15 Apr 2013

Call for volunteers!

April 26: Día de los niños volunteers

We are looking for several people to help with set up and cleanup for our Día de los niños celebration on April 26. We are also looking for volunteers to help with games and activities for children. Set up begins in the early afternoon on April 26 and cleanup is after the event ends at 8pm.

 

Be a Mentor!

We are looking for several people to serve as mentors for high school youth. This position expects volunteers to guide and mentor students around potential career options and life skills like getting a driver’s license, as well as being a positive role model for youth. We also expect that a mentor should talk to their mentee (high school youth) on a weekly/bi-monthly/monthly basis about assignments, tests, study skills, especially if that youth is struggling in school.

 

Tutoring: Three Opportunities

Puente has openings for volunteers to work with Puente participants in three different education programs. Volunteering for these positions will earn you major karma points, and help empower local men and women to reach their scholastic dreams.

• Spanish tutors for GED program

Puente seeks two Spanish-speaking tutors to mentor adult clients who are in the middle of earning their GED (General Educational Development/high school equivalency) certification. The commitment for these volunteers is for one afternoon a week in either Pescadero or La Honda, but we especially need one in La Honda. We would like this volunteer to be able to commit to tutor students until they take the test.

• Plaza Comunitaria tutors

Puente needs two Spanish speaking tutors to work once a week with students preparing for the primaria (equivalent to elementary school) and secondaria (equivalent to middle school) sections of the Plaza Comunitaria. We need one of these tutors to be located in La Honda.

• High school tutors

English speaking tutors are needed for high school students on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30pm-5:00pm.

 

To volunteer, please contact Abby Mohaupt at amohaupt@mypuente.org or call (650) 879-1691.

 

Puente’s future depends on you. Donate now!
15 Apr 2013

What does Puente need this month?

Glad you asked!

Puente needs healthy snacks for our children and adult programs. Fruit, granola bars, juices, individual soups and popcorn – all are welcome.

On Rally, Puente is also fundraising in honor of our Executive Director, Kerry Lobel, this month. As we’ve been reflecting on where Puente has been and where we hope to go, it’s hard not to think about the last six years and all that Kerry has brought our community and this organization. We can only see using this month to honor her as she gets ready to celebrates her own big birthday in early May. So, this April we challenge our supporters to make a $60 donation in honor of Kerry. If just 25 people answer that call, we will raise $1,500- a perfect way to honor Kerry and Puente as they celebrate their special birthdays. Even if $60 isn’t manageable, every little bit still counts, so please give what you can in honor of Kerry this April.

 

To donate, call (650) 879-1691 ext. 116 or email Abby Mohaupt amohaupt@mypuente.org.

 

Puente’s future depends on you. Donate now!
14 Apr 2013

Lorena Vargas de Mendez: Puente’s ‘safety net’ holds the South Coast together


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Safety Net Services Manager Lorena Vargas de Mendez started work as a Safety Net assistant with North Street Community Resource Center. Today she oversees Puente’s free health insurance enrollment program as well as other forms of family assistance, like emergency rental and utility assistance.

When I arrived in Pescadero 20 years ago, health coverage services didn’t exist. I had to go to San Mateo to sign up for medical programs. We didn’t have transportation. When I was pregnant, I had to go to Stanford to receive medical services. I would have to take three buses to get to Stanford. One appointment took me all day and I had to carry my lunch.

Now we have transportation for people who need to get over the hill and don’t have a car. Still, most of the community members we serve work in plant nurseries and fields. They have 8-to-10-hour jobs and they are earning minimum wage. If you need to take care of an issue over the hill it will take you all day. Most of them don’t bother because they fear losing their income or even their job.

At North Street Community Resource Center, we used to be in a small portable trailer, just one location for safety net services and counseling services. When we merged with Puente, we were able to provide more and better services.

The transition began with office support and translation services; sending faxes. Then the health insurance coverage program. Soon there was a parenting education program for children aged 0-5.

When Puente merged with North Street we just had funds from private donors for emergency assistance. Now we have county funds, as well. The fact that Puente is growing has allowed us to be recognized by the county as a core agency.

Our health insurance assistance program has grown to the point of serving 150 households. We did not have many program participants when we started, but these days most of my time is spent on that. I am so grateful to have a community center that provides all these services.