In this issue...
Without current skills and with a lengthy gap in work history from caring for her mother, Linnea was down, but she got back up. |
Because of You: We reached our December fundraising goal thanks to you and the matching grant from the Beswick Family Foundation! More... |
 Save the Date: Chevron and Opportunity Junction present our 2012 IMAGINE Gala: Reveal Your True Promise April 28, 2012 at the Diablo Country Club. More... |
Fast, Free, Confidential: Our certified, experienced session leaders will help you claim the maximum tax refund! Sign up now! More... |
Evening Classes: We are accepting sign-ups for both Antioch and Bay Point classes in Computer Basics, and we're offering ESL classes in both locations, too! More... |
 New Volunteer Coordinator: Program and Volunteer Coordinator, Catherine Bernal, MSW, is the new contact for volunteers. Welcome! More... |
New Grants: Wells Fargo, Calpine, and the Lowell Berry Foundation support expanded capacity for the Job Training and Placement Program. More... |
Graduation Photographs: View the photographs taken by ENASHA PHOTOGRAPHY of our graduates, family, friends, and guest speaker Supervisor Mary Piepho. More... |
Extra Pair of Hands: If you need extra help around the office, for temporary staffing or direct hires, contact Business Services Manager Rich Berger! More... |
Featured AlumnaImportant Dates and Upcoming Events:
- Jan. 27, 6 pm: Tax Assistance Begins
- Feb. 6, 6 pm: Computer Basics in Antioch and Bay Point
- April 26, 6 pm: Class 37 Graduation
- April 28, 6 pm: 2012 Imagine Gala: Reveal Your True Promise
Regular Features
| Alumni News | Ways to Get Involved |
|---|---|
| New Grants | Contact the Staff |
| Wish List | Board of Directors |
| Funding Partners | Advisory Board |
| Hiring Partners | The Alumni Council |
| Friends |
Linnea Ludwick: "Opportunity Junction gave me the confidence to start my dream again."
Linnea Ludwick had her career and future all planned out. Living in Alaska and working at the same organization for 17 years, Linnea believed she would retire in that career. However, when her mother became very ill, she resigned from her position to become a full-time caregiver. A move to California to be closer to other family pushed Linnea's career and dreams even further from her sights.
After five years of being a caregiver, Linnea's mother passed away. Unable to find a new administrative position in the volatile California market, Linnea's unemployment and savings ran out, and she moved in with her sister.
"I was completely down and didn't have a reason to get up. I was used to being self-reliant, and now I had to live off my sister's generosity. I missed my mom and felt depressed and defeated," Linnea says.
Although Linnea had a strong past work history, she now had a lengthy gap in employment and skills that needed updating. That is when her family encouraged her to apply to Opportunity Junction. She was immediately impressed with the program. Of course she needed the computer skills, but her long-time employment with the same company also left her with inexperience in interviewing and resume writing. More importantly, Linnea responded to the Life Skills that helped her regain her confidence and show her she was not alone in her struggles.
"I couldn't believe the help people were willing to give to people who are down. The rules and structure readied me for re-entrance to the workforce, and my classmates became a new family and support network."
Linnea's goal had always been to find employment. But as her confidence resumed, she also remembered her dream of continuing her life in Alaska. Confident, trained, and readied, Linnea decided to brave the move alone and return to her beloved state. "I remembered that I was not this poor, meek, outcasted woman living off my sister's good graces. I am strong; I can do it. I can go home and do it alone."
Linnea is now working full-time, with benefits, as a Waiver Specialist with Hope Community Resources in Anchorage. She was even offered a second full-time position with another organization shortly after accepting the first one.
"I love my new job and life in Anchorage. Opportunity Junction was my life preserver-my survival suit-and I couldn't have found the confidence without their support."
Because of You: We Exceeded Our Fundraising Goal for December
With gratitude to our generous donors and the trustee of the Beswick Family Fund at the East Bay Community Foundation, we exceeded our fundraising goal for December and the entire first half of the fiscal year. We also collected the entire $20,000 matching grant from the Beswick Family Fund! This support is critical to our ability to respond to the increased need in this community for programs to help residents get back to work. Thank you for affirming that we are all in this together!
When we brag about doubling the number of placements this year by opening up Bay Point Career Development Services and investing in employer outreach, you are a part of that "we." When Shaunette finds our job training and placement program, passes 11 Microsoft certification tests, enters employment, and fully supports herself and her two sons, that's you, too, whether you told her where to find us, supported her training with a donation, cross-examined her during a mock interview, or let us know about a position that was opening up.
We thank those listed below for helping us beat (just barely) our ambitious budgeted goal for the first half of our fiscal year:
Cornerstone Society ($10,000 and up)Michael Sullivan
Visionary Council ($5,000 to $9,999)
Jerry and Belinda Lucey
Meryl Natchez and Larry Rafferty
Harry Tassell
Leadership Circle ($2,500 to $4,999)
Anonymous (2)
George and Anne Birdsong
David and Kit Eckles
Lea Mason
Cheri Smith
Benefactor ($1,000 to $2,499)
Anonymous
Jane and Bill Collett
Kevin Coppa
Lynn and Avner Friedman
The Morrison & Foerster Foundation
Alissa Friedman and Victoria Herzog
Sue and Steve George
Hollings Fund Trustees
Scott Valley Bank
Soule Foundation
|
Partner ($250 to $999) Anonymous Cecily Barclay Linda and Ed Best Dennis and Billie Burkman Norman Cheng CRI/Criterion Inc. Mary Erbez Charlotte Evans Tamara Friedman Joseph and Lagene Goodreault Gordon Gravelle Mary Jane Hargrove Tony and Dagmar Jimenez Richard and Theresa Kaiser Barbara and Mark Kehoe Mark and Marla Landis Steven Lassair Ernie Leopold Angela Lowrey Alan Mac Jan and Reg Monteyne Sarah Morrill Victor Palomino Denise and Ed Silicani Tonya Smith |
Advocate ($100 to $249) Jodi Avina Gary Beitch LuAnne and James Bruner Kris Chase Nathan and Ilona Clark Sue and Hale Conklin Carol and Bill Dunkle Pam and John Elliott Natalie Georgia Martha Goralka Marc and Dana Grisham Jean Harris Stuart Hellman and Marsha Weintraub Kathy and Jim Jakel Lonnie Karste Sue Kittleson Kathy and Tom Leahy Phil and Kitty Lemos David and Susan Matson Diane Nowak Olorunfunmi Oliyide Norma Perez Nancy Reuther Luanna Snider Patty Wintroath Christine and Rick Wise Supporter (up to $99) Tawny Beal * Sonya Bynum * Timothy Carlisle * Gregory Cellucci and Patricia Cellucci and Family * Grace Chen * Garrett and Jill Evans * Ann and Gregory Fish * Marc Fox * Ron Fugazzi * Jesse Golden * Sally Gray * Bobby Gruela and Sherry Martija * Rachel Hamelman * Helen Hejna * Sue and Bill Kidd * Lauren Lyon * Bob and Sally Mehaffey * Sara Mendoza * Terri Muscat * Habibullah Nawid * Jacquelyn Nissim * David Offen-Brown * Nancy Parent * Lee and Carolin Pezzola * Trudy and Bruce Presser * Peter and Peggy Raisbeck * Letitia Riley * Kellie Shanahorn * Tamara Smith * Linda and Kris Sorensen * Anne Soule * Alan Soule * Beth and Frank Trafton * Janet and David Van Etten * Theodora Wallace * Bobbie Youngman In-Kind (gifts of needed items) Doris Bedford * Becky Egan * Alissa Friedman and Victoria Herzog * Diane Kipley * Alan Mac * Henkel Corporation * Trish Shattuck * Mary Ann and Paul Shattuck * Cathie Speakman * Sara Tuttle * Lone Tree Golf and Event Center |
Save the Date for our 2012 Imagine Gala: Reveal Your True Promise, April 28
By now you should have received your Save the Date card for our annual IMAGINE gala with a masquerade theme! This year, try something daring and don your favorite mask, be it funny, funky or sophisticated to celebrate the discovering of who we are! Join us for a fabulous event April 28, 6 pm at the Diablo Country Club:
- Presented by Chevron
- With auctioneer Damon Casatico of Charity Benefit Auctions
- Located at the stunning Diablo Country Club
- Drawing on the creativity and inspiration of Events Committee members Carol Altwarg, Kathy Leahy, Selma Moore, Mary Ann Shattuck, Trish Shattuck, and Betty Stokes, and
- Staffed by Brianna Burkman, Development Manager, and her team of Opportunity Junction interns and alumni.
Please contact Brianna Burkman, Development Manager, for more information.
We are accepting auction donation items and can even accommodate early ticket sales. Thanks to all who have supported us in so many ways through the years.
Our sponsorship drive is well under way. Can you join Chevron and these organizations that have already signed up as sponsors? The Sponsorship Invitation is available on our website.
Presenting Sponsor:
 |
  |
  |
|
BMO Financial Group Cosmetic Dental Spa Dow Chemical GenOn PG&E >Springboard Advisors TechProse |
HipCricket John Muir Health Pittsburg Power Company Tri Delta Transit Umpqua Bank USS-POSCO |
Do-It-Yourself Tax Assistance, With a Little Help From Your Friends, Starting January 27th
Do-It-Yourself Tax Assistance launches January 27th this year, at 6 pm, with session leader Rene Tucker. Every Friday at 6 pm and every Saturday at 10 am, Rene and her assistants will be at 3102 Delta Fair Blvd. in Antioch to teach taxpayers how to prepare their own taxes using the I-CAN eFile web interface developed by the Legal Aid Society of Orange County. Sign up here to attend a free session!
Taxpayers who attended sessions in previous years have already started filing their taxes, to get the fastest possible refunds. If you navigate to I-CAN eFile through the Opportunity Junction partner link, the service is free!
Job Training and Placement Program alumna Roxanne Presser was in the Alumni Center completing her taxes last week. "I used to have my taxes done at H&R Block and get the Rapid Refund, but that was so expensive! Now I get to keep my whole refund." Roxanne used last year's refund to invest in a reliable vehicle. In the future, she hopes to save up to buy a house.
Opportunity Junction is proud to partner with the United Way of the Bay Area's Earn It! Keep It! Save It! coalition, which has provided funding to help support the program.
Evening Classes Start February 6th in both Antioch and Bay Point
For the first time ever, Opportunity Junction will be offering its popular Computer Basics series of classes both at the Antioch office and also at the SparkPoint East Contra Costa at 3105 Willow Pass Road in Bay Point. Staff and volunteers in Bay Point will also be offering Resume Workshops, Mock Interviewing, and classes in English as a Second Language.
Volunteer trainers in Bay Point will use the curriculum developed for Opportunity Junction's Technology Center in Antioch, thanks to the organizational work of Rossana Peniche, Career Development Case Manager, and Paola Lara, Career Development Associate. Many thanks to Dave Thompson, the director of the SparkPoint center, for working with Contra Costa County to secure laptops running Office 2007, which is what the curriculum is designed to teach!
Sign-ups for Computer Basics and the Bay Point career workshops are available at the Opportunity Junction website. Sign up for Antioch classes here. Sign up for Bay Point classes here. There is no need to sign up for classes in English as a Second Language, which is offered in Antioch on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 pm to 9 pm and in Bay Point on Thursdays from 6 to 7:30 pm -- just drop in!
Participants must attend the first class of the series and must be on time, because classes often run a waiting list. "It usually turns out the we can accommodate everybody who shows up on the first night of class," explains Alissa Friedman, Executive Director, "but if we can't, then we enroll people in the order in which they signed up."
Opportunity Junction Welcomes Catherine Bernal, and Catherine Welcomes Volunteers
Opportunity Junction is pleased to welcome Catherine Bernal to our staff as our new Program and Volunteer Coordinator. Catherine recently earned her Master's of Social Work (M.S.W.) from CSU East Bay and holds a B.A. in Psychology from UC Santa Cruz. As Program and Volunteer Coordinator, Catherine will be conducting outreach to the communities we serve as well as filling the volunteer needs of Opportunity Junction, among other responsibilities.
"I am very excited not only about my position, but also to be working with Opportunity Junction. In the short time I have been here, it is clear to me that this is a place that touches and changes people's lives, and I am looking forward to getting to know all of our participants, volunteers and everyone who makes our programs possible." Outside of her work at Opportunity Junction, Catherine enjoys playing guitar, cooking, and exercising.
Photographs of Class 36 Graduation Highlight Pride and Accomplishment
Class 36 of Opportunity Junction's Job Training and Placement Program celebrated graduation from Phase I of the program on December 22nd, and the event was captured beautifully by the photography of David and Nicola Fraser of ENASHA PHOTOGRAPHY. We offer our gratitude, too, to Rick Carraher and the beautiful El Campanil Theatre and Supervisor Mary N. Piepho, our special guest speaker. The graduation is being televised in full on CCTV -- AT&T U-verse Channel 99, Comcast Channel 27, and Astound Channel 32 -- on the following dates:
- Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 2:00 p.m.
- Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 12:00 p.m.
- Monday, February 13, 2012 at 8:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 2:00 p.m.
Alumni News
Congratulations on the following new positions: Maritza Monterrosa, Class 36, Research & Development Assistant with Creative Energy Foods, Inc.; Karen Bell-Portlock, Class 33, Patient Registration with Stanford Hospital; Tawanna Lavall, Class 35, Staffmark - Bank of America; Cyndy Cook, Class 34, Recreation Leader with City of Antioch - Senior Center; Josiah Gonzalez, Class 35, Call Center Help Desk with Admiral Security; Tamara Smith, Class 35, Staffing Coordinator with Affordable Home Care Agency; LaDonna Glosson, Class 35, Tech Support Specialist with Bay Area Credit Services; Shaunette Buchanan, Class 31, Property Manager with Mercy Housing-Garden Park Apartments; Jamie Mullen, Class 30, Unarmed Security Officer with American Premier Security.
Keep Us Posted: Alumni, please fill out an online update here if you've not already done so. The survey takes 5 minutes, and your responses will be confidential. Your reporting creates opportunities for others. Thanks for your help!
New Grants and Support for our Programs
We are proud and grateful to announce the following new grants and funding partnerships:
- Wells Fargo: Wells Fargo has honored us with a rare Workforce Development Matching Grant, designed to help support the increased numbers of enrollees, graduates, and alumni being served by the Job Training and Placement Program. Wells Fargo has been a supporter of Opportunity Junction since 2001.
Calpine: Supervisor Federal Glover delivered a welcome grant from Calpine, right before Christmas, to support our life-changing Job Training and Placement Program. Calpine's continuing support is especially appreciated during this time of high unemployment and great need for our services.
The Lowell Berry Foundation: We welcome the Lowell Berry Foundation to the prestigious roster of funding partners for the Job Training and Placement Program. The Lowell Berry Foundation is committed to serving our local community by providing a safety net for those in need while focusing on organizations that effectively shape lives and build leaders for tomorrow.
You may unsubscribe from our periodic emails here. Please note that we do not sell or lease our email newsletter list to anyone.
Newsletter Contributors: Alissa Friedman, Catherine Bernal, and Brianna Burkman.
copyright © 2012, Opportunity Junction
