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Weed
Weed Community Resource Center
720 S. Davis, Suite A
Weed, CA 96094
530-938-2426
weedcrc@sbcglobal.net
Jodi Ede - Executive Director
Weed Community Resource Center (WCRC) is a self-sustaining program of the Weed Community Center (WCC). WCRC is a community based non-profit organization committed to serving the needs of Weed and surrounding areas. Our mission is to help strengthen and unify all community members by offering programs, activities, resources and referrals. WCC Board of Directors has direct oversight of the WCRC Executive Director. WCC has obtained capital funds and plans to begin construction of the new Weed Community Center located adjacent to the College of Siskiyous campus in Bel Air Park in August 2008. WCC will then be the new home of the Weed Community Resource Center program, activities and services.
WCRC offers a wide-range of activities, programs and services to community members following the core services model adopted by the Family/Community Resource Center Network. WCRC serves the community as a whole with First 5 funds providing programs specifically for children between 0-5 years old and their families. WCRC works diligently to bridge current gaps in services and to work in collaboration and partnership with other programs or services.
Current First 5 funded and supported Programs, Activities & Services of Weed Community Resource Center - Funded for fiscay year 2008-2009 by First 5 Siskiyou for $40,000 - include:
- Family Advocacy
- Parent Education
- Children Play Area
- Car-Seat Safety Program
- Helmet Safety Program
- Lending Library
- Parenting Resource Kits
- Early Childhood Literacy Program
- Transition to School Program
- Summer Buddies
- Nutrition Education & Activities
- Volunteer Site
- Compassionate Friends Support Group
- Family & Community Fun Nights
- Kindergarten Round-up
- Children’s Activities at WIC
- Story Time
- Children’s Cooking Classes
- Healthy Families Application Assistance
- A variety of resources and referrals to other services and programs
Volunteerism is very important in the community of Weed. WCRC has utilized a number of volunteers in a variety of ways. Supervised elementary school children have helped to provide activities to 0-5 age children during Family & Community Fun Nights, they have helped with labeling and organizing books as well as helped with organization and sanitation of the play area. Middle School and High School students (student athletes, Key Club members and other students) have helped during cooking classes, have sorted and filled packs for the Kindergarten Round-Up, have served food during Family & Community Fun Nights, and helped to set up and clean up for many events. We have had office assistance (such as answering phones, taking messages, copying flyers, putting together packets of flyers, newsletters, etc. for distribution throughout community) provided by high school students on several occasions in order to allow our staff to complete other projects. Parents, teachers, school administrators, WCC Board Members and Weed Elementary School Board members have helped with Fun Nights, to help organize age appropriate activities for children, have cooked, cleaned, etc. for many different events. Volunteers have swept and mopped our floors, cleaned our restrooms, sanitized play area items, donated hand-made quilts, weeded our front and back areas, painted our sign, copied newsletters and flyers, helped to distribute our materials, etc. Our volunteers have been very valuable to us. We have also had community members in need of community service hours fill their required time volunteering for our program. Unfortunately, WCRC has not been as diligent in tracking our volunteer hours as we should, it would be estimated that approximately 500 or more hours of accumulative volunteer hours have been utilized during 07.08 fy.
WCRC plans to continue efforts to maintain improve and/or increase our programs, activities and services for children 0-5 years old, their families and the community by working in collaboration and coordination with other non-profit organizations, businesses and county agencies. We will remain true to our goal of “bridging the gaps” and to avoid duplication of services and supports.
Obtaining funds to finally build the Weed Community Center has been our organizations highest achievement. Recently, a meeting was held that consisted of a city-wide planning council that included Weed Community and Resource Center, Ford Family Foundation, the Board of Directors, and representatives from COS and Weed Parks & Recreation District, the City of Weed, and the architects of the new Weed Community Center building. Plans were discussed and final approvals were made. All environmental studies, permits, etc. have been completed. Upon hearing that the site plans did not include a “large enough” dedicated space for a children’s play area, the Ford Family Foundation are now considering an additional contribution to the funding in order to build an area 2-3 times the size originally planned. The main and greatest result of the meeting was when ground-breaking would happen. GROUND BREAKING OF OUR NEW HOME, WEED COMMUNITY CENTER, IS OFFICIALLY SCHEDULED FOR AUGUST 2008. (It is feasible that we will be in our new location prior to the end of 08.09 fy.)
During the 2008-2009 Fiscal Year, WCRC will continue to strive towards fulfilling our mission: To strengthen and unify all community members by providing civic, social, cultural, educational and recreational activities for people of all ages.
We shall diligently work towards maintaining and hopefully increasing our partnerships within the community and continue to build upon the structure and foundation of trust and reliability we have worked so hard to create.
Since WCRC first began, we have increased our capacity and ability to serve the community on a yearly basis. We plan to continue our expansion of programs, activities and services by working towards several goals for the new fiscal year. The goals listed below are in no particular order, as they are all of great value towards our continued success:
1) Increase our volunteer recruitment and retention,
2) Develop a more accurate record keeping system of volunteer and in-kind service,
3) Expand our efforts and outreach activities in ways that will increase the cultural diversity of our participants,
4) Conduct assessments that will identify communities needs,
5) Continue to expand our relationships with local preschool and child care providers,
6) Continue to increase general public’s awareness of our programs, activities and services
7) Increase our data collection tools, continue to seek streamlined ways to accumulate necessary and helpful information that exceeds PEDS data to include all programs, activities and services information,
8) Increase our organizational capacity by seeking out diversified funding that will support the expansion of staff positions,
9) Maintain the high level of partnership we have with local schools,
10) Strive to support our definition of COMMUNITY…
Coordinating Opportunities for Multi-generational and Multi-cultural members to Unite as Neighbors and Individuals; Together, Year-round.
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