When Sherry Laube saw a mention of the OPTIC Job Training and Placement program in the Antioch Press last December, she called immediately to ask coordinator Natalie Georgia about the program. "It sounded like everything I'd hoped," says Sherry, who wanted to re-enter the job market after fifteen years of staying home with her children. She told Natalie, "I know this program is for me — just give me a chance!"

After twelve weeks of training in computer and life skills, followed by several weeks of paid internship, Sherry describes herself as "a very different person. Just recently, talking with my daughter, she remarked how calmly I was handling the stress of her moving out of state and how different that was from the past, and we both said at the same time, 'Thank God for OPTIC!'"

"My biggest issues had to do with self-confidence — so much so that anxiety and panic were holding me back," says Sherry, who graduated from OPTIC training in March, and became Class 19's first intern to move to permanent employment in May. She now works full-time as an office assistant at the Lynn Center, an early intervention and preschool program for children up to six years of age with developmental delays.

Sherry describes her new position as her "dream job. Like OPTIC, Lynn Center feels like a family, so the transition was really easy for me." She was surprised to learn how much of her new assignment relies on Microsoft Excel — "I didn't like Excel when we learned it in training, so I was worried when I learned that so much of my job requires it! But the more I use it, the more I realize that it's not that bad."

Sherry also found the Academic Skills portion of her training useful. "Everything that was on the pre-employment test for this job was covered in the Math Basics part of our training curriculum."

A mother of two and now mothering her six-month-old grandson full-time, Sherry was startled to find herself the first one in her training class to leave internship for employment, because "I insisted that I'd be the last to leave. I was sad to go, because OPTIC is my family now and my first set of relationships as the new me. I see things so differently now — the whole world looks different."

Sherry's gentle demeanor gives no hint of the adversity she has faced in her life, including her husband's early death, her own disabling injury which ended her previous career, and a pharmacy error that nearly ended her life when her prescription was filled with the wrong medication. But she now looks forward to a better future. "I can actually look forward to doing things like buying a new car for the first time or taking my kids on a vacation. I no longer have to tell a hungry child that there's no food and they just have to wait."

OPTIC's 20th Job Training and Placement Class is our largest ever, and we're happy to have them, even if it did mean reconfiguring the training lab. Together, the 19 trainees help demonstrate the diversity of the "low-income residents" OPTIC is dedicated to helping reach self-sufficiency.

Most of Class 20's participants are parents, with a combined total of 42 children and five grandchildren. They range in age from 19 to 48 years old. Their childhood ambitions included nurse, veterinarian, Olympic gymnast, and cultural anthropologist. Favorite movies cited included Grease, Steel Magnolias, Seven, Last Holiday and Aeon Flux.

And who are their heroes? Many mentioned family members, with one providing this portrait: "My Sheroe is my Nene. She survived breast cancer and raised all of her grandchildren alone due to the early deaths of her children. And she still plays the heck out of some Bingo!"

Those of you who help us find low-income Contra Costa residents who can benefit from OPTIC's Job Training and Placement program may be interested to know how the members of Class 20 heard about the program:

• Told by a friend or family member — 5
• Saw a notice in a local newspaper — 5
• Saw a flyer at a community organization or library — 4
• Sent by one of our referring partners — 3
• Came to OPTIC for free tax assistance — 1
• Noticed signs when passing OPTIC's offices — 1

Welcome to Class 20, and thanks to all of you reading this who helped us recruit this awesome group!

"We had made our big buy of heavily discounted software through TechSoup Stock," recalls Alissa Friedman, OPTIC Executive Director, "but we didn't have the machines to run it on."

Such was the state of OPTIC's technology infrastructure earlier this year, until Chevron stepped in with a grant for a hardware upgrade and an offer of technical assistance.

"The technical assistance was key," says Project Manager Nathan Clark, who managed the upgrade for OPTIC. “We were migrating from a Win NT platform to Server 2003 and Exchange Server. I couldn't have done it without Sean [Cavalli, of the Chevron IT department]."

Chevron funded the purchase of two new servers and 30 workstations capable of running OPTIC's new desktop standard of Windows XP and Office 2003. Chevron also provided funding support for OPTIC's Job Training and Placement Program, which combines computer training, life skills, paid experience, career counseling and support services.

"OPTIC helps individuals build their capacity to become self-sufficient, and Chevron wanted to do the same for OPTIC," explains Debrah Cook, Chevron Community Development Specialist, with a smile. "It feels good knowing that our partnership will have a long-term impact on OPTIC's ability to run and sustain its programs."

An important part of Chevron's community engagement is helping nonprofit organizations provide the health care services and educational opportunities needed to give individuals the ability to become more self sufficient. To learn more, visit www.chevron.com.

This year, nearly twice as many low-income families received free tax assistance through the United Way's Earn It! Keep It! Save It! program run at OPTIC on Friday evenings and Saturdays.

Fully 428 families filed 2005 returns at OPTIC, either electronically or by mail, at the site operated in partnership with ACORN. "And another 58 prior-year returns were completed," adds René Tucker, OPTIC Manager and ACORN's Site Coordinator, "meaning that families were able to claim refunds owed to them for their work in previous years. Those prior-year refunds can help a working family build a down payment for a house or build their financial security in other ways."

ACORN's outreach efforts were a big key to the nearly 100% increase in clients served over the previous year, according to René. "They had members going door-to-door knocking and leaving flyers about the program," she explained. Another factor in the huge service numbers (the largest of all Contra Costa sites) was the fact that this was the third year for the OPTIC site. "We had a lot of return customers who know we're here, and they often brought along friends and family," René observed.

Special thanks to program stalwarts René Tucker, Reina De La Rosa, Henry Edwards, and Andrew Baron and to the volunteers who made these services possible: OPTIC alumni Robin Teixeira, Mary Madden, Susana Osafa Sudieh, Janet Brown, Miriam Ramirez, Alicia Bradley, and Deborah Johnson; OPTIC staff Natalie Georgia and Alissa Friedman; and other generous human beings Rudy Nido, Alice Farrell, Daniel Jameyson, and Victoria Herzog.

OPTIC is incredibly fortunate to be able to announce the addition of City of Pittsburg Councilmember Nancy Parent and Wells Fargo Vice President and District Manager Joe Mathai to its Board of Directors. Parent, whose East County community involvement is too extensive to detail here, had supported OPTIC as a graduation speaker and is excited to join the Board now that she has retired from her law practice. Mathai, also an East County resident familiar with the issues facing residents here, learned of OPTIC's programs through his employer's (Wells Fargo's) philanthropic support of the organization. We welcome them both!

We also wish to gratefully acknowledge the departure of Larry Skolnik (also of Wells Fargo) and Jim Miner (originally at Citibank, now a law student at Golden Gate University). Both Skolnik and Miner were strong advocates for OPTIC within their organizations, but both found it difficult to continue to participate actively after moving to the Peninsula (Skolnik to work, Miner to live).

Miner noted the ways in which his own journey back to law school was inspired by the OPTIC participants he came to know as a volunteer guest speaker. "I have been deeply moved by the courage, strength and endurance of the many participants who have successfully navigated OPTIC's program in their pursuit of a better life. I myself have been motivated by this courage to expand my own personal and professional boundaries." Miner will be joining OPTIC's nascent Advisory Board in order to remain involved with the organization.

• Vodafone-US Renews Support: Vodafone-US Foundation has renewed its support for OPTIC's Job Training and Placement Program for a third year, the Foundation's limit for consecutive funding. "We are pleased to be able to support your mission of providing assistance to our communities," says Director J.D. Sugiyama. We sincerely appreciate the Foundation's partnership and will keep in touch even after the expiration of the current grant period!
• Progress Toward New Name and Brand: Expert teams of intellectual property attorneys and branding experts, from Morgan Lewis and the Gap respectively, are helping OPTIC prepare for the transition to a new name and brand. Pro bono attorneys Rochelle Alpert and Sharon Smith of Morgan Lewis (referred by the BASF's VLSP's Community Organization Representation Project) kept us from making a big mistake in our choice of name, and the Gap's Sharon Shrank, Nathan Pence, Allison Shanks, and Jeff Lynn (working with the Taproot Foundation) are designing a new logo based on the name we have chosen. On advice from marketing consultant Thomas Morris, whose services are being funded by OPTIC Board Member George Birdsong, we're keeping quiet about the new name until we have the branding to go with it.
• OPTIC Picnic and Fundraiser Coming: Come fall, would you like a chance to hang out with OPTIC alumni, participants and staff, enjoy a picnic with your family, get some exercise, and raise money for OPTIC? We're planning an event for Saturday, September 30 (tentative date) that will include our own fundraising walk and picnic. The site will be a park in Antioch or Pittsburg; we'll ask all who want to do so to support OPTIC by soliciting pledges of any amount from friends, family or co-workers. Interested? Watch our July newsletter for more information, or email events@optic-cc.org and you'll be the first on your email block to know!

Most users, if they even think about setting or adjusting the different print modes on most inkjet or laser printers, use either the Normal or Presentation/Best modes to perform all of their printing.

While it's true that these two modes do provide the crispest and clearest print output, they also use the most ink or toner. For most day-to-day output that will be used within your office or organization, you can set the print quality to "Draft." Yes, the output will generally be a bit light, but it will still be quite readable. Over the short-term, there will be little difference in either print quality or toner/ink usage. Over a ream of paper, however, the difference is significant. Using draft mode can save 10 percent or even as much as 20 percent of the toner or ink that would be used printing in "Normal" or "Best/Presentation" mode.

On an ink cartridge that costs $40, saving 20 percent is equivalent to $8. On a $100 laser toner cartridge, it’s $20! With several printers in the office, those savings add up.

Technology Reminders for OPTIC Supporters:

• You can use GoodSearch.com (powered by Yahoo!) to generate revenue for OPTIC while you search the web. Remember to select OPTIC as your organization!
• If you shop online, using the portal iGive.com as your entry point can generate significant donations for OPTIC. Shop within 45 days of signing up, and OPTIC gets a $5 bonus!

OPTIC gratefully acknowledges its corporate, foundation and government funders:

OPTIC Hiring Partners help us place Job Training and Placement participants into good jobs with opportunities for advancement. Many thanks to OPTIC Hiring Partners Ascot Staffing, Contra Costa Child Care Council, CASA of Contra Costa County, the Contra Costa Council, Springboard Advisors, and USS Posco Industries. To join them, fill out our very simple Memorandum of Understanding.

The Friends of OPTIC are an energetic, talented group of women dedicated to supporting OPTIC's work in the community. We are thrilled with their efforts to publicize our work, help with special events and donor development, and support the staff in innumerable ways. They are: Mary Jane Arnold, Katia Avila, Beth Bissell, Sharon Cahill, Jules Campbell, Jane Collett, Pam Elliott, Sue George, Judy Johnson, Sue Kidd, Kathy Leahy, Helen Loewenstein, Jan Monteyne, Sarah Morrill, Denise Silicani, and Maureen Wilhelm.

If you share our vision, we'll find a way to help you get involved -- whatever your schedule, whatever your resources. You can:

• Volunteer with the day or evening program. We have positions for mentors, tutors, mock interviewers, and much more.
• Employ an OPTIC graduate. Our candidates are proficient, experienced and motivated.
• Contract with OPTIC’s internship program. From database management to mailings, we’re fast, reliable and cost-effective.
• Give. Your tax-deductible contribution will change a life.
• Buy OPTIC Gear. You can help support OPTIC's programs while spiffing up your wardrobe or kitchen table.

We welcome your feedback and involvement in our program. You can reach any of us by telephone at (925) 776-1133. For inquiries about:

• OPTIC's Job Training and Placement Program, contact Program Coordinator Natalie Georgia (natalie@optic-cc.org);
• Employment opportunities for OPTIC alumni, contact Professional Development Manager René Tucker (rene@optic-cc.org);
• Delta Community Technology Center, contact Delta CTC Director Jesse Golden (jesse@optic-cc.org);
• OPTIC's integrated mental health services, contact Director of Mental Health Kate Novotny, Ph.D. (kate@optic-cc.org);
• OPTIC's DataWorks internship program, contact Project Manager Nathan Clark (nathan@optic-cc.org); or
• Communications and donations, contact Executive Director Alissa Friedman (alissa@optic-cc.org).
• Accounting and human resources, contact Accountant Pam Elliott (pam@optic-cc.org).

• Keith Archuleta, Founding Partner, Emerald Consulting
• Robert Beck, Principal, Pittsburg Adult Education Center
• Linda Best, Executive Director, Contra Costa Council
• George Birdsong, President, Springboard Advisors
• Janet Brown, Housing Specialist, Center for Independent Living
• Sandy Bustillo, Interim Division Manager for General Assistance, Contra Costa County Workforce Services
• Mary Jane Hargrove, Consultant, Accounting and Bookkeeping
• Jim Jakel, City Manager, City of Antioch
• Joe Mathai, Vice President, Wells Fargo Bank
• Nancy Parent, Councilmember, City of Pittsburg
• Ricardo M. Perez, D.D.S., Owner, Cosmetic Dental Spa
• Juan Prieto, Family Development Specialist, California Human Development Corporation
• Tonya Smith, Assistant, Office of Supervisor Federal Glover

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Newsletter Contributors: Jesse Golden and Alissa Friedman