- Thanks to you: April finds her inner strength
- Join us Friday for Class 48 Graduation
- Bells are ringing, are you in The Bell Ringers Club?
- Save the date to Make Your Mark on the World!
- Claim your whole refund with Do-It-Yourself Tax Assistance
- New grants supporting our programs
Thanks to you: April finds her inner strength: "Opportunity Junction helped me find in myself the strength and confidence I had always sought from other people. I am happy, I feel accomplished, and I can take care of my son."
"Opportunity Junction helped me find in myself the strength and confidence I had always sought from other people. I am happy, I feel accomplished, and I can take care of my son. The most important thing about OJ is how they continue to help outside the training program. I can walk in any day of the week." Here's her story...
Join us Friday for Class 48 Graduation
Join us Friday for Class 48 Graduation: Please join us and guest speaker Congressman Mark DeSaulnier in celebrating the graduation of Class 48 of the Job Training and Placement Program. When: Friday, January 29, 2016, at 7 pm. Where: El Campanil Theater, 602 W. 2nd St., Antioch, CA 94509. Click here to RSVP...
Bells are ringing, are you in The Bell Ringers Club?
When the gold bell tolls in our office, the celebrations begin! Since April 2014, Opportunity Junction has participated in a pay-for-performance challenge proposed by an inspired donor and charter member, Aaron Silva, President and CEO of Paladin fs. Thank you to all of the members of the Bell Ringers Club for giving us a challenge we plan to continue to meet. Learn more...
Save the Date to Make Your Mark on the World!
The 2016 Imagine Gala, presented by Chevron, honors all of the great work Opportunity Junction has engaged in this year. Don't miss a gourmet dinner, exciting NEW auction items, and the chance to flex your philanthropic power supporting the low-income residents of Contra Costa County! Join us on Saturday, April 23, 2016. Celebrate your mark on the world!
Claim your whole refund with Do-It-Yourself Tax Assistance
Why pay hundreds of dollars to get the rest of your tax refund just two weeks sooner this year? Do you have something you'd like to spend those hundreds of dollars on instead? Make sure you get your WHOLE refund by joining us for Do-It-Yourself Tax Assistance. Join us Fridays at 6 pm or Saturdays at 10 am for the training you need to get your full refund back as quickly as possible. It's free if your income is below $62,000. Sign up now!
Thanks to You: April found her inner strength
April Lujano spent most of her early adult years looking to others to feel connected and validated. Her parents divorced when she was 11, and she was out of the house and on her own at an early age. She married young in the hopes of reestablishing a family, but that relationship turned abusive, and April knew she hadn't found what she needed.
"I kept thinking I just needed to find the right man. And it never worked. I moved to six different states over a couple of years chasing a real connection. Five months after escaping another abusive relationship, I discovered I was pregnant. I needed to change."
April moved back home with her young son in 2014, but she was unable to find anything but minimum wage shift work because of her lack of consistent experience. "I felt like a failure because I couldn't provide for my son. How could I show him how to grow up in a good way when I couldn't take care of myself?"
April's CalWORKs worker told her about Opportunity Junction, and she knew she was ready to change her life. She enrolled in Class 47 of the Job Training and Placement Program. April was able to see our onsite psychologist weekly, in between classes, and gain insight into her past relationships.
Shortly after completing the training, April was hired as an Office Manager with Employer Partner, Bay Area Carbide. "I am so thankful for everything Opportunity Junction has done for me. I needed the training, the skills, and the referral to find my career." April has received two raises in her five months with the company.
"Opportunity Junction helped me find the strength and confidence in myself I had always sought from other people. I am happy, I feel accomplished, and I can take care of my son. I'm not on any aid anymore. The most important thing about OJ is how they continue to help outside the training program. I still see the onsite therapist weekly, and Lynn (Program Coordinator) called me in December and asked if I needed a Christmas tree. I can walk in any day of the week and get support; this ongoing support system helps me succeed."
Bells are ringing, are you in The Bell Ringers Club?
Since April 2014, Opportunity Junction has participated in a pay-for-performance challenge proposed by an inspired donor and charter member, Aaron Silva, President and CEO of Paladin fs. The challenge is simply this: a donation of a set amount is made to Opportunity Junction for each unique initial placement of a Job Training and Placement Program participant.
We are excited to note that this program has grown in the last year and now includes additional donations from Alliance of Chief Executives and an Anonymous Well Wisher. This group of generous donors is affectionately called "The Bell Ringers Club," and other companies are invited to join. Learn more.
When the gold bell tolls in our office, the celebrations begin! Ringing the bell is a highlight for our interns because it signifies the culmination of weeks of training and hard work that resulted in a new job. For each of the 73 times the bell was rung since April 2014, all staff, interns, trainees, and any office visitors stopped what they were doing and gathered around the bell to cheer the intern on. It is a proud moment for the staff and often an emotional moment for the interns. Thank you to all of the members of the Bell Ringers Club for giving us a challenge we plan to continue to meet.
Now, we present this challenge to you. Paladin fs will add an additional $50 to their original pledge amount for each of the next three companies that join the club. This will increase their donation for each placement to $250! Aaron Silva notes, "At Paladin we believe in investing in people and organizations who work hard for others. The Bell Ringers Club is a great way to reward proven hard work."
Be part of our participants' success by committing to a donation for every job secured. Here's how it works:
- Commit to making a minimum donation of $50 Per Job placement (you may commit to a higher amount if you choose).
- Placements will be tracked quarterly and we will send an invoice for the appropriate donation amount along with a list of participants and dates they rang the bell.
- Your company name will be engraved on the Bell Plaque that is prominently featured in the OJ hallway.
- Recognition in our Annual Report and a future newsletter article.
Are you up for the challenge? Contact Samantha Seals-Martin, Director of Development, at
New Grants and Support for our Programs
We are proud and grateful to announce the following new grants and funding partnerships:
- Community Services Bureau: Contra Costa County's Community Services Bureau (CSB) has contracted with Opportunity Junction to provide the flagship Job Training and Placement Program to low-income residents of Contra Costa County. The CSB is part of a national network of Community Action Agencies established by the 1964 War on Poverty to address the underlying conditions that cause poverty.
- Heffernan Foundation: The Heffernan Foundation has issued a grant to support the Job Training and Placement Program. The Heffernan Foundation was created in 2006 to support Heffernan Group's dedication and commitment to social responsibility through employee philanthropy, volunteerism and education.
- Thomas J. Long Foundation: The Thomas J. Long Foundation has made a three-year grant to Opportunity Junction for core operating support. The Foundation’s vision is to build healthy, diverse, vibrant and caring East Bay communities where all residents have the opportunity to thrive.
- Umpqua Bank Charitable Foundation: Umpqua Bank Charitable Foundation has issued a grant to support the Job Training and Placement Program. Umpqua Bank takes great pride in its commitment to serving and supporting our communities, and we deeply appreciate its support of this work.
- Y&H Soda Foundation: The Y&H Soda Foundation, one of our key strategic partners, has issued a grant to help us pilot an initiative to prepare job seekers to enter the Laborers Union. The Y & H Soda Foundation is an anti-poverty organization committed to the full participation and prosperity of the underserved in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.
Newsletter Contributors: Brianna Robinson, Samantha Seals-Martin, and Alissa Friedman. Gala logo by J.Stokes Agency. Photographs by PhotoSophistry, Brianna Robinson, and Eva Luo (with editing by Natasha DeAlmeida). Newsletter assembled by Lea Mason. (Thanks, Lea!)
On the Road to Self-Sufficiency — Opportunity Junction fights poverty by helping low-income Contra Costa residents gain the skills and confidence to get and keep jobs that support themselves and their families.
Opportunity Junction is exempt from federal income taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
© Opportunity Junction 2016
