but he also is one of the

students’ most strident

supporters in regard to

their collegiate and per-

sonal success. Popular

among students, he wants

CW students to get edu-

cated, graduate and move

on to a better, more sus-

taining future for them-

selves and their children.

Mike understands that

since time is of the es-

sence, it is imperative that

students adjust to the

changes so they can take

full advantage of what is

available in what remains a

struggling economy. He

has noticed the increase of

clients in the DHA offices

and acknowledged the de-

mand for CalWORKs and

other social service pro-

Changes have come to the

CalWORKs program amid

calls to tighten budgets and

reduce or eliminate social

service programs. The new

regulations became effec-

tive on July 1, 2011. An

informational meeting was

held on May 19, 2011 at

ARC to outline the new

policy which reduces an

adult on aid from 60

months to 48 months (See

back of newsletter for

complete version of

changes).

Michael Clevenger, a hu-

man services specialist for

six years with the Depart-

ment of Human Assis-

tance, works with CW stu-

dents to ensure that they

are in compliance with the

guidelines of the program,

grams is great. Even

though these changes have

brought some anxiety to

CW students, Mike contin-

ues to urge them to push

forward because he has

seen the positive side of

what can result when stu-

dents stay on track with

their educational goals.

In an animated moment,

Mike describes how it feels

to see someone who was

unsure at first about col-

lege striding confidently to

receive a hard earned de-

gree at graduation, which

hopefully will translate to

continued stability and

success.

See page 4 for Updates.

CALWORKS CHANGES— TIME LIMIT IS SHORTENED

SMALL STEPS TO ATTAIN BIG DREAMS

No one can take your

dreams away from you,

particularly if you’re the

type to do the job yourself

by finding reasons why

living your best life isn’t

possible.

You’ve heard the excuses

before: ―I’m too old, I’m

not smart enough or tal-

ented enough or ― It will

take too long.‖ The list of

broken dreams goes on and

on of individuals who set-

tled rather than soared.

True, some of the reasons

are valid and are actually

fine as long as there are no

regrets, but why rob the

world of your incredible

attributes and deny an inte-

gral part of who you are?

Liliia Mordina is a CW

student who is married

with three children and has

an angelic voice. She also

has dreams that have been

quietly tucked away, but

not for long.

Arriving six years ago

from the Ukraine, every-

one in Liliia’s family

worked together and lived

in one house to survive.

(continued on page 2)

Be sure to book

when it comes to

getting your books

and studying this

semester...

FROM THE CALWORKS

STAFF

WELCOME BACK!

CalWORKs WORKS

American River College

4700 College Oak Drive

Sacramento, CA 95841

(916) 484-8059

Inside this issue:

CW Changes 1

Small Steps to Big

Dreams 1-2

Welcome Back! 2

Work Study Win-Win

Situation 3-4

Portraits of Success –

Honorable Daughter 3

What’s Going On 3

CW Time Limit Info. 4

August 2011 Volume 2, Issue 2

Welcome back to

a new semester, new chal-

lenges, new experiences

and new opportunities to

learn something you didn’t

know before. Welcome

back to achieving feats you

never imagined that you

could and inspiring some-

one along the way by say-

ing something uplifting.

Welcome back to getting

closer to attaining your

educational goals and

overcoming obstacles that

might stop others in their

tracks, but not YOU! Wel-

come back to being posi-

tive, strong, empowered

and unwilling to allow any

setbacks keep you from

coming back should there

be days when you feel dis-

couraged or defeated.

Welcome back to being

more determined than last

semester to join a study

group and ask questions

when uncertain. Welcome

back to visiting your pro-

fessors during office hours

to gain clarity and meet–

ing with a counselor to

make sure your path to

graduation is set if that’s

your goal. Welcome back

to utilizing campus re-

sources to help you suc-

ceed.

Welcome back to the trek

you’re on to broaden your

horizons. Welcome back,

because you were missed

and are an essential part of

what makes ARC special.

to review resumes, conduct

career related seminars,

and manage requests for

classroom orientations

from professors who

wanted to expose their

students to the inner work-

ings of the Career Center.

She also teamed up with

colleagues to organize ca-

reer fairs. Now Joy meets

with CW students to re-

Joy Baldwin was a key

resource and staff member

at the Career Center, but

most recently has assumed

the role of a Work Study

coordinator for the Cal-

WORKs Work Study pro-

gram.

Previously, Joy wore the

Career Center hat and

worked with ARC students

view resumes, discuss

work histories and assess

skills.

One of the most important

facets of the CalWORKs

Work Study program is

recruiting employers to

participate in the program

(continued...pg 3)

Gerontology, Liliia is pre-

paring to become a doctor

by caring for the elderly

first.

An extraordinary bond

with her late grandmother

gave her an appreciation

for the wisdom of her eld-

ers. ―They can’t always

show you how to do things

because of their age, but

they can tell you what

they know.‖ Liliia also

embraces this Russian

saying, ―Water can’t run

under the laying stone.‖ In

other words, no dream

will prosper without ef-

fort. Liliia is keeping her

dreams flowing, one step-

ping stone at a time.

Liliia, however, dreamt

of more and has fer-

vently held onto healing

others since she was a

child. By taking small

steps, she’ll get there.

From a job that paid the

bills, to a job that gives

her new skills as a CW

student helper, to striv-

ing to attain an A.A. in

Page 2

MAINTAINING YOUR

COOL IN SCHOOL

Go to Bed Earlier

Eat Healthy Meals

Try Not to Stress, Relax

Find a Quiet Study Area

Seek out Counselors

Sign up for Tutoring

Visit Your Professors

Use Campus Resources

Form Study Groups

Take Planned Breaks

Exercise

Take Power Naps, but

not in Class!

CalWORKs WORKS

Liliia Mordina

Future Doctor

SMALL STEPS TO ATTAIN BIG DREAMS (cont . . . f rom pg 1)

WORK STUDY PROGRAM A WIN-WIN SITUATION

WELCOME BACK...WE MISSED YOU!

CALWORKs

Mon - Thurs - Fri

8am-5pm

Tues & Weds

8am-7pm

because they are key to hir-

ing qualified students. Thus,

rapport building and estab-

lishing job leads is a must in

order to have a successful

program. The other crucial

element are job-ready CW

students.

According to Ms. Baldwin,

the majority of employers

are on the ARC campus.

You might find a CW stu-

dent working in Enrollment

Services, DSP&S, the cafete-

ria or off-campus at a private

business.

Joy points out that she

―cannot guarantee anyone

a job. In the end, it is up to

the employer to choose to

hire a candidate.‖ Overall,

the program is a win-win

situation, particularly when

there’s a good match. Em-

ployers get exemplary

workers and receive help

from the county and fed-

eral Work Study Program

to pay employee wages.

For students, ―It is a means

of self-sufficiency that can

build their skills and add to

their experience,‖ Joy

states. To date 96 students

are employed.

Joy has tackled her role

with humor and a positive

attitude. Currently, she is

in the throes of developing

some components to the

program to enhance the

efforts of the past in order

to keep everything running

smoothly. So far, so good!

TRANSFER FAIR —

Wednesday 10/5 Where are

you going after ARC? If

seeking to transfer, come

visit college representatives

from numerous schools.

9:30am-1:30pm, Rose Mark

Quad

CAREER FAIR — Thurs-

day 10/6 Seeking employ-

ment? Dust off your resume,

and your amazing skills and

stop by one of the tables to

speak to employers about

SCHOLARSHIPS — Visit

the Career Center to sign up

for a workshop.

ARC CAMPUS & COM-

MUNITY RESOURCE

FAIR — Wednesday 9/21

Find out about what re-

sources are available in

the Sacramento metropoli-

tan area to help you with

food assistance, housing,

scholarships, low cost

health programs, etc.

10am-1pm, Library

Quad

making a contribution to their

organization. As always, dress

to impress! 10am-1pm, Li-

brary Quad

More Career Center

Events —

CAREER EXPLORATION

ASSESSMENTS — Monday

10/3, 9am-4pm

RESUME EVALUATIONS —

Tuesday & Wednesday 10/4 &

10/5, 9am-4pm

respectful, and above all

else honorable. As a Fash-

ion Design major, Yennie’s

skills are so enormous that

she could have been a con-

testant on the popular tele-

vision program, Project

Runway. Besides giving up

that prospect, Yennie chose

the immediate needs of her

young daughter and elderly

father over pursuing a ca-

reer as an architect. Upon

her mother’s passing, she

complied with her

wishes with a full heart,

as any honorable daugh-

ter would do.

Yennie might not agree,

but she is designing her

future, and will excel in

any field she attempts.

Whether fashion or ar-

chitecture, Ms. Zhou is

going places, but only

after everyone else is

settled and secure.

Yennie Zhou downplays

her incredible gifts. Fore-

going her promise, she

has elected to do what is

best for her family and is

unshakable in her deter-

mination to ensure that

her loved ones are taken

care of before the pursuit

of her own desires.

A loving mother and a

multi-talented student,

Yennie is also a daugh-

ter who is loving,

Page 3 Congrats to Mary McConnell who made 113 words from the word “CalWorks !” Volume 2, Issue 2

WHAT’S GOING ON????

PORTRAITS OF SUCCESS — AN HONORABLE DAUGHTER

WORKSTUDY PROGRAM A WIN-WIN SITUATION (cont. ..pg 2)

For more details about the

Work Study program, visit the

CalWORKs office or call:

(916) 484-8059

YENNIE’S PAPER DESIGN

LRCCD

Primary Business Address

Your Address Line 2

Your Address Line 3

Your Address n 4

STATE OF CALIFORNIA - HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES

CALWORKS 48-MONTH TIME LIMIT ON AID Beginning July 1, 2011, an aided adult (parent,

stepparent, and/or caretaker relative) can only receive

48 months (4 years) of cash aid from the California

Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids

(CalWORKs) program. This includes cash aid you received

from California and other states’ Federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

Programs.

The 48-month time limit does NOT apply to:

• Children

• Child Care

• Medi-Cal Benefits

• CalFresh Benefits

• Aid that was received from California or other

states under the Aid to Families with Dependent

Children (AFDC) Program before January 1, 1998.

FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE CalWORKs 48-MONTH TIME LIMIT

Time Limit Exemptions - ―Clock Stoppers‖ A month on cash aid does not count toward your CalWORKs 48-month time limit if at any time during that month you are:

Disabled (You must have medical proof of a disability that is expected to last at least 30 days.)

60 years or older.

Caring for an ill or incapacitated person living in your home, which impairs you from working or participating in

welfare-to-work activities.

Caring for a dependent child of the court or a child at risk of placement in foster care, which impairs you from

working or participating in welfare-to-work activities.

A victim of domestic abuse and the county waives the 48-month time limit.

A pregnant or parenting teen under the age of 20 and you are going to school to earn your high school diploma

or GED.

Living in Indian Country, as defined by federal law, or an Alaskan native village, in which at least 50 percent of

the adults are unemployed.

More ―Clock Stoppers‖ to the CalWORKs 48-Month Time Limit A month does not count if:

You did not get CalWORKs cash aid because your cash grant was less than $10 or you were sanctioned, or for

any other reason.

Your cash grant is fully repaid by child support collection.

You are off cash aid, employed and only getting supportive services such as child care, transportation, and

case management.

You are the parent or caretaker of one child who is between 12 and 23 months of age, or two or more children

who are under six years of age.

You are living in a county that provides good cause from welfare-to-work participation due to lack of supportive

services.

(These last two exemptions will end on June 30, 2012, or when these reasons no longer apply in your case,

whichever comes first.)

CW 2184 (7/11) REQUIRED FORM - NO SUBSTITUTES PERMITTED