Community Action News
June 2021
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Summer has officially arrived - time for the beach, backyard barbeques and baseball! Myself and members of Team WCAC enjoyed the opportunity to volunteer at Polar Park during a recent Worcester Red Sox game. It was a great opportunity to give back - a portion of the proceeds raised at the concession stand we staffed that evening will be split between WCAC and the Be Like Brit Foundation - as well as to join the community in celebrating a return to normalcy.
In the office we are gearing up for a busy, busy summer - placing well over 300 youth in summer jobs, already prepping for the launch of the 2021-22 fuel assistance season and recruiting little ones and their families for our early education and care programs which are expected to be back to full capacity come fall.
We continue to encourage everyone eligible to get vaccinated to we can safely emerge from the COVID pandemic together, stronger and united.
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Marybeth Campbell, Executive Director |
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BACK TO WORK
Summer has arrived to WCAC and with it the hustle and bustle of the YouthWorks Summer Jobs program. Beginning July 6th, WCAC will oversee the placement of nearly 375 youth in jobs at some 65 employers throughout the City of Worcester. The youth will enjoy six weeks of subsidized employment supervised by a staff of Case Manager and Intake Specialists providing weekly check-ins and support to ensure successful completion of the program - both for the youth and employers perspective.
Members of WCAC's Summer YouthWorks staff are pictured here (L-R) Brian, Sydney, Abigail, Lila, Alana, Odette, and Moses.
From long-standing employer partners such as the Boys & Girls Club, Regional Environmental Council's Youth Grow, and Youth Connect to new partners including St. Gobain and Fischer Construction, youth will be exposed to a variety of job opportunities from child care and landscaping, to construction and office administration. Youth will learn real world work skills and, for many, earn a real paycheck for the first time.
A new Youth Green Jobs Corps collaboration between WCAC, the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, the United Way of Central Massachusetts and the City of Worcester will place 25 youth on five neighborhood-based teams focused on beautification projects across the entire city. The full plan also includes learning sessions and tours for the participating youth who will get exposure to different careers in the environmental field and will meet with local and regional business leaders in the energy and environmental sector. Similarly, WCAC's partnership with the Worcester Public Schools Innovation Pathways programs places young people in employment opportunities with a focus on deliberate career pathways.
Interested in learning more about how you could serve as an youth employer partner? Please message Job & Education Center Director Roberto Diaz. |
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CELEBRATING OUR GRADS
To say this past year was a challenge is an understatement - but WCAC is proud of the youth who remained actively engaged in our Job & Education Centers SMARTT (Student Making A Real Transition/Transformation) Program, in particular the seven seniors who graduated. The seven represented three schools - the Central Mass Collaborative, St. Casimir's and the Gerald Creamer Center.
A special shoutout to Collaborative graduate Josiah Molina who graduated with straight A's. He'll be going on to do his first Work Based Learning experience at J&J's Pizza Express with plans to save money, buy a car and eventually attend either a trade school or Quinsigamond Community College. Another of the new graduates will be working construction this summer, doing roofing and demolition while another is currently training to enter the Marine Corps. WCAC extends its heartfelt congratulations to all the newly graduated - now go out and change the world!
SMARTT is a citywide approach that focuses on building healthy, positive relationships between the youth, their school, their home and their community. Using a case management model, SMARTT provide services to applicable Worcester Public middle and high school students who require interventions in order to foster success. The highlights of the program include one to one interactions, setting personal and educational goals and working on life skills such as organization, communication and safety behaviors.
Interested in learning more about WCAC's Job & Education Center educational and employment programs? Click here.
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FOND FAREWELL
The end of the school year is always a little bittersweet as we bid farewell to youngsters graduating from our Head Start program heading off to Kindergarten. This year is even a tad more so as we bid farewell to our long-time Head Start Co-Director Evelyn Velez, who after nearly 30 years of service to WCAC, is retiring. We thank Evelyn for her tireless years of service and dedication to the children and families enrolled in our program and wish her a happy, healthy retirement!
To commemorate her service, WCAC will be planting a tree in her honor at our Southbridge Head Start Center, symbolic of the many, many young lives she nurtured and helped flourish throughout her tenure.
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Click here to see photos from WCAC's Head Start Centers recent certificate days - congrats to all our little grads... good luck in Kindergarten!
WCAC’s Head Start program serves families from the communities of Brookfield, Charlton, Douglas, Dudley, East Brookfield, Leicester, Millbury, Oxford, Spencer, Southbridge, Sturbridge, Warren and Webster at two centers located in Southbridge and Webster. The program is actively recruiting for Fall 2021 enrollment. Click here to learn more or apply.
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HEALTHY FAMILIES RECOGNITION
Congratulations to WCAC's Healthy Families of Southern Worcester County team who was recognized by Children's Trust with their Recognition of Excellence Award. Home visitors' performance were evaluated across five areas: home visit completion rate, total number of visits completed, percentage of participants on caseload over the course of the year who received at least one visit, percentage of participants on caseload with visits with co-parents, and average duration of participants on caseload. Supervisors and coordinators were likewise included within the recognition.
"Particularly during this challenging past year, I am so very proud of our team," said Healthy Families Director Camille Diaz. "It was more important than ever for us to remain connected with the families we serve and I appreciate how hard our team worked to do so."
WCAC’s Healthy Families of Southern Worcester County program serves first time parents expecting or with a child under the age of 1, residing in seventeen communities throughout southern Worcester County: Brimfield, Brookfield, E. Brookfield, W. Brookfield , N. Brookfield, Charlton, Dudley, Holland, Monson, Oxford, Palmer, Southbridge, Sturbridge, Spencer, Webster, Warren, Wales. Services are provided free of charge from pregnancy through a child’s third birthday. Healthy Families Massachusetts is administered by the Massachusetts Children’s Trust and the Massachusetts Home Visiting Initiative through the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Healthy Families Massachusetts is funded through the Department of Early Education and Care, and is an accredited program of Healthy Families of America. Learn more here.
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Did you know that WCAC's energy efficiency program works with a variety of independent contractors throughout the region - and those programs are growing!
As such, we are actively recruiting new contractors including: Weatherization Contractors & Crews, Air Source Heat Pump Contractors, Heating System Service & Install Contractors; Electricians – with focus on Knob & Tube evaluations and remediation; Chimney Maintenance & Liner Specialists; and Asbestos and/or Vermiculite Remediation Contractors. Minority, veteran, and women-owned businesses strongly encouraged to apply. Multi-lingual staff also encouraged. For additional information contact Energy@wcac.net
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WCAC encourages everyone to get vaccinated to protect themselves, their families and our community!
about upcoming vaccine clinics and ongoing opportunities to get your shot!
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VIRTUAL JOB FAIR
Thursday, June 24th
10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Healthcare – Manufacturing – Transportation /Logistics and Warehousing – Food Service – Hospitality – Administration – Social Services – Sciences and Technology – Retail and Sales – And More!
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www.WCAC.net Info@WCAC.net |
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