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Bringing joy to children on Easter

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We’re very proud of our LifeSTEPS staff for teaming up to assemble and safety distribute 50 Easter bags to children in need at Terracina at Morgan Hill Apartments, an affordable housing community located in Morgan Hill, California. The bags, filled with goodies, helped spread holiday cheer to the children, who were clearly delighted.

Terracina at Morgan Hill Apartments, developed by our partner USA Properties Fund, serves 72 families and individuals in the South Bay community of Morgan Hill. LifeSTEPS provides effective educational and supportive services to its residents.

The Easter bags brought big smiles, happiness and excitement to children living at Terracina at Morgan Hill,” said Ann Elias, Director of Community and Resident Services at LifeSTEPS. “Special events like this allow members of the LifeSTEPS team to contribute to our mission in meaningful ways and create extraordinary moments, bringing hope and joy to our residents.”

Here are just a few of our very happy and grateful friends!

The LifeSTEPS footprint in the greater Sacramento area keeps growing

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The LifeSTEPS footprint in the greater Sacramento area keeps growing, so effective today, we’re launching two new regions. The Sacramento Region continues to be led by Regional Director Michelle Lee, and by Ashli Hanks, who has been promoted to a Sacramento Regional Supervisor. Rachel Roguski has been promoted to Regional Director of the new Northern Region, and Esmeralda Mendoza will be the Northern Regional Supervisor.

We are delighted that Ashli and Rachel are continuing to grow in their leadership roles within our LifeSTEPS organization. Please join with us in celebrating our Sacramento and Northern Regions that will provide continued excellence in service delivery.

About Ashli Hanks

Ashli joined LifeSTEPS in February 2020 as a Social Services Specialist (SSS) in the Sacramento Region. In this unique role, Ashli has shown great talent and flexibility, covering various sites, serving as both a Director of Social Services and Program Coordinator. She was very instrumental in finding additional food resources for residents during the early COVID-19 pandemic months in the spring of 2020. In October of 2020, Ashli took on the role of Health and Housing Liaison within the Sacramento Region. Her commitment to excellence cultivated strong relationships with several key partners, including University of California, Davis and CSU, Sacramento. Ashli provided supervision, training and support to nursing students and community health interns, with the guidance of Meredith Chillemi and our Sacramento Regional leadership team. Ashli has a Bachelor of Science in Child Development from CSU.

About Rachel Roguski

Rachel joined LifeSTEPS in 2017 as Resident Services Director, where she provided individuals with a myriad of education, resources and services, while cultivating relationships with local agencies to ensure wrap around support to residents. She created Teen City to facilitate college readiness and employment services for teenage students at Phoenix Park, a large multi-family complex in Sacramento. Rachel most recently held the position of Regional Supervisor of Social Services (RSSS) in the Sacramento Region, where she continues to support employees through supervision and training, while developing and maintaining important community connections. She has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Brandman University. Her compassionate spirit, coupled with her effective leadership has provided this next step in her career at LifeSTEPS.

Seniors Receive Vaccinations at Bellflower Terrace

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Great news! Last week, 60 LifeSTEPS residents and their caregivers received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at Bellflower Terrace, an affordable housing community for seniors located in Bellflower. The vaccines were provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) efforts to support community vaccination centers in California and across the country.

Since many residents haven’t been able to schedule an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine through their health care provider, the seniors expressed gratitude and thanks to LifeSTEPS for holding clinics steps away from their apartments. We’ll continue to work with our partners to ensure that affordable housing communities are prioritized for the COVID-19 vaccine and have access to the vaccine through on-site or nearby vaccination clinics. We are committed to taking care of our residents and supporting each other to stay healthy.

Kathy Cao helps bring food stability to residents

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Meet Kathy Cao, one of our amazing LifeSTEPS’ Directors of Social of Services. There are many words to describe Kathy: trustworthy, go-getter, creative, passionate, patient, resourceful and adaptable. Kathy’s ability to work with kids, families, and seniors from diverse backgrounds is one of her largest strengths.

When COVID-19 hit, Kathy started a food program at one of our senior sites. Although she experienced challenges due to an initial lack of resources, Kathy began networking until she succeeded. Needless to say, Kathy’s food program brought food stability, relief and joy to the residents.

Kathy’s focus on the well-being of her residents is unstoppable, and we’re so proud that she’s part of the LifeSTEPS team.