April 2023

To read this newsletter in Spanish, please click here.

Dear Emmanuel,

We're already one quarter of the way through 2023; time is flying by! I hope you were able to stay dry through the especially wet and windy winter we just had. At least the hills and mountains are as green as ever!

This month's newsletter has a big announcement for you: we're coming to Santa Paula! Later this year, as soon as next month, we will be opening another satellite office in downtown Santa Paula. With this office, like the one at the Free Clinic of Simi Valley, we're able to bring our programs and staff to more families across every Ventura County neighborhood. We'll have more information on hours of operation and other details soon. We can't wait!

We also can't wait to see you at our 40 Years of Action event on Saturday, May 20th. We're celebrating 40 years in our current location at 621 Richmond Avenue as we make it a better place to serve Ventura County, and we're also celebrating my 40th birthday! Buy your tickets today for this one-of-a-kind celebration (see below in this newsletter). Sponsorships are available too!

Finally, you'll read about our most recent Financial Wellness cohort finishing up in Santa Paula, with the help of Chase Bank. You'll also learn about our wonderful Administrative Assistant, Julia Luis, as well as our newest memberships in local - and national - chambers. It's another big month here at CAVC!

I wish you and your loved ones continued good health and safety.



Susy Lopez-Garcia

Executive Director

Community Action of Ventura County

It's official! CAVC is coming to Santa Paula!

Last month, we officially signed the lease on our second satellite office in downtown Santa Paula. This means that, like our office at the Free Clinic in Simi Valley, we will be able to bring our programs and services to Santa Paula residents who need our help the most.

We'll be sharing more details about the location, hours of operation, and contact information on our website in the coming weeks, so stay tuned. We are so excited to bring care and services to Santa Paula communities and families!

Mark your calendars!

On Saturday, May 20th, from 2 to 4 pm, we're hosting 40 Years of Action at our headquarters in Oxnard. Join us as we aim to raise $40,000 while celebrating 40 years of serving Ventura County from our venerable headquarters *and* the 40th birthday of our fantastic Executive Director, Susy Lopez-Garcia!

This one-of-a-kind celebration of 40 years is open to the whole community - kids too! Tickets start at $10 for children under 21 and $20 for adults. Sponsorship opportunities are available!

We will also honor our first-ever awardee of the Lee Riggan Award in commemoration of our organization's founder. The winner of the Lee Riggan Award will be recognized for their commitment to caring for their community and for supporting our mission of ending poverty in Ventura County.

Join us for an evening of fun and celebrating the deep impact we've made from our Oxnard headquarters across Ventura County. We can't wait to commemorate 40 years with you!

One of our primary goals for 2023 was to get the word out about our programs and services in even more communities across Ventura County. So far, we're on our way to achieving that goal!

Just last month, we proudly became members of the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Ventura Chamber of Commerce, and Somos El Poder, a nationwide Latinx fundraising institute. Joining these organizations will allow us to foster new partnerships, strengthen ties across the entire county, and learn from our colleagues whose missions align with ours.

We can't end poverty in Ventura County on our own!

Late in 2022, we started a collaboration with Erica Ayala, the Community Manager for Chase Bank's Oxnard branch. Throughout the past few months, Erica provided five classes to our Financial Wellness cohort with 15 community members at Chase's Santa Paula branch. The last class took place on Monday, March 20th.

Our cohort was very grateful to have a space to increase their financial wellness knowledge and learn more about taking care of their credit, savings, homeownership. The cohort also learned how to prevent becoming scam victims. If you are interested in participating in our financial wellness cohorts or are part of a financial institution interested in providing classes, please get in touch with our manager of Community Services at clozano@ca-vc.org.

Throughout 2023, we will periodically introduce you to members of the hard-working CAVC staff that changes so many lives in our communities. Our staff members are there day in and day out to ensure every person who comes to CAVC is cared for as deeply as possible.

This month, we're introducing you to Julia Luis, our fantastic Administrative Assistant.

Julia is a Ventura County native, having been born in Oxnard. She is a second-generation Latina, and she cites that with giving her a strong sense of community growing up and a desire to make a positive impact on the world around her. She graduated from Pacifica High School and Ventura College and credits her parents' unwavering perseverance and determination as a source of inspiration in her life. Her passion project is to one day build a community social sanctuary that is essential to everyday life.

Julia is especially proud to be a part of the CAVC team that is dedicated to improving the lives of those in need. Through her work, she's able to make a positive impact on communities and she's especially grateful for the opportunity to do so. She hopes she can inspire others to pursue their own passions and make similarly positive impacts on the world.

Outside of work, Julia enjoys staying active, as well as exploring new places, visiting sea otters at the zoo, and spending time with her family. You can also probably find her and her significant other at a Los So-Lows concert too!

Julia has done great work with us already, and we're especially excited to feature her this month for Administrative Professionals' Day on April 26th. Julia's passion and energy makes CAVC a better place to be and work!

Our Vision:

We envision a community successfully lifting people out of poverty.

Our Mission:

Helping our community establish pathways out of poverty through advocacy, partnerships and services that promote dignity

and self- sufficiency.