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| Donna Garrett, director of practicum at the Worden School, presents Vargas with his plaque for field instructor of the year. Photo courtesy of OLLU Department of Marketing and Communications. |
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Good Samaritan Community Services Social Worker Named Field Instructor of the Year
(January 8, 2008) San Antonio, TX--Good Samaritan Community Services' Santos Vargas was honored as Field Instructor of the Year at the Worden School of Social Service at Our Lady of the Lake University. He was nominated and selected by his industry peers for his 30 years of dedication as a social worker. Vargos has spent much of his career at the San Antonio State Hospital where his roles included Unit Director for the Bicultural Adult Psychiatric Unit (where families were primarily Spanish speaking) and he oversaw the Adult Forensic Psychiatric Unit at the Hospital. Prior to joining GSCS, Vargas worked in the Mental Health Specialized Unit for Bexar County as a certified Adult Probation Officer. Vargas joined Good Samaritan Community Services in 2006 and is currently a social worker in the agency's Department of Family Development Services.
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| CEO Jill Oettinger introduces Tozi Gutierrez Tijerina to Board and staff at a reception held on January 10, 2008 at the Casa des Palmas Hotel in McAllen. |
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Tozi Gutierrez Tijerina Named GSCS Program Manager to Rio Grande Valley
(January 16, 2008) McAllen, Texas– Good Samaritan Community Services has named Tozi Gutierrez Tijerina as Program Manager for the Workforce Solutions youth contract serving Hildago, Starr, and Willacy Counties.
She brings to GSCS over 10 years experience in funds management and government relations. Tozi has been with the City of Dallas for the last 3 years managing a community center and prior to that as a Management Analyst with the Southwest Region of the Economic Development Administration with the Department of Commerce. As grants manager for the Rio Grand Valley Empowerment Zone in 2001, Tijerina oversaw 32 million in contacted dollars for Cameron, Willacy, Hidalgo and Starr counties. She has also served as Vice President of Workforce Development and was instrumental in transitioning the Hidalgo and Willacy County JTPA to align with the Workforce Investment Act. In 2000 as COO of Workforce Solutions, Tijerina reviewed contracted funds and conducted reviews of non-performing vendors. In Hildago County in 1999 she served as Interim Executive Director, managing JTPA programs funded through the Texas Workforce Commission. Tozi has also been involved with the Rio Grande Valley’s local WIA board, Workforce Solutions.
“Tozi’s experience with Federal and State contracts, project management skills, knowledge of workforce programs, and insightful and energetic personality make her an ideal addition to Good Samaritan Community Services,” noted Jill Oettinger, CEO of Good Samaritan Community Services.
Good Samaritan Community Services was founded by the Episcopal Church in 1951 on the westside of San Antonio and expanded its services in the Rio Grande Valley in 2006. A singular vision—“Changing lives through excellent community services—guides GSCS in the development of programs. GSCS fosters education, character development, healthy living and self sufficiency and is currently serves over 3,000 youth in Starr, Hidalgo and Willacy Counties. For more information about this valley wide program call 956-928-5000 or visit www.goodsamaritancommunityservices.org. |
Iraqi War Veteran Finally Receives GED Achievement Certificate
Good Samaritan Community Services holds annual GED Achievement Ceremony
(May 1, 2007) San Antonio, Texas- Good Samaritan Community Services (formerly known as The Good Samaritan Center) held their bi-annual GED achievement ceremony on Saturday, May 5, 2007. GSCS is a non-profit agency serving families impacted by poverty through a variety of life-changing programs for people of all ages in San Antonio.
On Saturday more than 50 students in the Get2Work program, a partnership with Alamo WorkSource, received their GED achievement certificate at Our Lady of the Lake University’s Chapel Auditorium. Most of the students who have completed their GED accreditation represented the first generation in their families to mark the achievement of a high school diploma or its equivalent. Judge Peter Sakai delivered the keynote speech. Desiree Norman, Get 2 Work Program Director states, “These participants should be commended for not only receiving their GED but for seeking out a program that can change their life and seeing it through to the end.”
At the same ceremony in 2004, an empty chair on stage was draped with an American flag. The chair represented Brian Sanchez, age 19, who was on active duty with the U.S. Army. Brian is back in San Antonio after three tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq, where he sustained an injury from a rocket propelled grenade. On Saturday he finally walked the stage and told his story to the group of new graduates. Brian looks forward to completing his degree in finance from UTSA. GSCS Executive Director Jill Oettinger says, “Brian is an inspiration to us all. He has created a path out of poverty for himself, selflessly served his country and set a tremendous example for those who follow him.”
The Good Samaritan Center was founded in 1951 as an outreach mission of the Episcopal Diocese in West Texas. For more than 55 years the Good Samaritan Center has embraced the people and neighborhoods of the near west side of San Antonio. Today the center changes the lives of thousands of people each year through high quality child development program, after-school youth enrichment, college preparation programs, youth employment training and adult and senior services.
The Get2Work project is a comprehensive youth development program which promotes opportunities for youth to acquire the necessary life skills, education and work experience to enable them to have productive careers and become responsible citizens. In 2006, GSCS expanded this program to serve a total of 5,000 youth in 15 counties in Central and South Texas. |
Good Samaritan Community Services Wins Ethics Award
San Antonio, Texas- Good Samaritan Community Services (formerly known as The Good Samaritan Center) has been selected to receive the San Antonio Ethics in Business Award from the Ecumenical Center for Religion and Health. GSCS is a non-profit agency serving the economically disadvantaged residents of the West side of San Antonio through a variety of programs for people of all ages.
Good Samaritan Community Services was selected for this award through careful review of their practices with their clients, in fundraising and their impact on the surrounding community. GSCS Executive Director Jill Oettinger states “Being a recipient of the Business in Ethics Award clearly demonstrates that ethics are more than an ideal at Good Samaritan Community Services they are the foundation of our programs.”
The Good Samaritan Center was founded in 1951 as an outreach mission of the Episcopal Diocese in West Texas. For more than 55 years the Good Samaritan Center has embraced the people and neighborhoods of the near west side of San Antonio. Today the center changes the lives of thousands of people each year through our nationally accredited child development program, after-school youth enrichment, college preparation programs, youth employment training and adult and senior services.
The San Antonio Ethics in Business Award is an educational outreach by the Ecumenical Center for Religion and Health in partnership with the University of Texas at San Antonio. By engaging student, business leaders and the community together in this initiative, the Ecumenical Center intends to foster a climate of ethical integrity for our city. The Ecumenical Center is a San Antonio based non-profit organization dedicated to alleviating suffering and facilitating spiritual, physical and emotional healing and growth. Founded in 1967, the Center offers professional counseling in a faith-based context, education, consulting and a variety of special outreach programs. For more information, go online at www.ecrh. |
Program opens new doors for valley students looking towards the future
$5 Million Dollar Contract Extends Good Samaritan Community Services Program into Rio Grande Valley
(June 1, 2006) Twenty students from nine Hidalgo and Starr county high schools who participate in Good Samaritan Community Services Get2Work Program, will travel to St. Edward’s University in Austin on Sunday, June 4 to attend a seven-week program. The Graduation Enhancement Program (GEP) is a summer residential work/study program designed to help rural migrant high school students develop their maximum potential and is endorsed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). GEP goals are to promote high school graduation, to provide opportunities for career exploration, and to provide an orientation to higher education. Migrant students in grades 10 through 12 from select Texas school districts spend seven-weeks at the St. Edward's University campus in Austin, Texas. Here, they earn high school credits, receive a stipend for classroom time, benefit from paid on-the-job training and gain first-hand experience of a college campus. The Students will attend classes for five hours a day, five days a week, and will be enrolled in one core class that they need for high school graduation. Students will also be enrolled in TAKS or SAT/ACT review classes and physical fitness. They will receive ½ credits of Office Administration Systems.
The students also look forward to living in the dorms, eating in the dinning hall and participating in supervised field trips. St. Peter and St. Paul Episcopal Church in Mission and members of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas have graciously donated funds & supplies to outfit dormitory rooms and to allow the youth to participate in the St. Edward’s University program. They will also be sending letters and care packages to the students during their campus stay.
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State workforce commision calls local youth employment program
‘beacon of light’
$5 Million Dollar Contract Extends
Good Samaritan CommunityServices
Program into Rio Grande Valley
(March 15, 2006) SAN ANTONIO – Good Samaritan Community Services (GSCS), a San Antonio based non-profit organization, has won a $5 million government contract as the Youth Workforce System provider for the Lower Rio Grande Valley for the next six years. This will allow the local agency to expand its award-winning Get2Work program to serve more than 6,000 economically disadvantaged youth per year in Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy counties. The agency was awarded the contract by WorkFORCE Solutions, the regional Texas Workforce Commission board for the Lower Rio Grande Valley, which is funded through a grant by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Get2Work is a comprehensive workforce development program for economically disadvantaged youth ages 14 to 21 developed at the Good Samaritan Community Services in San Antonio in 2002. The goal of the program is to help these youth attain the life and academic skills and vocational competencies necessary to obtain and keep a job.
“Good Samaritan Community Services is committed to improving the quality of life for residents in high-need areas,” said Jill Oettinger, executive director of the agency. “This commitment led us to pursue the expansion of Get2Work through the Youth Workforce System contract. For several years, it has been our goal to serve more than just our immediate neighbors in San Antonio by becoming a provider of excellent community services throughout South Texas.”
Participants in the Get2Work program will have the opportunity to learn about a range of real-world occupations, develop personal career interests and acquire positive work and life skills aimed at making them viable to the workforce. In GSCS’ San Antonio program, 70 percent of Get2Work participants are high school dropouts. The components of Get2Work are designed to specifically meet the needs of in-school and out-of-school youth, and place a primary emphasis on the completion of high school GED certification and tailor other elements to each individual participant.
"For more than a half century, Good Samaritan Community Services has been a beacon of light, making a positive impact on the lives of people and families in South Central Texas," said Texas Workforce Commission Chair Diane Rath. "With this grant, the services they offer will expand to make a positive impact in the Lower Rio Grande Valley as well.”
In order to implement the Get2Work program in Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy counties, Good Samaritan Community Services has updated its name and mission to better reflect its expansion into the Valley. Formerly the Good Samaritan Center, the new name better represents GSCS’ increased presence at 12 Workforce Centers in the region.
The Good Samaritan Center was founded in 1951 on San Antonio’s near west side by the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas under the leadership of Bishop Everett Jones, and grew out of a downtown mission of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. Today, Good Samaritan Community Services is a private, non-profit 501c3 organization, a United Way agency and neighborhood center providing comprehensive services to more than 3,000 low-income individuals and 1,800 families annually. Since 1951, the GSCS has been the primary social service resource for residents of the near west side of San Antonio, one of the city’s most impoverished areas.
“The services we provide today are different than the services we provided in 1951,” said Al Silva, chairman of the board for GSCS. “What remains the same is our broader commitment to providing the highest quality fundamental services to those in need. Expanding Get2Work into the Valley gives us the opportunity to help even more people. That’s the bottom line in everything we do.”
In addition to youth service programs, GSCS offers a full range of services for children, youth, adults and seniors. Programs include innovative, family-centered services such as nationally accredited childcare, college preparation, counseling, cultural celebrations, education, emergency assistance, home visits, literary arts, music, peer mentoring, parenting skills, recreation, senior services and activities, summer camps and youth career preparation. All services aim to develop the assets of low-income families. Currently, 68 percent of GSCS’ clients earn incomes of less than $15,000 a year.
Good Samaritan Community Services believes all people are created with value and dignity. Founded by the Episcopal Church in 1951, we have actively served as a place of change, reaching out to support individuals and families in overcoming the impact of poverty. Through the delivery of excellent community services, Good Samaritan Community Services fosters education, character development, healthy living and self sufficiency. Our ministry is a partnership, shared by those who are served and those who serve.
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