June 2017

Aspire 2

Reading to your

Child

3

Our Bus Drivers 4

Kindergarten

Kamp

5

Facilities 6

Success 8

Coloring Page 9

Volunteers Needed 10

Inside this issue:

Special points of interest:

Pipp all Year Round

Best Reads for

your child

Recipe

Volume 3 Issue 7

Call us toll-free!

844-221-9447

Jackie Fox,

CEO West Ohio

CAP

Pictured left to right:

Louis Jennings, UAW 1219; Mike Copeland, UAW 1219 President, Deanna Tippie, WOCAP; and Courtney Morris, Apollo Career Center.

Not pictured: Jen Korte, Nancy Wheeler, Tonya Cereghin.

West Ohio Community Action Partnership held an Open House at the Mercer

County location in Celina on May 26th. An award ceremony was held to recognize

individuals or businesses who contributed to our programming WOCAP.

The 4th Annual Stepping Stones to Success awards were presented to:

Courtnee Morris For Support of Head Start

Deanna Tippie

For Head Start & Employment Success

Jen Korte For Support of Youth Employment

Nancy Wheeler

For Steps to Success

UAW 1219

For Support of Seal Christmas

Tonya Cereghin

For TBRA & Employment Success

Page 2

A great opportunity! The Adult Diploma Program

Get your High School Diploma and an Industry Certificate at the same time. Our Adult Di-ploma Program is for adults 22 years of age and older who have not yet obtained their high

school diploma and are seeking a certificate in a skilled trade. If you’d like more information, attend an upcoming orientation on Tuesday, July 18 from 9 a.m. – 12 pm or 6-9 pm

in Room 562 in Adult Education.

Volume 3 Issue 7

Reading to your child? We Suggest:

Page 3

By: Nancy Carlson

It's the first day of kin-

dergarten, and Henry is

raring to go. Henry

knows he's going to have

a busy day, but when

Henry gets to school, it

looks scary and for a

moment he's not sure

he's ready for kindergar-

ten. What Henry soon

discovers, though, is that he's been ready all

along, and that the only thing he's not ready for is

how much fun kindergarten is going to be!

Know what I do at night

while you're asleep? Eat

your trash, that's what!

See those bags? I smell

breakfast!

With ten wide tires, one

really big appetite, and an even bigger smell, this

truck's got it all. His job? Eating your garbage and

loving every stinky second of it!

And you thought nighttime was just for sleeping.

By Kate & Jim McMullan

Ingredients

• 5 large eggs ½ teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 green onions, sliced 2 cups (about 3 ounces) coarsely broken no-salt-added tortilla chips ½ cup mild salsa ½ cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese Garnish: 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro and extra shredded cheese

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine eggs and salt; stir with a wire whisk and set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add green on-ions and cook for 2 minutes or until they begin to soften.

3. Add egg mixture to skillet and cook for 1 minute without stirring, until the edges of the eggs are set.

4. Stir in tortilla chips and salsa; cook for 2 minutes or until tortilla chips begin to soften. At this point, the eggs' texture will resemble tradition-al scrambled eggs.

Remove from heat and add cheese; stir until combined and cheese begins to melt. Sprinkle with cilantro and extra cheese, if desired.

Morgan Ellis

Getting to know…..

Number of Years working for WOCAP: Three months

What you do for WOCAP: I am a Youth Employment and Job Training Specialist. I help enroll youth into the

CCMEP program and help them achieve work and career goals.

First thing you do when you get to work: When I first get to work, I return any calls and e-mails I missed from the day before.

About your family: My husband and I have been married for 3 years this year and we have a 5 year old son

named Wyatt. We have a variation of pets whom we consider family, too. We just purchased our first house, this

year, as well.

Hobbies: I enjoy reading, as well as coaching and playing soccer.

Dream Vacation: I would really enjoy going to the Maldives!

Favorite Restaurant: My favorite restaurant is Salsa’s in Kenton, Ohio.

Favorite Actor/Actress: My favorite actor is Ewan McGregor.

Favorite Movie: My family and I are huge Star Wars fans, so my favorite movie is the entire Star Wars saga.

Favorite Sport: My favorite sport is soccer.

I am very excited to be working for WOCAP as an ETS. I have greatly enjoyed my time here and know I will continue

to enjoy working for such an awesome organization.

Monday, May 1st was Bus Driver Appreciation Day, and we do

appreciate the hard work and dedication of

our bus drivers.

Pictured left to right: Jason Klett, Jenny Slife,

Deanna Tippie and Jeannie Luchini (seated). Not pictured: Linda McAfee and Liz Flowers

Kindergarten Kamp will run June 27 through August 3, 2017. Kindergarten Kamp is a

partnership between West Ohio Community Action Partnership, United Way of Greater Lima, YW Childcare Resource & Referral, Lima city schools and Family and Children

First Council. Kindergarten Kamp was started the summer of 2009 and the goal was to give students entering kindergarten an opportunity to become actively involved in the Lima city school system and to improve KRA score. The KRA (Kindergarten Readiness

Assessment) is an assessment tool given to all Ohio Kindergarten students.

During Kindergarten Kamp the teachers are is using a project-based approach curricu-lum focusing on student initiated activities, building on students interest, and giving the

students an opportunity to explore and problem solve using hands on activities. Kinder-garten Kamp is available to students five years of age and entering kindergarten in Allen county. This summer Kindergarten Kamp will be at Heritage and Unity Elementary

schools Monday- Thursday. The students will receive breakfast and lunch. Transporta-

tion will be provided through Lima City Schools.

Phyllis Montrose

Head Start Director

Once again we find our-

selves getting ready for

that warm spring time of

the year and the start of

playground clean up. For

us in facilities it is a good

feeling especially this year with such a mild win-

ter. We are looking forward to a very busy spring

and ready for the change and much warmer

weather. With our regular spring playgrounds

work done and planning those summer projects.

This summer we will be installing a new sun

shade umbrella for our EHS playground. Just to

let everyone know this spring we had something a

little different happen on are playground at the

Howard and O’Neal site. This was a family of

ducklings momma duck decided that a nest un-

der are play structure steps was a good place to

start a family all seem to doing well. I hope all of

you had a good winter and are looking forward to

summer as we are here in facilities.

Dave Fischer

Facilities Coordinator

Mike Fisher

Barry Ward

Page 7

WEST OHIO CAP PROCESSING PIPP PLUS APPLICATIONS YEAR ROUND

West Ohio CAP continues to process

enrollment and re-verification applications for PIPP Plus.

•PIPP Plus is an income-based payment program for regulated utilities.

•PIPP Plus helps households maintain gas and electric service. •Monthly payment is based on a percentage of household income.

•PIPP Plus payments make monthly utility payments more affordable. No appointment necessary to re-verify your PIPP+ if your account is current! Just drop off the required information below at the nearest West Ohio CAP office and sign an Energy Assistance Programs Application. It’s that easy.

Required Documentation: •Current electric and gas bill regardless of account status.

•Social Security numbers for all household members. •Income documentation for all household members for the last 13- weeks.

•Proof of disability if disabled.

Offices are open Monday-Friday

from 8:00am-5:00pm

Call 1-855-286-7559 to schedule an appointment.

For More Program Information Please Contact:

Please Note:

Documentation of Citizenship such as social security card, birth certificate or voter registration is required to receive services.

If you have questions please call WOCAP at (419) 227-2586

Offices are open Monday-Friday from 8:00am-5:00pm

West Ohio CAP- Allen County

540 S. Central Ave.

Lima, OH

(419)227-2586

West Ohio CAP- Auglaize County

13093 Infirmary Rd.

Wapakoneta, OH

(419)227-2586

West Ohio CAP- Mercer County

420 N. Brandon Ave.

Celina, OH

(419)227-2586

Jenny Steed is the proud parent of 2 young

children, Braxton and Calie. Braxton is 3 years of age and completed the EHS pro-

gram at our partnership site Shawnee Weekday. Calie is a year old and is enrolled in Shawnee Weekday’s EHS Tiny Tots

classroom. Jenny is a single mom who was previously attending the Ohio State Beauty Academy when Braxton started in EHS.

Mom graduated from Beauty School and began seeking employment while she was

studying to take her state test. Jenny’s original goal was to find temporary employ-ment that would help her pay the bills

while she pursued her career in cosmetolo-gy. Jenny utilized job search websites, up-

dated her resume and applied to multiple employment openings. Although she was becoming increasingly frustrated she

stayed positive and continued her pursuit

of employment.

Jenny met with her Family Service Worker (FSW) to complete a scheduled home visit. During this meeting Jenny updated the

FSW on how discouraged she was about not being able to find employment and stat-

ed her concern about possibly losing her childcare benefits from ODJFS. Jenny shared her concerns with the FSW and

sought advice on what she was possibly do-ing wrong. In an effort to assist Jenny in obtaining employment, the FSW informed

her of current job openings at WOCAP,

including a co-teacher position at Cen-

tral. Jenny had previously discussed her interest in working with children with the

FSW, but was not able to find any jobs in that field. Jenny was therefore delighted

to hear about the available opportunity.

Jenny didn’t waste any time submitting the employment application. Within a

couple weeks of submitting her applica-tion and interviewing, Jenny was hired on as co-teacher for Head Start in the

Central H classroom. Jenny is pleased to be a WOCAP employee and is looking for-

ward to taking advantage of the oppor-tunity to continue her education and grow professionally as an early childhood

educator. Also, since she will have her summers off, Jenny will still be able to

maintain her career in cosmetology.

Jenny’s never give up attitude and posi-

tive outlook are key factors in her achiev-

ing her goals. It is clear to see that ob-

taining employment in her desired field

has given Jenny a new found confidence

and sense of independence. Jenny is a

great role model for both her students

and their parents. Jenny plans to use

her story to prove to other single mothers

that persistence and determination al-

ways pay off.

West Ohio Community Action Partnership

BOARD OF TRUSTEES – 2017 Representatives must be One Third Private Business, One Third Public Entity, and One Third Low Income

VaVooM

If you are interested in volunteering please contact Janet Buchanan at (419) 227-0158 EXT. 116

Head Start classes are in need for volunteers for the next

program year. We are looking for individuals who are inter-

ested in volunteering in one of our Head Start classrooms.

Steve Barker (Public)

Allen County Job & Family Services

Susan Hord (Private)

Rhodes State College

Erica Preston (Public)

Auglaize Co Commissioner

Appointment

Mayor David Berger (Public)

City of Lima

Heather Jordan (Private)

Huntington Bank

Dan Reiff (Public)

Allen Co Commissioner

Appointee

Natalie Bice (Private)(Treasurer)

Ernst & Young, LLP

Jennifer Korte (Low Income)

Auglaize Co. Educational Service

Center

Warner Roach

(Private)(President)

Proctor & Gamble Mfg.

Pam Fitzgerald (Low-Income)

Allen Co Council on Aging

Angie King (Public)

Mercer Co Commissioner Appoin-

tee

Karen Vroman-Ells (Low-

Income)

United Way of Greater Lima

Mayor Michael Gallmeier (Public)

City of Delphos

Ann Miles (Public)

Lima City Schools

Charlene Williams (Low-

Income)

New Life Church International

Dale Gisi (Private)

St. Rita’s Medical Center

Elizabeth Muether (Private)

Mercer Co District Library

Tiffany Wright (Low-

Income)(VP)

Allen Metropolitan Housing

Authority

Sharon Green (Low-Income)

Mercer County Council on Aging

Norene Parish (Private)

Chamberlain Huckeriede Funeral

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