Experience Corps Volunteer Raul Castañeda Honored as California Senior Leader

An active member of Experience Corps for the past three years, 66-year-old Raul Castañeda has spent more than 600 hours tutoring and mentoring young students at San Francisco’s Hillcrest Elementary School. On February 27, 2010,the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health honored Castañedaas a California Senior Leader. Castañeda was among a diverse group of 31 men and women aged 60 and older recognized at the event for their outstanding contributions to community building, healthy aging, and social justice in the state. Over the next 15 months, Castañeda’s involvement with the Senior Leader program will include organizing senior advocacy efforts and collaborating with public health graduate students.

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TFRC Newsletter - Thriving Families, Issue 1, 2010

Turlock Family Resource Center (TFRC), through its partners, Children and Families Commission, Community Services Agency, Health Services Agency, Alliance Worknet, and Sierra Health Foundation, has continued its important work with families over the last fiscal year and continues to do so in 2010.

TFRC has provided numerous families in the Turlock community with resources and referral information. Throughout 2009, we completed many developmental screenings and continued to provide school readiness information to our families with children ages 0-5. Read more...

Aspiranet thanks and recognizes social workers for the important work they do for children and their families.

March is Social Worker Appreciation Month

Aspiranet thanks and recognizes social workers for the important work they do for children and their families.

Social workers are close to the critical events that shape the quality of American life. They are on the frontlines, developing, advocating and delivering social programs that are responsive to such human needs as homelessness, poverty, family break-up, mental illness, disability, alcohol and substance abuse, domestic violence and many other issues. Social workers help people live more rewarding lives. Meet An Aspiranet Social Worker

The governor versus foster kids

by Luis Madrid

Published 2/27/10 on http://www.mercedsunstar.com/

A few months ago, at age 19 Gary, a former foster youth, was forced to find answers to devastating questions: Where I am going to live? Will I eat today? Will I ever be able to pursue my dream of attending college?

After entering Aspiranet Transitional Housing Placement-Program (THP-Plus) on October 2009, in Merced County, Gary's questions and concerns shifted drastically.

He now is asking himself completely different more age-appropriate questions: What do I need to do to make sure I pass all 12 units I am signed up for at the local college? How can I move up in my job? What should I cook for dinner today? How should I arrange my apartment? Do I have a few hours this weekend to go to the movies?

"I honestly don't know where I would be without it," Gary said of THP-Plus. "I know I would not be pursuing this accounting career and working at the local college as a lab assistant. More importantly, I don't know if I would have a roof over my head or a place to call home." Read more