Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Santa Ana's top news & views blog

Category Archives: Working Families

So. Cal. Edison’s bill assistance program helps customers in need

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Bill Assistance Program Helps Customers in Need

Money-saving, energy-conservation programs, services offered through SCE’s Energy Savings Assistance Program.

You, or someone you know, may qualify for a free replacement energy-efficient refrigerator, lighting, cooling system or various energy conservation services that can help save money on your Southern California Edison electricity bill.

Through the Energy Savings Assistance Program, income-qualified customers may be eligible for free appliances and no-cost installation. Customers may qualify based on current participation in an eligible public assistance program or their household income. Continue reading→

MOMS Orange County receives a donation of 66K diapers

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HOMEAID ESSENTIALS DONATES APPROXIMATELY 66,000 DIAPERS TO NONPROFIT MOMS ORANGE COUNTY

Over 900 Families Served by MOMS Orange County will Benefit from Donation of Diapers and Other Baby Items from Local Community Organization

Santa Ana-based nonprofit MOMS Orange County recently had the privilege of receiving two truckloads of baby items donated by HomeAid Essentials, a community outreach program of HomeAid Orange County. The diapers and other baby items, valued at more than $15,000, will benefit more than 900 at-risk families served by MOMS Orange County.

“We are honored to receive this generous donation from HomeAid Essentials,” said MOMS Orange County CEO Pam Pimentel. “Donations such as this are the foundation of our organization. Without the support of community organizations like HomeAid Orange County, our mission to support at-risk mothers and families would not be possible.” Continue reading→

There is a lot to love about Santa Ana despite the ongoing gang war

Posted on by Posted in Arts and Culture, Civic Affairs, Crime, Education, Family, Food, Restaurants, Santa Ana, Working Families, Youth Activities 2 Comments

I get a little tired about the constant bashing of Santa Ana.  Yes the ongoing gang war sucks but there is still a lot to love about our city, such as:

$3 movies at the MainPlace Mall

When a new movie comes out my kids and I will quickly label it as either a “must-see” or a “$3 movie.”  Most films are in the latter category (and a lot of them end up on our Redbox and Netflix list). While I would love it if there was a first run movie theater in Santa Ana I really like being able to go to the Picture Show at the MainPlace Mall to see movies that have been out for a few weeks, if not months, for only $3 (and only $2 on Tuesdays).

The MainPlace Mall

I really dislike South Coast Plaza. Who can afford what the stores there have to offer?  But the MainPlace Mall is just the ticket with a decent array of stores and anchors and a great food selection that now includes wood-fired pizza at Blaze Pizza and bbq ribs at the new Lucille’s.  There is ample parking and two frozen yogurt places – plus my eye doctor. The previous owners of the MainPlace Mall, Westfield, just sold the shopping center to a group of developers. I hope they don’t mess it up! Continue reading→

Share Our Selves opens the SOS Health Center at Samueli Academy in Santa Ana

Posted on by Posted in Education, Health and Medical, Santa Ana, Working Families, Youth Activities Leave a comment

Share Our Selves opens the SOS Health Center at Samueli Academy in Santa Ana

Caring for students and families at Samueli Academy

SANTA ANA, CA – January 5, 2015 – Share Our Selves (SOS), a respected community health center and social services organization with a forty-five year history of serving the needs of the community, is pleased to announce the opening of the SOS Health Center at Samueli Academy in Santa Ana on Monday, January 4, 2016. Share Our Selves provides comprehensive care throughout Orange County, with centers conveniently located in Costa Mesa, Santa Ana, Lake Forest, and Newport Beach. Samueli Academy is an educational program of Orangewood Foundation that provides a transformational learning environment to educationally underserved communities. Samueli Academy offers consistency, stability, support, and a community in which to belong, thrive, and grow into successful, independent adults.

The beautiful new health center, located on the Samueli Academy campus at 1901 N. Fairview Street in Santa Ana, is staffed with bilingual providers, and is open to the students and families of Samueli Academy. Services offered include primary medical care for adults and children, sports physicals, and a direct link to the services available at the other SOS health centers, including pediatric and adult dental care, food and financial assistance, eligibility enrollment for insurance, and much more. More services, including behavioral health, will be available in the coming months at the SOS Health Center at Samueli Academy. Continue reading→

Free Christmas Laundry Day and Pancake Breakfast for the homeless and needy

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Operation Warm Wishes Presents: The Gift Of Giving-Christmas Day Breakfast Celebration and Laundry Day for the Homeless and Families in Need!

This Holiday Season, share the Gift of Giving! Christmas is a time to be with family, it’s a time of celebration, it’s a time of giving, and be thankful for what you have been given.

Christmas is also a time to remember those less fortunate, the needy, the forgotten, the homeless. Most of all, Christmas is a time to remember what our Savor Jesus Christ did for us, and in return share that same Love! Continue reading→

Rep. Sanchez urges action on poverty

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Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, Representing California’s 46th Congressional District

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 20, 2015

MEDIA CONTACT: Emily Morris, 202-225-2965, Emily.Morris@mail.house.gov

REP. LORETTA SANCHEZ URGES ACTION ON POVERTY

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-46) demanded meaningful action on poverty from Congress.

Speaking from the House floor, Congresswoman Sanchez asked, “How can we tell a family to pursue happiness, when the rug is constantly pulled out beneath them?” Continue reading→

Local nonprofit kicks off campaign to provide 400 car seats to families in need

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MOMS Orange County Board Treasurer Mark Marten, MOMS Orange County board member Silvia Martinez, MD, and MOMS Orange County Board President Ron DiLuigi, take a moment with former State Senator and U.S. Congress, 46th C.D. candidate, Lou Correa

MOMS OC Board Treasurer Mark Marten, MOMS OC board member Silvia Martinez, MD, and MOMS OC Board President Ron DiLuigi, take a moment with 46th C.D. candidate, Lou Correa

MOMS Orange County Hosts Dream Big Kick Off to Help Provide 400 Car Seats to Families in Need

Over 30 guests attended the Dream Big Kick Off Party at The Robbin’s Nest Wine Bar in Downtown Santa Ana on Thursday, September 17, to begin the process of fundraising for MOMS Orange County and their Possible Dream as part of the Carousel of Possible Dreams presented by the Festival of Children Foundation. MOMS Orange County’s Possible Dream in 2016 is to provide car seats to babies in their program who are most in need. Their goal is to raise $25,000 by November 12 to help purchase 400 car seats. In 2014, over 450 families in the program were in need of car seats that MOMS Orange County was unable to provide.

Guests took time to set up their personal fundraising pages on their mobile devices while enjoying select wines, beers and appetizers. Special guests included California Highway Patrol Car Seat Technician Nancy Coon, and former State Senator and U.S. Congress, 46th C.D. candidate, Lou Correa, who shared a personal story about a family who lost their youngest child as a result of not being in a car seat, and offered his support to help MOMS Orange County achieve their dream. Continue reading→

2015 O.C. Tet Parade set for Feb. 21 in Little Saigon

Posted on by Posted in Entertainment, Santa Ana, Westminster, Working Families, Youth Activities 1 Comment

The OC Tet Parade

The Annual Orange County Tet Parade for 2015 is set for Sat., Feb. 21, from 9 am to 12 p.m. (pre-parade starts at 8 am) on Bolsa Ave., main stage at Magnolia St.

The Little Saigon Tet Parade is Organized by the Vietnamese American Federation of Southern California. The purpose is to Celebrate the Lunar New Year and to preserve and Promote Vietnamese culture to the younger generations and to the greater community.

The Parade Festival is supported by the National Vietnam Southern California organized with support from many organizations and international children in the community. The purpose of the New Year Parade in order to preserve and promote traditional Vietnamese culture to future generations as well as your community and mainstream America. Continue reading→

Why poverty and crime are so persistent in Santa Ana

Posted on by Posted in Churches and Religion, Crime, Drugs, Education, Gangs, Politics, Public Safety, Santa Ana, Working Families 13 Comments

Santa Ana Sign

You want to know why Santa Ana is such a mess?  We reported this week about a young man who dropped out of a good high school, Godinez Fundamental, and was shot dead at the age of 18, at 1 am.  While he was not a gang member he was a drug runner, according to my son James who went to school with Jeffrey “Jay Jay” Enriquez, the shooting victim.

Enriquez had seven brothers and sisters.  I can’t tell from his Facebook page if he had a dad around.  In that he was just like a lot of kids in Santa Ana, which is Orange County’s youngest city – we have more kids under 18 than any other city in our County. Continue reading→

OCDA to provide free turkey dinners for at-risk youth on Nov. 20

Posted on by Posted in Charities, Entertainment, Food, Gangs, OCDA, Santa Ana, SAUSD, Working Families, Youth Activities Leave a comment

OCDA Seal

Orange County District Attorney Press Release

For Immediate Release: November 19, 2013

DOUBLE THE THANKS AND DOUBLE THE GIVING

AT-RISK YOUTH EARN 851 TURKEY DINNERS IN 4TH ANNUAL THANKSGIVING GANG PREVENTION INCENTIVE

SANTA ANA – Turkey dinners will be awarded tomorrow to 851 at-risk students who succeeded in Orange County Gang Reduction Intervention Partnership’s (OC GRIP) 4th annual Thanksgiving challenge to improve their attendance, behavior, and grades in time for Thanksgiving.

Ralphs/Food 4 Less and Saddleback Church donated double the number of turkey dinners, over 850 this year compared to 400 in years past, as part of the ongoing OC GRIP gang prevention effort to keep kids in school and out of gangs. The total donation is valued at over $25,000. OC GRIP extended the incentive to twice as many students at 43 schools this year compared to the previously-participating 23 schools. Continue reading→

Convoy of Hope comes to Santa Ana on Saturday, Oct. 5

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Convoy of Hope

City of Santa Ana Community Alert: “CONVOY OF HOPE” Comes To Local Santa Ana Community

Local event seeks to provide “poverty-free” day for local families in need

SANTA ANA, CA (October 1, 2013) – On Saturday, October 5, 2013, the City of Santa Ana is co-sponsoring the Convoy of Hope in conjunction with churches, businesses, and community organizations to distribute over 35,000 pounds of groceries to thousands of people in need in Orange County. On this special day, at Jerome Park in the city of Santa Ana, thousands of guests from across our communities will receive free groceries, health services, haircuts, family portraits, community services, live entertainment, prayer, lunch, games and activities for children, and more! Approximately 1000 volunteers are uniting to conduct the event. Continue reading→

Headstart’s 6th Annual Family Festival set for April 13 at the Santa Ana Zoo

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Orange County Head Start, Inc. (OCHS) and its collaborative partners cordially invite you to join us for the 6th Annual Family Festival in celebration of the Week of the Young Child. The Family Festival will take place on Saturday, April 13, 2013, from 12 noon to 4 pm, at the Santa Ana Zoo, located at 801 E Chestnut Ave., in Santa Ana.

Community Action Partnership of Orange County’s Latino 5 A Day and Powerplay will be providing nutrition education at the Headstart Family Festival. Continue reading→

O.C. warehouse desperately needed for Christmas toy drive

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News Release, For Immediate Release

Subject: Toy Warehouse Needed in Orange County

Contact: Brenda Emrick at (714) 327-7406 or Lynnette Round at (714) 290-7772

Irvine, CA – The holidays are right around the corner and Santa Claus needs help now! Santa, in this case, are Orange County firefighters who, in conjunction with the Orange County Toy Collaborative, are in desperate need of a warehouse they can use to store and distribute toys to needy children throughout the county for their annual “Spark of Love”holiday toy drive. Continue reading→

New O.C. Health report shows how health is affected by where you live

Posted on by Posted in Economy, Education, Health and Medical, Orange County, Public Safety, Santa Ana, Working Families Leave a comment

For Immediate Release: July 10, 2012

Contact: Nicole Stanfield, (714) 834-2178, nstanfield@ochca.com

Where We Live Affects How We Live

(Santa Ana) – A new report by the Health Care Agency and its partners demonstrates how health is affected by where we live, work, learn, and play. The ‘Healthy Places, Healthy People’ report provides subcounty (e.g., city, school district, census track) data on economic, educational, and community factors that influence physical health and well-being. Continue reading→

Santa Ana Summer Teen Job Fair set for Tuesday, June 19

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City of Santa Ana, Downtown Orange County

Community: Summer Jobs + Job Fair for Santa Ana’s Youth

SANTA ANA, CA (June 16, 2012) – The City of Santa Ana, Santa Ana WORK Center in partnership with the Employment Development Department will host the Summer Jobs + Job Fair for local youth, ages 16-21 years of age. The job fair will be held on Tuesday, June 19 from 10am to 2pm at the Santa Ana WORK Center. Continue reading→