Submitted by Dianna Simar
October 1 - December 31, 2008
Sierra Work Connection
306 First Street, Loyalton, CA 96118
(530)993-4295
Life After Roofing
With all the bad news we hear as far as the economy and the job market
it’s easy to get discouraged and wonder if our efforts are making
any difference at all. Unemployment rates continue to rise, companies close
their doors. We all work hard trying to make a difference in our counties
but the fact is we can’t save the world. We can, however, make a difference
in the lives of our clients. Sometimes we become so focused on the big picture
that we neglect to see our successes. If we take a moment and look at the
small successes that each of us have on a regular basis it’s easy
to see why we do what we do every day.
Jim Merritt came into Sierra Work Connection back in March 2008. Jim had
been a roofing contractor for 30 years but due to bad knees and other personal
issues Jim needed a new direction and some guidance to help figure out what
he wanted to do. This task was overwhelming for him. His current situation
seemed bleak. Jim had run through his savings and exhausted all his recourses.
The first thing we had Jim do was some career exploration. Since all his
background involved physical labor it was, at first, inconceivable to him
that he could be happy and productive working in an office instead of on
a roof. This coupled with the fact that Jim had never turned on a computer
in his life made for an interesting beginning to our game plan.
The first few weeks were spent just getting him to sit still at a computer
and learning to navigate the web. Eventually, we set up an email account
for him. This was the breakthrough we needed. Jim started emaling long lost
family members and friends and soon overcame his fear of computers. During
this time Jim was involved in local community groups and was amazed at the
endless amount of information he had at his fingertips, via the web, to
help the other participants in his groups. As the weeks went by Jim spent
many hours here at SWC researching various subjects to present at his meetings.
Jim was now facilitating the meetings and had found his calling. We helped
Jim research on line classes that would enable him to get paid for what
he now knew he enjoyed, which was helping people help themselves. He has
enrolled in on line classes through the Institute of Chemical Dependency
in Round Rock Texas and is making remarkable progress. After completion
of this course he will be a certified drug and alcohol counselor.
We at SWC continue to assist Jim in his retraining and we are also able
to provide support as needed as well as lots of moral support. This will
be a long process but due to the efforts of Sierra Work Connection and the
Sierra County Social Services Jim has a goal and can now see the light at
the end of the tunnel.
Looking back it amazes me that only a few short months ago we couldn’t
get Jim to sit at a computer for more that a few minutes without him becoming
stressed and now we often have to kick him out of the office at 5:00 so
we can go home.
This is our "one client at a time" story and I know that every
county has its own. We can’t say that Jim is employed at the job of
his dreams (yet) but we can say that what we have done has given Jim back
the hope that he needed in order to go forward and create a new life for
himself. Yes Jim, there is life after roofing.
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THE TRAINING BEGINS HERE
OUR FUTURE WORKFORCE
Every day is a busy day at Toddler Towers Pre-School in Loyalton. With 30 plus students enrolled they can have any where from 5 to 25 children at any given time. Pre School starts at 7 AM and usually has 8 to 10 children in the class. Activities include science projects such as hatching chicks in an incubator to studying rocks and bugs under kid sized microscopes. The goal for this age group is kindergarten readiness which was achieved by 98% of the children who graduated from the Toddler Towers program and enrolled in kindergarten in 2008.
But it’s not just preschoolers at the center. A staff member picks up kindergarteners at 11:30 from Loyalton Elementary School and then the after school kids arrive at 3:30. Children at the center range in age from two years to twelve years. This can create quite a challenge for teachers who are tasked with providing age appropriate activities for all.
Toddler Towers employs a staff of nine. Sierra Work Connection works closely with the staff to make sure all required early education credits and continuing education credits are current and meet the state requirements. The staff consists of 3 qualified teachers and 5 teachers helpers along with the director. East Sierra County is so fortunate to have high quality child care available to its residents.
Toddle Towers preschooler is largely funded by the First Five program whose goal it is to offer quality preschool to all Sierra County residents regardless of ability to pay. Statistics show that children who attend a qualified preschool earn higher grades throughout their school years and have better social skills than those that do not attend preschool.
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PARTNERSHIPS THAT WORK
Sierra Work Connection Partners with Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Sierra College to help our small businesses in Sierra County come up with a strategy that will enable them to survive in the current economy. We are offering a series of three or four classes, depending on the needs of the business, over a three month period. These are one on one sessions with a qualified business consultant as each participating business has a unique set of circumstances that need to be addressed on an individual basis.
Dave McDougal is providing us with his expertise. As a former resident of
Truckee, Dave is familiar with the nuances of doing business in a "resort"
type area. Dave has an extensive background in both the corporate and small
business world. From 1970 to 1988 Dave worked for various Fortune 500 companies
in middle to upper-level management positions. In 1988, Dave started his own
business that eventually grew into a $12 million, 120 employee company. Dave
sold the business in 2001 and enjoyed retirement until joining Sierra College
SBDC in 2005.
Dave can assist new businesses in properly setting up accounting records,
evaluating market niche, and generally reviewing the feasibility of a concept.
For existing businesses, Dave brings a unique perspective based on his varied
background and can assist in virtually any issue.
Dave has a MBA from Rider University and has taught courses for Sierra College and the SBDC.
Currently we are providing counseling sessions for three small businesses in Loyalton with the hope of having another round of classes after the first of the year for those unable to participate in the current set. We are also planning a series of classes for Downieville businesses in the spring.
Each session is tailored to the specific businesses needs. The first session is an exploration exercise that enables Dave to asses the strengths and weaknesses of the business and offer suggestions. The participant is then sent home with “home work” to bring back to the next session. The home work could be to review options for cutting costs, increasing profits or if it’s a new business it may be to fine tune the business plan in order to obtain necessary financing.
Feedback that we have received from our current participants tell us that this is an extremely valuable service that will help our business community stay healthy and provide the much needed support that small rural businesses need but are sometimes cost prohibitive. It can sometimes be difficult to find a qualified person to come to our rural areas to counsel these businesses. Many thanks go out to the SBDC for their help in this ongoing endeavor.
For more information on SBDC www.smdcsierra.org
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CONGRATULATIONS AMANDA!!
Every once in a while a client walks into the office knowing where they want to go and all we have to do is give them the road map. This was certainly the case with our youth Amanda Shelley. Her motivation inspires me. Amanda is one of those people who you know is going to make it even if she has to overcome some roadblocks to get there. We mentioned her in our last report and wanted to give a follow up.
Amanda, who seems to always have a smile on her face, is on her way to a better life for her and her son. After working hard tutoring with SWC partner, Ernie Teague, she recently took and passed her GED with high scores. We knew she could do it !! Amanda is now enrolled at Truckee Meadows Community College in the Dental Hygiene program. All of us at Sierra Work Connection are very proud of her and her accomplishments and we are looking forward to continuing to support her through this new and exciting time in her life. We think she is going to make a great hygienist !! Congratulations Amanda !!
We are looking forward to a great 2009!