Hi Glendale! March is certainly an important month for us! Read more to learn about exciting changes happening around the city, fun community events with kids, and more!
1. California State Parks Announces Grant Recommendations for Recreational Trail Projects
California State Parks has recommended $4.68 million in federal grant funding for seven local non-motorized trail projects. Cities such as Glendale, Napa, and Riverside applied for the funding in hopes to improve the quality of life for their communities by enhancing access to the outdoors.
The program will help states develop and maintain recreational trails and trail-related facilities for non-motorized and motorized recreational trail uses. Out of 50 project applications submitted, the Brand Trail System Expansion Project was selected to be one of seven selected projects with a grant amount of $440,000. This project will construct three new hiking trails throughout Brand Park, including connecting a trail to Brand Motorway and a trail connecting Brand Motorway to Skyline Motorway!
2. City’s Workforce Development Recognized as Key Leaders in Assisting People with Disabilities
The Workforce staff at the Verdugo Jobs Center was recently featured on the California Workforce Association (CWA)’s website as key workforce leaders in assisting people with disabilities to be connected to high-growth industry sectors.
Since 2006, staff has provided valuable employment training programs for people with disabilities, which historically has had double-digit unemployment rates.
In partnership with Glendale Community College, the Department of Rehabilitation, the Lanterman Regional Center, and the Verdugo Jobs Center, the first career pathway for individuals on the autism spectrum, which is known as the Computer Numeric Machinist Academy (CNC), was developed in Glendale. These partners created a high-growth sector pathway in manufacturing for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have long been overlooked. They provided them with employable skills to be successful in the manufacturing industry. The training program’s placement rate was 86%, with starting wages above minimum wage.
The goal is to expand this program model for people with disabilities to other industries, such as information technology, bioscience, and digital media. Additionally, workforce staff continues to provide valuable services to Social Security recipients who are eligible for the “Ticket to Work” program navigate their job search while maintaining their benefits and eventually being self-sufficient.
As Melissa Younesian is quoted, “A disability doesn’t describe a person; [let's] shift the emphasis away from the disability, and we focus on what the person can do.”
3. Cops For Kids Clothing Giveaway Event
Earlier this month, the Glendale Police Officers Association organized a Cops For Kids clothing giveaway to support local families in need! Approximately 200 Glendale residents participated and received clothing, blankets, and toys for their families. The items were collected and donated by the Al Barro Foundation, a non-profit organization operated by GPD Officer Jamilah Jabali and her family.
4. CERT Containers Delivered to Vulnerable Neighborhoods
With proceeds from the State Homeland Security Grant Program, the City of Glendale was able to purchase equipment and storage (PODs) for community disaster resiliency and preparedness. Three highly secured steel shipping containers are now located in some of our most vulnerable communities - Whiting Woods, South Glendale (Palmer Park), and Glenoaks Canyon. These communities were identified for these PODs based on their active Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) and their vulnerabilities if a large-scale disaster (i.e., earthquake, wildland fire) impacted the city. The POD equipment cache includes breaking, breaching, prying, and moving tools, wrenches, shovels, triage supplies, temporary shelter, PPE, and other items that each CERT Team have identified to address additional hazards and risks related to their respective response area.
On behalf of the city of Glendale, we hope our women subscribers had a wonderful International Women's Day, and wish everyone a Happy St. Patrick’s Day. That’s it for this month, see you in April!