Immigration for Employers Workshop

US immigration laws are increasingly important as companies try to compete in an ever-changing market. In a nutshell it is against the law for a foreign national to enter the US to work unless that individual has obtained a valid visa. Southeastern Washington attracts a great deal of undocumented workers, mostly due to the agricultural nature of the work in the region. It is estimated (conservatively) that over 50% of all agricultural workers in this region are undocumented. Likewise, it is against the law for an employer (1) to hire a person, who has not actually received an appropriate VISA, or (2) to hire or continue to employ a person who’s authorized sat to work has expired. Compliance with these basic rules can be tricky and requires strict adherence to certain record-keeping practices. This workshop will conduct the following presentations:

• How Employers Can Hire Foreign Nationals for Short Employment and Other Sponsorship - US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS): How do employers hire a foreign national for short-term employment; sponsor an employee for permanent resident status and how do they use E-Verify.
• Know Your Workforce: The Key to Immigration Compliance (I-9 Verification) and IMAGE Employer Certification Information - US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE): Through the Form I-9 verification process, employers ensure that employees process proper authorization to work in the US and that hiring practices do no unlawfully discriminate based on immigration status
• Employer Liabilities Once a Non-Documented Individual Is In Your Employee - Federal Defenders of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho: Review current immigration laws and possible consequences employer may face when they are charged with possible immigration law violations.
• Discussion and Update On H2A and H2B Programs Washington State Employment Security (Worksource) - The H2A & H2B temporary agricultural program establishes a means for agricultural employers who anticipate a shortage of domestic workers to bring nonimmigrant foreign workers in the US to perform agricultural labor or services of a temporary or seasonal nature.
As a regional employer compliance and knowledge of immigration laws is crucial.

Financing Your Education

Tony Garcia, Community Coach for WSU’s Horizons Program presented a workshop titled “Alternative Financing for Your Education” at the DSHS/Worksourse Annual Columbia Basin Job Fair, information on Displaced Worker funds, Tuition Assistance for Working Parents,


Scholarship opportunities, student employment, Workforce Training Program, Job Corps, Veteran’s assistance, and all the other possibilities. Other partners that served as a panel included:

WIA funding (Skillsource)
Opportunity Grant sources (Worksource Center, BBCC),
Work-based Learning Tuition Assistance Program & Financial Aid (Big Bend Community College)

Grant Writing Workshop

The Horizons Program is sponsoring a Grant Writing Workshop for community members and community agency partners on April 4 & 5. The program was honored to have renowned grants trainer Susan Howlett. During the two-day training the following topics were covered:


Where does money come from (types of sources and where to find them)

How do you decide what’s a good match for you and your project.

How do you prepare your organization to be grant-ready.
Writing a compelling letter of inquiry
What do grantmakers look for in a proposal.
What are the standard questions and what are strong answers for each.
Budgets and other support documents and the stories they tell.
Cultivation, recognition and stewardship of grantors.
How to corroborate need.
How to articulate outcomes or measurable objectives.
How to develop an evaluation plan.
An exercise in reviewing real letter of inquiry.

Grants Library

The Horizons program has purchased and supplied the community with a small grants library to assist community members in furthering their needs to seek funding in order to advance our efforts towards poverty reduction. The small library has been purchased from the Foundation Center and consist of the following books


Foundation Directory, 2008
Foundation Directory, Part 2
Foundation Directory, Supplement
National Directory of Corporate Giving, 13th edition
Foundation Today Series
Foundation Centers Guide to Winning Proposals
Grantseeking on the Web
Foundation Fundamentals
Foundation Center’s Guide to Proposal Writing
Guia Para Escribir Propuestas

The grants library will be housed at the Big Bend Community College Library for easy use by community members.

Say Hello to Kevin

Kevin is a neighbor of the park and really taking a leadership role at the playground.  He is kindly encouraging owners of the playground to keep food out of the playground, pick up garbage, and play kindly.  We really count on him as he is taking pride in our park and maintaining it, too.  Kevin is apparently a boxer and plans to donate his winnings to the playground.  What an excellent example of how local neighbors are taking on leadership roles in the playground they built.

Painting Party - You are invited!

Please come to our community park painting party this Saturday.  We need help painting our canoe, telephones, boat and playhouse.  This will be a lot of fun!  Meet Kassandra at the site at 9 a.m.  Be a leader in our community to create positive change.

Poverty Lables