In the Loop with WestCare California

Welcome to the WestCare California Loop! December 24, 2013

This month, we’d like to recognize Erin Shelton

from SJVV’s Fresno office. Her dedication and

motivation shows every day as well as her up-

beat personality that makes her such a pleasure

to work with. She goes above and beyond by taking the time out of her busy day to ensure the office is

presentable for the next day of business. She also

uses her creative talents to make items for the

office without being asked and helps make the office

a warm welcoming place to work. Erin has a "can

do” attitude for her co-workers and the Veterans

she serves every day. Erin has been with WestCare

California for a little over two years with two of

those years being with SJVV. She is now a Veterans

Advocate with SSVF and has been doing an amazing

job in serving those who have served us. Thank you,

Erin for all that you do to uplift the spirits of not

just our clients, but your fellow staff.

Upcoming Events Employee Spotlight

As we send out this month’s issue, we would like to wish everyone a happy holi-

day season and a happy New Year with those that you hold close. Stay safe and

happy holidays, everybody. - Michael Mygind, Special Projects Officer

Recent Happenings at WestCare California...

January 16th: Fresno County Parolee Resource Fair. See flyer below for details.

January 20th: Martin Luther King Day of Caring

Jan. 20, 21 & 22: Point in Time Count of the homeless with the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care

January 24th: Health & Wellness Blood Drive. See Flyer below for details.

March 13th & 14th: 2014 SASCA Faces of Change. Registration begins soon. Stay tuned!

Would you like your program featured in the WestCare Loop? Contact Michael Mygind at michael.mygind@westcare.com

Erin Shelton

Upcoming Events

Robert Salinas

December 2nd - “A Feast For Veterans” : Residents from Veteran’s Plaza hosted a Thanksgiving feast and invited

their fellow veterans from the HomeFront facility to join.

The Health & Wellness Committee would

like to recognize Robert Salinas, Patient

Services Specialist (PSS) at SOS. Robert

works out on a regular basis and actively

encourages fellow co-workers to do the

same. His enthusiastic attitude and com-

mitment to better health is a positive

model to all.

November 1st - Día de los Muertos at WestCare OPTIONS: At WestCare OPTIONS, their staff cele-

brates the diversity of our consumers, their fellow staff and the community in which they live and do so in

small and not-so small ways. In the spirit of diversity, consumers and staff alike at OPTIONS commemo-

rated Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) by creating sugar skulls and other artwork to decorate an

elaborate altar. This holiday has a long tradition throughout Mexico, but has been adopted by people from

various backgrounds who find the festive nature of this celebration appealing. Although the imagery of

skulls and bones and skeletons carrying out the everyday activities of life may appear macabre to some,

the focus of this holiday is to call to mind the family members, friends and other important people who

have died, but are never forgotten. The items they used to

decorate our display included flowers, seasonal fruits and

vegetables, along with skulls made of sugar and decorated

with brightly colored icing, which are traditionally offered as

gifts for the spirits to welcome them back to our midst for a

visit. At OPTIONS, they took the time to remember our de-

parted loved ones and share how their memories continue to

affect the lives of those who remain. OPTIONS consumers

also took a trip to Arte Américas, a cultural arts center in

Fresno, to view their Día de los Muertos exhibit and learn

more about the tradition of the holiday.

This month’s

chosen board

was created by

the Bakersfield

site highlighting

National Drunk

& Drugged Driv-

ing Prevention

Month. Great

job, everybody!

December 11th - “Five Veteran Families Receive Holiday Cheer” : Earlier this month, our San Joaquin Valley

Veterans (SJVV) program received a $5,000 gift from Gill Ranch Storage to split among 5 local Veteran families in

need of some holiday cheer! Each family was given a $1,000 gift card to use for presents and other holiday shop-

ping. Thank you to Gill Ranch Storage for your generosity and compassion towards those who have given so much.

December 20th - Holiday Luncheon: Staff from all of WestCare California came together to celebrate the upcom-

ing holidays and the conclusion of the year with a staff luncheon. Various staff were honored for their years of ser-

vice, raffle prizes were won, and the first annual winner of the WestCare California Ugly Christmas Sweater con-

test, Joel Wissner, was crowned. It was truly a great time for all on hand.

December 20th - Veteran’s Plaza Receives Holiday Donations: Dr. Ed Hanks and

the Central Valley Cardiac Hospital donated $2,500 to Veteran’s Plaza for exercise

equipment. This generous donation followed a gift earlier this month from Granville

Homes, in which they presented all 28 residents with Christmas gift bags.

Health & Wellness News

Save the Date!: SASCA Faces of Change 2014

SASCA is gearing up to present our 3rd

Annual Faces of Change Conference on

March 13 and 14, 3014. This exciting

event will cover Mental Health Services

for the re-entering parolee, cognitive

behavioral treatment, women in the

criminal justice system, inspirational

words from ex-felon Tony Hoffman,

updates from CDCR by Millicent A.

Tidwell, Director of CDCR and others.

We anticipate this to be our biggest and

best conference yet! Stay tuned for

registration information.