Contact: Alissa Friedman / OPTIC ++ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(925) 776-1133 x 117 / alissa@optic-cc.org
OPTIC TO GRADUATE 11th CLASS AND
WELCOME NEW BOARD MEMBERS
ANTIOCH, Calif., July 17, 2003 - Opportunities for Technology Information Careers (OPTIC), a non-profit training program located in Antioch, Calif., will be graduating its 11th class of trainees on July 28, 2003. The ceremony and celebration will begin at 2 PM and will feature music, testimonials, and food.
OPTIC graduates, who are trained in life skills and the Microsoft Office suite of applications, are employed throughout Eastern Contra County and beyond, with such prestigious employers as Kaiser Permanente, the Contra Costa County IT Department, and Morrison & Foerster. OPTIC prides itself on preparing its participants to meet the real needs of employers and itself employs three full-time and two part-time OPTIC alumni.
The graduation ceremony will also be a time to celebrate the addition of two new members to the OPTIC Advisory Board. Diana McDonald, Dean of Occupational Education at Los Medanos College, and James Miner, a Mortgage Consultant with Cherry Creek Mortgage, accepted invitations to join the Board on July 14. "I have great respect for OPTIC's mission and the positive force it exerts in changing peoples lives for the better," says Mr. Miner, who has delivered financial training as part of the life skills curriculum. Adds Ms. McDonald, "I think some great partnerships with Los Medanos College would benefit us both."
As soon as graduation is over, OPTIC will begin recruiting for its next class, which begins on August 25, 2003. Orientation will be held July 29 and 30. Low-income Contra Costa residents who want to gain the skills to become economically self-sufficient are encouraged to contact Program Coordinator Natalie Georgia at 925-776-1133.
OPTIC has been singled out as a model workforce development program by the Digital Government Summit, the National Association of Counties, and Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher.
OPTIC's work is made possible by its partnerships with the following public and private organizations: the Wells Fargo Foundation, the SBC Foundation, the Community Technology Foundation of California, the United Way of the Bay Area, the East Bay Community Foundation, the San Francisco Foundation, the Waitrovich Family Fund, the Dean and Margaret Lesher Foundation, the Women's Foundation, the Y & H Soda Foundation, the Gonzales Family Foundation, the California Endowment, Citibank, the SkillSoft e-Learning Foundation, Mervyn's Community Closet, Wardrobe for Opportunity, the City of Antioch CDBG Program, the City of Pittsburg CDBG Program, the Contra Costa County CDBG Program, the State of California Employment Development Department, the Department of Education, Pittsburg Adult Education, the Contra Costa Employment and Human Services Department, and the Keller Canyon Mitigation Fund.
OPTIC's mission is to provide low-income Contra Costa residents with the technology and life skills that will enable them to become economically self-sufficient. OPTIC also runs the Delta Community Technology Center (Delta CTC), which provides computer-based adult education and community technology access in the evenings. OPTIC is located at 3102 Delta Fair Boulevard in Antioch, Calif. For more information, please visit http://www.optic-cc.org or call (925) 776-1133.
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For media information, to schedule an interview or to request digital images, please contact Alissa Friedman at (925) 776-1133 or alissa@optic-cc.org
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