Good News Friday returns as readers have submitted their “good news” to share around Contra Costa County. It’s nice to have a single post of just good things happening around Contra Costa and a little bit of everything is being shared.
For future submissions, ideas include:
- Anything positive
- Shout out to a local business for going above and beyond
- Family shout out (anniversary, birth, student athlete or other good news)
- Business News — from a new business launch, an anniversary or simply a business deal)
- Sports — could always use more of this.
- Divorce? Kidding, but in some cases, perhaps its good news.
If you want to submit for next week, email [email protected] with the subject line “good news”.
G&S Farms Now Open — The patch is back and full of fall fun! They are open Sept. 30 – Oct 30 from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. However, they will be closed due to local school field trips Oct 10-27 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.
Out in the field:
- U-Pick Pumpkin Bliss
-
Family friendly corn maze
- Pumpkin Launchers
- Corn Pit Fun
- Pumpkin Bowling Excitement
- Pumpkin Sensory Activities
They are located at 2490 Sellers Ave, Brentwood, CA, United States, California
Jessica G — a new business, the Fiya Spice Caribbean opened at 1343 Buchannan Rd, Pittsburg, CA 94565. Their first brick and motor in CC. They started as a food truck, had a couple of locations in SF, which I frequented, but now have a permanent home in Pittsburg. They still have a food truck and can be found at different locations/events, and also cater events. They offer the best Jamaican food on this side of the bridge. Authentic flavors with amazing customer service! Some of the fav dishes are their oxtail plate served with rice, side salad and plantains. Equally good and popular is their Jerk Chicken…chefs kiss!
Shannon Ming – My Son Joseph Is a SICKLE CELL ANEMIA DISEASE WARRIOR… IT is Sickle Cell Awareness Month!!! He is recovering from a severe crisis and was in the JMWC Hospital for 6 days. He needed a blood transfusion…and he was the recipient of blood through THE RED CROSS…a blood donor HERO!!! who cared enough to donate for a stranger in need We are a grateful family
Bill Weber, Commander of the VFW Post 10789 — Sgt. Charles R. McCurtain VFW Post 10789 was proud to accept a proclamation from the City of Brentwood, California proclaiming September 29th as Veterans of Foreign Wars Day. It was an honor to accept this on behalf of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and we appreciate the support of the Mayor, Vice-Mayor, City Council, and the entire community of Brentwood. This initiative was started by Al Del Grande, a Vietnam Veteran. Commander Bill Weber accepted the Proclamation supported by the attendance of VFW Post members Dennis Sikoski, Frank Silva, Demetrius Kamalakis, Gary Perlichek, Dennis Sikorski, and Travis Martin.
Irene Swain — I am Deaf with a capital “D” to express my pride in the achievements of the Deaf Community. I am also proud to work at Diablo Valley College alongside Amanda Choi, Oksana Starzhevskaya-Stowell, and David Hagerty. Together we organized DVC’s first-ever Disability Pride Celebration event series. In-person (San Ramon Campus) and virtual events are open to the public throughout the month of October. Ableism is an often-overlooked area of discrimination which I’ve experienced and studied extensively. Spotlighting disability inclusion is rare, but essential to the self-esteem of the 1 in 5 Americans with disabilities, which makes DVC’s event series particularly important! To register for DVC’s Disability Pride Celebration events, please visit https://dvc.libguides.com/DisabilityPride.
Jane Rodriquez – The Brentwood Turkey Trot for Schools will be celebrating its 10th anniversary this year! This 5K event benefits both the Brentwood Union School District and Liberty Union High School District athletic programs. For the in-person run, the race will be at the Streets of Brentwood on Thanksgiving morning at 8:00 AM. For the virtual run, you can run whenever and wherever you want starting on Thursday, November 23rd through Sunday, December 3rd.
To sign up: https://runsignup.com/Race/CA/Brentwood/BrentwoodTurkeyTrot
Katie — I run a local group called Santa Squad with 2 of my friends. We help families with Christmas donations. This is our 4th Christmas. We started during the shut down and have continued. We have 900 members in our group. This year we have 67 families signed up. So far we have 35 sponsored. We are in need of more sponsors. We service Contra Costa and Solano County. This group is the Santa Squad in loving memory of Shirley Van Winkle — more info, click here
Erin — Saint Anna’s Episcopal Church will open its doors for a unique event on October 8th, 2023, to commemorate Saint Francis Day. This day will be marked with a special ‘Blessing of the Animals’ service, beginning at 10 AM. The blessings will follow the service, starting promptly at 11 AM. In honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of Animals, we invite all community members and their beloved pets to partake in this special blessing ceremony. From dogs and cats to birds and reptiles, all creatures great and small are welcome. The event symbolizes our respect for all God’s creations and our responsibility as stewards of these creatures. This event is open to the public, and people of all faith backgrounds are welcome. We look forward to welcoming you and your pets to Saint Anna’s Episcopal Church for this unique celebration.
Located at Saint Anna’s Episcopal Church 301 E. 13th Street Antioch, CA
Clayton Business & Community Association — The CBCA Clayton Oktoberfest will return on September 30-October 1, 2023. Clayton Business & Community Association invites you to experience Oktoberfest “Munich Style” in picturesque downtown Clayton, CA. Since 2004, the Clayton Oktoberfest has been the San Francisco Bay Area’s premiere Oktoberfest. Featuring an authentic German biergarten, food & beer, arts/craft vendors, live music plus a full size traveling carnival. Set under beautiful Mt. Diablo, it evokes a feeling of Bavaria.
Oktoberfest Festival
- Saturday, September 30th 11:00am – 8:00pm
- Sunday, October 1st 11:00am – 6:00pm
- More info
Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce— Discovery Homes, in partnership with the city of Pittsburg, is thrilled to announce the groundbreaking of the much-anticipated “Dream Courts” – a state-of- the-art, 41,000 sqft multi-court sports complex in Pittsburg. This landmark initiative embodies the spirit of collaboration and community commitment toward fostering sports, wellness, and communal activities.
Situated at Stoneman Park, the Discovery Homes Dream Courts are set to redefine the city’s sports infraSddstructure, providing residents and sports enthusiasts alike with world-class facilities and amenities. Designed meticulously with the latest in sports technology, the courts promise to offer a premier sporting experience — Full Story
Gabriel: I would like to shout out my wife Yvonne & her Tutoring / Storytime business @LEARNINGWITHYVONNE is growing and she’s been helping so many littles and students in our local area. She has seasonal crafts for kids and adults and she loves to help young readers have fun while learning! Check it out and please pass it on!!
Concepcion “Connie” Salcedo had wanted to enroll in Opportunity Junction’s Administrative Careers Training (ACT) program in the past, but with a family to provide for and a conflicting work schedule, the timing never seemed right. Still, she subscribed to OJ’s email newsletter to keep a pulse on things happening with the organization.
When her hours were reduced, Connie re-evaluated her circumstances. Coincidentally, an email from Opportunity Junction arrived with an announcement: recruitment was underway for a new ACT cohort. This time, she decided to jump on board and filled out an application.
On her first day of class in September 2022, the single mother of two recalled feeling nervous and unsure. While she had graduated from the University of La Verne, it had been 14 years since she had used a computer, and she knew her skills would be outdated. Calling herself a shy person, Connie also worried she wouldn’t be able to connect with anyone.
She was happy to be wrong.
“My peers were very welcoming. Every single day, somebody would say a prayer, or somebody would send good vibes so that we all would do our best throughout the day,” she said of her classmates.
Connie would certainly need this support – she was still working graveyard shifts as a stocker while attending the full-time ACT program during the 9-5 hours and raising her 7-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son.
Throughout it all, she remembered her family and the motivational poster she had made at the beginning of the ACT training that showcased her reason for enrolling. On the poster, she answered the question “Why Am I Here?” with a photo of a woman on the beach to express her desire for a job that would give her financial stability to support her children and the ability to travel.
While her kids are still young, she felt they appreciated her hard work.
“Sometimes my daughter would say to me, ‘Mom, I don’t know how you do it,’ or sometimes she’ll say out of nowhere, ‘You’re the best mom ever,’” Connie said.
When the training ended, Opportunity Junction hired Connie and the other graduates half-time to perform administrative work and hone their skills. During that time, they also completed a career skills curriculum, searched for career opportunities, and received placement assistance.
At first, Connie struggled to find the right opportunity, and her demanding schedule was beginning to take its toll. She admitted this was a tough time. Barely a month in, though, OJ staff members encouraged Connie to apply for a human resources (HR) job. They began preparing her for the interview process, too.
When Connie met the hiring manager, she immediately felt at ease. And something else made the position an ideal fit.
“Then she’s like, ‘I will need you to travel. … Are you able to do that?’ and I’m like yes!” she recalled.
Connie is now an HR representative for Ramar Foods and in training to become a safety coordinator who will perform audits to make sure her company is compliant with OSHA standards.
And in keeping with her motivational poster, she recently traveled to Hawaii for work.
When asked what she learned about herself throughout the process, she said, “I learned that I am a strong woman, that I am capable of doing what I need to do for my family, and that even though I’m alone most of the time, there’s always someone there to help me out. There will always be someone to encourage you even when you feel that you don’t have someone to extend that hand.”
She encouraged others to leave their comfort zones to see what awaits them.
“Live. Live to the fullest. And any opportunity that comes your way, just jump on board.”
Previous Posts
If you have “Good News” and you want to share it for next Friday, please email [email protected]
- Sept. 15 – September 15: Good News Friday
- Sept 8 – September 8: Good News Friday
- Aug 18: Good News Friday in Contra Costa Returns
- Aug 11: Contra Costa County Good News Friday
See you next week for more Good News!
