Thanks for updating your records with our new Salida office numbers:
Chaffee County Mentors Manager, Eleanor Fahrney: 719-530-2581
Chaffee County Mentors Coordinator, Natalie Moore: 719-530-2582
Chaffee County Mentors Coordinator, Mary Surrena : 719-530-2578
Chaffee Mentors PLUS Manager, Menessah Nelson: 719-530-2580
The old hospital has been renovated and will be the new home for many county and city offices
Soon we will be moved in to our new Salida office at the Touber Building (formerly the hospital). This is an exciting time – our new location will allow greater collaboration with other county services, more meeting spaces, larger offices, increased communication between volunteer mentoring and Mentors Plus, and more! We’ve certainly enjoyed our three+ years at 124 East 2nd Street. Yet, we know that we can’t even anticipate all the good that will come out of this change. We hope you will embrace the change with us and come visit us after we get settled in.
We start packing up our Salida office this Thursday, February 25th, and then will begin moving in the old hospital – now called the “Touber Building” – on Monday, March 1st. With the change will come a new phone number yet to be determined. In the meantime, please call the Buena Vista office (719-395-7006) if you can’t reach us in Salida. We also may be out of internet service for March 1st and 2nd, but should be able to check email once a day in Buena Vista. Although our physical address is changing to 448 East 1st Street, we will keep the county PO Box – all mail should be sent to Chaffee County Mentors, PO Box 1007, Salida, CO 81201.
Thanks for your patience through our transition.
Heather (right) with Manager, Eleanor (left), at Monarch in Jan. '09
Chaffee County Mentors Program Coordinator, Heather Barron, has announced that her last official day with our program will be April 30th.
We are sad to see Heather go – she has brought great gifts of listening, creativity, vision, laughter, and open-mindedness to our program. We know that she will bring these gifts and more to all who cross her path in the future.
We are seeking applicants for the new Program Coordinator job. The Program Coordinator position will be running Youth In Action half-time and supporting matches the other half. Program Manager, Eleanor Fahrney, will focus on supporting matches and managing the program. We hope to have the new coordinator start April 1st so they can shadow Youth In Action and get training from Heather.
Job Posting:
Chaffee County Mentors seeks full time Program Coordinator who is a highly organized and personable individual capable of managing multiple program activities and office duties. This individual must take initiative and spearhead projects independently, including running Youth In Action – peer mentoring that empowers middle school students as mentors and reading buddies to pre-school children. Other duties include: supporting adult-youth mentoring matches; recruiting, screening, and training volunteer mentors; running monthly group activities; budget management; grant reporting; and fundraising. Desirable skills include: background in education, demonstrated ability to work effectively with diverse youth in mixed-age groups, demonstrated ability to work in a strengths-based fashion with parents and families, volunteer and staff training and management, proficient computer skills, graphic design, strong verbal and written communication skills, and ability to travel county-wide and work evenings and some weekends. While direct service skills are critical, organization is key as the position is half-time paperwork. College degree required. Position is based out of Salida Family & Youth Initiatives office. Salaried position with benefits. $32,000 to $35,000 based on experience. More info and complete job description online: www.chaffeementors.org. To apply, please submit cover letter, resume, and two letters of reference by 5pm on 02/16/10 to Eleanor Fahrney, Program Manager, Chaffee County Mentors, 124 East 2nd St, Salida, CO 81201. Position starts 04/01/10.
Click link below for a complete job description:
Chaffee County Mentors is incredibly grateful to all the mentors pictured and not pictured for the time they give every month to offer youth in Buena Vista and Salida valuable one-on-one time. They are truly an extraordinary group of people and most have been mentoring for over two years.
Chaffee County Mentors currently has 30 matches and plans to make 15 more by June 2010. Help us serve our local youth by becoming a mentor! To find out more about volunteering, click here. With a little time, YOU could make a BIG difference – and help us celebrate National Mentoring Month!
Youth In Action celebrated our last month of 2009 with meeting artists and working with different media.
In Buena Vista, Evelyn Baker, owner of The Trailhead and an accomplished stained glass artist joined us at the pre-school and taught the kids how to make a tile mosaic. The first week everyone designed a trivet with mini colored tiles glued onto larger tiles (donated by Beth MacNab with High Valley Furniture). We finished the project the last Monday we met in December when Evelyn taught us how to grout. Parents joining us for our End of Month Parent Showcase, helped seal the trivets so they would last at home for many holiday meals. Buena Vista matches also made a visit to Alf’s Blacksmith Shop where they learned about the age-old art of metal working. After watching a demonstration of heating and shaping metal into a hoof pick, we learned how to bend wire into shapes. Then, pre-schoolers tried their hand at shaping cold clay by pounding it against an anvil. Meanwhile, middle schoolers tried the same with soft pewter.
In Salida, our December started with a visit from painter Sally Mather. Sally’s beautiful landscapes decorate the Family & Youth Initiative office at 124 East 2nd Street, so we were excited to hear some of her artistic wisdom. She taught YIA about line and had us practice making different line shapes with our bodies. Then, pre-schoolers and middle schoolers mimicked the use of pastels using chalk, water, and black paper. Sally played music and encouraged us to make one continuous line. All the kids created masterpieces. The next week, we got an art show from our own high school staff, Katie Pugh, who was recently elected student of the month by her art teacher. Then Jenny Spiller, one of our pre-school teachers, showed charcoal portraits to the youth. Matches used charcoal and colored pencils to make portraits of their buddies. We wrapped up the month with a visit from Maverick Potter owner, Mark Rittman. After a demonstration of the kinds of things he makes out of clay, the kids went to work with their own clay, making cut-out ornaments and more! After Mark showed one of our pre-schoolershow to make a pinch pot, Kellen proceeded to make 9 more pots.
We are incredibly grateful to the generosity of Evelyn Baker, Alf the Blacksmith, Sally Mather, Jenny Spiller, and Mark Rittman for sharing their talents, their materials, their love for art, and their time with Youth In Action.