Interim Inc.’s Supported Education and Employment Services (SEES) Program Earns Coveted CARF Three-Year Accreditation

Interim, Inc. has earned a three-year accreditation from an independent nonprofit organization that provides accreditation services worldwide, for its Supported Education and Employment Services (SEES).

Salinas, CA, May 19, 2020 — Interim, Inc. has earned a three-year accreditation from an independent nonprofit organization that provides accreditation services worldwide, for its Supported Education and Employment Services (SEES).

CARF International (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities) awarded accreditation after a survey in March.

“SEES is surveyed by CARF every three years, it gives us the opportunity to improve our services and to ensure that we are meeting clients’ needs,” said SEES Program Director Idalia Matthews. “This year’s survey took place on March 5 and 6. Two surveyors from CARF participated. The preparation for the survey takes time and takes a village to make it happen!”

CARF International is an independent nonprofit organization that provides accreditation services worldwide at the request of health and human services providers. Providers that meet their rigorous standards in the areas of rehabilitation of a disability, treatment for addiction and substances abuse, home and community services, or other health and human services have demonstrated that they are committed to be among the best available.

To achieve CARF accreditation, the program must demonstrate conformance to the applicable CARF standards as evidenced by observable practices, verifiable

results over time and comprehensive supporting documentation.

CARF noted in their accreditation decision that Interim “provides quality employment planning, job development and job coaching services to clients who report high levels of satisfaction with the services provided. Interim has strong, longstanding partnerships with Monterey County Behavioral Health Bureau and the California Department of Rehabilitation, which are the foundation for the collaborative approach to service provision. Interim provides a multitude of services to address both the immediate and long- term needs of clients and the community as a whole.”

Interim’s SEES program provides a wide range of opportunities for adults with mental illness who are seeking employment or who are interested in pursuing higher education. To help clients obtain work, SEES provides career, vocational, and educational counseling, job development and coaching. SEES also improves educational opportunities by helping clients access classes and training programs at local colleges.

Interim Inc.
P.O. Box 3222
Monterey, CA 93942
(831) 649-4522
www.interiminc.org

About Interim, Inc.
Interim, Inc. 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.

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

San Lorenzo Valley Water District Gets Information on Groundwater Levels and Goals for Future Groundwater Levels in Santa Cruz County at Santa Margarita Groundwater Agency Meeting

With the rainy season behind us, the focus of San Lorenzo Valley Water District is now on future groundwater levels as we head into the drier summer months.

Boulder Creek, CA, May 19, 2020 — With the rainy season behind us, the focus of San Lorenzo Valley Water District is now on future groundwater levels as we head into the drier summer months.

For the District groundwater is the primary source of drinking water for residents from June through October when surface water flow is low during drier months. Rainfall is the main source of recharge to the basin and surface water flows. The groundwater basin is shared by users, including the District, Scotts Valley Water District (SVWD), and Mount Hermon Association, as well as local businesses and residents using private wells.

The Santa Margarita Groundwater Agency (SMGWA) at its Board of Directors meeting in April held an informational session that centered on groundwater levels and the agency’s goals for future groundwater levels. The District is one of three member-agencies that make up the SMGWA, along with the SVWD and the County of Santa Cruz.

The session examined the Santa Margarita Basin and its four primary aquifers: Santa Margarita aquifer, Monterey formation, Lompico aquifer and Butano aquifer. The session identified the unique characteristics of each aquifer and its particular set of users.

• The aquifer closest to the surface is the Santa Margarita. It is about 100 feet thick, on average, and is the most vulnerable to fluctuations in climate conditions. That means it recharges the fastest during periods of rainfall, but also depletes the most quickly during dry times or when lots of pumping occurs. The District and most private well owners draw water from this aquifer.

•The next aquifer down is the Monterey formation, which is not a true aquifer and a very few wells pump from it. It is a clay layer found in limited areas of the basin.

•The third layer down, the Lompico aquifer, is a main source of supply for local water districts. It is generally found around depths of 500-700 feet below the surface.

•Finally, the Butano aquifer is deepest and occurs at around 1,000 feet below the surface of the valley floor. Currently, only the Scotts Valley Water District extracts water from this aquifer.

The aquifers aren’t evenly deposited throughout the basin, according to Georgina King of Montgomery & Associates, who gave the presentation to the SMGWA. Rather, the underground bowl-shaped basin supports varying levels and depths of each aquifer in different areas. The deeper layers are exposed to the land surface in the upgradient of hillsides, which are the principal recharge zone for these aquifers.

Evaluating groundwater levels is one of the state-required elements of the Sustainable Management Criteria (SMC) in the Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP). As a required element of the GSP, the SMGWA board must set minimum thresholds for groundwater levels in the basin as well as measurable objectives to ensure the basin’s sustainability. The board provided input on the significant and unreasonable conditions that will be used to develop a draft qualitative statement for board review.

The SMGWA’s board meeting was held April 23, included time for public comment and participation on each agenda item, and was conducted via all-remote, web- and phone-based access due to the Santa Cruz County Shelter-in-Place Order response to the coronavirus outbreak.

If you are interested in learning more about the SMGWA or the District’s involvement visit www.https://smgwa.org/. The next SMGWA Board of Directors meeting will be held on May 28th at 5:30 p.m. The meeting Agenda and any supplementary materials will be made available www.https://smgwa.org/ as they are generated by staff. Due to the circumstances regarding the ongoing shelter-in-place orders all Agency meetings will be held in an exclusively remote-access format until further notice.

About the San Lorenzo Valley Water District
The San Lorenzo Valley Water District was established in 1941 as an independent special district. The District is governed by a five-member Board of Directors, elected at-large from within the District’s service area. A special district is a local government agency formed by voters to perform a needed service, such as water or sewer. The District’s boundaries comprise approximately 60 square miles and 190 miles of pipeline. The District currently provides service to approximately 7,900 residential, commercial, and institutional connections. The District relies on both surface water and groundwater resources, including nine currently active stream diversions, one groundwater spring, and eight active groundwater wells. The District owns, operates, and maintains two water systems from separate water sources. These sources are derived solely from rainfall within the San Lorenzo River watershed.

The District owns, operates, and maintains a wastewater system in Boulder Creek’s Bear Creek Estates, which serves approximately 56 homes.

Website: slvwd.com
Phone: (831) 338-2153
Fax: (831) 338-7986
Emergency Numbers:
After-hour emergencies: (831) 338-2153

Address:
San Lorenzo Valley Water District
13060 Hwy 9
Boulder Creek, CA 95006

About the Santa Margarita Groundwater Agency
Santa Margarita Groundwater Agency (SMGWA) is a Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) that was formed as a Joint Powers Authority in June 2017. It has three member-agencies: Scotts Valley Water District (SVWD), San Lorenzo Valley Water District (SLVWD), and the County of Santa Cruz (County) and is governed by the Board of Directors comprising of two representatives from each member agency, one representative from City of Scotts Valley, one from City of Santa Cruz, one from Mount Hermon Association (MHA) and two private well owner representatives. The Board of Directors holds monthly meetings that are open to the public. The staffing support and funding for the agency is provided by the member agency.

Under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014, overdrafted groundwater basins need to be sustainably managed by a GSA through the development of a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP). The GSP must be completed by 2022, and the basin must reach sustainability by 2042.

The three agencies, SVWD, SLVWD, and Santa Cruz County, are committed to working with each other and engage other stakeholders in forming a GSA and developing a GSP after the state approves the boundary modification request.

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

Twenty-two Interim Inc. Clients Find Housing at Innovative New Moon Gate Plaza Apartment Complex in Salinas’ Chinatown

Moon Gate Plaza apartments in Chinatown in Salinas opened in January, benefitting 20 of Interim Inc.’s homeless clients.

Salinas, CA, May 19, 2020 — Moon Gate Plaza apartments in Chinatown in Salinas opened in January, benefitting 20 of Interim Inc.’s homeless clients.

The $40 million housing project, a collaboration between MidPen Housing and the Central California Alliance for Health, is a 90-unit mixed-use housing complex with a particular emphasis on low- and extremely low- income households and the homeless.

The complex connects housing and health services for the highest users of the healthcare system, with 20 supportive apartments set aside for that population and another 20 set aside for clients of Interim Inc., Monterey County’s leading provider of adult mental health services and support. The other 50 apartments will provide housing for other low-income residents of Monterey County.

Through a collaboration of local nonprofit organizations, the ground floor of Moon Gate provides a vibrant space that incorporates arts, health and wellness, culture, and educational programming to serve all Chinatown neighborhood residents.

The complex includes a community room with a kitchen, a courtyard with community gardens, bicycle storage, a library and a multi-purpose room. Interim has an agreement with MidPen Housing for 20 of the units to house homeless clients with mental illness. The tenants for the remaining 70 apartments were determined by a lottery of qualified applicants. Two other Interim clients were chosen for apartments in the lottery.

One of the first residents of Moon Gate was Interim client Junior Rangel, who moved in on March 16 from Interim’s Shelter Cove transitional housing. He says that his studio apartment on the third floor is safe and quiet. He is getting to know his neighbors.

“I like that I have an apartment where pets are allowed. I got a puppy. Her name is Diana and she’s a corgi/chihuahua mix,” said Rangel. “The building has a place where I can walk her and get exercise.”

Since many Moon Gate residents have a history of homelessness, some will need to relearn how to budget their income, how to cook healthy meals, and other skills to live successfully in the community. With an office space on the third floor, Interim counselors will provide individualized service plans, assessments, case management and care coordination for these residents.

“The partnership between Interim and MidPen has been fantastic for the referred residents,” said MidPen Leasing Director Daniel Fagan. “The timely action and follow-up by Interim led to the placement of 20 residents. The MidPen and Interim teams communicate and collaborate regularly to better serve the residents, which in turn will likely lead to stabilized housing for the residents and the community as a whole.”

Financing for the $40 million development was provided by the City of Salinas, the Housing Authority of the County of Monterey, the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, the Central California Alliance for Health, the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, and Bank of America Merill Lynch. Dahlin Group Architectural Planning was the architect and the contractor was Ausonio, Inc. MidPen Property Management Corp. will provide onsite professional property management.

About Interim, Inc.
Interim, Inc. 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.

Interim Inc.
P.O. Box 3222
Monterey, CA 93942
(831) 649-4522
www.interiminc.org

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

Gil Basketball Academy Natalie Cortes

When Natalie Cortes first picked up a basketball in the fifth grade, she found even the simple act of dribbling the ball extremely difficult.

Salinas, CA, May 19, 2020 - She almost gave up the sport that first day. But she refused to give up — a trait that became a huge part of the 14-year-old’s personality.

“After many years of practice and determination, not only did I learn how to dribble, but I also learned how to do many other skills, too,” she said.

Once she joined Gil Basketball Academy, she fell in love with the game, but at one point almost had to give it up entirely.

“My parents couldn’t afford me playing basketball in GBA Select because we had too many other things going on,” she said.

So Natalie took it upon herself to email her father’s boss to explain the situation. “Because of that I got sponsored so I was able to play again,” she said.

A freshman at Alisal High School, Natalie lives in Salinas with her parents, 12-year-old brother and two 6-year-old twin sisters.

A 5-foot, 2-inch point guard/shooting guard, Natalie has learned so much from basketball.

“It has helped me gain so much,” she said. “For example, being part of a team for all these years has shown me the value of teamwork, hardwork and determination, and paying attention to every detail. This has helped me in my life to become a better person mentally and physically.”

Through GBA, Natalie has learned the value of education, and her goal is to attend a university on scholarship. Her career choice? “I don't know what it is yet, but one thing I do know is that an education will get me places in the future.”

Natalie credits Gil Basketball Academy for helping her on and off the court.

“Overall, GBA has opened so many doors for me regarding basketball. Thanks to GBA, I was recruited by NCSA (Next College Student Athlete), which I unfortunately didn’t join for many reasons,” she said. “They helped me not only to gain more expertise in basketball, but to become a better person.”

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

El Pajaro Community Development Corporation Serves Up 38 Family Meals to 228 Farmworkers at First Family Dinner Initiative

Thanks to the community’s kindness and generosity, El Pajaro Community Development Corporation was able to offer 38 family meals to 228 people recently as part of its first Farmworker’s Family Dinner initiative.

Watsonville, CA, May 16, 2020 — Thanks to the community’s kindness and generosity, El Pajaro Community Development Corporation was able to offer 38 family meals to 228 people recently as part of its first Farmworker’s Family Dinner initiative.

“We started the Farmworker’s Family Dinner initiative to honor our communities’ farmworkers and to give each of them a ‘break’ from cooking dinner for one night,” said El Pajaro CDC Executive Director Carmen Herrera Mansir. “We figured that after a 12-plus-hour day of very hard work under the sun, having someone else make a warm and delicious meal for the whole family is a great treat.”

The first week’s dinner was made by Cuevas Express Food and RoguePye.

The program also helped increase sales for food entrepreneurs who have experienced a drastic drop in revenue due to the COVID-19 crisis. Some of the entrepreneurs are not eligible for the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) that Congress passed on March 27, 2020, or other relief programs. These are families that lost 75-100% of their income.

“Thanks to the success of this initiative, our team decided to make the Farmworker’s Family Dinner an ongoing program,” said Herrera Mansir. “Our goal is to provide 10 family dinners every night from Monday to Saturday. I hope the community will continue to support us. Please share this opportunity with your friends and network.”

Farmworkers and their families were ecstatic about the dinner:

“Our workers were very happy, they were in awe, they felt pampered!” said Javier Zamora, owner of JSM Organics farm. “Our H-2B Visa workers could not believe they were getting such a big and delicious meal. Everyone loved Esthela Cuevas’ food.”

Zamora loved the food so much that he is now planning to hire the Cuevas family (of Cuevas Express Food) to make meals for JSM farm workers.

“My wife is going to be sooo happy because she will NOT have to cook tonight,” said Gabino, a sole breadwinner and father of four who works at JSM.

El Pajaro farm-partners Zamora and Rogelio Ponce at Sun Valley Farms, both small local farmers, donate the delicious organic strawberries used to make El Pajaro’s house-branded strawberry jam. (Available online at: https://epcdc.square.site.)

In addition, Herrera Mansir expressed her gratitude to Cesario Ruiz, El Pajaro’s Kitchen Program Manager, and Izuyah Sanchez, kitchen assistant, for making this dinner “magic” happen.

To help support the Farmworker’s Family Dinner, go to: https://epcdc.square.site/product/farmworke-s-family-dinner/21?cs=true

For questions about the initiative, call El Pajaro Community Development Corporation at (831) 722-1224 or by email at info@elpajarocdc.org

About Pajaro CDC
In 1979, El Pájaro CDC was formed following widespread community support of under-represented Latino and Spanish-speaking business owners in Watsonville. For 40 years El Pajaro has helped budding entrepreneurs throughout the Central Coast by offering technical, legal, financial and managerial assistance.

“If you give someone an opportunity it can change lives, and lead to generations of success,” said Carmen Hererra-Mansir, executive director of El Pajaro CDC. “To see a journey from farmworker to entrepreneur — many started that way when they came to us — is so rewarding.”

El Pájaro CDC offers a wide range of assistance, including low-cost and often free bilingual business education and training workshops to low-income entrepreneurs. Workshops cover business plan preparation, marketing and sales, customer service, bookkeeping, computer basics, business management, and financial literacy.

In 1997, El Pajaro Plaza Vigil a retail business incubator at 23 Beach St. in downtown Watsonville was created to assist low- to moderate-income, Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs with starting and operating a successful business.

Plaza Vigil houses dozens of businesses, with another 44 food purveyors using the separate Commercial Kitchen Incubator Program, a fully equipped, shared-use facility at 412 Riverside Drive.

Following a charter expansion in 2007, El Pájaro CDC serves Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties. Bilingual and bicultural services businesses development services and trainings are available to anyone with plans to open or expand a small business in the region.

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

Gil Basketball Academy Player Profile Isabella Gonzalez

In many ways Isabella Gonzalez has two families.

Salinas, CA, May 16, 2020 - The 13-year-old lives with her two loving parents, two older brothers and her nana in North Salinas. Away from home Isabella experiences another close-knit environment as a member of Gil Basketball Academy.

“Because of GBA, I have another family,” she said. “It has helped me become a team player, and taught me to always work hard and to never give up. I love playing basketball and I think, without it, I wouldn’t be as motivated in life.”

The 5-foot, 1-inch shooting guard started playing basketball at the Rec Center at age 6, and joined the GBA Select Team two years later. This past season she averaged 15 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists.

But it’s what happened off the court that affected her so profoundly. Sports have a way of creating a sense of uni­ty, and that showed when Isabella’s mother Susie was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“I was in kindergarten, and as a 5 year old I was frightened that I was going to lose my mom,” she said. “It was so difficult to see her after her treatment and especially seeing her in the hospital. I would cry myself to sleep every night and also used to cry at school.”

Even now, every time her mom leaves to see her doctor at Stanford for a checkup, Isabella feels anxious and afraid that the cancer will return.

“It’s making me a strong person like my mom,” she said.

During her mom’s treatments, when she was really sick, “my GBA family made me feel like there was hope,” she said. “Some of the parents used to give me and my brothers rides to Stanford Hospital so we can see our mom. They would even bring food and let us stay at their houses, or took us places so my mom could rest.”

GBA also allowed Isabella to experience other cultures in different parts of the world.

“I’ve been to all the world tours that GBA has gone to,” she said. “I’ve been to New Zealand, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Italy and Mexico.”

In many of those countries, Isabella interacted with kids experiencing profound, daily life challenges, and that provided her a life lesson.

“Being in a foreign country, I have seen kids that aren’t as fortunate as I am, so my GBA family and I decided to give out some of our shoes and other things to them.”

The seventh grader attends Bolsa Knolls Middle School, and one day plans to attend a 4-year university to study in a medical field — and hopefully continue to play basketball.

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

Max's Helping Paws Expands Access to Financial Assistance to Better Meet Needs of Pet Owners

During these extraordinary times, Max’s Helping Paws Foundation has continued its mission to help fund treatment for pets in crisis, saying yes to nearly 250 pets through 23 veterinary partner practices.

Carmel, CA, May 15, 2020 - Historically, treatment had to be through one of these partner practices. Increased needs surrounding the COVID-19 , pandemic has led the nonprofit to announce that effective Friday, May 15, 2020, pet owners will be able to apply indefinitely for Max's financial assistance programs through any Monterey County veterinary practice that would like to sponsor a client.

“Organizations, both for-profit and nonprofit, must pivot to the needs of this county as best they can right now,” said Dyana Klein, who founded Max’s Helping Paws in 2016, following the death of her Miniature Pinscher Max. “Our first initiative was the launch of Chestnut's Crisis Fund, specifically designed to help pet owners financially impacted by the pandemic.”

Knowing that the ripple effects from the pandemic will be felt for a long time, the nonprofit needed to evolve to an open model based on “inclusivity, accessibility and reciprocity.”

“We know that the need for financial assistance to help keep companion pets from suffering has multiplied,” said Klein. “We have to be where the needs are, and we can't achieve that if we restrict support to a subset of local practices.”

With this new model, pet families, already in difficult situations, will not be asked to go somewhere new in order to apply for support. Eligibility and process, consisting of a client application and treating veterinary practice form, will remain unchanged. No enrollment form or contract of any kind will be required in order for a treating veterinary practice to sponsor a client.

Max’s will also unveil a simple virtual training page for new veterinary practices. “We hope to build a reciprocal support model so we can continue to help more pets at more practices,” Klein said. Max’s will highlight and feature year-round those practices that are able to reciprocate through participation in fundraising activities.

Believing financial circumstances should never decide a companion pet’s fate, Max’s relies on the generosity of the community to fund its mission. General donations are accepted through the nonprofit’s website www.maxshelpingpaws.org.

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