Volunteer program seeks foster grandparents, senior companions

The Sandoval County Senior Volunteer Program is currently accepting applications for foster grandparents and senior companions. Foster grandparents will work in the local schools to assist children with special needs beginning in the fall of 2006.

Senior companions assist clients in need of companionship and transportation. The hours vary and include tax-free stipends and meal and mileage reimbursement if you qualify. For information on either program or to apply, contact Monica, at 867-3813.

Job-search workshop for women in transition

The New Mexico Commission on the Status of Women, Displaced Homemakers Office, is offering the free class Effective Work Search Skills, at the commission office on Thursday, August 3, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The class is targeted to women who have been out of the job market for a number of years and need to return to work and women in transition who need to improve their skills in looking for work.

“Discovering that skills learned as a homemaker are indeed marketable can help motivate and encourage women in their job search,” states Lorraine Bantista, coordinator of the Displaced Homemakers Office.

This free workshop will teach women how to identify skills and interests, write an effective résumé, tap into the hidden job market, and prepare for today's interviewing process.

Seating is limited, so registration is required. Call Lorraine Bantista, at 222-6600, for additional information and registration. The commission is at 300 San Mateo Boulevard NE, Suite 101, in Albuquerque.

Class helps women through divorce

The New Mexico Commission on the Status of Women, Displaced Homemakers Office, is offering the popular free program Women in Transition: Divorce, Money and Power, addressing short- and long-term issues for women in transition due to divorce or other life change.

Facilitated by Lorraine Bantista, coordinator of the Displaced Homemakers Office, the classes (The Emotional Stages of Divorce, Navigating the Legal Waters of Divorce, Money and Divorce 101, and Where Do You Go from Here?) bring professionals from the community to share their expertise and assist women in moving through the divorce process.

“With an average of seventeen divorces a day in New Mexico, these services are vital to the financial and emotional health of women experiencing the breakup of their marriage,” states Bantista. “It is our hope the women will find personal strength and support through attending these classes and be able to jump-start their lives again.”

The first class is on Tuesday, August 1, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., with subsequent classes on Tuesday evenings through August 22. All classes meet at the commission office, 300 San Mateo Blvd NE, Suite 101, in Albuquerque. Seating is limited, so registration is required. Contact Lorraine Bantista, at 222-6600, for additional information and registration.