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Imperial County 4-H Program Flourishes
At Vesper Society, we are dedicated to long-term solutions that help communities help themselves. One example of this is the University of California Cooperative Extension’s (UCCE) 4-H youth development program in Imperial County. Imperial County Youth Earns Top Honors in 4-H. Rose Fiorenza, Calipatria High School graduate of 2018, was awarded the California Diamond Clover Award – the highest achievement for which a 4-H youth member is recognized in California. To be considered for this award, 4-H members fulfill a number of requirements, including attending State Leadership Conference or an Area Conference and completing more than 100 hours of community service. Six additional requirements such as serving as a state ambassador or serving as a judge at a county, area or state judging day are also met. Fiorenza, a member of the Magnolia 4-H Club, began her 4-H career at the age of 6. Over the past 12 years, she went on to become a junior leader and eventually a teen leader in the small animal projects. Through 4-H, Rose helped develop and implement Sustainable You! — an environmental science summer camp in Imperial County that teaches youth how to conserve our natural resources and lead more sustainable lives. She was instrumental in helping create and develop a statewide curriculum to teach civic leadership to youth. Last year, Rose was one of five youths who represented California at the National 4-H Conference. While there, she gave a presentation to the federal Department of Health and Human Services on how to implement positive youth development into their healthy living programs. “It was an absolutely surreal experience,” Rose recalls. “To know that such a big governmental agency truly values what you have to say is so empowering.” Although her days as a 4-H youth member have ended, Rose has not stopped... Read More
Welcome New Board Members!
Vesper Society is delighted to welcome three new leaders who join our board of directors this year: Kate Lawler, Yammilette Rodriguez, and Michael Ward. They share Vesper’s belief in the simple idea that a just society begins when everyone is well and respected as a human being. We look forward to working with them to find long-term solutions that improve the health and well-being of overlooked communities. Kate Lawler is a women’s health advocate working with survivors of domestic violence in Chicago. Kate has also worked with young adults in Buenos Aires through the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Yammilette Rodriguez is dedicated to strengthening youth leadership in the Central Valley and nationally trains organizations and communities on youth-adult partnerships. In 2012 Yami was named Hispanic Leader of the Year by State Assemblyman Henry Perea. Michael Ward recently changed careers after 22 years practicing employment law. Michael oversees administrative duties for a Bay Area agency to uplift under-served individuals and their families by doing whatever it takes. These remarkable individuals reflect our commitment to our values of service, justice, and partnership. With their compassion and expertise on our board, we are one step closer to realizing the potential for healthy communities to thrive and prosper. Learn more about board... Read More
Open Door Celebrates New Facility Grand Opening in Fortuna, CA
Every day, Vesper Society links arms with leaders who are working to improve the health of their communities. One such leader, Open Door Community Health Centers, brings a proven model of sustainable healthcare, opportunity, and access to healthcare to the Eel River Valley, a picturesque community in the southern part of rural Humboldt County, California. Forty-seven years after opening its first clinic, Open Door now has 13 health centers and three mobile vans and employs over 650 people. Many of the natural resource-based businesses in the Eel River Valley—the cornerstone of its economy—have closed. As a result, professionals, including medical providers, have relocated to find employment in urban areas. Healthcare access has become a real challenge for the community with limited options, facilities located far from home, and specialty services like dental and behavioral health nearly impossible to find locally. Open Door provides a primary care family doctor to more than one-third of the county’s population. And Open Door’s focus on the continuum of care, from illness prevention and health maintenance to disease management and treatment, improves patient and community health and attracts providers to the area. With continued support from Vesper Society, Open Door has opened a new 32,000 square foot community health, dental, and behavioral health center in Fortuna. After nearly five years of planning and construction, the new, state-of-the-art medical facility has helped recruit and retain healthcare providers and has been a boost to the overall quality of life in the area. Families, employers, and retirees are all feeling more hopeful now that there are increased health services available in the community. “We almost felt forgotten here in Fortuna. The long-term doctors were moving away, and nobody was replacing them. I have not had a primary care doctor for the past four years. Now I do... Read More
Clinicas Builds New Medical Facility in Imperial County
Vesper Society is committed to improving the health and well-being of communities. One way we do this is by supporting Clinicas de Salud del Pueblo. Clinicas de Salud del Pueblo (Clinicas) was established in 1970 and is a Federally Qualified Health Center offering services at eleven clinics to everyone regardless of their ability to pay. This is a valuable service in the geographically-isolated Imperial County in California’s vast southeastern desert where social and economic demographics create many barriers to healthcare. In particular, lack of transportation causes many patients to have difficulty getting to their appointments and often to miss their much-needed follow-up appointments, x-ray, or lab work at another location. With a constant flow of bi-national agricultural workers, tourists, and residents crossing the nearby U.S./Mexico border daily, Clinicas’ expertise lies in its ability to serve and treat a large Latino, primarily Spanish-speaking, mostly uninsured population. Their client base includes economically disadvantaged adults and youth, migrant and seasonal farm workers, and a population with high unemployment. Vesper has provided Clinicas with support to establish a comprehensive pediatric asthma program, develop telemedicine services, and support their integrated behavioral health program. Clinicas serves a large community, and their current 12,000 square foot building is at capacity. Construction on a new 42,000 square foot medical facility—scheduled to open in December 2018—is currently underway in El Centro, California. The new state-of-the-art medical facility will be the largest in Imperial County and will expand Clinicas’ medical, radiology, and behavioral departments, expand the training internship program, and add new services to include dental, pharmacy, and ophthalmology. A significant community benefit of the new facility is its ability to be a “one-stop shop,” addressing many of the transportation barriers Clinicas clients face. The new facility will also serve as Clinicas’ corporate headquarters. Given its nature of migrant... Read More
Remembering Robert Brorby (1925-2018)
To live out a vision of vocation where lay people actively shape the social implications of their faith: This is how Bob Brorby lived his life. Following graduation from the School of Law (Boalt Hall) of the University of California at Berkeley in 1951, Bob practiced civil litigation for 47 years. That was his profession. His vocation was to relate the social concepts of his Christian faith not simply to his professional life but to the whole of life. The Lutheran Church and Vesper Society became the vehicles for that deeper and wider engagement. Bob’s commitment to the institutional church included service at the local, regional and national levels. He worshipped at Grace Lutheran Church in Richmond, California for 56 years, where he sang in the choir and served on the church council and in other ways. He served 24 years on the board of directors of Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary where he chaired the board during the 1970s. Bob served on the Executive Board of the Pacific Southwest Synod of the Lutheran Church in America and the Executive Council of the national denomination and he served on the Commission for a New Lutheran Church which formed the current Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. However, it was through Vesper Society that Bob’s primary interest – the ministry of the laity in daily life – was most satisfied. “It allowed me to get outside of my workday world and really be a part of trying to effect policy in government and institutions,” he said. Bob crossed paths with the two late Vesper co-founders, Gene Heckathorn and Bob Cummings, long before 1965 when they came up with the idea of Vesper Society – a concept and network that would involve a community of lay persons dedicated to apply their financial and... Read More
Modoc Medical Center Breaks Ground on New Hospital
Vesper Society believes in a simple idea: a just society begins when everyone is well. To improve the health and well-being of a community, we partner with community hospitals and clinics and support their programs. Located in the rural northeastern portion of California, Modoc Medical Center (MMC) serves the residents of Alturas and the surrounding area, covering about 4,500 square miles. The geographic reach of the hospital district is significant, and MMC represents the only local option for hospital services in their frontier community. Vesper supports MMC’s efforts to provide telehealth services for residents in this remote area and has funded care coordinators focused on reducing health disparities within the community related to socio-economic makeup and age-related chronic conditions of patients. We celebrate MMC on their new facility project that will replace their current hospital. Many community members, hospital staff, hospital partners, and collaborating agencies attended the June 2018 groundbreaking ceremony and celebration. The new hospital will replace the current hospital, built in 1949, that is located within the 100-year flood plain. It will be seismically compliant and designed to accommodate effective and efficient delivery of healthcare. The new facility will be 47,000 square feet and will include an eight-bed critical access hospital, operating room, emergency room, hospital pharmacy, radiology department, laboratory, clinic, retail pharmacy, ambulance garage, maintenance shop, and space for support services and administrative offices. The project will unfold in two phases: Phase I, preliminary site work, is underway and will be completed in Fall 2018. Modoc Medical Center CEO Kevin Kramer shared that they are excited to work with White Bear Construction on Phase I and that using local resources is important to the administration. Phase II will begin in Spring 2019 with Swinerton Builders beginning construction. The anticipated completion date is Fall 2020, and MMC... Read More