Tomorrow’s 12.4.24 CSN Holiday Celebration
News
News
Local Job Opportunities
Bright Futures for Youth
SAFE Program Case Manager 1
Bright Futures for Youth is looking for a Case Manager 1 for the SAFE program. This person will provide youth case management for youth at risk of or experiencing homelessness between the ages of 12 and 26.
Client case management includes housing search, support, and stabilization into the SAFE Program at Bright Futures for Youth. This position works closely with the SAFE Program Manager to utilize workflows, policies and procedures, ensure continuous quality improvement, and coordinate with staff and volunteers.
This is a full-time, non-exempt position with benefits, supervised by the SAFE Program Manager.
Click here to learn how to apply!
Center for the Arts
Accounting & Human Resources Manager
The Accounting & HR Manager will oversee finances, payroll, and basic human resources functions. The Accounting & HR Manager will be a part of The Center’s leadership team taking an active role in providing outstanding cultural arts service in the community and contributing to maintain The Center’s positive and professional work environment.
Full time, exempt position reporting to the Executive Director, 40 hours per week. Time can vary based on event schedule and other deadlines. Salary range – $68,640 to $80,000 depending on experience.
For more information and a full job description, click HERE. To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to hr@thecenterforthearts.org
The Center for the Arts is a cultural and educational organization that promotes and presents literary, visual, and performing arts for the enrichment of our community.
To learn more about The Center for the Arts visit their website at thecenterforthearts.org
Sierra Harvest
Director of Development
The Director of Development (DOD) would refine and execute an annual fundraising and communications strategy while expanding SH’s support base, diversifying sustainable funding streams and engaging donors with our programs and services. The position will emphasize identifying, cultivating and soliciting major donors, family foundations, state and federal opportunities, and partnerships. This position reports to the Executive Director (ED) and plays a key role in the accomplishment of Sierra Harvest’s mission. They will supervise two part-time development staff members and the Marketing and Events Coordinator (MEC).
This is a Part time (20 hours/week), permanent position with full time potential; hourly rate of $30-$40/hr, depending on experience and reports to Executive Director. In addition, flexible work schedule including hybrid option (work from home up to 50% of hours worked), is offered, plus paid professional development, retirement savings plan and self-care planning tools and support.
For full job description, click HERE
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position has been filled. To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to jobs@sierraharvest.org
Sierra Harvest is dedicated to transforming lives and strengthening community through fresh, local, seasonal food. We envision a thriving local food economy and a network of financially viable farms providing good food for the community, where health and wellness is accessible to people of all ages and they are engaged in growing, harvesting, preparing, and sharing fresh food. We are creating a place where food producers thrive and residents of all ages have access to fresh, local food.
To learn more about Sierra Harvest, visit their website at sierraharvest.org
FREED
Documents Specialist
FREED is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Documents Specialist to support the Nevada County Housing Program. This position will provide information and support regarding the collection and submission of housing documents for people with disabilities. The Documents Specialist will assistant individuals with disabilities, particularly those who are at risk of homelessness or experiencing homelessness, to apply for housing and supportive service programs. Consistent with the core components of Housing First, this position will collaborate with the Continuum of Care (CoC) and the Coordinated Entry System (CES) to ensure populations with the highest needs are given the highest priority and are able to access services and support to obtain affordable, accessible housing. EOE, Individuals with disabilities strongly encouraged to apply. This position is 20 hours per week. Click HERE for full job description.
Benefits Specialist
This full-time position can be based in either the Grass Valley or the Yuba City office. FREED is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Benefits Specialist to support the Nevada County Housing and Disability Advocacy Program. This position will provide information and support regarding benefits for people with disabilities. The Benefits Specialist will provide SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) assistance for individuals with disabilities, including those who are experiencing homelessness, to apply for disability benefit programs. Consistent with the core components of Housing First, this position will collaborate with the Continuum of Care (CoC) and the Coordinated Entry System (CES) to ensure populations with the highest needs are given the highest priority and are able to access SOAR services. EOE, Individuals with disabilities strongly encouraged to apply. This position is 30 – 40 hours per week. Click HERE for full job description.
Interested individuals for either position should email a cover letter and resume summarizing qualifications and experience to FREED at jobs@FREED.org.
FREED’s mission is to promote independence and self-determination for people with disabilities through person-driven services, collaborative community partnerships and education, and leadership that advocates for fully inclusive communities.
To learn more about FREED, visit their website at freed.org
Santa Shoppe for Kiddos Ages 3-10
It turns out you can get something pretty great for the price of a quarter.
KARE Crisis Nursery aids families with small children in need. KARE stands for “Kids’ Assistance and Respite in Emergencies” and this holiday season, the group will continue the tradition of its Santa’s Christmas Shoppe which is held in conjunction with Sierra Presbyterian Church.
With all items priced at 25 cents, this year Santa’s Christmas Shoppe will be open December 7 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Sierra Presbyterian, on the corner of Ridge Road and Zion Street in Nevada City. Shoppers must be aged three to 10 years old.
“We started doing (the event) at Trinity Church,” said Dr. Sarah Woerner, a main organizer, “and it was sponsored by the KARE Nursery since I volunteered for both; the main goal was to let those families with kids who might be lower income families or not available to have gifts, to have them come through and then open it up to community after the first hour. Now, it has gotten so big we just say, everybody come.”
Click here to continue reading the article!
Nevada County Happenings
Practicing PCEs During the Holidays
Prioritize practicing PCEs during the holiday seasonFamilies and holidays can create a special time for connection, joy, and tradition as well as challenges like coordination and stress. The holiday season provides many opportunities for us to strengthen relationships and build lasting memories.1. Traditions:
Many families celebrate the holidays with unique customs. Whether it’s decorating, cooking favorite dishes, watching movies together. Involve everyone in the activities with age-appropriate tasks.2. Togetherness:
Set aside time to be together; go for a hike, build a snow creature, go ice-skating etc. or if you are staying indoors do a yoga class, dance to your favorite holiday songs or create a playful workout circuit, play board games, or simply watch a movie together.3. Gift Giving:
For many holidays, exchanging gifts becomes a highlight, fostering generosity and thoughtfulness between family and friends. Consider doing a random act of kindness. Surprise a neighbor, the mail person, or a teacher with a letter of gratitude and homemade bread, cookies, or a gift certificate.4. Reflection and Gratitude:
Holidays like Thanksgiving or New Years are great opportunities to pause and reflect on the blessings and achievements of the past year and opportunities to look forward to in the future. Consider creating a family scrapbook poster. Write the year on the top of the board, and invite each member to select three pictures, written reflections, or artworks to represent highlights from that year. After the board is complete each family member shares their highlight.5. Unplug:
We are all attached to our screens, try taking a holiday away from them. Set aside a day in which all phones, tablets, and laptops are shut down and put away. Be creative and enjoy the freedom.6. Take a pause:
The holiday season can be stressful. From organizing travel, cooking holiday meals, shopping for gifts, and attending end-of-season sports tournaments. Set aside time, even just 10 minutes each day, to light a candle and have family members share their intention for the day or share something positive from their day, close this time with either a hug or a unique handshake.7. Self-care:
The holidays can be both joyful and stressful, making self-care hard to balance with all other priorities. Self-care is for everyone and looks different for everyone, tune into what you need. Take a nap, read a book, or go to bed early.8. Emotions
Managing grief and other challenging emotions during the holidays can be particularly tough, as the season often emphasizes joy, togetherness, and tradition. Here are some compassionate suggestions to help navigate these feelings: Reaching out for connection with friends, or reminding yourself that these feelings are part of the human experience and can be healing to feel. Let yourself move through the season at your own pace, honoring your emotions and prioritizing what feels right for you.
20 Ideas for Serving Others This Christmas
20 Ideas for Serving Others as a Family This Christmas
This can be some of many people’s favorite time of year and it can also be people’s least favorite time of year—not because the weather is especially nice, but because it is a season of giving. Everyone seems to be a little more generous and charitable around Christmas.
Although the spirit of giving can abound this time of year, the spirit of “me-ism” can quickly sneak in if we’re not careful. As much as we want our children and loved ones to get excited about all of the festivities of the holidays, we also want to teach children, youth, and families to focus their hearts and minds outward on others.
Below you will find 20 relatively simple ways your family can serve together this holiday season. Many of these activities require little to no money. Try one, two, or even all of them (if you’re really ambitious).
1. Deliver cookies to the employees at a fire station, police station, or hospital on Christmas Day.
2. Choose a child’s name off of a giving tree and pick out the gift together as a family.
3. Pool together some money to buy a tank of gas for a friend or relative who can’t afford to go home for Christmas.
4. Recruit several families and adopt a nursing home. Buy a simple gift for each resident (lotion, slippers, holiday throw blankets, etc) and arrange a time to deliver the gifts.
5. Send Christmas cards to military personnel overseas.
6. Prepare a meal together as a family and take it to a sick or elderly friend.
7. Deliver a baked good to your neighbors.
8. Leave a Christmas card (and perhaps a little treat) in your mailbox for the mail carrier.
9. Go caroling at a nursing home.
10. Volunteer to read a Christmas book aloud to your child’s class … or contact your local bookstore or library to see if you can schedule a time to read aloud to their children’s section.
11. Ring bells for the Salvation Army.
12. Host a Christmas dinner for the widows and widowers at your church.
13. Host a packing party for Operation Christmas Child, a ministry through Samaritan’s Purse that sends a shoebox of gifts/personal items to a child in a Third World country for Christmas—which is often the only gift the child will receive.
14. Take balloons or small gifts to the children’s ward of your local hospital. You probably won’t be able to deliver them to the children themselves due to privacy policies, but you can ask the nurses to deliver them or ask permission of the parents who happen to be present at the time.
15. Choose a day to serve each other inside your own home. Take out the trash for your husband, encourage your children to pick up their sibling’s toys, and show appreciation for one another.
16. Encourage every member of your family to look each person they come across that day in the eye, smile, and express their appreciation with a simple “thank you” or a compliment.
17. Go to the grocery store together as a family and pick up a few items for your local food pantry. Many stores have drop-off locations within the store itself during the Thanksgiving/Christmas seasons.
18. Volunteer to babysit, as a family, for a couple with small children so that they can go out on a date or Christmas shopping.
19. Clean out your coat closet and take your old coats to a local shelter.
20. Set the timer for 10 minutes. Have each person in your house go through their books and choose a few to donate to your local library (or elsewhere).
Save the Date – 12.4.24 CSN Meeting
Save the Date for the 12.4.24 CSN Meeting. The December CSN meeting will be an in-person Holiday Celebration Gathering. The location is still being determined and will be announced once solidified.
Come celebrate the holiday and community successes that have taken place over the 2024 year and be a part of the planning for the 2025 CSN meetings. There will be fun holiday themed games, a sweet treat dessert, cocoa, and cider bar.
We look forward to celebrating with our partners and community!
BFFY Job Opportunity
Bright Futures for Youth is looking for a Case Manager 1 for the SAFE program. This person will provide youth case management for youth at risk of or experiencing homelessness between the ages of 12 and 26.
Client case management includes housing search, support, and stabilization into the SAFE Program at Bright Futures for Youth. This position works closely with the SAFE Program Manager to utilize workflows, policies and procedures, ensure continuous quality improvement, and coordinate with staff and volunteers.
This is a full-time, non-exempt position with benefits, supervised by the SAFE Program Manager.
Click here to learn how to apply!
Nevada County Happenings
National Gratitude Month
National Gratitude Month is November, and it is time to show some gratitude! Isn’t it amazing how something as simple as gratitude can give new meaning to life? Research states that people who practice gratitude every day are not only happier but also healthier. So if you were looking for reasons to be thankful, then these benefits should be just the motivation you need.
History of National Gratitude Month
Gratitude is the simplest way to change one’s perspective of the world. It allows us to appreciate the positive, rather than focus on the negative aspects of our lives. Learning to be grateful helps us appreciate the little things in life that we tend to take for granted, which brings about a deep feeling of satisfaction that fulfills and nourishes us.
National Gratitude Month was an initiative started by Stacey Grewal, who believes gratitude to be an essential ingredient of a happy and fulfilling life. When one embraces gratitude, they immediately shift their focus from the negative to the positive things in their lives.
Click here to continue reading the article.