Volume 13 Issue 1 March 2009

Agency Newsletter

Jefferson County Committee for Economic Opportunity

Inside FOCUS 2 Director’s Desk Staff Additions Did You Know? Insert Lovely She Is Senior Moments Here’s to Your Health Ask Personnel 3 Rocking 75! Let’s Surf 4 Spotlighting Our Staff

HANDLING STRESS DURING TOUGH TIMES

From “ExchangeEveryday” The current economic crisis can be a major source of stress. How does one successfully manage? • Communicate and interact with

others. Connect with others who can share or understand your experience. In this way, you can garner collective sup-port to increase your ability to find a solution for your problem at hand.

• Lessen the drama. Excessive drama is draining and blocks so-lutions. It is natural to vent but keep it to a minimum. Realign your thoughts, feelings, and con-versations. Do not let your fears control your inner dia-logue. Converse about your action plans and ideas that sup-port problem resolutions.

• Manage your reaction to the news. Today’s news reports are dis-mal. Do not jump to conclusions or focus on worst-case scenar-ios. Expend your emotional en-ergy on positive thinking.

• Practice heart-focused breathing. Breathe in the “attitude” of calm and balance. It can be an emo-tional tonic.

• Avoid comparing. Making com-parisons between then and now is a natural response. It is more constructive, however, to use that energy to regain stability and move forward with your life.

The JCCEO Family has suffered an enormous loss. AUDREY FAYE HENDRICKS, JCCEO Associ-ate Head Start Director, surrendered her earthly life on Sunday, March 1, 2009. Audrey was a no-nonsense advocate for the children and families of the JCCEO Head Start - Early Head Start Programs. Her many contributions were extraordinary and will be evident for many years to come. This we know. Strewn across JCCEO Child Development Services are her petals of sacrifice, hard work, dedi-cation, and a spirit that we deeply appreciate. Thank you so much, AUDREY FAYE HENDRICKS! We will miss you!

Please Note!

The family of AUDREY FAYE HENDRICKS requests that those who de-sire may remit donations to the JCCEO Head Start Scholarship Fund in her memory. Currently the JCCEO Head Start Scholarship Fund partially funds the JCCEO Head Start-Alabama Asset Building Youth Scholarship Development Account (IDA) Project that was implemented at JCCEO in 2008. The pro-ject is designed to provide an opportunity for students to invest in a savings program and receive a 2:1 scholarship match to pay for qualified expenses at an accredited post-secondary educational institution. Eligible students are those who completed the JCCEO Head Start Program and are currently enrolled as seniors in Jefferson County high schools. Participant students will become more financially literate, establish a savings and investment plan, and must attend college to receive matched funds. Donations in memory of AUDREY FAYE HENDRICKS will be deposited into U..S. Treasury notes and earmarked for the 2009 JCCEO Head Start-Early Head Start Program students.

WE WILL MISS YOU AUDREY FAYE HENDRICKS

Donations may be sent to the following address:

JCCEO Head Start Scholarship Fund 300 Eighth Avenue, West

Birmingham, AL 35204-3039

For more information about the JCCEO Head Start IDA Scholarship Project, please contact Ray Patterson, JCCEO IDA Coordinator, at 205.320.7023, rpatter-son@jcceo.org.

FOCUS is a bi-monthly newsletter produced for the staff, Board of Direc-tors, and friends of the Jefferson County Com-mittee for Economic Op-portunity.

CHIEF EDITOR: Viola (“Vie”) E. Mims

CONTRIBUTING EDI-TORS:

Administrative Divi-sion Geri Collins

Child Development Services Division Aisha Abdullah Sandra Abston Linda Ford Diane Gibson Cotelia Hill Patricia Linson Othessa Morris Earl Williams Linda Williams

Community Services Division Dorothy Crosby Lavaiter Law Executive Director Gayle Cunningham

From the Director’s Desk

STAFF CHANGES AROUND THE “j”

Welcome aboard

FOCUS welcomes the following new staff members to the JCCEO family:

TYECHIA OWENS Clerk Typist

KIMBERLY PEOPLES Education Specialist

VONECIA WEST Teacher Assistant

GLORIA WILLIAMS Education Specialist

ROSHUNDA WILLIAMS Teacher Assistant

PATRICE SMITH Program Secretary

Springtime Greetings to All of You, For many, as we read and listen to the news and listen to our family and friends, these seem to be the worst of times. Job losses, home losses, investment losses…where will it all end, and who will be affected next? And where is help to be found? Well, as you know, JCCEO, as a Community Action Agency and pro-vider of Head Start, Weatherization, and so many other programs for those in need, has always been in the

“helping” business. This has been recognized as efforts by our Con-gress and our President to pro-vide relief from this recession have shaped up. We anticipate being better able to help those in need, and also providing work for more who need jobs during the next couple of years. Stay tuned for details, but we al-ready are able to help more households and those at a higher income level through our Energy Assistance programs. This will also be true for Weatherization. We will work with the City of

Birmingham to return a number of houses to usefulness, and we are looking for other opportunities to help those in need here in Jefferson County. I commend all our staff and partners for all the ways that you help to make life better for others. Keep up this good and important work, and join me in accepting the challenges and opportunities that are sure to come during the next few years.

AMANCIA CARRERA Teacher Assistant

KATRINA COLVIN Teacher Aide

ARBORDELLA COOK Cook

LANETTE FORD Cook

MAURICE GRIFFIN Cook

BREE LAW Cook

JESWEIDA MCCANN Education Coordinator

THE BIRMINGHAM CIVIL RIGHTS INSTITUTE SALUTES JCCEO The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) celebrated its 16th Anniversary and the unveiling of its “Expanding the Legacy” Renovation Project with a week of events in January. On January 22, in conjunction with the week-long festivities, the BCRI celebrated the Fourth Avenue Business District of Birmingham and the founding of JCCEO. The special tribute to JCCEO was held in the Odessa Woolfolk Gallery at the BCRI. Ms. C and guest speaker Dr. William “Sonny” Walker of Atlanta, Georgia, engaged the audience with interesting historical facts about JCCEO and its role in the development and impact of community action in Jefferson Cont’d on Page 3. See BCRI

DID YOU KNOW? From WebMD®

About ⅓ of common adult cancers may be pre-ventable in the U.S. — and that does not include can-cers that could be prevented by not smoking. That is according to a new report from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and its sister organization, the American Institute for Can-cer Research (AICR). In the report, the WCRF and AICR estimate that in the U.S. eating a nutritious diet, being physically active, and keeping body fat under control and a healthy weight may prevent 34% of 12 com-mon cancers overall in the U. S., and 24% of all cancers! T h e W C R F / A I C R stresses that cancer preven-tion means trimming the odds of developing, not to-tally eliminating cancer.

Volume 13, Issue 1 FOCUS March 2009 Insert Side 1

Isn’t She Lovely? Article submitted by Geraldine Smith,

Midfield Senior Nutrition Center Manager

Ms. CATHERINE BELL from Mid-field Senior Nutrition Center was crowned 2nd Runner-up in the 2009 Ms. Senior Jefferson County Pageant that was held January 30th at the Hoo-ver Senior Center! The Ms. Senior Jefferson County Pageant is a preliminary competition to the Ms. Senior Alabama Pageant. The Ms. Senior Jefferson County Pageant is open to women who are over age sixty, the “Age of Elegance,” and allows contestants to demonstrate their win-ning personalities and talents. Judges look for the contestant who best

represents a woman of graciousness, concern for others, wit, wisdom, charm, intelligence, good taste, talent, and civic involvement. JCCEO congratulates Ms. Catherine Bell and the Midfield Senior Nutrition Center! We are so proud!

SENIOR MOMENTS Info from St. Joseph’s Senior Nutrition Center “Nooze” Newsletter

Alma Green, “Nooze” Editor and St. Joseph’s Senior Nutrition Center Manager

The seniors at St. Joseph’s Senior Nutrition Center enjoyed so many memorable times in February. Added to their weekly activities was the ever-popular and educational Black History Trivia. Each month the seniors also look for-ward to the Urban Nutrition and Health and Wellness classes that provide them with healthy and economical recipes and food shopping tips. Friendly competitions during Game Playing never fail to boost excitement at the center and allow the seniors to sharpen their game strategy skills. A Valentine Gala at Fair Park Arena with food, entertainment, and dancing (!!) was fun and an affair they will not soon forget. The op-portunity to meet and interact with seniors from all over Jefferson County was a favorite for those who attended! St. Joseph’s Black History Program was as grand as ever! On program were: inspiring readings by Rosanna Hannah, Rosa Cannon, and Mary Woods; an I Have a Dream presentation from Dennis Pope; hair-raising speeches and a musical rendition from the home-schooled stu-dents; and the St. Joseph’s Senior Choir, which performed moving Negro spirituals (Thanks musician Ailene Weeks!) Special guests included Shirley Hill, Adult Ser-vices Coordinator; Brenda Wright, Administrative Assistant to the Executive Director; representatives from the Office of Senior Citizens Services; and delighted seniors from Forestdale, Midfield Sen-ior Nutrition Center, Titusville, and the Nor-wood Senior Center. St. Joseph’s Senior Nutri-tion Center Manager Alma Green was also happy and honored to have her family in atten-dance: husband Ronald, daughter Bennie, son Benja, and church member Bernice Bivins. Senior Mamie Pollard invited and welcomed the most guests ever at the annual function. She received a week of paid lunches for her efforts!

YUM YUM! Info from St. Joseph’s Senior Nutrition Center “Nooze” Newsletter

Alma Green, “Nooze” Editor and St. Joseph’s Senior Nutrition Center Manager

The St. Joseph’s seniors temporarily stepped back in time. Their An-nual Soul Food Day was the culmination of February’s celebration of Black History at the center. On the menu? Mouth-watering collards, black-eyed peas, pinto beans, pig feet, neck bones, baby back ribs, fried chicken, turkey, dressing, beef tips and rice, squash casserole, cakes, pies, and MORE! The seniors strayed for only a day! Soon thereafter they were back on track with healthy, nutritious meals and snacks.

(Cont’d from Page 3) More Photos from Ms. Henry’s birthday bash

JCCEO staff love a great party! Dishing out goodies The party’s on!

Volume 13, Issue 1 FOCUS March 2009 Insert Side II

Thanks, thanks, thanks to all employees who

participated in the JCCEO Fall-08 Health Challenges! You are in-

spiring! To those who did not reach the numbers you were hoping for...remember — a failure is the result of a try. Keep trying! We heartily support you! And now the winners! First JCCEO Fall-08 Health Challenge (8 weeks) 1st Place Winner...The New Beginners from HS Calloway (Team Loss 74.3 pounds!) 2nd Place Winner...The Achievers from HS Calloway (Team Loss 62.8 pounds!) 3rd Place Winner...Sports Illustrated Bound from HS Fairmont (Team Loss 55.2 pounds!) Second JCCEO Fall-08 Health Challenge (6 weeks) 1st Place Winner...Fabulous Five from Midfield Energy (Team Loss 25.1 pounds!) 2nd Place Winner...8 Ladies and a Gent from HS Center Point (Team Loss 25 pounds!) 3rd Place Winner...Here We Go Again!! From HS Center Point (Team Loss 22 pounds!) Who dominated the JCCEO Winter-09 Health Challenge? The results are in and will be revealed later. We have one more to go before the sum-mer...the JCCEO Spring-09 Health Challenge be-gan this week. Sign up! Be steadfast! Good luck Team JCCEO!

JCCEO STAFF IS NUTRITIONALLY CHARGED All JCCEO staff, HS parents, and children were invited to join our Fruits and Vegetables Club to promote their love for healthy living and tasty fruits and vegetables during the month of

March, National Nutrition Month. Nutrition Services Coordinator ALICE FA-GAN and Nutrition Assis-tant CARLA HICKS spear-headed the drive to in-volve everyone. HS Ad-ministrative Secretary PAT LINSON coordinated the Nutrition tee shirt sales. Quizzes about nutrition were distributed to staff and JCCEO parents who attended Parent Meetings in

March. The names of the quiz participants who scored 100% (almost 40 entries) were entered into a drawing. On Friday, March 27, the 2nd floor of Head-quarters was the place to be as JCCEO Head-quarters staff, uniformly dressed in National Nutrition Month tee shirts, enjoyed a day of grazing on luscious, beautifully arranged

watermelon and pineapple cubes, plump grapes, delicious apples, oranges, tangerines, ba-nanas, and celery and carrot sticks with ranch dip. While staff mingled and munched, NS Coordinator Alice Fagan read aloud the correct answers to the quizzes. Everyone was then eager to hear the names of the quiz winners. Ms. C was happy to oblige and pulled the names of the lucky five! Grand prize winner LAKEISHA LAPSLEY, HS Data Entry

Assistant, was thrilled and the envy of others! Other winners: 2nd Prize—JEAN BYRD, Teacher’s Aide

3rd Prize—LOVENIA HUNTER, Mentor Teacher 4th Prize —INGRID DAVIDSON, EHS Infant-Toddler Specialist

5th Prize—BARBETTA HUNT, Teacher’s Aide Thanks, JCCEO Nutrition staff & Pat Linson! Thanks Ms. C! Thanks,

p a r t i c i p a n t s ! Keep it going! N a -

What is involved during the proba-tionary period for new employees at JCCEO? The probationary period is 90 days of actual service and is an integral part of the hiring process. It allows a supervisor to observe the employee’s work, to train and aid the employee in adjusting to the position to which he or she has been appointed, and to counsel the employee if the employee’s per-formance fails to meet the required work standards. The probationary employee may not utilize any benefits and will not receive an increase in pay during this period. Em-ployee performance and behavior are evalu-ated at no later than the completion of 30, 60, and 80 work days during his or her pro-bationary period.

Q A

Before the damage!

Hungry staff dig in!

The ‘Movers & Shakers’ From left,: Pat Linson,

Alice Fagan, & Carla Hicks

Splashed with smiles

Ms C reaches for a winning

entry

Red, white, & beaming

Alice Fagan, Carla Hicks, & Ms. C cheer Grand Prize

Winner LaKei-sha Lapsley

(2nd from left)

Page 3 Volume 13 Issue 1

ROCKING AND ROLLING “THE GENERAL” TURNS 75

We all know her. MILDRED HENRY, JCCEO Headquarters Receptionist, affection-ately known as “The General.” She rocks and rules the JCCEO Headquarters lobby. On Friday, February 27th, the General rocked age 75! What energy! What zest!

What dedication! What eagle eyes! Without a second thought, coworkers schemed and planned a celebration of her three score and fifteenth birthday in the Headquarters auditorium. On the scene were Ms. Henry’s be-loved family members (brother Thomas Weaver, niece Pat Byrd, great-niece Sherika, 8-month old great-great nephew, great-grandson Rahjie and a throng of employees. Shocked , surprised, and utterly speechless (How was that pulled

off?!!!?), Ms. Henry was wet all over with tears when she entered the auditorium and heard ‘Happy Birthday’ shouts! Ms. C raved about our special receptionist , her fierce

management of the Headquar-ters lobby, and how she makes sure the lobby exudes an air of friendliness, professionalism, and great service. Ms. C ex-pressed profound gratitude for Ms. Henry, whose drive and devotion ensure each visitor’s first contact at JCCEO’s Head-quarters is amicable, helpful,

non-discriminate, and a pleasant experience for everyone. Ms. Henry introduced her supportive family and teared up once again as she ecstatically spoke about her only brother Thomas Weaver. With his beautiful baritone voice, he led the audience in a jazzed-up rendition of “Happy Birthday.” Frosted cake, ice cream, and refreshing punch were served to cap the afternoon fun.

Keep rocking and rolling, General! We love you, truly we do, and we do not know what we would do without you! Happy Birthday! Let’s roll! Many thanks to Ms. C; Brenda Wright, Administrative Assistant to the Executive Director; Andre’ Smith, Headquarters Custodian; LaShundra “Sunshine” McReynolds, HS Cook; Jackie Patton, Compliance Officer; and Tara Boyd, HS Disabilities Coor-dinator.

More pics Insert, Side I

With family well-wishers Brother Thomas, niece Pat, and great-grandson Rahjie

Picture perfect great-great nephew

A jubilant Ms. Henry expresses gratitude.

Doting on brother Thomas

Oh the love of family!

Ms. C & The General admire cake.

Excited and Delighted!

JCCEO’S NEW

WEB SITE IS NOW AVAILABLE!

For more information, please contact

Vie Mims, JCCEO Webmaster, vmims@jcceo.org, 327-7541.

BCRI (Cont’d from Page 2) County. JCCEO Board members, staff, partners, friends, clients, and other community action agencies joined in the celebration and re-ceived free admission to the BCRI. Following the celebration program, guests were directed to tour a special exhibit that in-cludes JCCEO at the institute and enjoy refreshments.

HEALING HEARTS

Are you taking daily medication for hyperten-sion? We may have a well-ness program just for you that will focus on blood pressure re-duction and nutrition education! ADAPT (Altering Diets in African-American Populations to Treat Hyper-tension) is coming soon!

STAY TUNED!

Congratulations to Dot Crosby, JCCEO Energy Coordinator. While in Birmingham, Tom Joyner and crew recognized her hard work and dedication and sent a “Shout Out!” to one of our finest. Bravo Dot Crosby!

HOME SWEET HOME! Information Submitted by Sandra Abston, Center Manager, JCCEO Head Start West Center Street Center

On January 17, 2009, Habitat for Humanity® Greater Birmingham kicked off ground breaking for a new home at 118 Vail Avenue, Hueytown, Alabama. KENTHIA MCCLEOD looked forward to rolling up her sleeves and lending a hand to help build her dream home! Hard work is not a stranger to Ms. McCleod. She works dutifully and gives her all as a Teacher’s Aide at the JCCEO

Head Start West Center Street Center. She also attends and teaches children’s church at Rhema Work of Ministry Church and is involved in community organizations including the Board of Birmingham Health Care and the National Educational Association. Ms. McCleod enjoys interacting with and positively impacting children. She hopes to continue her education and one day teach at a higher level. Fast forward to March 13, 2009. Ms. McCleod’s new home is complete and ready for occupancy. Family, friends, and JCCEO staff gathered for her home’s dedication on the afternoon of Friday the 13th. For the superstitious lot, just know that Ms. McCleod’s ‘luck’ is all good. Habitat for Humanity® is a Christian, worldwide, non-profit housing organization that builds affordable housing in partnership

with people in need, volunteer labor, and donated money and materials. Since being founded in 1976, Habi-tat for Humanity® has built more than 300,000 homes, sheltering more than 1.5 million people.

Kenthia McCleod with volunteers & friends

A proud Kenthia McCleod with family, volunteers, & JCCEO staff

Kenthia McCleod, HS West Center Street Center

Manager Sandra Abston (right), & others are all smiles.

Dot Crosby