As I type this letter I can hear the rain falling outside. What a welcome sound of water falling and nourishing our water hungry state!

The mission of SETA is to nourish the lives of those we come into contact with. We are charged with helping those without work, without resources, and without direction. Week after week we pour ourselves into their lives in order to build them up.

Here is an example of someone pouring themselves into their job (and by popular demand), attached is a picture of the Olaf Piñata made by Veronica Lopez of Job Corps.

Second, I had the chance to shadow Cami Saling (Quality Assurance) and Greg Dobson (Facilities) at the Hillsdale Head Start site as they did a safety walk through. Cami led the way as we went through the classrooms and playground.  As I spent the morning with the two of them, listening and peppering them with questions I came away with a lot of respect for the two of them and their departments.  Quality Assurance and Facilities both play important roles in keeping us open and running.

Right now Cami, Judith, Monica, and James are out in the field helping ensure that things are running smoothly and that we and our delegates are in compliance. As you know being in compliance means keeping our grants and licenses, which means we get to keep taking care of the children.

Larry, Arnold, Marty, Ali, Steve, Celia, and Jose are the ones that we call when things break. This may involve change the lights, taking care of a flooded classroom, or securing a broken shade structure when it is flapping in the wind. Rain or shine, hot or cold this time does what it takes to keep us all running.

The Wellness Program is partnering with Sutter Health for their “Live Well for Live” campaign and this month’s wellness theme is on “Job Stress and Your Heart.”   Join your fellow co-workers on February 26 and learn to assess your risk for heart disease, heart attacks and strokes.  Enjoy healthy snacks, receive healthy recipes, and walk away with a special wellness incentive you’ll end up using on a daily basis.  To register for this presentation entitled “Know Your Numbers,” email the wellness unit @ wellness@delpaso.seta.net or call Zenobia at 263-3907. A BIG “Thank You” for staff who have already signed up!  In the coming months, the “Live Well for Live” campaign will cover topics to include Back Safety, Men’s Health, Office Yoga,  Meditation and Laughter in the Workplace.  We hope you’ll join us.

SETA Toastmaster’s meet every first and third Friday of the month.  Today (2/6), it was an especially robust meeting with 19 staff in attendance.  We want to send a “shout out” to all the Toastmaster members, and especially the Club Officers – Staci Foster, Heather Luke, Shondell Pearson, Melanie Klinkamon,  Keni Addison, Kathryn Jacobsen, and Wanda Thomas for all their hard work in keeping the club members organized, informed, and focused on improving their presentation skills.  Contact any of the club members if you’d like to learn more about Toastmasters!

This weekend I hope you enjoy the rain and next week think about how we are nourishing the lives of those people we interact with.

Respectfully,

John Allen
HR Department Chief