December2014 FINAL - Marin County

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sites as Coursera, SkilledUp, and Udemy. Through online study, “I've significantly expanded my skills in spreadsheets
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Happy Anniversary We congratulate these volunteers who celebrate their anniversaries this month and thank them for their ongoing involvement!

11 years 10 years 8 years 6 years 5 years 4 years 3 years 2 years 1 year

Joan Davis, Senior Access Reader, Novato Library Drusilla Miller, Senior Access Reader, Novato Library Janice Langdon, Senior Peer Counselor, Health & Human Services (HHS); Shirley Stack-Clark, Senior Peer Counselor, HHS; Diane Stemach, Aide, Marin City Library; Phyllis Fitzpatrick,Aide, Stinson Beach Library Tim Fleshman, Harbor Assistant, Community Development Agency Edna Hickok, Library Beyond Walls Liaison, Library; Susanna Molinari, Library Beyond Walls Liaison, Library Sue Mayerchak, Senior Peer Counselor, HHS James Campbell, Parks Steward, Parks Susan Hewlett, Senior Peer Counselor, HHS; Jerry Riessen, Parks Steward, Parks; Montserrat Sthymmel, Aide, Civic Center Library Katharine Darlington, Parks Steward, Parks Dennis Conway, Tour Docent, Cultural Services Lelia Lanctot, Administrative Assistant, HHS; David Jeffries, Incident Management Team, Fire; Sally Henrikson, Shelver, Stinson Beach Library; Rebecca Smalbach, Shelver, Corte Madera Library; Beverlee Hibbs,Tutor, Novato Library Dana McVay, Event Aide, Human Resources; Emily Schuster, Parks Steward, Parks; James Irving, Incident Management Team, Fire

Treasures abound at Arts & Crafts Fair Find one-of-a-kind gifts for friends or treat yourself at the 2015 Marin Employee Arts & Crafts Fair Thursday, November 19 from 3:15-5:00 p.m. at the Civic Center Cafe, Room 233, Marin Civic Center. Talented county work team members -including volunteers -- will offer hand-crafted jewelry, original art, accessories, and much more! Enjoy live music by the County Crows as you shop. CCV Linka Watridge is the coordinator. For details: [email protected].

The Volunteer View The Monthly Newsletter for Marin County Civic Center Volunteers

Volume 38, Issue 11

County offices will be closed for Veterans Day on November 11 and for the Thanksgiving holiday on November 26 and 27. CCV Staff Anne Starr

Coordinator of Volunteers Phone: 415-473-7167 [email protected]

Joy Fossett

Student Internships Coordinator 415-473-7447 [email protected]

Robyn Nguyen Administrative Assistant Intern Phone: 415-473-7407 FAX: 415-473-6557 [email protected]

Volunteers: Shirley Trimble, Writer Barbara Webb,Writer Nick Yanchunis, Copy Editor Tony Cresci, Graphics Tech Asst. Steve Sarhad, Database Consultant David Mandel, Grant Consultant

Administrative Volunteers: Joanne Elder, Deborah Gregor, Annet Katan, Veronica Morino, Linka Watridge

November 2015

Michael Wilroy excels at organizing data in the Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk’s Office more pressing priorities.” A lifelong learner, Michael completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training course while pursuing his bachelor’s degree in history at UC Santa Barbara. “It was a great opportunity to be surrounded by a group of fellow yoga enthusiasts,” he said. “I was happy to learn more anatomy and philosophy in depth, too.” Michael said yoga is his favorite way to exercise.

Holidays

Civic CenterVolunteers Marin County Human Resources 3501 Civic Center Drive, Suite 415 San Rafael, CA 94903

24 years 19 years 16 years

Volunteer Notes

Michael Wilroy Civic Center Volunteer Michael Wilroy of Novato has never met a spreadsheet he didn’t like. He contributes his datamanagement skills as an administrative aide with the Marin County Assessor/ Recorder/County Clerk’s Office (ARCC) team. Utilizing spreadsheets, Michael summarizes and organizes data into manageable forms. He also helps distribute architectural plans to staff appraisers, and uses APEX drawing software to help generate interior-space sketches that support the appraisal process. Michael has volunteered four hours a week since June 2014. He describes his assignment as “a win-win for me and the ARCC department. I am able to learn new skills from a great group of professional people who are always happy to show me the ropes. I can then use those enhanced skills to help them tackle some of their

Through the UC Education Abroad Program, Michael had the opportunity to study in Budapest, Hungary for two semesters. While there, he traveled to many other countries and cities including Vienna, Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, Brussels, and Prague. He also tutored a professor’s son in English. Michael recently passed the California Basic Educational Skills Test as part of the qualification to become a substitute teacher. He also follows and participates in the online-education community at such sites as Coursera, SkilledUp, and Udemy. Through online study, “I’ve significantly expanded my skills in spreadsheets and databases and hope to use Excel as a strong base for developing additional programming skills,” he said. His volunteer supervisor, Principal Appraiser Jodi Olson, said, “It is a pleasure to have Michael working with us. His Excel skills are top-notch, and he has taught me Excel shortcuts that I didn’t know before he joined our office. It’s apparent to me that the county’s volunteer program provides opportunities for all involved to learn from each other!”

By Barbara Webb

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Who’s New & Welcome Carlos Arevalo, Teen Program Intern, Novato Library Andy Buchanan, Mental Health Intern, Health & Human Services Department (HHS) Jay Christian, Mental Health Intern, HHS Sue Cooper, English Tutor, Novato Library Sarah Cummings, High School Intern, Public Defender’s Office (PD) Ami Diallo, Usher, Cultural Services Diana Dreyer, Event Aide, Human Resources Hali Ford, Certified Law Student, PD Catherine Joy Gonzales-Johnston, Administrative Assistant, HHS Sarah Hook, Attorney, District Attorney Pat Horton, Library Aide, Fairfax Library Rebecca Katz, Post Bar Law Clerk, PD Rick Ko, Certified Law Student, PD Heather Laskaris, Mental Health Intern, HHS Katlin Law, Certified Law Student, PD

Pearlene Leary, Usher, Cultural Services Elizabeth McManus, Library Aide Intern, Fairfax Library Rebecca McManus, Library Aide Intern, Fairfax Library Zack Mellette,Trail Maintenance Volunteer, Parks Juan Morales, Law School Intern, PD Thomas Nakano, Law School Intern, PD Julia Po, Mental Health Intern, HHS Annabelle Potvin, Mental Health Intern, HHS Luz Ramos, Mental Health Intern, HHS Chelsey Richeson, Mental Health Intern, HHS Christina Sanchez-Vasquez, Mental Health Intern, HHS William Silver, Administrative Assistant and Investigator, Sheriff’s Office Malaika Smith, Teen Shelver, Novato Library Gagandeep Waraich, Attorney, PD

Communication is key for English tutor Rita Wengler students with English, the class provides a welcoming environment that inspires acceptance and understanding among cultures.” Her current students have backgrounds from Iran, China, India, South America, Central America, and Mexico, with varying degrees of proficiency in English. “After introductions, we break into small groups to provide more individualized assistance,” Rita explained.

Rita Wengler “Communication is everything,” says multilingual Civic Center Volunteer Rita Wengler, a tutor in a Marin County Free Library program at Hamliton Elementary School in Novato. The program offers students from many cultures opportunities to improve their English skills. “Volunteering for this program is very rewarding,” Rita said. “In addition to assisting

“Lessons are based on the needs of each student and can range from grammar and pronunciation to topics of general conversation. Students develop friendships, which help them adjust to a new culture and language,” she added. In turn, Rita enjoys learning about the students’ native cultures and goals. Rita credits the tutoring program’s success to the abilities and leadership of its coordinator, Marin County Free Library Aide Maria Lee Goodrich.

Growing up, Rita lived in Turkey, Greece, and Italy while her father was a civilian working for the Department of the Army. In 1969 she came to the US to attend Oakland University in Rochester, MI. After graduation, she worked for a bank in Luxembourg, where she met her husband, Alain. The couple was subsequently transferred to San Francisco; they have lived in the Bay Area since 1983. They have traveled widely and are especially fond of northern Italy, where Rita has family connections. Rita speaks French, Italian, and a little German and Spanish. Before retiring, Rita worked for the Committee on the Shelterless, a comprehensive homeless program in Petaluma. She continues to volunteer there. In her free time, Rita enjoys playing bocce ball with friends. She also loves to bake and garden. Rita and her husband have two adult children. By Shirley Trimble

Marin County Parks salutes volunteers Marin County Parks staff members celebrated Parks volunteers at a convivial appreciation picnic on October 10 at McNears Beach Park along the shores of San Pablo Bay in unincorporated San Rafael. Last year on county-owned lands volunteers improved trails, cleared litter, pulled weeds, and served as ambassadors to visitors. They also helped in Parks offices. Want to contribute, too? Visit marincountyparks.org or call 415-473-3778. (Photo by Kirk Schroeder)

Data expert John Rohan shares his tech skills with county’s community health policy team Richmond resident John Rohan enjoys challenges, just one of the reasons he likes to volunteer. “I volunteer because it is fun, and because I think I can make a difference,” he said. “The upbeat attitude of the County of Marin employees — most especially Health and Human Services staff members Felice McClenon and Tara Clark — makes volunteering a pleasure,” he added. John spends up to 10 hours a week as a technical support assistant in the Community Health Policy and Prevention Division of the Health and Human Services Department (HHS). He primarily works on data quality issues of County of Marin legacy system applications.

John’s previous occupation was as a data expert at Gracenote, where he made entertainment products. Gracenote, a company with an Internet-accessible database containing information about contents of CDs and vinyl records, does business with companies such as iTunes. “Either you or your kids have used stuff that I made,” John said. He was a Peace Corps volunteer stationed in the Philippines for three years and currently volunteers for the Point Richmond Neighborhood Council and Point Richmond Land Use and Development Committee. John and his wife, Tania, also volunteer at

medical clinics in different parts of the world. They will be assisting the Marin County Clinic this month, and in 2016 plan to help at clinics in Armenia and in Guadalajara, Mexico. John’s volunteer supervisor, HHS Policy Analyst Felice McClenon, said, “John has been a tremendous asset in helping our team with data collection and system-analysis projects. He has played a key role in helping us improve our data quality. He is also such a pleasure to work with; his calm, easygoing manner makes working through tough data projects a bit easier. We truly appreciate his hard work and dedication.” By Barbara Webb