test his hand taking on home visitation clients.
Derek has so many important characteristics that make him shine. He is dependable and reliable. He will jump in any time to assist a fellow member or
bend over backwards to meet the needs of staff and families without compromising his ethics.
At the end of Derek’s second term he found out that the site would need a new SRHV and he just jumped for joy at the opportunity to once again expand
his skills and knowledge. Derek’s successes are many. He has made amazing strides with the father’s through Fathers Inc. and has grown immensely in the process.
July 2014
Member of the Month - Norma Chavez
Member Name: Norma Chavez
Service Site: First 5 Tehama
Nominator: Michelle Barnard
Program: First 5 Service Corps
Norma is a third year member and has developed some outstanding leadership qualities. Kinder Camp is a very big program requiring a lot of work from our members. Norma took it upon herself to lead the registration efforts. She made sure that children who needed the program got to come going above and beyond to reach those hard to reach parents. She drove to their homes and kept working to contact them to make sure their children could have access to this great summer program. She worked hard to support the teacher and other AmeriCorps members to get all of the small details worked out ahead of time to ensure a smooth start to the program.
Norma has been an all around “model member” always willing to do whatever is needed to get the job done.
She has helped train and encourage new members, always willing to lend a hand or helpful advise. Norma hasrepresented our program by speaking at Board of Supervisors meeting, and other partnering agencies. Speaking in front of large groups was new to Norma and well out of her comfort zone but shestepped out and was willing to try, and she did a great job.
Norma is a pleasure to work with always ready to help and always positive! It is my pleasure to nominate her for this recognition.
Service Site: First 5 Tehama
Nominator: Michelle Barnard
Program: First 5 Service Corps
Norma is a third year member and has developed some outstanding leadership qualities. Kinder Camp is a very big program requiring a lot of work from our members. Norma took it upon herself to lead the registration efforts. She made sure that children who needed the program got to come going above and beyond to reach those hard to reach parents. She drove to their homes and kept working to contact them to make sure their children could have access to this great summer program. She worked hard to support the teacher and other AmeriCorps members to get all of the small details worked out ahead of time to ensure a smooth start to the program.
Norma has been an all around “model member” always willing to do whatever is needed to get the job done.
She has helped train and encourage new members, always willing to lend a hand or helpful advise. Norma hasrepresented our program by speaking at Board of Supervisors meeting, and other partnering agencies. Speaking in front of large groups was new to Norma and well out of her comfort zone but shestepped out and was willing to try, and she did a great job.
Norma is a pleasure to work with always ready to help and always positive! It is my pleasure to nominate her for this recognition.
June 2014
Member of the Month - Denise Perez
Member Name:Denise Perez
Service Site: Center Unified School District
Nominator:Alyson Collier
Program: Youth Investment Center (YIC)
Denise works hard to recognize the unique needs and circumstances of each of her assigned youth. She develops individual plans with them to reach the goals the youth have chosen. Some of her most challenging cases are youth who have transitioned out of foster care, have become homeless and are often temporarily doubled up with other families.
One of the first priorities is to stabilize housing and basic needs support, so the youth can focus on long term goals of education and career preparation. By providing direct assistance to the youth in obtaining food stamps, learning to use the public transit systems, and applying for part time jobs, Denise supports the youth in becoming more independent.
As a result, several of her youth have developed stronger connections with their foster families. The families have now made long term commitments to keeping the youth in their homes so the youth can pursue the goals they have set to achieve long term independence.
Service Site: Center Unified School District
Nominator:Alyson Collier
Program: Youth Investment Center (YIC)
Denise works hard to recognize the unique needs and circumstances of each of her assigned youth. She develops individual plans with them to reach the goals the youth have chosen. Some of her most challenging cases are youth who have transitioned out of foster care, have become homeless and are often temporarily doubled up with other families.
One of the first priorities is to stabilize housing and basic needs support, so the youth can focus on long term goals of education and career preparation. By providing direct assistance to the youth in obtaining food stamps, learning to use the public transit systems, and applying for part time jobs, Denise supports the youth in becoming more independent.
As a result, several of her youth have developed stronger connections with their foster families. The families have now made long term commitments to keeping the youth in their homes so the youth can pursue the goals they have set to achieve long term independence.
May 2014
Member of the Month - Guadalupe Jaimez
Member Name: Guadalupe Jaimez
Service Site: HV Dunlap FRC
Nominator: Alison LeMeur
Program: Birth & Beyond
(Written by Alison LeMeur - Team Leader Dunlap FRC)
Lupita is a great asset to our site. She is a member that exudes the AmeriCorps spirit. She is a helper in all aspects. She is passionate about her families and passionate about helping her community.
Since she has arrived at the site as an AmeriCorps member she has brought with her a determination to deliver the Nurturing Parenting Program in homes of the highest quality. She is patient with her parents and their children. She is flexible yet follows model fidelity. She works hard to deliver the curriculum in such a way that it caters to the parents learning style. She continues to push herself as a home visitor by serving a diverse set of parents; she even has a couple of Dads.
This term of service I have seen Lupita grow as an HV. She has taken on more difficult cases with perseverance and confidence. She is willing to learn from others and she is always willing to ask questions and try out suggestions.
Lupita is a great member to have at our site. She is always willing to lend a hand in play care if it’s understaffed. She is willing to help out in the center if she sees a need. She is willing to move chairs, cart tables around, set up and tear down sun shades all with a smile and determination.
Lupita is a great member and she deserves to be nominated for MoM!
Service Site: HV Dunlap FRC
Nominator: Alison LeMeur
Program: Birth & Beyond
(Written by Alison LeMeur - Team Leader Dunlap FRC)
Lupita is a great asset to our site. She is a member that exudes the AmeriCorps spirit. She is a helper in all aspects. She is passionate about her families and passionate about helping her community.
Since she has arrived at the site as an AmeriCorps member she has brought with her a determination to deliver the Nurturing Parenting Program in homes of the highest quality. She is patient with her parents and their children. She is flexible yet follows model fidelity. She works hard to deliver the curriculum in such a way that it caters to the parents learning style. She continues to push herself as a home visitor by serving a diverse set of parents; she even has a couple of Dads.
This term of service I have seen Lupita grow as an HV. She has taken on more difficult cases with perseverance and confidence. She is willing to learn from others and she is always willing to ask questions and try out suggestions.
Lupita is a great member to have at our site. She is always willing to lend a hand in play care if it’s understaffed. She is willing to help out in the center if she sees a need. She is willing to move chairs, cart tables around, set up and tear down sun shades all with a smile and determination.
Lupita is a great member and she deserves to be nominated for MoM!
April 2014
Member of the Month - Kiera Coughlan
Member Name: Kiera Coughlan
Service Site: Blue Lake CRC
Nominator: Kim Rios/Carole Wolfe
Program: Child Welfare Systems Improvement
(From Carole Wolfe)
Kiera is everything an AmeriCorps member should be. She is talented, hardworking, and innovative. She splits her time between our Family Resource Center in Manila and the Family Resource Center in Blue Lake. From the moment I met Kiera, I knew we were very lucky to have her at our center. She is very bright. She works extremely well with a wide variety of people that access services through our Resource Center. She works well with clients and staff. In addition, she walks the extra mile with clients until a positive change has begun in their lives.
(From Kim Rios)
Kiera has been providing intense case management in Blue Lake for families with extreme needs. She has spent time doing outreach to a family whose Mother has high anxiety and a history of drug addiction. Mom is very needy and not always patient. Kiera goes above and beyond to not only listen with empathy, but also has a natural understanding of mom's situation. She is very knowledgeable with resources and information to help mom apply for appropriate programs. She provides home visiting services bringing resources to the family when they are not able to come to the center. I truly believe Kiera's interaction with this family has been a positive intervention to prevent the possibility of neglect. This has been only one story of the wonderful work Kiera does for the community of Blue Lake.
Kiera's work is done with warm kindness, generosity and flexibility to all of the community members who come through our door. I would love for Kiera to be acknowledged for her hard work for the Blue Lake Community.
Service Site: Blue Lake CRC
Nominator: Kim Rios/Carole Wolfe
Program: Child Welfare Systems Improvement
(From Carole Wolfe)
Kiera is everything an AmeriCorps member should be. She is talented, hardworking, and innovative. She splits her time between our Family Resource Center in Manila and the Family Resource Center in Blue Lake. From the moment I met Kiera, I knew we were very lucky to have her at our center. She is very bright. She works extremely well with a wide variety of people that access services through our Resource Center. She works well with clients and staff. In addition, she walks the extra mile with clients until a positive change has begun in their lives.
(From Kim Rios)
Kiera has been providing intense case management in Blue Lake for families with extreme needs. She has spent time doing outreach to a family whose Mother has high anxiety and a history of drug addiction. Mom is very needy and not always patient. Kiera goes above and beyond to not only listen with empathy, but also has a natural understanding of mom's situation. She is very knowledgeable with resources and information to help mom apply for appropriate programs. She provides home visiting services bringing resources to the family when they are not able to come to the center. I truly believe Kiera's interaction with this family has been a positive intervention to prevent the possibility of neglect. This has been only one story of the wonderful work Kiera does for the community of Blue Lake.
Kiera's work is done with warm kindness, generosity and flexibility to all of the community members who come through our door. I would love for Kiera to be acknowledged for her hard work for the Blue Lake Community.
March 2014
Member of the Month - Vanessa Roberts
Member Name: Vanessa Roberts
Service Site: Angels Camp Head Start
Nominator: Sheila Neal
Program: First 5 Service Corps
Vanessa has developed into a real team member for the service site where she is located. Vanessa has developed several different activities for the children at the Angels Camp Head Start center.
In a recent check-in meeting with Vanessa she shared activities that she developed to go with the theme of the Solar System. Vanessa took a hot water heater box and with assistance from the children at the center they turned it into a space ship. The children were able to travel and explore the solar system. Not only were the children learning from this activity but so were the parents. The Parent Representative to the Head Start Policy
Council shared with the full council the excitement of this activity and how much the children learned. This is only one example of the activities Vanessa has brought to the center - others include taking learning outside
by writing numbers and letters on the bike path and then doing activities with the children while they are on the bike path, she has also included learning activities for the parents to utilize with their children, and
finally for those times when a child needs some special one on one time Vanessa has incorporated some very age appropriate app's on her iPad for the children to work on. Teachers have indicated they have learned so much from Vanessa in regards to developmentally appropriate activities to assist with assessing
children. All agree she is a wonderful addition to our team!
Service Site: Angels Camp Head Start
Nominator: Sheila Neal
Program: First 5 Service Corps
Vanessa has developed into a real team member for the service site where she is located. Vanessa has developed several different activities for the children at the Angels Camp Head Start center.
In a recent check-in meeting with Vanessa she shared activities that she developed to go with the theme of the Solar System. Vanessa took a hot water heater box and with assistance from the children at the center they turned it into a space ship. The children were able to travel and explore the solar system. Not only were the children learning from this activity but so were the parents. The Parent Representative to the Head Start Policy
Council shared with the full council the excitement of this activity and how much the children learned. This is only one example of the activities Vanessa has brought to the center - others include taking learning outside
by writing numbers and letters on the bike path and then doing activities with the children while they are on the bike path, she has also included learning activities for the parents to utilize with their children, and
finally for those times when a child needs some special one on one time Vanessa has incorporated some very age appropriate app's on her iPad for the children to work on. Teachers have indicated they have learned so much from Vanessa in regards to developmentally appropriate activities to assist with assessing
children. All agree she is a wonderful addition to our team!
February 2014
Member of the Month - Shainah Coots
Member Name: Shainah Coots
Service Site: New Morning
Nominator: Heather Grudin
Program: Youth Investment Center
Shainah has been a wonderful addition to our Foster Youth Launch Program. She has worked hard to gain the trust of the youth who participate in our program and as a result she has made an incredible impact on their lives. She has gone above and beyond to help our youth plan, navigate and implement their individualized emancipation plans. Shainah easily relates with our youth. Working with them on both a group and individual basis has strengthened our program and already our youth have seen the positive results in their lives.
One youth in particular that Shainah has worked with is a 17 year female who is close to 18, already graduated high
school and was stuck waiting in a transitional situation that was causing a lot of stress and frustration for her. She was presented with an array of different
options for her future independent living plan. These options were generated by the adults and authority figures in her life. She was never consulted on what
she wanted. She was resistant to move forward with any of the options presented, until Shainah began working with her on a 1:1 basis. She encouraged this youth to identify what is important to her, and then to step back and see how any of the options presented to her might help her move towards her own personal goals.
Service Site: New Morning
Nominator: Heather Grudin
Program: Youth Investment Center
Shainah has been a wonderful addition to our Foster Youth Launch Program. She has worked hard to gain the trust of the youth who participate in our program and as a result she has made an incredible impact on their lives. She has gone above and beyond to help our youth plan, navigate and implement their individualized emancipation plans. Shainah easily relates with our youth. Working with them on both a group and individual basis has strengthened our program and already our youth have seen the positive results in their lives.
One youth in particular that Shainah has worked with is a 17 year female who is close to 18, already graduated high
school and was stuck waiting in a transitional situation that was causing a lot of stress and frustration for her. She was presented with an array of different
options for her future independent living plan. These options were generated by the adults and authority figures in her life. She was never consulted on what
she wanted. She was resistant to move forward with any of the options presented, until Shainah began working with her on a 1:1 basis. She encouraged this youth to identify what is important to her, and then to step back and see how any of the options presented to her might help her move towards her own personal goals.
January 2014
Member of the Month - Patti Brush
Member Name: Patricia Brush
Service Site: Folsom Cordova Community Partnership
Nominator: Jasmine Hill Wilson
Program: Birth and Beyond
Patricia Brush, or Patti, initially joined Folsom Cordova Community Partnership as a volunteer at our front desk. From her first day, Patti has been open and ready to learn from our nurturing philosophy. She attended peripheral services outside the scope of her volunteering. She was present at several outreach and community events, supporting the staff and offering assistance in any way she could. Her initiative was also incredibly valued as she could be found restructuring and researching several resource materials to ensure the information we provided was up to date and accurate. After several months volunteering, Patti stated that the agency offered so much opportunity to grow, that she wanted to apply to be part of our team as an AmeriCorps member.
Patti recently met a client through our agency. This particular client was in an immediate crisis situation, and Patti truly showed leadership, empathy, strength
and patience while working with them. This client was escaping a domestic violence situation with their two young children. Through Patti’s instant
rapport with the client, vast knowledge of resources, and quickness to action, we were able to get them and their children into a domestic violence shelter
that same day. And while most success stories end with the safety and positive impact on the client, Patti took this one step further by immediately following
up with research on domestic violence trainings (both within the agency and through outside agencies) in order to increase her knowledge and skills for
future experience.
Patti is not only deserving of the Member of the Month nomination, but of consistent recognition and applause. Folsom Cordova Community Partnership is truly a better organization because of her service, and we continue to appreciate her hard work at our site.
Service Site: Folsom Cordova Community Partnership
Nominator: Jasmine Hill Wilson
Program: Birth and Beyond
Patricia Brush, or Patti, initially joined Folsom Cordova Community Partnership as a volunteer at our front desk. From her first day, Patti has been open and ready to learn from our nurturing philosophy. She attended peripheral services outside the scope of her volunteering. She was present at several outreach and community events, supporting the staff and offering assistance in any way she could. Her initiative was also incredibly valued as she could be found restructuring and researching several resource materials to ensure the information we provided was up to date and accurate. After several months volunteering, Patti stated that the agency offered so much opportunity to grow, that she wanted to apply to be part of our team as an AmeriCorps member.
Patti recently met a client through our agency. This particular client was in an immediate crisis situation, and Patti truly showed leadership, empathy, strength
and patience while working with them. This client was escaping a domestic violence situation with their two young children. Through Patti’s instant
rapport with the client, vast knowledge of resources, and quickness to action, we were able to get them and their children into a domestic violence shelter
that same day. And while most success stories end with the safety and positive impact on the client, Patti took this one step further by immediately following
up with research on domestic violence trainings (both within the agency and through outside agencies) in order to increase her knowledge and skills for
future experience.
Patti is not only deserving of the Member of the Month nomination, but of consistent recognition and applause. Folsom Cordova Community Partnership is truly a better organization because of her service, and we continue to appreciate her hard work at our site.
October 2013
Member of the Month - Melissa Mendoza
Member Name: Melissa Mendoza
Nominator: Crystal Silva
Service Site: Shelter Network
Program: First 5 Service Corps
Ms. Melissa Mendoza is an outstanding Corps Member and the perfect candidate for Member of the Month. She is a second year corps member at the same site she served last year and is very dedicated to this program. She always has a smile on her face and a fun-loving personality. Ms. Mendoza works at one of our transitional and emergency shelter sites. She is very flexible and extremely patient with the children and her peers. Melissa takes charge of the night program, helping to lead volunteers while providing a fun education program for the kids. She uses her American Sign Language skills to communicate with the little ones who don’t know how to talk yet. Ms. Mendoza is a joy to watch and is an asset to everyone around her. Melissa was able to lead some first year corps members in team building activities as well as offering them suggestions on how to make their service year a success. I depend heavily on my second year corps members to be a great example for the incomingmembers and she is the epitome of that. I am an incredibly proud supervisor of
Ms. Melissa Mendoza, she makes my job easy!!
Nominator: Crystal Silva
Service Site: Shelter Network
Program: First 5 Service Corps
Ms. Melissa Mendoza is an outstanding Corps Member and the perfect candidate for Member of the Month. She is a second year corps member at the same site she served last year and is very dedicated to this program. She always has a smile on her face and a fun-loving personality. Ms. Mendoza works at one of our transitional and emergency shelter sites. She is very flexible and extremely patient with the children and her peers. Melissa takes charge of the night program, helping to lead volunteers while providing a fun education program for the kids. She uses her American Sign Language skills to communicate with the little ones who don’t know how to talk yet. Ms. Mendoza is a joy to watch and is an asset to everyone around her. Melissa was able to lead some first year corps members in team building activities as well as offering them suggestions on how to make their service year a success. I depend heavily on my second year corps members to be a great example for the incomingmembers and she is the epitome of that. I am an incredibly proud supervisor of
Ms. Melissa Mendoza, she makes my job easy!!
August 2013
Member of the Month - Gracia Rojas
Member Name: Grecia Rojas
Nominator: Mary
Schweickert
Service Site: McKinleyville FRC
Program: Child Welfare Systems Improvement
Grecia Rojas is an exceptional young woman who has been a joy to work with and is loved by the entire staff of the McKinleyville Family Resource Center. She is also immensely appreciated by all of the clients that she works with as a Family Support Aide. Grecia is a model representative of the AmeriCorps mission and commitment to improving the lives of individuals and families in our community through her dedication to serving those who are facing critical challenges in their lives. Grecia is compassionate and respectful to all individuals no matter what their race, religion or ethnicity and is dedicated to diversity and social justice in her work.
Grecia is extremely committed to serving and contributing to her community and country through her dedication to helping youth succeed in school, finding safe and affordable housing for economically disadvantaged families, connecting families and children to Cal Fresh, Medi-Cal, medical and dental services, counseling for caretakers and children, and parental education and support programs. Grecia works diligently for the many clients that she works with and there are many examples of individuals and families that have found the assistance and support that they desperately needed and found with Grecia's help.
I have had the pleasure of working beside Grecia this year and have seen her help a teenaged boy whose mother is very ill with cancer find the money to pay for the high school proficiency exam he wanted to take to get his GED. If she had not worked hard to help this young man, he could easily have sunk into depression because of a lost chance to succeed and possibly not ever gotten his high school degree equivalency. Finding work without it would have been difficult and his hourly wage would have been compromised. I have seen Grecia help a mother with a 4 month old infant move from the Women's Shelter to Arcata House where she and her child could get off the streets, receive medical attention for the infant who was sick, and offer hope to a mother who was in danger of losing her child. I have seen a family that was referred by CPS make tremendous strides in their communication and stability with Grecia's help. Now the mother is working as a leader in her own community to help and support other families who are struggling. These are only a few examples of the work Grecia accomplishes for children and families on a daily basis. I highly recommend Grecia Rojas for the recognition that she so highly deserves. Thank you.
Nominator: Mary
Schweickert
Service Site: McKinleyville FRC
Program: Child Welfare Systems Improvement
Grecia Rojas is an exceptional young woman who has been a joy to work with and is loved by the entire staff of the McKinleyville Family Resource Center. She is also immensely appreciated by all of the clients that she works with as a Family Support Aide. Grecia is a model representative of the AmeriCorps mission and commitment to improving the lives of individuals and families in our community through her dedication to serving those who are facing critical challenges in their lives. Grecia is compassionate and respectful to all individuals no matter what their race, religion or ethnicity and is dedicated to diversity and social justice in her work.
Grecia is extremely committed to serving and contributing to her community and country through her dedication to helping youth succeed in school, finding safe and affordable housing for economically disadvantaged families, connecting families and children to Cal Fresh, Medi-Cal, medical and dental services, counseling for caretakers and children, and parental education and support programs. Grecia works diligently for the many clients that she works with and there are many examples of individuals and families that have found the assistance and support that they desperately needed and found with Grecia's help.
I have had the pleasure of working beside Grecia this year and have seen her help a teenaged boy whose mother is very ill with cancer find the money to pay for the high school proficiency exam he wanted to take to get his GED. If she had not worked hard to help this young man, he could easily have sunk into depression because of a lost chance to succeed and possibly not ever gotten his high school degree equivalency. Finding work without it would have been difficult and his hourly wage would have been compromised. I have seen Grecia help a mother with a 4 month old infant move from the Women's Shelter to Arcata House where she and her child could get off the streets, receive medical attention for the infant who was sick, and offer hope to a mother who was in danger of losing her child. I have seen a family that was referred by CPS make tremendous strides in their communication and stability with Grecia's help. Now the mother is working as a leader in her own community to help and support other families who are struggling. These are only a few examples of the work Grecia accomplishes for children and families on a daily basis. I highly recommend Grecia Rojas for the recognition that she so highly deserves. Thank you.
May 2013
Member of the Month - Mai Lee
Member Name: Mai Lee
Nominator: Alison Le Meur
Service Site: Dunlap FRC
Program: Birth and Beyond
I would like to nominate Mai Lee for Member of the Month. Mai came to River Oak as a first term AmeriCorps member. Since arriving at River Oak FRC she has taken on home visitation with a smile and determination. She has a quite steadfastness about her. Since opening her very first HV case she has taken it upon herself to be a type of Hmong community ambassador, she is like a liaison between the Hmong Community and the Nurturing Parenting Program. She has continued since day one to educate the FRC staff, MRT specialists, the PM and me the TL about the Hmong Culture and what it means to be from the “old county” and living in the “new country”. She is always willing to sit down with staff and educate them on the Hmong culture. She has strived since the very beginning to open up the FRC to her Hmong families. She is always willing to assist her families by helping with translation at FRC events and workshops. She has worked to mend the gap between the Hmong speaking community and service providers by learning about resources and making the extra step to personalize the resources by calling ahead and making sure Hmong language services are available. Mai has also faced challenges in assisting Hmong families in the incorporation of the NPP into their homes. Many of the Hmong traditions are unique to their community and don’t always fit well with the NPP philosophy.
Nominator: Alison Le Meur
Service Site: Dunlap FRC
Program: Birth and Beyond
I would like to nominate Mai Lee for Member of the Month. Mai came to River Oak as a first term AmeriCorps member. Since arriving at River Oak FRC she has taken on home visitation with a smile and determination. She has a quite steadfastness about her. Since opening her very first HV case she has taken it upon herself to be a type of Hmong community ambassador, she is like a liaison between the Hmong Community and the Nurturing Parenting Program. She has continued since day one to educate the FRC staff, MRT specialists, the PM and me the TL about the Hmong Culture and what it means to be from the “old county” and living in the “new country”. She is always willing to sit down with staff and educate them on the Hmong culture. She has strived since the very beginning to open up the FRC to her Hmong families. She is always willing to assist her families by helping with translation at FRC events and workshops. She has worked to mend the gap between the Hmong speaking community and service providers by learning about resources and making the extra step to personalize the resources by calling ahead and making sure Hmong language services are available. Mai has also faced challenges in assisting Hmong families in the incorporation of the NPP into their homes. Many of the Hmong traditions are unique to their community and don’t always fit well with the NPP philosophy.
April 2013
Member of the Month - Lolita Randle
Member Name: Lolita Randle
Program: Youth Investment Center
Lolita has been a pleasure to work with. She is our go-to person for the LGBTQ youth in our district, getting them fully engaged in the Foster Youth Individual Development Account (IDA) and Independent Living Programs (ILP). Lolita regularly attends ILP classes as well as advisory meetings and stays focused on IDA and Casey data tracking. I don’t even worry about this getting done! Lolita is also fully involved in our Elk Grove Foster Youth Services Program. During a Foster Family Day event, she helped in every capacity possible. She has also given valuable input to the planning of an academic awards event. Lolita is a self starter, and she has been an ideal member.
Program: Youth Investment Center
Lolita has been a pleasure to work with. She is our go-to person for the LGBTQ youth in our district, getting them fully engaged in the Foster Youth Individual Development Account (IDA) and Independent Living Programs (ILP). Lolita regularly attends ILP classes as well as advisory meetings and stays focused on IDA and Casey data tracking. I don’t even worry about this getting done! Lolita is also fully involved in our Elk Grove Foster Youth Services Program. During a Foster Family Day event, she helped in every capacity possible. She has also given valuable input to the planning of an academic awards event. Lolita is a self starter, and she has been an ideal member.
March 2013
Member of the Month - Tanya Renteria
Member Name: Tanya Renteria
Nominator: Michelle Barnard -
First 5 Tehama
Program: First 5 Service Corps
Tanya is a second-year member and she has been a great asset in mentoring and supporting new AmeriCorps members and helping them learn how to conduct quality home visits. Tanya has taken on coordination of playgroups in two communities this year. This is a big job and she handles it with professionalism and diligence. She plans and prepares curriculum and makes sure families are given reminder calls. She has even developed some new curriculum this year. She is well organized and does a great job instructing the parents in helping their child. Her story times are engaging and fun. Tanya is always positive, supportive and encouraging to everyone she interacts with. Tanya is always willing to go above and beyond what is expected.
Tanya has also become involved in Tehama Reads, which is a community grass-roots organization aimed at improving literacy opportunities for everyone in the community. She is an advocate for children in our community and deserves to be recognized as member of the month.
Nominator: Michelle Barnard -
First 5 Tehama
Program: First 5 Service Corps
Tanya is a second-year member and she has been a great asset in mentoring and supporting new AmeriCorps members and helping them learn how to conduct quality home visits. Tanya has taken on coordination of playgroups in two communities this year. This is a big job and she handles it with professionalism and diligence. She plans and prepares curriculum and makes sure families are given reminder calls. She has even developed some new curriculum this year. She is well organized and does a great job instructing the parents in helping their child. Her story times are engaging and fun. Tanya is always positive, supportive and encouraging to everyone she interacts with. Tanya is always willing to go above and beyond what is expected.
Tanya has also become involved in Tehama Reads, which is a community grass-roots organization aimed at improving literacy opportunities for everyone in the community. She is an advocate for children in our community and deserves to be recognized as member of the month.
January 2013
Member of the Month - Harry Gill
Member Name: Hardeep “Harry” Gill
Nominator: Katie Campbell-FRC Coordinator, Dunlap FRC
Program: Birth & Beyond
I’m happy to have Harry completing his fourth term of service here at the River Oak FRC. During his service I’ve witnessed Harry’s growth in several areas including facilitation, case management, time management, and, most importantly, I’ve witnessed Harry grow as a leader and mentor. Several new AmeriCorps members have had the opportunity to serve alongside Harry and have shared their appreciation for his patience and his mentorship. He has guided new members as they learn the “ins-and-outs” of being an AmeriCorps member serving here at River Oak and continues to support them through their challenges and successes. Harry remains dedicated to providing high quality service and to supporting his fellow team members and will go above and beyond to make sure that the FRC runs as smoothly as possible. Families continue to voice their appreciation for Harry and the service he provides. Often, parents will share that their kids are excited to know that they’re going to the FRC to see Harry and if Harry is not in playcare the kids will find me to ask me where he is and when he will be back! As his supervisor, I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Harry during his service here and I know that I can count on him to get things done! Thank you for your exceptional service Harry!
Nominator: Katie Campbell-FRC Coordinator, Dunlap FRC
Program: Birth & Beyond
I’m happy to have Harry completing his fourth term of service here at the River Oak FRC. During his service I’ve witnessed Harry’s growth in several areas including facilitation, case management, time management, and, most importantly, I’ve witnessed Harry grow as a leader and mentor. Several new AmeriCorps members have had the opportunity to serve alongside Harry and have shared their appreciation for his patience and his mentorship. He has guided new members as they learn the “ins-and-outs” of being an AmeriCorps member serving here at River Oak and continues to support them through their challenges and successes. Harry remains dedicated to providing high quality service and to supporting his fellow team members and will go above and beyond to make sure that the FRC runs as smoothly as possible. Families continue to voice their appreciation for Harry and the service he provides. Often, parents will share that their kids are excited to know that they’re going to the FRC to see Harry and if Harry is not in playcare the kids will find me to ask me where he is and when he will be back! As his supervisor, I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Harry during his service here and I know that I can count on him to get things done! Thank you for your exceptional service Harry!
September 2012
Member of the Month - Jessica Sarabia
Nominator: Anahi Cazales
Program: First 5 Service Corps
In this first month of the First 5 Service Corps 12-13 Program Year, I have noticed Jessica's passion and dedication to her service to our Early Literacy and Math Program. She is always well prepared and has all her materials ready to go. She takes initiative and makes sure that her hours of service are impacting all those around her. She is a joy to supervise and a great role model to the other AmeriCorps members. She has the heart to help children and to make sure that she is fulfilling her duties. She a great team worker and person who I am looking forward to help her grow and mentor during her term year. All the children love her and are excited of learning with Ms. Jessica.
Program: First 5 Service Corps
In this first month of the First 5 Service Corps 12-13 Program Year, I have noticed Jessica's passion and dedication to her service to our Early Literacy and Math Program. She is always well prepared and has all her materials ready to go. She takes initiative and makes sure that her hours of service are impacting all those around her. She is a joy to supervise and a great role model to the other AmeriCorps members. She has the heart to help children and to make sure that she is fulfilling her duties. She a great team worker and person who I am looking forward to help her grow and mentor during her term year. All the children love her and are excited of learning with Ms. Jessica.
August 2012
Member of the Month -Felisa Dominguez
Program: Birth and Beyond
Felisa always goes above and beyond for clients, colleagues, and the FRC. She is always willing to help anyone who asks and always with a smile. Felisa has built such bonds with her clients that they feel completely comfortable coming to her with the most difficult situations. Felisa shared this quote, “This opportunity that AmeriCorps has given me has completely changed me not only in a professional sense but personally as well. AmeriCorps has given me the confidence, determination, motivation to want to give back to my new found community. Coming into an environment where you see the most innocent are victims of the people they love and also preventing that, has made me more empathetic, humble, and wanting to be part of a change.”
Felisa always goes above and beyond for clients, colleagues, and the FRC. She is always willing to help anyone who asks and always with a smile. Felisa has built such bonds with her clients that they feel completely comfortable coming to her with the most difficult situations. Felisa shared this quote, “This opportunity that AmeriCorps has given me has completely changed me not only in a professional sense but personally as well. AmeriCorps has given me the confidence, determination, motivation to want to give back to my new found community. Coming into an environment where you see the most innocent are victims of the people they love and also preventing that, has made me more empathetic, humble, and wanting to be part of a change.”
May 2012
Member of the Month - Solana Lo
Program: First 5 Service Corps
Nominator: Patricia Loera
Solana came to First 5 Glenn County as a mom who needed social experiences for her children and engagement skills for her family as they were immersing into a new culture. Solana participated enthusiastically in the programming and directly saw the impact on the development of her own children. It was a year of wonderful memories with her family. As she and her children became engaged with the staff and AmeriCorps members, she asked if she could apply for a position with AmeriCorps. After sincere consideration of the job expectations and the high demands of a member in such a poverty stricken and rural area, we decided to offer her the opportunity to serve in the program. Solana hit the ground running! She proposed a playgroup specifically designed for the Hmong speaking families and within a month, she had a full group of parents and children participating. Solana planned all the curriculum, translated materials into Hmong and produced the outreach and phone calls to the families every week. She has earned the respect of the entire collaborative group of Glenn County Partners, First 5 Staff and Board of Commissioners and all ten schools in Glenn County for her creativity, commitment, compassion and bravery to step OUT of the BOX to create and administer services. Solana is Consistent with her positivity even in the most negative situations. She has tremendous energy and optimism when participating with staff, families and their children.
Nominator: Patricia Loera
Solana came to First 5 Glenn County as a mom who needed social experiences for her children and engagement skills for her family as they were immersing into a new culture. Solana participated enthusiastically in the programming and directly saw the impact on the development of her own children. It was a year of wonderful memories with her family. As she and her children became engaged with the staff and AmeriCorps members, she asked if she could apply for a position with AmeriCorps. After sincere consideration of the job expectations and the high demands of a member in such a poverty stricken and rural area, we decided to offer her the opportunity to serve in the program. Solana hit the ground running! She proposed a playgroup specifically designed for the Hmong speaking families and within a month, she had a full group of parents and children participating. Solana planned all the curriculum, translated materials into Hmong and produced the outreach and phone calls to the families every week. She has earned the respect of the entire collaborative group of Glenn County Partners, First 5 Staff and Board of Commissioners and all ten schools in Glenn County for her creativity, commitment, compassion and bravery to step OUT of the BOX to create and administer services. Solana is Consistent with her positivity even in the most negative situations. She has tremendous energy and optimism when participating with staff, families and their children.
April 2012
Member of the Month – Brittany Holmes
Nominator: Florence Soares-Dabalos - Valley Hi
Brittany Holmes is a 1st term AmeriCorps Member serving at the Valley Hi Family Resource Center’s Birth & Beyond Program as a Home Visitor. She presents the Nurturing Parenting Program curriculum through home visitation services to at-risk families who have children between the ages of 0-5. She also provides community referrals and participates in the FRC’s events as needed.
As a result of her abilities and insights, Brittany was able to work with a single father. Here is his story as told by Brittany:
“Father” began home visitation in October 2011. He heard about home visitation while attending the parenting class “Make Parenting a Pleasure”. He is currently in the process of getting full custody of his son and took this parenting course at the request of a court mediator. Since attending this class at our Family Resource Center, he has thrived.
When I asked him what he hoped to get out of home visitation, his response was “I hope to learn more about myself and my son; and more about how to be a good parent”. Over the last few months, I’ve seen him improve his parenting skills and grow into an even more engaging and interactive parent than he was when I first met him. “Father” has since graduated the program and has become trained as a Class Facilitator and Parent Leader.
Brittany Holmes is a 1st term AmeriCorps Member serving at the Valley Hi Family Resource Center’s Birth & Beyond Program as a Home Visitor. She presents the Nurturing Parenting Program curriculum through home visitation services to at-risk families who have children between the ages of 0-5. She also provides community referrals and participates in the FRC’s events as needed.
As a result of her abilities and insights, Brittany was able to work with a single father. Here is his story as told by Brittany:
“Father” began home visitation in October 2011. He heard about home visitation while attending the parenting class “Make Parenting a Pleasure”. He is currently in the process of getting full custody of his son and took this parenting course at the request of a court mediator. Since attending this class at our Family Resource Center, he has thrived.
When I asked him what he hoped to get out of home visitation, his response was “I hope to learn more about myself and my son; and more about how to be a good parent”. Over the last few months, I’ve seen him improve his parenting skills and grow into an even more engaging and interactive parent than he was when I first met him. “Father” has since graduated the program and has become trained as a Class Facilitator and Parent Leader.
March 2012
Member of the Month – Stephen Dimal
Program: Youth Investment Center
Nominator: Samantha Olson – SCUSD
Stephen is a 1st term AmeriCorps member serving in the Youth Investment Center Program in Sacramento County. He provides one-on-one mentoring and conducts life skills groups for foster youth ages 12-19 in the Sacramento City Unified School District. Stephen also supports foster youth in the Individual Development Account (IDA) Program to help them increase their personal savings and financial literacy skills.
Stephen is being nominated because he has been an exceptional member. He has a great instinct with working directly with foster youth, peers, and supervisors. He is insightful, responsible and creative in modifying/creating lesson plans, redirecting behaviors, and helping foster youth identify life lessons. Stephen is also modest in his own abilities, actions, and responsibility levels. I enjoy working with Stephen and I know he will do great things with his ability to connect with foster youth.
Nominator: Samantha Olson – SCUSD
Stephen is a 1st term AmeriCorps member serving in the Youth Investment Center Program in Sacramento County. He provides one-on-one mentoring and conducts life skills groups for foster youth ages 12-19 in the Sacramento City Unified School District. Stephen also supports foster youth in the Individual Development Account (IDA) Program to help them increase their personal savings and financial literacy skills.
Stephen is being nominated because he has been an exceptional member. He has a great instinct with working directly with foster youth, peers, and supervisors. He is insightful, responsible and creative in modifying/creating lesson plans, redirecting behaviors, and helping foster youth identify life lessons. Stephen is also modest in his own abilities, actions, and responsibility levels. I enjoy working with Stephen and I know he will do great things with his ability to connect with foster youth.
February 2012
Member of the Month - Julie Long
Program: Child Welfare Systems Improvement
Nominator: Serene Cooper
Julie Long was nominated by four people at SAY from counselors at our teen shelter, to community development staff, to our management team. She is enthusiastic and energized to serve homeless youth in our community, and dives right into getting things done!
We'd like to nominate Julie for so many reasons. She is such a wonderful presence in our agency, and her sunny personality shines in what can be a busy, sometimes high stress job. She's always willing to go above and beyond in her work and knows where to put her efforts: in making sure that homeless and hungry youth living on the streets on Sonoma County have warm, hearty meals to keep them full and to keep their spirits high. Julie has been fine tuning her budget, researching, and gathering volunteers to help cook at our teen shelter. She's been a wonderful addition to our team and we can't imagine what we did without her just a few months ago. Julie works very hard while she is here at the teen shelter. She is always reaching out to volunteers, or organizing volunteers and programs so that kids get fed. Julie has the shelter stocked with food like it has never been before - this will allow us to serve over 1,500 home-cooked meals to homeless youth this year. SAY did not have a program for feeding homeless youth and within a month we had menus, new volunteers and delicious meals on the ready.
Nominator: Serene Cooper
Julie Long was nominated by four people at SAY from counselors at our teen shelter, to community development staff, to our management team. She is enthusiastic and energized to serve homeless youth in our community, and dives right into getting things done!
We'd like to nominate Julie for so many reasons. She is such a wonderful presence in our agency, and her sunny personality shines in what can be a busy, sometimes high stress job. She's always willing to go above and beyond in her work and knows where to put her efforts: in making sure that homeless and hungry youth living on the streets on Sonoma County have warm, hearty meals to keep them full and to keep their spirits high. Julie has been fine tuning her budget, researching, and gathering volunteers to help cook at our teen shelter. She's been a wonderful addition to our team and we can't imagine what we did without her just a few months ago. Julie works very hard while she is here at the teen shelter. She is always reaching out to volunteers, or organizing volunteers and programs so that kids get fed. Julie has the shelter stocked with food like it has never been before - this will allow us to serve over 1,500 home-cooked meals to homeless youth this year. SAY did not have a program for feeding homeless youth and within a month we had menus, new volunteers and delicious meals on the ready.
January 2012
Member of the Month - Alexandra Aja
Program: First 5 Service Corps
Nominator: Catherine Aranda
Alexandra Aja is serving her second term as a full-time AmeriCorps member for Jumpstart San Francisco. I consider Alex to be a trusted colleague and friend. I have had the honor of working with her, bringing the various programming components of the Early Literacy Initiative to the children and families of San Francisco. Last year, Alex spearheaded efforts to directly serve children 0 to 5 and raise awareness citywide about the importance of early literacy. Under her leadership, Jumpstart San Francisco participated in 34 community events, serving 3200 children and 1720 caregivers. With poise and intoxicating energy, Alex quickly learned to navigate the rich landscape of the Bayview Hunters Point and Visitacion Valley neighborhoods. In her second-term, she has maintained strong relationships with community members and key stakeholders, always conveying her enthusiasm for service. This year, we have been most impressed with Alex’s work in adapting existing programming for service providers and families in non-traditional preschool settings and license-exempt child care. Her ability to take initiative and put vision into action has been incredibly valuable for the Jumpstart family, and we could not be more proud of all that she has accomplished in such a short time in her position. Bravo, Alex!
Nominator: Catherine Aranda
Alexandra Aja is serving her second term as a full-time AmeriCorps member for Jumpstart San Francisco. I consider Alex to be a trusted colleague and friend. I have had the honor of working with her, bringing the various programming components of the Early Literacy Initiative to the children and families of San Francisco. Last year, Alex spearheaded efforts to directly serve children 0 to 5 and raise awareness citywide about the importance of early literacy. Under her leadership, Jumpstart San Francisco participated in 34 community events, serving 3200 children and 1720 caregivers. With poise and intoxicating energy, Alex quickly learned to navigate the rich landscape of the Bayview Hunters Point and Visitacion Valley neighborhoods. In her second-term, she has maintained strong relationships with community members and key stakeholders, always conveying her enthusiasm for service. This year, we have been most impressed with Alex’s work in adapting existing programming for service providers and families in non-traditional preschool settings and license-exempt child care. Her ability to take initiative and put vision into action has been incredibly valuable for the Jumpstart family, and we could not be more proud of all that she has accomplished in such a short time in her position. Bravo, Alex!
December 2011
Member of the Month - Gay Dahl
Program: First 5 Service Corps
Nominator: Arturo J. Hernandez
Gay Dahl is a remarkable AC member, co-worker, community leader, friend, motivator and colleague. Gay exemplifies what it is to be an AC member. Her commitment to the AC program is demonstrated in so many ways. For example, she helped with the improvement of the First 5 Riverside oral health curriculum titled, Building Healthy Smiles Plus and helped trained three new AC members during orientation. She developed original educational materials which are now integrated into our program to effectively teach children ages 3-5 regarding proper brushing, nutrition, physical activity, and overall good health. Anyone who has direct contact with Gay can feel her passion and strength by the manner in which she presents herself with her co-workers and most importantly, the children. Throughout her AmeriCorps service, Gay alone has reached well over 3,000 children in Head Start Centers throughout Riverside County. Although, Gay is faced with personal adversity with family during these economic hardships, she perseveres and lives by example. Her attitude and overall demeanor are positive.
Gay lives the mantra of community service, which embodies the AmeriCorps pledge. As an AmeriCorps member, Gay gets things done and goes beyond her call of duty. In addition to providing oral health lessons to thousands of children, Gay attends the Head Start Parent Meetings to ensure that parents are educated in the importance of oral health and healthy living. She feels that parent involvement is critical to sustaining healthy behaviors in children. Gay has established a strong sense of trust and rapport with community agencies and teachers. Children often call out her name when she enters the room. Children run to hug her. The children’s faces light up when they see her and they sometimes cry when she leaves the classroom. This is an indication of how her spirit naturally connects with humanity. Gay has become a leader with her peers by providing on-going guidance and training. Gay is a team player and is well respected by the AC members. Overall, Gay has the ability to motivate and lift you up when you’re reaching out to community residents and children.
Lastly, Gay has returned for a third year with an enthusiasm greater than the year before. First 5 Riverside is delighted to have Ms. Gay Dahl serve as an AmeriCorps Member.
Nominator: Arturo J. Hernandez
Gay Dahl is a remarkable AC member, co-worker, community leader, friend, motivator and colleague. Gay exemplifies what it is to be an AC member. Her commitment to the AC program is demonstrated in so many ways. For example, she helped with the improvement of the First 5 Riverside oral health curriculum titled, Building Healthy Smiles Plus and helped trained three new AC members during orientation. She developed original educational materials which are now integrated into our program to effectively teach children ages 3-5 regarding proper brushing, nutrition, physical activity, and overall good health. Anyone who has direct contact with Gay can feel her passion and strength by the manner in which she presents herself with her co-workers and most importantly, the children. Throughout her AmeriCorps service, Gay alone has reached well over 3,000 children in Head Start Centers throughout Riverside County. Although, Gay is faced with personal adversity with family during these economic hardships, she perseveres and lives by example. Her attitude and overall demeanor are positive.
Gay lives the mantra of community service, which embodies the AmeriCorps pledge. As an AmeriCorps member, Gay gets things done and goes beyond her call of duty. In addition to providing oral health lessons to thousands of children, Gay attends the Head Start Parent Meetings to ensure that parents are educated in the importance of oral health and healthy living. She feels that parent involvement is critical to sustaining healthy behaviors in children. Gay has established a strong sense of trust and rapport with community agencies and teachers. Children often call out her name when she enters the room. Children run to hug her. The children’s faces light up when they see her and they sometimes cry when she leaves the classroom. This is an indication of how her spirit naturally connects with humanity. Gay has become a leader with her peers by providing on-going guidance and training. Gay is a team player and is well respected by the AC members. Overall, Gay has the ability to motivate and lift you up when you’re reaching out to community residents and children.
Lastly, Gay has returned for a third year with an enthusiasm greater than the year before. First 5 Riverside is delighted to have Ms. Gay Dahl serve as an AmeriCorps Member.