Please join us in celebrating 20 years of roaring success at the 2020 Imagine Gala!

The funds raised from this annual event allow Opportunity Junction to fight poverty and build a stronger community by helping low income Contra Costa residents gain the skills and confidence to get and keep jobs that allow them to support themselves and their families.

Read more: Get Your Tickets for the 2020 Gala

Brianna Robinson, Opportunity Junction’s Vice President of Programs, has been selected to participate in the inaugural National Skills Coalition (NSC) California Advocacy and Policy Academy (CAPA) cohort.

CAPA is the first academy in the state focused on providing a platform for community-based organizational leaders to engage in state-level workforce development policy discussions.

Read more: VP of Programs Brianna Robinson Selected for National Skills Coalition Cohort

Four or five years ago, Opportunity Junction applied to become a polling place. We thought it would have the dual benefits of making voting easier for our participants and of introducing Opportunity Junction to the local community.

We just found out that we will be a polling place for the March 3rd primary!

Read more: Vote at Opportunity Junction: We’re a Polling Place!

Friends, family, staff, and volunteers all celebrated the accomplishments of Class 60 of the Administrative Careers Training Program Friday, January 24, 2020. The graduation ceremony was held at the historic El Campanil Theater in Antioch and was sponsored by the Antioch Community Foundation.

City of Antioch Mayor Pro Tem Joy Motts served as our special guest speaker at the graduation ceremony.

Read more: Congratulations to our Administrative Careers Training program graduates!

Nadya, Maro'Jene, and Alana: Three alumni continue their careers with us

With different roads all leading back to OJ, administrative training alumni Nadya Poveda, Maro'Jene Alexander, and Alana Chisholm are sharing their expertise, experience, and hearts as staff members.

Read more: January 2020 Featured Alumni

We are proud and grateful to announce the following new grants and funding partnerships:

Chevron: As part of its Social Investment Partnership Initiative, Chevron awarded Opportunity Junction a grant for core operating support. Chevron supports a range of job training and workforce development programs that provide opportunities for people to learn career-building skills to succeed in the jobs of the future.

Read more: New Grants

Thanks to you, our generous funders and supporters, we closed out 2019 with a very strong Holiday Campaign! Altogether, including the matching grant from our friends at Delta Scrap and Salvage, 167 donors contributed over $105,000! This is a very promising way to enter 2020, which also marks our 20th year in business.

This year's holiday campaign raised 20% more than last year. We are exceptionally thankful for the 77 new individual donors, our consistent past donors, and those who supported our successful Giving Tuesday campaign!

Read more: A Strong End to 2019!

Do you remember the last time you completed the United States Census form? Not really? It was almost ten years ago, and it wasn't online. In 2020, that changes.

Beginning in early April, all United States residents will be asked to complete the required census form by filling out a web form.

Read more: Opportunity Junction Will Help Residents Complete Online 2020 Census

Now that California has moved its primary from June to March, the deadline to register to vote is earlier, too: February 18, 2020.

Even if you are already registered to vote, you may need to re-register this year. Did you move since the last election? Would you prefer the convenient vote-by-mail ballot that gives you almost a month to complete and return?

Read more: Vote in Your Pajamas! We'll Show You How

Opportunity Junction, which served over 1,580 low-income Contra Costa residents last year, is ranked the #1 poverty-fighting nonprofit organization serving the United States by ImpactMatters. Among 1,081 nonprofits around the world, Opportunity Junction also received a five-star rating for its cost-effectiveness. After the Impact Audit of Opportunity Junction, ImpactMatters concluded, a donation of “$14,000 increases the earnings of a person living in poverty by $44,000.”

Read more: Opportunity Junction Ranked #1 Poverty Fighting Organization in the Nation