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Unity Council Newsletter Spring 2009 |
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Greetings!
On February 3rd, the Unity Council proudly hosted 2009 WE Connect Oakland with California First Lady Maria Shriver. Hundreds of low-income families in Oakland flocked to the resource fair to access services to increase their financial stability.
Launched by Maria Shriver, the statewide WE Connect campaign links working families with community resources and programs. While at the Unity Council, California's First Lady met with families to hear their concerns about the worsening economic climate. Many of these families were immediately linked to onsite services including free income tax preparation, low-cost energy and telephone services, Medi-Cal, food stamps and more.
The Unity Council is pleased to work alongside California First Lady Maria Shriver to connect families with the information and tools they need to weather the recession. For more information on the WE Connect campaign, please visit www.weconnect.net.
Warm Regards,
Gilda Gonzales
CEO
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| YES, WE CAN: Medical Assistant Graduates |
| In the midst of a tough economy, graduates of the Unity Council's Healthcare Sector Initiative (HCSI) are beating the odds. On March 5, the Unity Council, Merritt College and community health clinic partners celebrated the sixth graduating class of the HCSI's Medical Assistant program. "YES, WE CAN" was the graduation theme honoring 15 medical assistant students who successfully completed a rigorous curriculum consisting of classroom instruction, job readiness preparation, customer service training, clinical internships and on-the-job training. Over the past several years, nearly 200 graduates earned their Medical Assistant and Dental Assistant certification through the Unity Council. Seventy percent of those who successfully completed the training have been placed in employment.
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| Fruitvale Public Market: Taco Grill |
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Leticia Chavez is no stranger to good Mexican food. As a child, she spent most of her time in her family's restaurant in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Growing up, she learned to cook her mother's recipes which followed a long tradition of using healthy, quality ingredients. She envisioned sharing dishes such as chicken mole and pozole (a stew made with hominy, meat and vegetable garnishes) with others.
In 2007, Leticia followed her dream and opened the Taco Grill at the Unity Council's Fruitvale Public Market. Her restaurant quickly made an impression in the neighborhood because of its authentic taste and use of organic ingredients like Niman Ranch meats and Rocky Free Range chickens.
In just over a year, Leticia has developed a strong following with crowd favorites including traditional breakfasts, soups, tortas (Mexican sandwiches) and handmade corn tortillas.
The Taco Grill is located in the Fruitvale Public Market at 3340 East 12th Street in Oakland. Hours are Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Catering is available.
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| Thanking Our Friend: Brad Paul |
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 For many years, Brad Paul played a behind-the-scenes role as a champion for the Unity Council. A senior program at the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, Brad was instrumental in advocating for our organization to receive funding. He recently moved on from the Haas, Jr. Fund to pursue other endeavors. All of us at the Unity Council wish him luck and thank him for believing in our work! |
| AmeriCorps Program Offers Free Income Tax Help |
| Through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA), the Unity Council's AmeriCorps members have been hard at work preparing tax returns for Oakland households. In the past several weeks, they completed 449 tax returns yielding $604,531 in Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and federal refunds.
If your 2008 household income was less than $45,000, you may qualify for free tax help. Appointments are available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Services are offered in Cambodian, English, Laotian, Spanish, and Vietnamese. To make an appointment, please call 510-535-6101. |
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| Homeownership Center Workshops |
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As the mortgage pandemic continues, the Homeownership Center (HOC) offers services to help families at risk of losing their home. In addition to free foreclosure prevention workshops, the HOC's qualified staff of real estate professionals offers individual counseling in the areas of mortgage delinquency, loss mitigation, and default resolution. Space is still available at the following workshops, all of which will be held in Oakland from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.:
Wednesday, March 18th
Wednesday, April 1st
Wednesday, April 8th
Wednesday, April 15th
Wednesday, May 6th
Wednesday, May 13th For those interested in learning about the homebuying process and whether owning a home is right for you, the Unity Council will offer the following free eight-hour Homebuyer Education Workshops:
Saturday, March 21st
Saturday, April 18th
Saturday, May 16th
To register for workshops, please call 510-535-6943. For a full schedule of HOC services and workshops, please visit us on the web.
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| Donate Now |
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Your tax-deductible contribution to the Unity Council will help sustain our work in building wealth and assets for families and individuals in our community. Please click on button and make an online contribution today!
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| Unity Council Board of Directors |
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Rosario Davalos, Chair
Maurilio Leon, Vice Chair
John Casas, Treasurer
Victor Martinez, Secretary
Zenaida Aguilera
Rose Garcia
Viola Gonzales
Isidro (Sid) Jimenez
David Matz
Rosie Rios
Joseph Yew
Gilda Gonzales, CEO
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| Contact Us |
1900 Fruitvale Avenue, Suite 2A
Oakland, CA 94601
Tel: 510-535-6900
Fax: 510-534-7771
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