CJ Weekly Alert
No. XXIV
March 6, 2007
This Alert is issued by Creciendo Juntos – Growing Together. Its purpose is to help people use
and participate in the CJ website, network and related activities in support of outreach to and
integration of the Latino community in Charlottesville, Albemarle, and surrounding areas.
The Alert archive is located at http://www.cj-network.org/cjintro/alerts.html
CONTENTS (March 6 – March 12, 2007)
A - NEWS BULLETIN: FINALLY, BUS SERVICE TO SOUTHWOOD
JOIN IMPACT MEETING MARCH 15
B – MAY 15TH MEETING: CJ COMMUNITY SERVICES WORKING GROUP
C - MARCH 30TH PLENARY: WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOUTHWOOD?
D - ¿QUE PASA IN HARRISONBURG?
E - MAY 24TH PLENARY: REGIONAL MANAGER/OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS TO SPEAK ON
ACCESS RIGHTS
F – MARCH – MID APRIL: BRIGHT STARS TAKING APPLICATIONS - ENCOURAGE LATINO
FAMILIES TO ENROLL THEIR 4 YEAR OLDS
G – MARCH 27: ALBEMARLE COUNTY KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION - ENCOURAGE
LATINO FAMILIES TO APPLY
H - SUBMIT A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
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A - NEWS BULLETIN: FINALLY, BUS SERVICE TO SOUTHWOOD
Upset seeing Latinos walking from Southwood to Food Lion to carpool to work or to buy groceries
or pick up a prescription? Help is on the way.
On March 26, 2007, at 7:01 am, CTS buses will be running from the downtown terminal to
Southwood every hour between 7:00 am and 6:00 pm. Stops will include one in front of the Food
Lion shopping center, the County Building, and Southwood. Schedules will be available after
March 12. For more information contact: 296-7433.
Congratulations to IMPACT for its hard work in pushing for this invaluable service.
But the struggle isn’t over yet. Join IMPACT on Thursday, March 15, 6:30 pm, at MLK Jr
Performing Arts Center at Charlottesville High School, as citizens encourage local decision
makers to make commitments to extending bus service to Southwood and to provide affordable
housing for our poor. For more information contact: Rhonda Miska [rmm@incarnationparish.org]
or Angela Vanderhoof [angela@thedartcenter.org, 220-2450]
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B – CJ COMMUNITY SERVICES WORKING GROUP
The Community Services Working Group is open to everyone interested in improving social,
health and other services to the local Latino population. Its next meeting is Thursday, March 15
at 1:30, at the United Way office in Downtown Cville. Please join us. For further information
contact Rhonda Miska at: rhonda@incarnationparish.org
To review minutes from previous meetings visit: http://www.cj-network.org/cjwgm/cs.html
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C - MARCH 30TH PLENARY: WHAT’S HAPPENING IN SOUTHWOOD?
Creciendo Juntos’ March plenary is scheduled for Friday (not Thursday), March 30, from 10 –
11:30, in Albemarle County’s 5th Street Extended office. CJ’s Southwood Working Group will
present an update on Habitat’s purchase of Southwood and its impact on Latinos living in the
trailer park. Issues will include, but not be limited to, those mentioned in a February 26 Nuevas
Raíces article and during a March 9 meeting with Habitat, government, non-profit and faith based
organizations.
The Spanish language Nuevas Raíces article is located at: http://www.cjnetwork.org/cjsouthwood/wysk_sw.doc Since many Latinos don’t have access to Nuevas Raíces,
you may want to follow the lead of Anne Ternes and print out the article and circulate it to your
Clients who live in Southwood.
The Southwood Working Group will have a meeting on Wednesday, March 21, 3 – 4 pm, at
Albemarle Social Services, 5th Street Extended, to discuss the March plenary presentation
about Southwood and the future of the Southwood Working Group. Everyone is welcomed.
Contact Linda Hemby if you are planning on attending. lhemby@albemarle.org
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D - ¿QUE PASA IN HARRISONBURG?
The Latino community in Harrisonburg city is twice as large as its Charlottesville and Albemarle
counterparts. Of the 140 clients served by Blue Ridge Legal Services office in 2006, 60% were
Latinos. Additionally, Eastern Mennonite University and James Madison University have
initiatives to not only attract Latino students, but to engage them in volunteer activities in the
community. Both also operate and/or belong to various community organizations serving the
Latino population. BRLS, EMU and JMU belong to the Harrisonburg Area Hispanic Services
Council, a network of service providers and academics interested in the Latino community.
Other members include the Shenandoah Valley Migrant Education Program and the Career
Development Academy that are sponsoring the first annual “Agency Fair for the Immigrant
Community” on March 29. For more information about the event visit http://www.cjnetwork.org/comm_ann.html
At its April 2007 plenary, CJ hopes to feature members of the Harrisonburg Area Hispanic
Services Council to address their large Latino population and how services providers are
responding to it. Such a discussion will enrich local experiences and knowledge and
strengthening networking and resource sharing between the two localities. For more information
contact: lhemby@albemarle.org
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E - MAY 24TH PLENARY: REGIONAL MANAGER/OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS TO SPEAK ON
ACESS RIGHTS
Federal laws stipulate that all limited English proficiency persons living in the US – regardless of
immigration status – must be provided free interpreter services by government and non-profit
agencies receiving federal funds. As we all know, there is little compliance in
Charlottesville/Albemarle.
CJ, the local International Rescue Committee and the Legal Aid Justice Center are organizing the
May plenary which will deal with access issues. The featured speaker will be the Regional
Manager of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Civil Rights, based in
Philadelphia, who covers Virginia in terms of civil rights with respect to language access. He will
give a positive talk to help agencies understand their rights and obligations, while also clarifying
when his office engages in litigation against non-compliance. While the plenary will be open, it will
be directed to local department and agency heads.
Alert your coworkers, and especially your supervisors, department heads, and directors, to attend
this important meeting and contact Peter Loach at peterl@piedmonthousing.org to add them to
the invitation list (your email should include name, title and email address).
Fore more information on access laws visit http://www.cj-network.org/comm_ann.html
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F – MARCH – MID APRIL: BRIGHT STARS TAKING APPLICATIONS - ENCOURAGE
LATINO FAMILIES TO ENROLL THEIR 4 YEAR OLDS
This preschool program for four year-old children provides early learning experiences and
comprehensive social supports for students and families that address risk factors that can lead to
early academic failure. The schools hosting a Bright Stars Program are Agnor-Hurt, Cale, Greer,
Scottsville and Stone-Robinson. Low income Latino parents are encouraged to apply for their
children; legal immigration status is not an issue. Submit applications or learn more at: Albemarle
Social Services, 1600 5th Street Ext., Suite A, Charlottesville, VA 22902, (434) 972-4010; FAX
(434)972-4080. For a Spanish application visit http://www.cjnetwork.org/cjcomm_ann/BSspanish.doc ; for the English version visit http://www.cjnetwork.org/cjcomm_ann/BSEnglish.doc Also see:
http://www.co.albemarle.va.us/department.asp?department=soc_services&relpage=2873
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G – MARCH 27: ALBEMARLE COUNTY KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION - ENCOURAGE
LATINO FAMILIES TO APPLY
Residents of Albemarle County can register their children for Kindergarten on Tuesday March
27th, 2007, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Parents must bring the child’s original
birth certificate, a Social Security card (if US citizen), and proof of residency in Albemarle county
(lease, notarized letter, utility bill, paycheck, etc.). A Spanish language flyer to display in your
waiting room or to pass out to Latino clients is available at: http://www.cjnetwork.org/comm_ann.html There is also a English version.
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H – SUBMIT A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
To date, more than 150 individuals and almost 100 organizations have attended a CJ meeting
and many more have participated in other CJ activities. Biographical sketches of these
participants are located at http://www.cj-network.org/cjintro/bios.doc If you are not listed, please
submit a bio, using the guidelines found at that link, to lhemby@albemarle.org
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This Weekly Alert was prepared by Linda Hemby of the CJ Executive Committee. Individuals and
organizations wishing to maximize their use of the CJ network should submit their
information/announcement/request/etc. on the Friday before the Alert is circulated to:
lhemby@albemarle.org
The Creciendo Juntos – Growing Together online clearinghouse, located at www.cj-network.org,
is constantly being updated with new information and resources. If you work for or know about
services available to our Latino community that are not on the site, please contact
lhemby@albemarle.org Also welcomed are articles, studies, and other resources about and for
our local Latino population.
Peter W. Loach
Deputy Director of Operations
Piedmont Housing Alliance
111 Monticello Avenue, Suite 104
Charlottesville, Virginia 22902
Tel. (434) 817-2436 x116
Cel. (434) 409-2753
Fax. (434) 817-0664