Contact: Alissa Friedman / OPTIC ++ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(925) 776-1133 x 117 / alissa@optic-cc.org
SUPERVISOR GLOVER TO HONOR OPTIC GRADUATES
ANTIOCH, Calif., March 15, 2004 - The Honorable Federal D. Glover, Chair of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, will be the keynote speaker at the March 26 graduation ceremony at Opportunities for Technology Information Careers (OPTIC).
Supervisor Glover, who has himself hired an OPTIC graduate to his staff, has long been a supporter of the OPTIC job training and placement program, which helps low-income residents gain the skills they need in order to obtain high-wage employment. Contra Costa County partners with OPTIC through its Community Development Block Grant program and through the Keller Canyon Mitigation Fund.
“The Supervisor has supported our program in so many ways, and his dedication to the community has been an inspiration to us,” says Alissa Friedman, OPTIC Executive Director. “We're thrilled that he will be addressing and inspiring our Class 13 graduates.”
OPTIC graduates, who are trained in life skills and the Microsoft Office suite of applications, are employed throughout Eastern Contra County and beyond, with both small and large employers. OPTIC prides itself on preparing its participants to meet the real needs of employers and itself employs three OPTIC alumni.
The ceremony will begin at 6 PM and will be followed by an appetizer reception. The festivities will be held at the OPTIC offices at 3102 Delta Fair Boulevard. Attendance is free and open to the public.
As soon as graduation is over, OPTIC will begin recruiting for its next class, which begins on May 3, 2004. The recruitment theme is “Are you ready to turn your life around?” and applications will be accepted April 5-23, 2004. For additional information, 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 the investments and partnerships of the following public and private organizations: the Delta Energy Center (Calpine), GWF Power Systems, 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 California Consumer Protection Foundation, the Contra Costa Employment and Human Services Department, and the Keller Canyon Landfill 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.
###
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
Close Window