Schools are back in session and making plans to schedule CHOICES in the upcoming weeks. More presenters are needed to meet increased requests so Presenter Training has been scheduled as follows:
Monterey Adult School, Del Monte & Casa Verde, Monterey
Friday, August 20th, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and
Saturday, August 21st, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Salinas Salvation Army, 2460 N. Main Street, Salinas
Friday, August 27th, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and
Saturday, August 28th, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Reserve your spot NOW by calling 831.655.4755 or emailing CHOICES@CommunityofCaringMP.org
The “Launch Year” of CHOICES Monterey County was a success worthy of celebration!
More than 2,000 students participated in the workshops at middle schools throughout the County facilitated by more than 30 trained volunteer presenters. Many of these CHOICES Champions came together on August 10th to be honored for their service by the CCMP Board of Directors and educators.
Dr. Nancy Kotowski, Superintendent for Monterey County Office of Education assisted in the acknowledgment of the impact this program makes in the lives of 8th graders as they prepare for the critical transition to high school. The validation of their efforts was important to those who attended – AND they all noted that the real reward came from seeing students become empowered to take a lead role in their educational process.
Care for your community and make a difference in the lives of young people by supporting CHOICES! Find out how; you’ll be glad you did!
Filed under: Uncategorized
The next Monterey County presenter training event has been scheduled! The event will be held Saturday, March 6th 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. in the Board Room, Alumni & Visitor Center (Bldg. 97) at C.S.U.M.B., 100 Campus Center, Seaside, CA 93955.
CHOICES focuses on academic self-discipline, time and money management and goal setting. Volunteers will deliver 3 CHOICES workshops per school year. A workshop consists of two 50-min class periods delivered on two consecutive days. A detailed plan and activities help the students understand each section. The plan is flexible so each volunteer presenter can add personality and experiences to the program. Presenters will receive a kit with a course guide, activity props, transparencies and handouts. Add your own spin to it and you’re ready to go!
Make a difference in the lives of teens as they transition into high school and consider how they will develop and pursue their educational and other future goals. To reserve your training space, please RSVP by March 3rd by contacting the CHOICES Monterey County Program Manager – Kathi Speller at 831.655.4755 or choices@communityofcaringmp.org
Special thanks to C.S.U.M.B. for hosting our Training Events! The 2010 program is made possible by CHOICES, Bank of America, Child Abuse Prevention Council of Monterey County and area Rotary Clubs.
Filed under: Uncategorized
The very first presentation to 8th graders in Monterey County was delivered this morning by Joanne Webster, Director, Human Resources, Community Hospital of Monterey Peninsula. Students were briefly introduced to the role of human resource professionals by Joanne, who explained that businesses have a vested interest in students pursuing their education since they are the future workforce.
CCMP thanks Joanne for her dedication to making a difference, both as a volunteer presenter AND as the person who brought the CHOICES program to our attention! Thank you, Joanne — we would not be where we are without your focus and support!
Joanne Webster, #1 CHOICES presenter in Monterey County!focus and support!
San Benancio Middle School was the site of today’s launch. The 100+ students in the four history classes will all receive their “Key to Success” when the program concludes tomorrow.
Filed under: CHOICES
Monterey County presenter training events have been scheduled! The Kick-Off Event will be held Friday, January 29th 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. in the Fireplace Room, University Center (Bldg. 29) at C.S.U.M.B. , 4314 Sixth Avenue, Seaside, CA 93955. An Alternate Training Session is scheduled for Saturday, February 6th 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Details will be provided to presenters who are unable to attend the Kick-off .
CHOICES focuses on academic self-discipline, time and money management and goal setting. Volunteers will deliver 3 CHOICES workshops per school year. A workshop consists of two 50-min class periods delivered on two consecutive days. A detailed plan and activities help the students understand each section. The plan is flexible so each volunteer presenter can add personality and experiences to the program. Presenters will receive a kit with a course guide, activity props, transparencies and handouts. Add your own spin to it and you’re ready to go!
To reserve your training space, please RSVP by January 25th by contacting the CHOICES Monterey County Program Manager – Kathi Speller at 831.655.4755 or choices@communityofcaringmp.org
Special thanks to C.S.U.M.B. for hosting our Kick-off Event! The 2010 program is made possible by CHOICES, Bank of America, Rotary Clubs and the Child Abuse Prevention Council of Monterey County.
Filed under: CHOICES
CHOICES, the national motivational seminar, is being offered to local middle schools for presentation to nearly 4,000 8th grade students. Community of Caring Monterey Peninsula, in partnership with local Rotary Clubs, is managing the launch of the program in 125 classrooms utilizing trained volunteer presenters from the business community.
CHOICES is a two-hour classroom workshop designed to help students realize the long-term implications of the decisions they make in school – at a critical time in their academic experience. CHOICES’ hands-on activities awaken students to the power to make important future-impacting decisions right now. The workshop develops ideas of time management, self-discipline and wise academic decision-making. It brings home to teenagers the meaning of the term “cost-of-living” and exposes them to sobering information about the education and skills required for occupations in today and tomorrow’s workplace.
This program is made available at NO COST thanks to funding from Bank of America, through CHOICES Education Group, and a grant from Child Abuse Prevention Council of Monterey County. Monterey County Office of Education, Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce and the Society of Human Resource Management have added their support.
For more information on the CHOICES program, visit www.choices.org
When Gina Sabia, 17, witnessed a homeless teen in need of resources earlier this year, she saw a need – and filled it! The result is http://www.teenhelpmonterey.com/a website loaded with local resources for any teen in need of answers and it features a compilation of those contacts in a downloadable brochure available on the home page.
Gold Award Recipient Gina Sabia
As a Senior at Monterey High School, Gina first went to the counseling office and school administration to see what information they had available for a teen such as the one she had encountered; the answer took two weeks and was inadequate, at best. For Gina, that wasn’t acceptable.
So she threw herself into a project that required research and a bit of support from contacts at United Way and Community of Caring Monterey Peninsula. A “bit” because Gina did loads of work with minimal assistance, but maximum cheering, from CCMP. The results of this project and the hygiene kits Gina produced in quantity have earned her the highest award granted by the Girl Scouts – a Gold Award. Her well deserved award ceremony is this weekend.
Where did the inspiration and drive come from? Gina is the product of a military upbringing. Her dad is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army. His postings resulted in 8 moves for Gina, with the last three years of high school in Monterey where she graduated 30th in her class of more than 350 with a 3.8 cumulative GPA. Scouting has been a constant from the time she was young – as is a passion for music. Gina is now pursuing a music education major at Pacific Luthern University.
With this beginning, we’re sure Gina is a person who will continue to make a difference in the lives of others by taking action when she sees a need. Congratulations and thank you!
Make A Difference Day (see http://www.makeadifferenceday
YOU Make A Difference!
.com) has been in the news most of October – and Hollywood got on board with the iParticipate campaign (see http://www.iparticipate.org) on major networks this week. But did you catch the wave and make a plan? Well, there’s still time – all day today. And, for that matter, every day from here on.
Although involving yourself in a bigger project, like disaster clean-up or building a house with Habitat for Humanity, may feel like the only way to make a difference – many times, the little things have the greatest impact. A thoughtful act of caring, a random act of kindness, reaching out to a stranger – or making an extra moment for someone special in your life.
So, if you missed the buzz, but we’ve caught your attention, take just a moment to look around and check out these websites for ideas (simple ideas are listed at http://www.communityofcaringmp.org/Our_Values.html). Include your kids; challenge a friend or your employer – or go it alone. And decide just how you will make a difference today. Or this week. Or the rest of this year. Then…just do it! It will make a difference to you, too.
Please come back and tell us about it – you’ll inspire others to make a difference, too!
Filed under: 2% Tuesday's in October
A local resource for 40 years!
Community of Caring Monterey Peninsula is honored to receive proceeds from the 2% Tuesday benefit promotion organized by Pilgrim’s Way Community Bookstore & Secret Garden in Carmel.
Beginning in October this benefit will support youth-focused organizations by contributing 2% of revenues each Tuesday of the month the community partner of the month.
This is a great opportunity to focus your book buying – for yourself or gifts – on a specific day when your purchase will support an organization that is making a difference in the community. Visit Pilgrim’s Way on Dolores between 5th & 6th, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA 93921 or at www.pilgrimsway.com.
Call 831.624.4955 or 800.549.9922 for more information or to order your favorite titles held for pick up on a Tuesday!
Thank you, Paul and Cynthia for supporting the community in this way!
