SAN LUIS OBISPO — SLO RISE (Respect, Inspire, Support, Empower) has announced a change in office hours to meet funding cuts and increasing demand, the organization reported in a media release.
“This decision was made after much deliberation,” Jennifer Adams, executive director, stated in the release. “With continued funding cuts and an increase in the demand for services, maintaining regular office hours was becoming a challenge. Changing our walk-in hours in the SLO office will allow our staff to be more mobile, and, ultimately, be more present with the clients we are serving.”
The SLO RISE office will be open to serve walk-in clients from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday; 1 to 5 p.m. on Tuesday and 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday.
The Paso Robles office hours will continue to be 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
It should be emphasized that these changes to office hours in the San Luis Obispo office location will not change the RISE promise of providing crisis services 24 hours a day, Adams said. RISE can always be reached by telephone by calling the office number at 805-226-5400 or the crisis line number at 855-886-RISE (7473). Scheduled meetings and counseling appointments will not be affected.
The San Luis Obispo office is at 51 Zaca Lane, Suite 140.
The Paso Robles office is at 1030 Vine St.
RISE is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization (formerly SARP Center and North County Women’s Shelter) with the mission to transform the lives of sexual and intimate partner violence survivors, their families and the community through services and education that promote safety, healing and empowerment. RISE provides the following programs: 24-hour crisis line, case management, restraining order assistance, accompaniment and advocacy, two safe houses, individual and group counseling, prevention education and self-defense workshops.
VENTURA — More than 1,100 Ventura County high school graduates will attend their first year of Ventura College free of charge, with the help of the Ventura College Promise, a grant program launched in 2006 by the Ventura College Foundation, the organization reported in a media release.
The program distributed $195,000 in grants to students for the fall 2014 semester.
VCF officials expect an additional $150,000 will be granted to students for spring 2015, raising the total to about $345,000 for the 2014/2015 academic year.
Designed to eliminate economic barriers to higher education for graduating Ventura County high school seniors and students who receive their GED, the “Promise” encourages students to further their education and reach their academic goals.
For the fall 2014 semester, 46 percent of the Promise participants are first-generation college students. Students come from throughout the county, with the highest numbers coming from Oxnard, Santa Paula and Ventura. The most popular areas of study for Promise students are nursing, business, psychology and engineering.
“Though the Promise is open to all students, regardless of need, many of our grant recipients wouldn’t have the financial means to attend college if not for the program,” Norbert Tan, executive director of Ventura College Foundation, stated in the release. “Seeing students’ relief, when they realize that they can attend college free, validates the importance of the program and underscores the impact it makes on their lives.”
“By partnering with our foundation and supportive local companies, Ventura College can provide the means to higher education for graduating high school seniors. By improving the college-going rate in our community, we help enhance the quality of our local workforce,” Ventura College President Greg Gillespie stated in the release.
Promise students stay in school after the first year at double the rate of non-Promise students, foundation staff reported.
Promise students also have a higher retention rate because 82 percent attend Ventura College full-time, versus 46 percent of the general student population, and use the services available to them on campus, including the Lending Library and scholarships for year two, officials reported. Promise students also can participate in the Promise Peer Mentoring program, where a peer mentor is available to answer questions and provide guidance.
CAMARILLO — El Centrito Family Learning Centers’ “Zero to Five Nutritional Workshops” will benefit from a $5,000 grant presented by the Ventura County Community Foundation, the foundation reported in a media release. The foundation recently granted a total of $22,500 to five local nonprofits focused on healthy eating and physical education.
The workshops presented by El Centrito are part of its “Mis Padres y Yo (My Parents and Me)” and Early Childhood education programs. They help children and families create a strong foundation of healthy eating and physical activities.
“According to the Ventura County Health Care Agency, 35.9 percent of Ventura County children are overweight or obese,” said Stacy A. Roscoe, VCCF interim president and CEO. “Investing in programs that address nutrition and exercise, especially those working with youth, gives the next generation of Ventura County residents tools to grow up strong and healthy.”
The Conejo Free Clinic was granted $2,500 to produce materials in Spanish and English about type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes prevention and care and management.
“Hopefully we can inspire and inform our patients early enough so the tragedy of diabetes can be prevented for them,” said Teresa Seeley, executive director. “Diabetes and pre-diabetes are rampant but can be fully preventable. The educational materials VCCF is sponsoring will help achieve this.”
Other organizations receiving grants include:
• A $5,000 grant to FOOD Share to support its nutrition education programs, including its “The Kids’ Farmers’ Market Program” and the organization’s first Mobile Food Pantry, scheduled to launch in late 2014.
• A $5,000 grant awarded to the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley to support its “Promoting Change Through Health, Fitness & Nutrition Initiative,” in its second year. The program seeks to shift the mentality about health by increasing awareness and access to nutritious foods and encouraging physical fitness, while including and engaging parents and the community.
• A $5,000 grant to the Boys and Girls Club of Ventura to reinstate the meal-preparation classes for youth and to support the club’s “Healthy Habits” curriculum. The grant will provide a budget to buy fresh groceries after donations of free food from a local food bank declined due to the drought.
Visit www.vccf.org for more information.
SANTA MARIA — A new $2.3 million, five-year federal grant recently awarded to Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria is designed to provide a seamless transition from noncredit to credit classes and increased graduation and transfer rates for all students, college officials reported in a media release.
The AIM (Advance, Innovate, Maintain) grant program, funded by the federal government’s Hispanic Serving Institutions Title V program, will focus on increasing basic skills and English as a Second Language (ESL) student success and advancement, and developing a strategic approach to college-wide resource development to ensure ongoing support for underserved students.
“This award comes at a perfect time for Allan Hancock College, our students, and this region,” Kevin G. Walthers, the college’s superintendent/president stated in the release. “It will allow us to devote significant resources to streamlining the pathway from basic skills to transfer-level courses. It will also allow us to integrate the college’s resource development components to ensure support for underserved students and change the odds of them meeting their educational goals. We want high school students and the community to know that choosing Allan Hancock College to begin their postsecondary education will prepare them to succeed in college and career throughout their lifetime.”
Enrique R. Schaerer. Courtesy photo.
VENTURA — Enrique R. Schaerer has joined Ferguson Case Orr Paterson LLP’s business, appellate and employment law practices, the firm reported in a media release. Schaerer, who co-founded a startup that matches lawyers with firms, counsels and represents clients in the areas of intellectual property, real estate, trusts and estates and appeals.
“Enrique has completed the Boston Marathon and many others over the years. The drive and preparation needed to succeed as a marathon runner comes through in his legal work,” Michael Velthoen, FCOP managing partner, stated in the release. “He approaches client matters with the same passion as he does running.”
Before joining FCOP, Schaerer practiced law at O’Melveny & Myers in Los Angeles and later at Munger, Tolles & Olson, where he focused on complex civil litigation, class actions and criminal investigations. He previously served as a law clerk for the Hon. Carlos T. Bea of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Hon. James V. Selna of the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
Fluent in Spanish and conversational in Italian, he is active with the Notre Dame Club of Ventura County, Camarillo Chamber of Commerce and the Hispanic Business Council. Schaerer graduated as valedictorian of his class from University of Notre Dame in 2005 and received his law degree in 2008 from Yale Law School.
Stella Pope Duarte has received UCSB's annual Leal Award. Courtesy photo.
SANTA BARBARA — Author and human rights activist Stella Pope Duarte has received UC Santa Barbara’s Luis Leal Award for Distinction in Chicano/Latino Literature.
She is the author of “Let Their Spirits Dance” and “If I Die in Juárez,” as well as two collections of short stories: “Fragile Nights” and “Women Who Live in Coffee Shops and Other Stories.”
CAMARILLO — Jose Alamillo, professor of Chicana/o Studies at CSU Channel Islands was honored with the “Access to Justice Award” for his work to help Latinos and undocumented students break barriers and excel in higher education.
Jose Alamillo, professor of Chicana:o Studies at CSU Channel Islands, was honored for his work to help Latinos and undocumented students. Courtesy photo.
The honor was presented by the Ventura County chapter of the Mexican American Bar.