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- REC participants tell of personal successes
- GRANDVIEW (3-20-98 )--Several Lower Valley residents appeared before the Lower Valley Rural Enterprise Community Advisory Committee (REC) Thursday night, recounting how the program has helped their lives.
- The REC advises Yakima County Commissioners, who oversee expenditure of nearly $2.95 million in federal Rural Enterprise Zone dollars, which began to be doled out in November, 1995.
- REC has a small administrative staff headed by Dan Guzman, which is housed in the multi-use Port District offices at 520 S. 7th St., Sunnyside.
- The REC program is a Clinton Administration creation. The U.S. has since 1995 funded RECs in 30 extreme-poverty zones, of which the Lower Valley is one.
- The program, slated to run from 1995 to 2005, is headed nationally by Victor Velasquaz, of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. In Washington state, the USDA chief is Mary McBride, Olympia.
Several persons told how the program has helped them so far, including:
- • Liz Martinez: Mrs. Martinez is pursuing a career as a registered nurse. She has so far earned her certificate as a nurse's aid, after studying at Yakima Valley Community College. She works at Hillcrest Nursing Home, which has presented her an opportunity to look into the field of geriatrics. Her goal is to become a registered nurse and work with RNs in Sunnyside Community Hospital's Emergency Room.
- • Maria Zesati: She told REC members the program has helped her learn English. She's in her second year of English-as-a-Second-Language studies at People for People.
- "Before this I was in the fields. I'm a single mother. The program has helped me get my CNA (certified nurse's aide) license she said."
- • Maricela Navarette: A Granger High School senior, Miss Navarette has participated in the school's Job Shadow program.
- The program allows students to "shadow" working professionals, to get a feel for what a day's work is like in a given field.
- • Mario Flores: Mr. Flores, who works on a local farm, has upgraded his skills and earning ability by taking a YVC welding class.
- "This means more income for my wife and family," he said "The program you put out--I'm here to tell you it's working."
Kirk Wattenberger told the group he headed up three 60-hour classes for 36 students and taught them thorough, hands-on skills using both PC and Macintosh computers. Students ranged in age from 18 to 70, and few had ever touched a computer.
- Wattenberger said all his students now are completely computer literate. They can use computers to write letters and resumes, use graphics, navigate the internet, and handle file management.
- "One lady, age 59, was scared. She's worked a lifetime in a fruit warehouse. Now her hubby has bought her a PC. She communicates with her kids in South Carolina every day," Wattenberger said.
- Said Grandview Mayor Jesse Palacios, who chairs the REC advisory committee, "This shows the programs are making a real difference in people's lives."
- In other business Thursday, the REC heard from Dave Fonfara, director of the private, non-profit Sunnyside Development Association (dba Sunnyside, Inc.) which has so far acted as a parent agency for REC activities.
- He told the group it has 5 1/2 (to Aug. 30) months to seek another group to replace Sunnyside, Inc. in that capacity.
- • Creating a stand-alone private, non-profit corporation to administer the REC's federal USDA funds.
- • Requesting a local city to assume program management--probably Grandview or Sunnyside.
- • Requesting Yakima County to assume program management.
- • Asking another private, non-profit to assume such responsibility.
- • Representatives of at least two other non-profit groups attended the REC meeting. Included were Robert Ozuna and Jesus Aramendariz of Sunnyside's Washington State Migrant Council, and Luz Gutierrez, who heads up the Washington Micro Enterprise (WAME) program.
- The REC also heard from a variety of staff assigned to various facets of the program, including Rick Kane, small business development; Dan Guzman, education and job skills training; Pete Saenz; and Greg Uberuaga, community and neighborhood development.
- In other business, the REC received a letter from Trinita Houser, Yakima County fiscal manager for grants. She told the group by letter that its banked federal funds have earned $34,890 between August, 1995 and May 1997.
Traditionally, it's forbidden to invest idle federal grant funds with local banks to earn interest.
- REC dollars, however, may be invested in banks chosen by the Yakima County treasurer, who routinely invests county money in various ways