In the Loop with WestCare California Welcome to the WestCare California Loop!
March 28, 2014
Upcoming Events Employee Spotlight
Domenica Jimenez:
“I have been a Case Manager for West-
Care in several different places (Avenal State Pris-
on, OPTIONS Program, DRC and now SOS). I love
my role and strive to assist clients to the best of
my ability. I see every client as unique and they
must be treated as individuals (respected). I love to
run and workout its my way of releasing stress. I’m
a single mother and enjoy spending time with my
son (reading, playing, watching movies, and going
out to dinner.”
As March comes to a close, April comes into the picture. Known for Easter and
a little rain, April is also widely known as Alcohol Awareness Month. As men-
tors in the treatment field, we need to continue to educate not only our cli-
ents, but the public, specifically the youth, on the risks associated with the
overuse of this legal substance. - Michael Mygind, Special Projects Officer
Recent Happenings at WestCare California...
April 8th: WestCare California/FCC ICC
Alcohol Awareness Fair at Fresno City Col-lege in the College Mall & Free Speech area from 10am to 2pm.
April 12th: Health & Wellness Fair at Sierra Bicentennial Park at 84 N Sunnyside
Ave in Clovis from 10am to 2pm. Free health screenings, resources, raffles, food and a staff talent competition. The guest Emcee for the event will be Davey D. Every
employee receives one raffle ticket for attending, but can earn an additional ticket by bringing a non-perishable food item.
May 8th: Spring Graduation at Fresno Westside Seventh Day Adventist Church on
2750 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd in Fresno at 6pm.
Upcoming Events
WestCare Staff & Living Room Clients Represent the 2014 Fresno AIDS Walk with a walking group.
Health & Wellness News
This month’s Committee Choice Award goes to Charles McDowell from Day
Reporting Center in Fresno. Charles has improved his lifestyle by becoming aware
of portion control, exercising daily and drinking plenty of water. He also moti-
vates and encourages others to do the same. On behalf of the Health & Wellness
Committee, we applaud your efforts and encourage you continue living healthy. Charles McDowell
Would you like your program featured in the WestCare Loop? Contact Michael Mygind at [email protected]
March 1st – 14th Annual Chinese New Year Parade and Festival: In early March, WestCare California and the
Fresno AIDS walk were both represented at the 14th annual Chinese New Year Parade and Festival that's been held in
Fresno's historic Chinatown District. The parade featured dozens of floats and groups from the community and was
attended by hundreds of spectators gathered along “F” Street, despite rain and windy conditions.
March 13th & 14th – Faces of Change: WestCare California staff and partners from the fields of parole, correc-
tions, mental health, and treatment gathered for the third annual SASCA Faces of Change conference. This year’s con-
ference focused on the theme “Change = Survival” and how we need to learn to adapt to the new changes in not only
policy, but new traits being shown by the reentry population of parolees. With a total attendance of almost 500 at-
tendees between the two day conference, this event proved to be a success. This year’s guest speakers covered a wide
variety of topics. Tony Hoffman, Founder and CEO of the Freewheel Project, whom shared his personal story of suc-
cess, failure, and recovery while emphasizing that everyone can be a mentor and can tap into the potential within each
and every client to ensure success. Barbara Owen, PhD, discussed gender-responsive practices within corrections.
World Renowned speaker and Licensed Advanced Addiction Counselor, Roland Williams, MA, closed the conference
with an insightful look into working effectively with formerly incarcerated clients and how Cognitive Based Therapy can
help. The event was informative and opened eyes to not only new ideas, but new tools that we can all use to serve our
clients better.
March 15th – Daniel O’Neal Accepts NAACP Award for Paying Tribute: Residential Case Manager and Com-
mittee Chair at St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church, Daniel O’Neal successfully led a proposal to the Bakersfield Plan-
ning Commission a year ago to change the name of Hayes Street in Bakersfield to Tyree Toliver Street in honor of the
late and great Pastor, whom had very strong ties in the community. That following June, an official ribbon-cutting cere-
mony was held to commemorate the renamed street. This past month, Daniel and his Social Action Committee were
invited to attend the NAACP 2014 Freedom Fund Awards banquet along with local politicians, businessmen, communi-
ty activists and esteemed members of the secular community. They were to be presented with an award of apprecia-
tion and accomplishment for their service. O’Neal commented, “I was excited that our committee was receiving this
award for our tireless and dedicated effort we put into getting the street name changed. The late Pastor Tyree Toliver
surely deserved this award as well for his fifty years of service and for his community work in the southeast Bakersfield
community. Pastor Tyree Toliver’s legacy will never be forgotten and his sermons still remain in our hearts.”
Domenica
Jimenez
The Living Room to Present at Edison High School: On April 8th and 9th,
The Living Room will present to Edison students. They will begin at 7:50am and
conclude at 11:00am on the 8th, presenting to half the student body and then
return on April 9th from 11:00am until 3:00pm to present to the rest of the stu-
dents. They will be presenting 4 times each day with one presentation for each
period on the topics of HIV/AIDS, how it is spread, prevention methods, and the
importance of early intervention.
(Left) Masks created by our talented attendees, (Center) Barbara Owen, PhD, (Right) Roland Williams, MA, LAADC
(Left) Daniel O’Neal and Bakersfield Mayor, Harvey Hall and the new sign, (Center) Daniel and the Social Action Committee,
(Right) Daniel with President Patrick Jackson and 1st vice Addonica A. Stanley of the NAACP's Bakersfield Chapter