CAMARILLO — Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County is celebrating January’s National Mentoring Month with a new Match Story each week, highlighting four successful mentoring relationships in Ventura County.
The first match story features Micah Garside-White, who was 12 years old when he met corporate professional Larry Ross. Micah has since graduated from Harvey Mudd College, became a military officer and is now a successful business professional in the Bay Area, the organization reported in a media release.
Garside-White was able to become an officer in the military “because Larry taught him to be a gentleman,” one BBBS executive stated in the article.
Now 33, Garside-White was married in 2014 and Ross had a seat of honor at the ceremony next to Micah’s wife, Marie.
Those who subscribe to the BBSVC Big Newsletter will be the first to receive each story. Upon publication of the four stories, the organization reports it will have big announcement about a major search driven by BBSVC that will have a nationwide impact. Visit http://www.bbsvc.org/January or facebook.com/bbsvc for more information.
81 WEV Self Employment Training clients graduated in December. They included, from left to right, bottom row, Jeff Matson, Nada Matson, Mayra Padilla, Faye Cox, Charlene Sansone, Julie Samson (instructor), Lisa Darsonval, Kathe Cuellar Burns, Cameron DeAragon, top row, Kelsey Crouse, Jill Atamian Hall, Angie Wallace, Jamie Martinez, Mary Beth Merola, Erin Atamian Zuck, Sylvia Sullivan, Melissa Howard, Jessica Simon, Tahara Ezrahti, Emily Martinez, Minerva Colon, Christopher Brannan, Maribel Colon, Adriana Jalfim, Diana Gabriel, Nelly Gonzalez, Catherine Gee, Tobey Terry, Craig Revell, Melinda Angle, Kara Pearson, Ethan Zolt, Raymond Rangel, Danielle Rocha, Lissy Auchstetter, Britt Wanberg, Natasha Oberg. Courtesy photo.
SANTA BARBARA — Women’s Economic Venture’s Business Center celebrated the graduation in December of 81 new local entrepreneurs (44 from Santa Barbara and 37 from Ventura County) from its Self Employment Training (SET) Course. After 14 weeks of training in finance, marketing and leadership skills, graduates said they are confident and ready to use the knowledge they have gained to turn their entrepreneurial dreams into reality, WEV reported in a media release.
WEV’s latest SET graduate businesses and business concepts include a program based on yoga that seeks to empower women who have experienced domestic violence; healthy fast-food; a matchmaking service and an online swimsuit boutique.
With a strong program of training, technical assistance, networking services and access to capital through its Small Business Loan Fund, WEV reports it has provided entrepreneurial training to nearly 4,000 women, loaned more than $2 million to local businesses and created an average of 300 jobs in the community each year.
WEV’s SET course is part of WEV’s continuum of programs that help entrepreneurs start, grow and sustain a business. The programs include business consulting, entrepreneurial coaching, advanced business training, small business start-up and expansion loans.
The next free orientations for WEV’s comprehensive 14-week, 56-hour SET program will be held in Santa Barbara County on Jan. 7 and 20, and Ventura County on Jan. 6, 8 and 14.
The program is designed for women (all services are open to men) to provide guidance on how to start, operate and expand a business. It is offered in both English and Spanish, and provides week-by-week training in the most important aspects of organizing, financing, marketing and managing a small business. Topics include personal leadership skills, personal finances, marketing and sales, public relations and advertising, legal and insurance issues, record keeping, cash flow projections and writing a business plan.
SET courses are offered twice each year, with classes starting in September and February. The class runs for 14 consecutive weeks, one night a week for three hours, and includes two full Saturdays. Classes are taught in Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Oxnard and Ventura. Interested participants must attend the free one-hour orientation workshop prior to registering for the course.
Visit wevonline.org to register or for more information.
SANTA MARIA — Plans to increase student internship opportunities available to Allan Hancock College students have received a major boost from the Marcled Foundation, the college reported in a media release. The college has been awarded a $100,000 grant over two years for the Career Integration Initiative.
The college will receive $50,000 in both 2015 and 2016 to fund the initiative that will allow the college to create a structured and centralized Cooperative Work Experience internship program. The plan is based on three interwoven principles: student-focused, institution-focused and employer-focused strategies to connect education to employment.
“The apprenticeship model is back,” Paul Murphy, dean of mathematical sciences, stated in the release. “It is no longer sufficient that students attain technical knowledge solely in a classroom. They also need the skills learned in a workplace to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment.”
The program’s coordinator will focus on employer recruitment, student-to-internship matching, faculty involvement and compliance with state regulations.
“The generosity of the Marcled Foundation will help Hancock enhance its capacity to provide students and employers with a comprehensive, well-coordinated and quality internship program,” Hancock Superintendent/President Kevin Walthers stated in the release.
A recent survey showed 43 percent of the college’s 10,000 students work part or full time while taking classes. The 200-plus regional employers already affiliated with the college will be surveyed to determine their interest in hosting and supervising interns.
OXNARD — The Oxnard Fire Department has open registration for two positions in its Community Emergency Response Team training classes. A class for Spanish speakers will be held on Tuesday nights beginning Jan. 13, and a class for English speakers will run on Wednesday nights beginning Jan. 14. Both classes will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. for six weeks, with the final class, which is a drill, from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 21. Most classes will be held at the Fire Administration Office at 360 W. Second St., with some of the classes at Fire Station No. 1, 491 S. “K” St.
The CERT training is taught by Oxnard firefighters and provides community members with the skills they need to respond to the immediate needs of their neighborhood or workplace after a disaster strikes. Skills taught in this series of classes include disaster preparedness, fire extinguisher training, disaster first aid and triage, light search and rescue techniques and disaster psychology. After completing the six, three-hour classes, a simulated disaster drill is held to allow the CERT participants to apply the skills they learned.
To register for a CERT class, call the Oxnard Fire Department at 805-385-7722.
VENTURA COUNTY — The United Way of Ventura County is seeking volunteers for the “2015 Homeless Persons Count” on Jan. 27. By volunteering, community members help the county maintain its eligibility for almost $2 million in federal funding, the organization reported in a media release. Training is provided in locations around the county.
To sign up to reserve a location and time slot, visit www.VolunteerVenturaCounty.org/volunteer. Then under the Events tab, select Homeless Count 2015.