At California Human Development (CHD), we believe that every person deserves the opportunity to have pathways created and doors opened. Our employee, Rosalina Montanez, is an excellent example of what new possibilities are in reach due to these created opportunities.

Rosalina Montanez came to the United States in 1985 during the Reagan Administration in search of a better-paying job to provide for her family. Her journey started working in the fields where she would pick apricots, tomatoes, cucumbers, and various other foods for a living. Rosalina was a farmworker for two years without a place to call home. In 1988 she decided to apply for a seasonal migrant camp where she lived for nearly 17 years with her family.

Before arriving in the US, Rosalina had previous work experience in administration, which allowed her to become an Office Assistant. Through being a farmworker, she heard about California Human Development and the support we provide to farmworkers. As a result, she took the initiative to visit the closest office to outline her options and eligibility for assistance. Immediately, she was directed to a case manager for screening in our Workforce Development & Farmworker Services Division. After her screening, it was determined that she qualified for 380 hours of Work Experience Training. Through our Work Experience Program, Rosalina learned more about computers, administration, and software systems such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. While at CHD, she also learned that she could finish High School and decided to revalidate her high school credits to complete.

At the time, our Galt office offered Immigration & Citizenship assistance. Rosalina quickly took action to see if there was a legal pathway for her to become a U.S. Citizen. As a result, she was able to gain her Green Card and fully become a U.S. Citizen in 2021. She states, “It was a really good experience working with CHD because I did finish high school, and I was able to gain more through the Immigration & Citizenship Program.”

However, once she completed her 380 hours of work experience, Rosalina faced many hurdles and didn’t immediately find the job she was hoping for. However, she was not discouraged and knew that there was something better coming her way. “After, doing farmwork and other hard labor jobs, I knew this was not my vocation,” said Rosalina.

Later, she received a call from her Case Manager at CHD offering her an opportunity to apply for a Temporary Outreach Team Leader Position for our Call Center. This position became available because of our Disaster Relief for Immigrants (DRAI) program, which financially assisted undocumented individuals across our CHD service footprint. Based on her performance and the way she served clients, she was a natural fit to transition to a permanent position in CHD. Therefore, we offered her the opportunity to apply for a permanent position with us as a Youth Case Manager. Rosalina decided to do her application and proceeded with an interview. Rosalina was hired shortly after that. Rosalina commented on this part of her journey by saying, “I never thought I would get the job. There were a lot of barriers facing my way, and one of the many that I worried about was my age and the language barrier.”

Rosalina never expected to be offered her dream job. However, CHD was able to provide Rosalina with the opportunity to achieve a better life. Throughout her journey, Rosalina has learned more about herself and realized she has the power to influence and inspire others. In addition, Rosalina’s background has allowed her to better understand and connect with her clients.

Today, Rosalina continues to thrive and has created a mission of her own to continue to show others that anything is possible. In her own words, “I just want to say to people that it’s never too late and to believe in yourself.”

disABILITY Services like many others had to adjust and adapt to the changes that were incurred due to the pandemic. Virtual support was offered through multiple daily classes on Zoom. Adjusting to an online platform made it challenging to provide community integration for our participants. We worked tirelessly to provide a curriculum and supportive services that would improve the well-being of the individuals we serve. One of the classes that were offered was called the “UpLink Career Discovery Series.”

The UpLink Career Discovery Series was a virtual educational speaker series where our program participants could learn and connect with professionals in our community. The series included 10 guest speakers that joined our class and presented information about the jobs and careers they do. It was a great opportunity for our participants to learn about the various careers they could pursue and was a great way to connect with local employers.

Our mission, goal, and vision for this series was to bring the community to us. In a creative way, we managed to integrate our participants, empower them to seek out new opportunities, and learn from local professionals. Our participants enjoyed our series as it informed them about their opportunities.

Here is some feedback that our participants had to say about the career series:

“It was freaking awesome”

“Petaluma Pie was my favorite because we got to see them work and how the pies were made”

Our speakers also had a few comments:

“We thought you did a great job of organizing it and walking us through technical challenges we might have faced. We also had a great time and hope the students did too.”
-Lina (Petaluma Pie Company)

“I very much enjoyed giving the clients a taste of what a typical day of pet sitting is like, and educating them about the business side of it and what you need to do to start it up.”
-Julie’s Pet Sitting

“The Zoom Speaker Series was such a delight to participate in, everyone was so engaged and interactive and it was so fun to share an afternoon talking about music and be in community together!”
-Keeley Hogan (singer/songwriter/music teacher)

 

Cesar Chavez and his commitment to advocating for the farmworker is something that’s intertwined heavily with California Human Development’s (CHD) history. CHD has its roots based in supporting Cesar Chavez’s movement so much so that in fact, our founders marched with him on the frontlines of activism during the Civil Rights Era. Cesar Chavez fought vigorously through his non-violent methods to advocate for improving pay and working conditions for farmworkers in the 1960s and 1970s. He empowered future generations of farmworkers and promoted equity. Today, his work is seen as a pivotal part of the Civil Rights Era. His dedication, compassion, and courage are all embodiments of hope and the courage to advocate for change.

This past March, CHD’s Community Impact Team delivered care packages to the Farmworkers in our Napa, Calistoga, and St. Helena Farm Labor Centers. CHD’s Farm Labor Centers are a part of our Affordable Housing Division. We house thirty to forty Farmworkers in each complex. The centers feature thirty bedrooms housing two residents each. They each have bathrooms, showers, laundry facilities, payphones, and offer various recreational activities. Meals are served every day except for Sundays. These Farm Labor Centers are essential services that we provide for qualified farmworkers.

We wanted to ensure the farmworkers in our Farm Labor Centers felt appreciated and seen on Cesar Chavez Day. CHD was able to distribute over one hundred and fifty care packages to these farmworkers that included an insulated lunch pail, workers gloves, UV protection safety glasses, cooling towels, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and gift cards for grocery stores. In addition to these items, CHD staff also wrote letters to the farmworkers to thank them for their hard work that supports our local economy. In the coming years, we hope to grow this tradition of giving back to these individuals we have the privilege of serving.

This past April, the women of Athena House had the opportunity to venture off the grounds of their residential community to get together in nature for a camping trip. The women of Athena House are experiencing the transformational journey of substance recovery and the outdoors and can dramatically enrich that process. Throughout Athena House’s history, there has always been a desire to include nature as an integral part of the healing process. This camping trip became the first experience honoring that desire. All of the residents who attended were thrilled to participate. This trip created a deeper level of unity for the women in recovery at Athena House. More importantly, this showed that their recovery journey would bring new forms of joy into their lives. Athena House hopes to make this an annual event in nature so all future residents of Athena House can experience the value of this trip into the wilderness.

 

Substance Recovery Services (SRS) is continuing this theme of celebrating the integration of nature into the recovery process with future events as well! SRS is excited to officially open its Zen Garden of the Goddesses at Athena House this September at our “Growing Hope” Fundraising Event. This event will feature an afternoon spent with alumni, staff, and some clients of Substance Recovery Services and their stories of recovery. We are excited to bring you more information as we get closer to the event. If you would like to Opt-in to receive the formal announcement of this event and purchase tickets when available, please follow the link below!

 

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