AmeriCorps member honored

Araceli Ochoa, SAFE AmeriCorps member who works in the Porterville Proteus office, has been presented the award for Outstanding Class Member of 2011 at the AmeriCorps End of Service Ceremony held in Washington, DC in December.

Ochoa, of Farmersville, is one of four AmeriCorps members that Proteus, Inc. hosted through the 2011 SAFE (Serving American’s Farmworkers Everywhere) AmeriCorps Program. Ochoa was recognized for exceeding the program goals of providing health and safety trainings to farmworkers as well as demonstrating true spirit and heart of the SAFE AmeriCorps program.

“Araceli is a star member. She demonstrated her unique ability to communicate in English and Spanish, lead her peers, think outside the box, and go beyond what was expected of her. During the year she consistently made herself available to members throughout the nation,” states Joan Cuadra, Proteus, Inc. Project Coordinator.

In 2011, the team of four Proteus, Inc. SAFE AmeriCorps members provided pesticide safety and heat stress training to 5,000 farmworkers throughout the Central Valley.

AFOP is the sponsor of the national SAFE AmeriCorps Program, which provides pesticide safety education and health education outreach to migrant and seasonal farmworkers in 10 states with a team of 28 SAFE AmeriCorps members. Some key topics members learn in the program are teaching and providing services to farmworkers, community leadership responsibility, and passion for social justice by providing safety and health information to the migrant farmworker community. For more information on AFOP you can visit www.afop.org.

Proteus, Inc. is a non-profit, community-based organization with over 40 years of experience serving farmworkers and other low-income residents in the Central Valley counties of Fresno, Kings, Kern, and Tulare. Proteus is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and is a California Award of Performance Excellence (CAPE) award winner.