VNA celebrates 70 years by Honoring its Employees, Volunteers and Holding Unique Movie-night Fundraiser

  Following a year with little to smile about, VNA prepares to celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2021 by honoring its selfless volunteers and employees, followed by a unique summer fundraising event. 

Monterey, CA, May 25, 2021 - Since 1951, the not-for-profit has provided a wide range of home health care, serving Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz, and South Santa Clara counties. VNA places an emphasis on individual patient needs and goals, providing care in an ethical, effective, compassionate, and fiscally responsible manner. 

“VNA has existed in various forms over the years,” said VNA’s Chief Executive Officer, Jane Russo. “What hasn’t changed is our core mission, and the amazing people wanting to give back and provide care, creating that trusted compassion.” 

This week is National Volunteer Week (April 19-25), and Russo believes it is vital to honor VNA’s compassionate crew of volunteers who donate their time and boundless energy to the cause. Many of those volunteers assist hospice patients by visiting, reading, standing vigil, holding a hand, and providing families with respite. 

“There is respectfulness of being together, and sharing the emotional element of making someone’s life better,” Russo said. 

 VNA has expanded greatly over the years, and the local program has several arms of quality care. VNA Community Services provides wellness, and aids in immunizations through experienced, professional registered nurses. As the only travel health clinic, VNA provides comprehensive consultation and immunizations for international travelers. Health screenings and education are offered to corporate businesses, in the field or in the boardroom. Nurses provide services to local schools to meet state-mandated screenings, vaccines, and staff education. 

The home health division offers key specialty programs, including: Cardiac, Connections, Diabetic, Orthopedic, and Palliative Care. And, of course, VNA Hospice provides a specialized type of care for those facing a life-limiting illness, a peace of mind for their families and their caregiver. The care involves a team-oriented approach to expert medical care, pain management, and emotional and spiritual support tailored to the patient’s needs and wishes. 

On June 26, the VNA family and supporters will gather at the Monterey County Fairgrounds (5-7 p.m.) for a drive-in style movie night. We will feature a video release of looking back at VNA’s 70-year history. VNA will bring in a food truck and provide a full bar. Individual tickets and sponsorships will be available beginning April 19.

“We hope the community can join us in looking back at 70 amazing years while embracing a brighter future,” Russo said. 

For more information on VNA, visit www.ccvna.com.

 

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
The Buzz PR, LLC.
Salinas, CA
(831) 747-7455
http://www.ccvna.com

For Mother’s Day, Center for Community Advocacy honors health education volunteers called Promotoras

The Spanish word “promotora” translates simply to “promoter,” but in the farmworker community it means so much more.

Salinas, CA, April 11, 2020 - A Promotora is a camp health aide, a lay health adviser, and outreach worker, a community health representative and more.

Most Promotoras go by another title — madre. As mothers they dream of providing a better future for their children. They dream of helping to create healthy, safe and strong neighborhoods.

With Mother’s Day approaching on May 3, the Center for Community Advocacy wishes to honor all of its CCA-trained, volunteer Promotoras. These women remain significant pillars within CCA’s efforts to provide education, orientation and health support to farmworkers and other low-income working families.

This year CCA has created an awareness campaign called “Por el Amor de Madre” (For the Love of Mother), and is accepting donations through its website www.cca-viva.org to aid the Promotoras program.

Trained by CCA and health service providers, Promotoras comunitarias deliver preventative health information/interventions to neighborhoods in the Salinas and Pajaro valleys. These efforts help educate their peers about chronic diseases, behavioral health and youth violence prevention. For many farmworker families, Promotoras may be their only source of health information. This may mean the difference between preventive care and diagnosis of a preventable chronic disease.

Through CCA’s Promotoras, each year hundreds of farmworker families and other low-income families learn and teach others about:

● simple and healthier ways to eat and cook.
● ways to increase their physical fitness.
● how to prevent, detect and make referrals to proper health providers.

To support the CCA’s Promotoras program, or to get more information, call CCA at (831) 753-2324 ext. 12.

About Center for Community Advocacy
CCA provides education, orientation and legal support to farmworkers and other low-income working families who want to establish neighborhood committees that work to improve housing and health conditions. CCA trains these committees to negotiate with landlords to resolve issues such as unsafe housing conditions, housing discrimination and security deposits. CCA also trains these committees to provide preventative health information and interventions in their neighborhoods.

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Chatterbox PR
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 747-7455
http://www.cca-viva.org

Interim’s OMNI Resource Center needs volunteers, donations for its annual Thanksgiving feast in Salinas

For many the holiday season brings bountiful joy, but for others it can create loneliness, anxiety and depression.

Salinas, CA, October 04, 2019 - For many the holiday season brings bountiful joy, but for others it can create loneliness, anxiety and depression.

Each year the OMNI Resource Center in Salinas hosts a lunch on Thanksgiving Day, serving about 150 people hungry for more than food.

A program run through Interim Inc., which provides services and affordable housing for those with mental illness, OMNI needs volunteers and donations to help with this year’s meal on Nov. 28.

Guests at this special holiday lunch represent not only members of Interim’s housing program, but also the homeless, those with limited income, and/or those with no family.

The lunch gives attendees more than just a meal; they also make new friends, gain a sense of community, and get a meal to take home for later in the evening.

There are many volunteer opportunities to not only help brighten their day but also give hope for their future.

Donations can be dropped off at the Pajaro Street Wellness Center in Salinas (339 Pajaro St., Suite A). Deadline is Nov. 12 for non-perishables, and Nov. 15 for fresh food. OMNI needs everything from oval roasting pans to food items such as turkeys, spiral-sliced hams, boxes of stuffing mix, chicken broth, jars of cranberry sauce, cans of whipped cream and much more.

Volunteers are needed to cook food, but also to help register and usher guests, to serve food and clean up.

Volunteers (aside from cooks) will be asked to arrive at 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 28 for a quick training followed by lunch. Cooks will be asked to bring prepared food by noon on Nov. 27.

Anyone interested in donating to the Thanksgiving lunch or volunteering their time, should contact Lisa Corpuz at (831) 800-7530 x431 or email lcorpuz@interiminc.org.

ABOUT INTERIM INC.
Interim’s mission is to provide services and affordable housing supporting members of our community with mental illness in building productive and satisfying lives. Interim is a private nonprofit organization that provides a unique combination of support services, housing and treatment for adults with mental illness in Monterey County. Services provided include affordable supportive housing, residential treatment, mental health and dual-recovery services, case coordination, therapeutic services, outreach and intensive support for homeless adults, supported education and employment, day treatment and peer support.

ABOUT THE OMNI RESOURCE CENTER
The OMNI Resource Center offers peer-led programs promoting wellness and recovery, as well as recreational and social opportunities. Wellness programs are free and open to anyone with mental health challenges. Programs are also offered off-site at other community locations. No referral is necessary. The OMNI Resource Center is located at the Pajaro Street Wellness Center, 339 Pajaro St., Salinas, CA, 93901. The center is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Chatterbox PR
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 747-7455
https://www.interiminc.org/omni/

National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention Month

Dr. Morwood frequently volunteers on humanitarian missions to operate on children with cleft lips and palates in developing countries of the world.

Monterey, CA, July 02, 2019 - Dr. Morwood frequently volunteers on humanitarian missions to operate on children with cleft lips and palates in developing countries of the world. In the past 30 years he has traveled to treat these children with congenital deformities in many countries such as Peru, Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, El Salvador, Bolivia, China, and Vietnam.

Dr. Morwood has spent his time working 14 hour days in countries across the globe, sometimes performing up to 6 surgeries in a day. He helps families of the underprivileged who may need corrective surgery from birth defects, such as cleft lip and cleft palate.

His concern is that “many of these kids have been treated as outcasts” so his mission is to fix them one child at a time.

Here's a short video (https://youtu.be/V3Lv6Oo1HEM) of Dr. Morwood helping kids in Asia.

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Chatterbox PR
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 747-7455
https://www.drmorwood.com/

Natividad Celebrates 59 Years of Volunteerism

National Volunteer Week is April 7-13

Salinas, CA, March 15, 2019 — Natividad is celebrating National Volunteer Week from April 7-13 and honoring all of its volunteers with a Volunteer Recognition Luncheon April 10.

“For 59 years, Natividad’s Auxiliary volunteers have been the familiar and friendly faces for all of our patients and visitors,” said Natividad’s CEO Dr. Gary Gray. “Whether they’re helping hospital staff, selling get-well cards in the Gift Shop or assisting patients and visitors at the information desks, volunteers are essential to our hospital.”

In 2018, the 375-member Auxiliary provided 40,917 hours of service to Natividad. These volunteers include young adults seeking work experience in a professional environment, college and high school students who have medical careers in mind, and retired seniors who wish to remain active and be of service to the community.

“More than half of our volunteers are fluent in both English and Spanish, which is a plus in our multilingual community,” said Natividad’s Human Resources Administrator Janine Bouyea. “They perform a wide range of essential, non-medical activities that help visitors and patients access the hospital and our services.”

In addition to welcoming guests at the front desk, volunteers oversee and coordinate other important activities and services. Volunteers provide concierge service to families in waiting rooms, Pet Therapy Service, assistance with patient portal sign up, spiritual care, Infant Cuddler Program, patient and specimen transport, staffing for the Gift Shop, clerical support for administrative offices, meal delivery to patients, guide hospital tours and support courier service within the facility.

“Volunteers can be a friendly face to patients and family members,” Bouyea said. “Sometimes just a smile or warm greeting can help our guests who are anxious or worried. Our Pet Therapy dogs, Bobo and Beah, also help distract patients and can be very calming for animal lovers. ”

Natividad is hosting a recognition luncheon for volunteers and auxiliary staff on April 10. Natividad Foundation President and CEO Jennifer Williams is scheduled as keynote speaker.

“Volunteering is vital in helping to create a healthy community and providing valuable services to Natividad,” Dr. Gray said. “Our dedicated volunteers provide thousands of hours of essential services to our hospital. We are extremely grateful and proud to honor our team of volunteers in tribute to National Volunteer Week and the Volunteer Auxiliary’s service to Natividad.”

For more information or to join Natividad’s Volunteer Auxiliary, please call (831) 755-4215 or email Sylvia Guzman at guzmans@natividad.com

About Natividad
Natividad is an acute care hospital and Trauma Center providing high-quality health care to everyone in Monterey County, regardless of ability to pay. Located in Salinas, Calif., Natividad is a public health care system offering a wide range of inpatient, outpatient, emergency, diagnostic and specialty medical care. Founded in 1886, the 172-bed medical center has more than 10,000 admissions and 52,000 emergency visits annually. Home to the area’s only Level II Trauma Center, the hospital’s specialized personnel, equipment and services provide a vital local community service that saves lives and keeps patients close to home. Natividad’s Baby-Friendly® facility delivered more than 2,200 babies last year and is affiliated with UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals. It also operates an accredited Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, giving the tiniest and most fragile babies — some as small as one pound — the best chance for a healthy start. Through its UCSF-accredited Family Medicine Residency Training Program, Natividad is the only teaching hospital on the Central Coast. For more information, please call (831) 755-4111 or visit www.natividad.com.

Contact:
Marci Bracco
Chatterbox PR
831-747-7455
Salinas, CA
marci@chatterboxpublicrelations.com
http://www.natividad.com

MPA Watch in Need of Volunteers

Learn How to Support Today

Monterey, CA, May 15, 2018 — California’s scenic and spectacular 840-mile coastline and ocean are among the country’s most treasured resources and is central to the state’s identity, heritage and economy. California also leads the nation and the world in ocean protection, ensuring the preservation of important ecosystems along its coastline.

Volunteers are often the lifeblood of the many and varied organizations, both public and private, that help preserve and protect the coast and ocean. One of those organizations is MPA Watch, a citizen science monitoring program that trains volunteers to observe and collect unbiased data on human uses of coastal and marine resources both inside and outside of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

By involving local communities in this important work, MPA Watch programs inspire and empower stewardship of the coast and ocean, and educate community members about California’s ocean ecosystems.

MPA Watch programs across the state of California are continually training a network of volunteers to monitor resource use inside and outside these protected areas. Volunteers use standardized protocols to collect relevant, scientifically rigorous, and broadly accessible data.

Not only do local volunteers learn about their coastal environment and become "citizen scientists" and stewards of the area, but they generate large quantities of monitoring data that would not be possible under the current state budget.

Citizen-science, also known as community science, is research conducted by trained volunteers from the general public who are interested in science, monitoring, and conservation of the marine environment. But, you do not need any scientific background to collect data for these surveys.

Volunteers will be trained to collect valuable data on ocean users and their activities, such as surfing, kayaking, fishing, boating, running, etc. Specifically, the MPA Watch volunteers will observe and record both consumptive and non-consumptive offshore and onshore activities in and around MPAs, which will improve our understanding of how people are using these new MPAs.

Data are meant to inform the management, enforcement, and science of California' MPAs and allow us to see how human uses are changing as a result of implementation of these MPAs.

From 2010 to 2015, more than 850 MPA Watch volunteers were actively engaged in surveying MPAs from Mendocino County to San Diego County, resulting in more than 10,000 surveys.

Organizations in your community are always looking for volunteers to do this important work. To get involved, contact organizations that are operating MPA Watch programs in your area. Current organizations and their contact persons include:

Heal the Bay - Los Angeles County (Land-Based)
Jenna Segal, jsegal@healthebay.org

Los Angeles Waterkeeper - Los Angeles County (Boat-Based)
Michael Quill, mquill@lawaterkeeper.org

Orange County Coastkeeper - Orange County
Ray Hiemstra, ray@coastkeeper.org

Environmental Action Committee of West Marin (EAC) - Marin County
Morgan Patton, morgan@eacmarin.org

California Academy of Sciences
Rebecca Johnson, rjohnson@calacademy.org

Santa Barbara Channelkeeper - Santa Barbara County
Penny Owens, penny@sbck.org

WILDCOAST - San Diego County
Angela Kemsley, angela@wildcoast.org

Greater Farallones Association - San Francisco and Surrounding Counties
Kirsten Lindquist, klindquist@farallones.org

Eagle Eyes of False Klamath Cove – Del Norte County
Ruthie Maloney, ruthiemaloney@gmail.com

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Chatterbox PR
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 747-7455
http://www.mpawatch.org