After-school program merges soccer coaching and academic tutoring
Watsonville >> Yoni Hernandez dashed around the Pajaro Middle School field at the center of a pack of students kicking a soccer ball Wednesday.
Not that long ago, the 19-year-old Cabrillo College student was a player in the Breakaway College Access Project. Now, he’s a coach in the after-school program that hooks kids with soccer and provides tutoring and mentoring to encourage them to get a high school diploma and continue on with their education.
The program is celebrating five years of operations. As a Watsonville High freshman, Hernandez was part of Breakaway’s first class.
“In my family, no one had been to college so it was the last thing on my mind,” he said. “(Breakaway) opened my eyes, and gave me the thought that college is an option to pursue a better life.”
Breakaway is the brainchild of a trio of soccer enthusiasts: coach Hillel Rom, former Watsonville High teacher Sara Roe and Carol Schimke, who brought organizational development expertise to her role as executive director.
Schimke said the idea was to channel the Pajaro Valley’s passion for soccer into academic success.
“The caliber of kids coming out of the community every year (for soccer) is astounding,” Schimke said. “We didn’t see that same caliber coming out of the classroom.”
The program, which serves about 200 students annually, started at Watsonville High and expanded to Pajaro Middle two years ago. The voluntary drop-in three-hour sessions are split between honing soccer skills on the field and sharpening academic prowess in the classroom.
Field trips to college soccer games provide opportunities for campus visits, and college coaches and players come to Watsonville as guest speakers.
Students earn points for attendance, which are converted into scholarship dollars when they enroll in college.
Every participant might not go right to college after high school, but the goal is to make sure they have the choice, Schimke said.
“We plant the seed that college is an option,” she said.
Breakaway also stresses the importance of the relationships students form with their adult mentors.
Program manager Eduardo Santana said students share their troubles with him and their joys. On New Year’s Day, for example, several texted him good wishes. To him, it was a small, but meaningful gesture.
“It showed me that I am making a positive difference in their lives,” Santana said.
Hernandez, who is majoring in sociology and plans to transfer to a four-year college in 2015, grew up in the same kind of neighborhoods as the participants. The stories he tells about his own youth — the pressure from gangs, the challenge to make good decisions — resonate with them, he said.
“I give them the thought, ‘He made it, and he’s the same as us,'” Hernandez said.
Content provided by http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/education/ci_25479741/watsonville-soccer-program-coaches-college
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Springtime is known for many things, including beautiful blooming plants and flowers. Getting ready to plant new crops, warmer weather, longer days and allergies.
Allergies bring watery, itchy, irritated eyes; runny noses; uncontrollable sneezing and plain sinus misery. The most common allergies come from pollens, animal dander, mold spores, dust mite and cockroaches allergens.
Here are a few tips to help you with your allergies this Spring season:
- Head over to the pharmacy and stock up on allergy medications. Talk with your doctor to see which ones will work the best for you. Antihistamines, decongestants and nasal sprays should be at the top of your list.
- You can also ask about allergy shots. An allergy shot could mean the end all of all allergy medications.
- Dehumidifers and air purifiers work great in the home.
- Get mattress and pillow coverings. Mattresses and pillows host a ton of allergens. Getting a cover for the mattress and pillow and washing them once a week or so, will keep allergens to a minimum.
Before settling on any specific medical treatment for your allergies, please consult your doctor for the best treatment plan.
Content provided by Transformer Marketing.
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If you’re using “contingent workers” — on a part-time, temporary, or contract basis — be aware that these employees face a greater risk of occupational injuries and illness. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) reasons for this higher vulnerability include the tendency to outsource more hazardous jobs, lack of experience and familiarity with operations in a dangerous workplace, inadequate protective equipment, and limited access to such preventive measures as medical screening programs. The chances are that temporary workers have a wide variety of experience levels (due to high turnover) or have had the benefit of formal safety programs.
Also, bear in mind that even though the safety of contract workers is the legal responsibility of the contractor, the OSHA General Duty Clause could be interpreted to make you responsible for protecting everyone in your workplace. To help meet this obligation, and bolster workplace safety compliance we’d recommend that you take these steps:
- Include safety requirements in the contract, even if only to state that the contractor must comply with OSHA requirements. If the contractor doesn’t follow safety rules, you can force compliance or stop work for breach of contract.
- Set the safety compliance ground rules up front, during orientation or before they start work.
- Share accountability. Although an accident caused by a contract worker might not be your legal responsibility, it’s still your problem. Don’t leave safety compliance problems for the contractor to solve alone.
- Offer assistance. Explain all hazardous conditions or processes during the initial project orientation and stress any rules and restrictions, such as hot-work permit requirements, lockout/tagout, and confined spaces situations and needs.
- Document communications with contractors. Give the contractor(s) a document or form to sign when resolving specific safety problems or for conducting inspections.
- Read the OSHA Multi-Employer Citation Policy. OSHA published an enforcement and compliance directive (CPL 02-00-124, December 10, 1999) laying out its citation policy for multi-employer worksites, which includes contractors.
Finally, don’t forget that most contingent workers will only be in your workplace for a relatively short time. This only adds to the urgency of getting them up to speed on your company’s safety policies and practices as quickly as possible.
Contact our office today for more information.
Content provided by Transformer Marketing.
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When you think of insurance, the typical ones come up. Auto insurance, health insurance, homeowners insurance and business insurance. Some people may have even heard of umbrella insurance, flood insurance, farm insurance and so on.
But we want to share with you about some of the more uncommon types of insurance that are out there.
- Cold Feet Insurance. That’s right. If your spouse-to-be happens to get cold feet right before the big day, reimbursement could be in order. However, there are some conditions: The change of heart has to happen a full year before the wedding and the reimbursement will be sent to a third party (such as parents).
- Fantasy Football Insurance. Football lovers all over are excited about this one! FantasyPlayerProtect.com allows fantasy players to insure their teammates.
- Multiple Birth Insurance. Oh boy, a bundle of joy is coming your way! And then you find out you’re having 3 bundles of joy! The insurance will pay out a lump sum to parents who were expecting 1 bundle of joy. The condition is that you did not use a fertility treatment.
- Divorce Insurance. Splitting up assets and debts and adding legal expenses to the mix, divorce can get costly. Divorce insurance will help with a payout in case of divorce.
- Chicken Insurance. Yes, you heard me correct. Pet insurance has been popular for all of the dog and cat lovers for years, but now some insurance companies have included the not-so-common pets such as chickens and mice.
- Kidnapping Insurance. For companies who have overseas employees to people who travel to third world countries, kidnapping insurance is there to help cover the costs associated with kidnapping, including negotiators fees, travel expenses and the ransom itself.
- Drunk Guest Insurance. For everyone who loves to entertain at your home, this one’s for you! The formal name is social host liquor liability coverage and this will provide coverage for an intoxicated guest who destroys property or harms another person. Most homeowners insurance policies have something like this in the policy.
- Infertility Insurance. You really want to have a baby and in-vitro is a viable option. The costs of fertility treatments can be excessive. Infertility Insurance will help you out with your dream, but only if you live in one of the fifteen states that offer this special insurance.
- Golf Insurance. This kind of insurance is popular throughout Asia and Europe.
- Bedbug Insurance. Typical homeowners and renters insurance won’t cover the costs associated with a bedbug infestation, which can add up to the $1,000s. Most bedbug infestations occur during travel, so when you sign up for travel insurance, make sure you have a bedbug rider.
Scurich Insurance Services can help you out with many types of insurance policies. Give us a call today!
Content provided by Transformer Marketing and http://money.msn.com/insurance/10-crazy-insurance-policies-you-didnt-know-existed
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(Bloomberg) — As the final hours of Malaysian Air Flight 370 remain wrapped in mystery, the question of who bears full liability for the jet’s disappearance is also unresolved.
This much is clear: Families of the 227 passengers aboard the flight that vanished on March 8 can recover some compensation from Malaysian Airline System Bhd even if the plane isn’t found. The airline is liable under international treaty for as much as $175,000 per passenger, and possibly more.
For survivors to capture significantly greater damages, wreckage would probably have to be located and a narrative of the plane’s demise assembled. Several scenarios have been offered for the flight’s disappearance, including hijacking, intentional downing or an on-board fire. Evidence of any of these could open avenues for family members to sue.
“The disappearance of Flight 370 remains a mystery. The legal claims against Malaysia Airlines — those are not a mystery,” said Robert Hedrick, a pilot and air-disaster lawyer in Seattle. “If the wreckage is located, the evidence may establish liability of other parties.”
The Montreal Convention of 1999, an international treaty that covers air travel, requires carriers to pay damages for each passenger killed or injured in an accident, even if its cause is unknown. By those rules, the airline’s liability could stand at more than $40 million.
Read the entire article here.
Content provided by: http://www.propertycasualty360.com/2014/03/24/jets-mystery-disappearance-leaves-riddles-over-who?eNL=5330756f150ba0af70068ede&utm_source=PC360NewsFlash&utm_medium=eNL&utm_campaign=PC360_eNLs&t=es-specialty&_LID=160558015
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You hope nothing will go wrong with your car, especially late at night or far from home. Yet we all know that breakdowns can happen unexpectedly. We recommend taking a risk management approach to car safety — assume the worst will happen and prepare for it in advance.
Start by getting a good emergency kit. Whether you purchase one or build it yourself, your kit should contain at least a working flashlight, flares, reflective triangles, distress sign, first aid supplies, and basic tools.
Before leaving the house, make sure your cell phone is fully charged. Take along some spare change or a telephone calling card in case you break down in a “dead” area for your cellular provider.
If your vehicle breaks down, pull off the road as far as possible on the right shoulder (or in the center median, if getting to the shoulder is impossible). Activate your hazard lights and place flares or reflective triangles far enough behind your vehicle to warn oncoming traffic of your presence. Many authorities advise against you attempting to change your tires or jump your battery while traffic is present. Open your hood, then stay in your vehicle and wait for help.
If a stranger approaches, it’s safest to talk through a closed window. Don’t ask them to assist in repairing your vehicle. If they wish to help, ask them to call your auto club or the police.
For more recommendations on helping minimize the risks of everyday events, give our Personal insurance experts a call. As always, we’re happy to help.
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