Vietnamese American Community Center of the East Bay

05/18/2019

We

05/16/2019

We had a joyous and beautiful Mothers' Day celebration last week! 🌷🌷🌷🌷

See more photos here: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipN__uePNNhP73i6L8zKBzvPa4DwZ_6agSOwvZmfSC7Gg02ZCABYUTT15TRHzrXPOg?key=MU1BNVV5Zkg0cHZzaWFwYWJhNU9ZU0VZeHJvdUtR

05/14/2019

We are so grateful for Rose!

Asian Heritage Month Volunteer Spotlight!

Rose Kim Ly has played a crucial role in both language interpretation and technical instruction for the twice a week class at the Vietnamese American Community Center of the East Bay (VACCEB). She helps more than 40 senior students create/use emails, search for native language newspapers, understand online banking, navigate public transportation, and more. Rose says “When I work with and teach them, they are very grateful and that makes me happy.” Way to be an inspiration, Rose!

Looking for ways to volunteer in your community? Visit http://spr.ly/6181EioSx.

#createthegood #asianheritagemonth #computerliteracy #volunteer #community

05/12/2019

Happy Mothers' Day to all the powerful women in our community! 💕

05/09/2019

#ThrowbackThursday to our Lunar New Year celebration from last year!

05/07/2019

Looking for a job? Alameda Health System is hiring!

Alameda Health System is #NowHiring!

Applications are being accepted for Cook, Food Service Worker & Transportation Program Worker positions. Pay range $23-27.11 hourly depending on position and experience.

Apply at www.alamedahealthsystem.org #jobs

05/07/2019

Big Congrats to Serkadis, who has been working in this job for +3 months now!! 👏👏👏😊 Yahoo!

We are so, so proud of Serkadis from Ethiopia, who is a participant in our Jobs Program, and was just offered a position as a Staff Accountant! Serkadis worked as a Nonprofit Accountant for +10 years in Ethiopia, and her new job is at a nonprofit in San Francisco that supports elderly individuals. Getting a job in one's professional field is no guarantee for newcomers in the US, even with years of relevant work experience in their countries. Many struggle for years to find work in their fields, or simply settle for lower level jobs outside of their field. With Serkadis' incredible diligence, perseverance, and work experience, and with the help of our direct employer referrals in our Jobs Program, Serkadis secured this job in less than 3 months. WOW! Now that's some good news to start the weekend. 😎🥳 Join us in congratulating Serkadis, and wishing her the best of luck in her new job!!

05/04/2019

Did you know we give out more than 7,500 bags of food per year to low-income residents? For more information or to sign up, come to Room 201A at VACCEB.

05/02/2019

Big Congrats to Yared from Eritrea, who recently got a job as a Truck Driver! Yared was a participant in VACCEB's Employment Program. Join us in congratulating him! 🚛🚚🚐🚒😁

04/30/2019

Some smiley VACCEB community members! 😄

04/27/2019

Hard at play. 🤨

04/25/2019

Looking for a job? Go to a Job Fair next week at the Oakland Public Library! It will take place on Wednesday, May 1 from 2-4pm at 125 14th Street, Oakland, Bradley C. Walters Community Room. See more information in the flyer!

04/23/2019

Big Congrats to Pascal, who has been employed for +6 months now! 😄👏👏👏👏🥳

Great news to start the week! Pascal, one of our Job Program graduates, starts his first day of work today at a hotel in San Francisco. Pascal is a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He moved here with his wife and two young children to escape the violent political situation there and to start a new life in the US. In his new job, he will be working as a Full-Time Dishwasher for $23/hr + benefits...wow! We are deeply grateful for local businesses that pay living wages and support the refugee/immigrant community. We are so happy Pascal and his family are here in the SF Bay Area, and we wish him all the best in his new job! 💛

04/21/2019

Did you know VACCEB offers free legal immigration assistance? We offer help with N-400 citizenship applications and green card renewals. Email Tri at [email protected] if you'd like to make an appointment or for more information!

04/19/2019

Happy Karaoke Friday! 😜👩‍🎤👨‍🎤🎼🎤

04/17/2019

We love our close *knit* senior community! ☺️💕

04/15/2019

Congrats to Hiwan for being in her job for +3 months now! We are proud of you! 😊

Happy First Day of Work to Hiwan! Hiwan is a participant in our Jobs Program and asylum seeker from Ethiopia. She had +10 years of restaurant work experience in Ethiopia, and just got a job as a Sushi Chef Helper in Oakland! She's excited to work in a restaurant again and get to practice her English with coworkers and customers on the job. Here is Hiwan (left) with our fantastic Jobs Program volunteer, Rick (right). Thank you to Rick for your great help, and best of luck in your new job, Hiwan! 😃

04/13/2019

Lake Merritt is in full bloom! This lake is just down the block from our Center. 🌼🌸🌷🌼🌸🌷🌱

04/11/2019

#ThrowbackThursday to our Senior Program cherry picking field trip last summer. We can't wait for more sunshine and summer fruits this year! 🌞🍒

04/10/2019

Mark your calendars! Our Annual Gala is Friday, September 20 this year. 🥳🥳🥳

04/08/2019

Did you know VACCEB offers Citizenship classes every Saturday? We currently have students from Vietnam, Ethiopia, Iraq, Mexico and Yemen and China! 📝🌏🌍🌎

04/06/2019

Members of our Senior Program in Chinatown SF!

04/04/2019

This is our first week of Spring Session classes at VACCEB. Welcome back, students! ☺️📖📓📝

04/02/2019

🌟UPDATE🌟 Aster has been working as an Accountant at this nonprofit for +6 months now. Congrats, Aster! 😃

Happy First Day of Work to Aster from Eritrea! Aster participated in our Jobs Program, and her determination, professionality, and giving heart truly stand out to us. Even before receiving her employment authorization documents as an asylum seeker, she offered to lend her skills as a volunteer in our Jobs Program, interpreting for those who speak Tigrinya and Amharic. She worked as an Accountant for +20 years in Eritrea, but like many other immigrant jobseekers, initially struggled to find work in her field in the US. With her steady diligence, patience, and impressive skill set, Aster secured a great position as an Accountant at a nonprofit in San Francisco. We think this will be a fantastic job for Aster's financial skills and compassionate heart. Join us in congratulating Aster!! 💛

04/01/2019

Apply for Housing | SAHA

Click below to learn more about affordable housing opportunities in Berkeley and Livermore. Applications open on Friday, April 5.

We maintain waiting lists for all of our properties so that as apartments become vacant we have a ready list of interested applicants. Please note that we cannot predict how long anyone will be on the waiting list before the housing becomes available.

03/31/2019

Lots of potatoes, onions, and cabbage in our Food Bank this week! Recipe ideas, anyone? 🙃

03/29/2019

Big Congrats to our Level 1 ESL students who graduated last week!! 🎉🌟🏆⭐️😁🤩

03/25/2019

🌟UPDATE🌟 Ataklti has been working as a Controller for +1 year now! From all of us at VACCEB, Congrats Ataklti. We are celebrating your many successes! 🎉☺️

Our community members inspire us every day. Today we are very happy for and proud of Ataklti from Ethiopia, one of our Pathway to Self-Sufficiency (PSS) graduates, as well as committed volunteers at VACCEB. Ataklti showed incredible perseverance throughout his entire job search process. Even before he received his work permit, he was committed to gaining skills to launch a successful career in the US. He participated in JVS's Bankworks program, where he learned skills to help him pursue a financial/banking career in the US, the field in which he worked in Ethiopia. We're happy to share that Ataklti just started a job as a Controller at an Oakland property management firm, where he will be overseeing the company's finances. We wish Ataklti the best of luck in his new job, and know he has a bright future ahead.

03/24/2019

Our next session of English and Citizenship classes begin the week of April 1, and spaces are filling up quickly! To register, please go to Room 205 at VACCEB (655 International Blvd, Oakland) from M-F 9am-3pm. Our class schedule is as follows:

ESL Level 1: M/W 9am-12pm
ESL Level 2: M/W 9am-12pm
ESL Level 3: T/Th 9am-12pm
Citizenship: Saturdays 9am-12pm

03/21/2019

Big Congrats to Patricia, who has been working at her banking job for +3 months now! 🎉⭐️😊

Huge Congrats to our community member Patricia from Cameroon, who just completed JVS's Bankworks Training program! We are so proud of you, and excited for this new step in your career. ☺️

03/20/2019

Our Senior Program and their families went on a field trip to San Francisco Chinatown a few weeks ago! See all the photos from their adventure here: http://www.vacceb.net/gallery/2018-2/chinatown-fieldtrip/ 🙃🙂

03/19/2019

Get your taxes done for FREE in Alameda County!

Less than one month left before tax returns are due on April 15!

Our IRS-certified volunteer tax preparers are ready to help! Make an appointment for no-cost tax preparation at one of our four sites.

https://alamedasocialservices.org/EITCScheduler

#EarnItKeepItSaveIt

03/18/2019

Meet Yonas, an asylum seeker from Eritrea, who came to VACCEB with 25+ years of experience working as an Electrician abroad. Despite his impressive experience, when Yonas first came to VACCEB's Jobs Program, he was working in an overnight security job and could not find work in his trained field as an Electrician. After extensive review, we learned that the barrier confronting him was not having a CA Electrical license, while at the same time, most refugees and asylees, including Yonas, would not have the necessary documentation to even take the Electrician certification test (signed sealed transcript, etc.). With Yonas, we were able to find companies that did not require an Electrician certification, and instead hired Electricians based upon their experience and ability to prove their hands-on skills. After passing multiple rigorous company tests at a major airlines demonstrating his electrical skills, Yonas was offered a full-time position with full benefits as an Electrician! Today is his first day of work. Join us in congratulating Yonas on his incredible perseverance, and wish him all the best in his new job! 🌟🎉😁⚡️

03/16/2019

Big thank you to Spectrum Community Services, Inc. for coming out to VACCEB last week and giving a very informative and engaging presentation on fall prevention to our Senior Program.

03/15/2019

Bay Area Cambodians detained by ICE will likely be deported

Bay Area Cambodians detained by ICE will likely be deported

Three of the Cambodian men required to report to ICE in San Francisco Wednesday will likely be deported.

03/13/2019

UPDATE: Senait has been working in this job for +6 months now, and says she likes it! 😊 Big Congrats, Senait. We are all proud of you! 🌟

Congrats to Senait from Eritrea, who is a graduate from our Jobs Program and just got a job as a Busperson at Fairmont San Francisco hotel! Yipee! 🤗🤗🤗 This job will be a great opportunity for Senait to practice her English with customers and gain hospitality experience. Big thank you to the Fairmont San Francisco hotel for supporting the local immigrant/refugee community with good jobs.

03/12/2019

We just hit 500 likes on our page. Woohoo! 🎉Thank you all so much for following and supporting our work.

03/10/2019

🌟⭐️⭐️ Success Story Time! ⭐️⭐️🌟 This is one of our community members, Thu. She was born in Vietnam, lived in Israel for a few years, and now lives in Oakland. She came to VACCEB over a year ago with an agricultural/mechanical background and asked for help finding a job. With her impressive background, warm personality and excellent work ethic, she quickly got a job with The Home Depot in the Garden, Electrical, and Plumbing Department. She's now been in this job for over a year, and has won 6 Home Deport Awards for her outstanding customer service! She was also recognized as Sales Associate of the Month last September. 🏆 On top of Thu's extraordinary success at work, she also completed and received a certification in Biomanufacturing at Laney College this past year. She's now continuing to work at Home Depot, while also working as a Lab Assistant/Teaching Assistant in a Biomanufacturing lab. We are so proud of all Thu has accomplished, and continues to work towards. Join us in congratulating her! 🥳🥳🥳

03/08/2019

Big Congrats to Helen, who is just now approaching her 6 month anniversary at her two jobs! 🎉🎉🎉

Success Alert! We are thrilled to share that one of our Job Program participants, Helen, got not just one -- but TWO job offers in the last two months! Helen is a refugee from Eritrea and customer service professional with +13 years of experience. She was looking for jobs in her field that would be flexible around her children's school schedule. With the support of VACCEB's Jobs Program, she got a job as a Medical Interpreter that utilized her multiple language skills, as well as working as a Seasonal Gift Shop Attendant at a hotel. The hotel was so impressed with Helen, that they promoted her to a permanent Front Desk position within a month. Gooooo Helen! We are so inspired by your hard work and many accomplishments. 🏆🏅🙌

03/06/2019

Want to learn US civics and history to prepare for the US Citizenship exam? We have Citizenship classes at VACCEB every Saturday from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm. $60 per 10 week session, but financial aid waivers are available. Come to Room 205 at VACCEB M-F 9am-3pm to register!

03/04/2019

You're invited! Join us for an informative Fall Prevention Workshop on Friday, March 8 from 11:00 am - 12:00 pm. It will take place at VACCEB (655 International Blvd, Oakland, CA) in Barney Hall. From our friends at Spectrum Community Services, Inc., this workshop will provide information about fall prevention tips, how to get up safely from a fall, and what to do if you witness a fall.

03/02/2019

VACCEB's Senior Program took a field trip to Coit Tower in San Francisco last December! See more photos from their adventure here: http://www.vacceb.net/gallery/2018-2/12-2018-coit-tower-field-trip/

02/28/2019

California Immigrant Policy Center just released a report on expanding access to workforce development for immigrants and refugees. Learn about how we can build more equity in the workforce development system for all low-income Californians! Read their report here: https://cipc-cms.cdn.prismic.io/cipc-cms%2F466a5435-7c76-450c-be6e-34383f0fb064_workforcedevelopment-final.pdf

02/28/2019

#ThrowbackThursday to last year's Spring in Oakland! 🦋 Flowers are just starting to sprout up again around the Eastlake neighborhood now. ☺️🌱🌷

02/27/2019

We are proud to share that one of our Jobs Program clients from Ethiopia just got a job at Waterfront Hotel! 👏👏👏 We are so grateful to Waterfront Hotel for supporting the Oakland refugee/immigrant community.