On September 25^th, 13 graduates of the Administrative Careers Training Program celebrated their completion of the program in a Zoom graduation ceremony. Seventy-five people, including the graduates, family, friends, community members, Opportunity Junction staff, current trainees, and alumni, attended our celebration of their accomplishments.

Read more: Our First Fully Online Class Graduates!

Being a voter is the best way to make sure your voice is heard. Fortunately, California makes it easy! Link to California Online Voter Registration to register to vote or check your registration status. Future voters aged 16 and 17 can even pre-register!

Read more: Register Today to Be a Voter!

The pivot to online programming was forced on all of us this March. At Opportunity Junction, this meant quickly developing the infrastructure to deliver training, career counseling, and employer introductions over the Internet. We're committed to studying the outcomes of these involuntary experiments.

Read more: Meeting the Surge in Demand

I am really happy with what I do now ... and I am making more than I ever thought I could!

In 2011, just before her 8th anniversary working as a school bus operator and trainer for First Student in Richmond, Gwenette Moore suffered an injury that took her out of work.

Gwen was eager to get a new job, but realized she needed to update her skills to get into the administrative field.

She enrolled in Opportunity Junction's Administrative Careers Training program.

Read more: September 2020 Featured Alumni: Gwen Moore

At Opportunity Junction, our job seekers are determined to get back into the job market and launch their careers.

Job training classes are successfully operating remotely. Our candidates are successfully earning positions with a number of our employer partners.

The pandemic has made things more difficult for our job seekers and alumni. Fully 77% of our alumni and job seekers report employment-related needs for themselves or a household member. We are committed to meeting those needs, and you can help!

Read more: Travis Credit Union Matching Dollar for Dollar!

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

Ahlsten Foundation: The Ahlsten Foundation is a new donor to Opportunity Junction, providing an unrestricted grant which the organization will use to address critical needs. The Ahlsten Foundation has a passion and a vision for a better world through the support of education, the improvement of health, and the alleviation of human suffering.

Read more: New Grants

Opportunity Junction's counseling filled me with hope, joy, and optimism.

With a strong work history and a love for lifelong learning, Maria Acosta was stunned to find herself among the 2.4 million Californians out of work by April due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After a couple weeks at home, she knew she wanted to get back to work.

"I was feeling really stressed out about my living situation and about COVID-19. Staying at home for even a short time was making me feel depressed. A Contra Costa County Navigator connected me to SparkPoint." Maria shares.

Read more: July 2020 Featured Client: Maria Acosta

Dear Opportunity Junction Community,

Thank you for your support in all forms during this past year. Your partnership means even more during this period of crisis. Between the day when our fiscal year started on July 1, 2019 and the day when it closed on June 30, 2020, the world shifted radically from under our feet.

The bottom line, if you'd like it up front, is that our entire organization has been nimble and determined to provide continuity for the motivated job seekers we serve. Employer partners are successfully recruiting our graduates. Volunteer trainers and mock interviewers have learned to use Zoom. Every program except onsite public computer access has pivoted to online delivery. Even the 2020 Imagine Gala pivoted to a virtual format that has become a model for many of our community partners, thanks to your support.

Read more: FY2019-20 Year-in-Review: Nimble and Determined

On June 25^th, 12 graduates of the Administrative Careers Training Program celebrated their completion of the program in a Zoom graduation ceremony. Seventy-nine people, including the graduates, family, friends, community members, Opportunity Junction staff, current trainees, and alumni, attended Opportunity Junction's first ever online graduation.

Read more: Class 61 Trainees Overcome Adversity, Graduate Despite Pandemic

Dear Opportunity Junction Community,

We reacted with shock, heartbreak, and rage to the brazen murder of George Floyd two weeks ago. But this wasn’t an isolated incident: we remember Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Breonna Taylor and countless others. Some of us took to the streets to protest. Others reached out to family and friends to offer support.

But we have not yet come to terms with the entrenched, systematic racism that pervades not just police practices but the spheres of housing, education, and employment.

Read more: Opportunity is Not Distributed Equally