County of Santa Clara Hosts 34th Annual CalWORKs Awards Ceremony
Five CalWORKs families, a community partner and an employer are honored for outstanding accomplishments
The County of Santa Clara will recognize five families from the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program for their efforts to stabilize their lives and start new careers within Santa Clara County. A community partner and one employer are being recognized for their support to CalWORKs clients. The ceremonies will be held at 4 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 9 in the Board of Supervisors Chambers at 70 W. Hedding St., in San José.
Each year, the CalWORKs Achievement Awards honor program participants who have used CalWORKs services to improve their lives and contribute to their community. About 6,000 clients seek services annually, and many have backgrounds and stories with hardships that were met with persistence and resilience.
This year’s CalWORKs honorees include individuals who came to Santa Clara County from all over the globe as they faced several barriers to success.
This year’s honorees are:
Marissa Mendoza is determined to not let her string of past abusive relationships affect her and her children’s bright futures. She sought out CalWORKs to receive mental health services and enroll at Gavilan College to further her education and focus on becoming a nurse.
“I don’t think people understand how much CalWORKs helps people, it changes lives, it frees people from abuse, it helps with confidence, and it makes you believe in yourself,” said Marissa.

Chiem Nu Rodiyah Tu became the sole provider for her three children when her husband unexpectedly left her shortly after her youngest child was born. Her parents in the United States sponsored her and she courageously left everything she knew to come to San José. She enrolled in CalWORKs, excelled at her English as a Second Language courses at East Side Union High School District Adult Education, and is planning to continue her education with the goal of working as a nursing assistant.
“All this time, I devoted my time and energy to caring for my three children, school, homework assignments, physical activities, and cooking so they could eat fresh and healthy food,” said Chiem. “My goals are to give my children a better, happier life and be the best mom for them.”

Peter Auth lost his job and was faced with the potential of losing his home when he couldn’t provide for his family. He was able to find help in the CalWORKs Program, which assisted him with transportation and pursuing an education to obtain additional skills and a certification to aid in his job search. Peter found a job with San Francisco State University that allowed him to support his family and end his time receiving aid.
“My main motivation for success was my family,” said Peter. “I knew I needed to do something to provide for my family. I was willing to do whatever it took to make sure we would continue to have a roof over our heads.”

Julia Vasquez experienced trauma, homelessness and incarceration growing up. She turned to CalWORKs when she learned she was pregnant hoping to create a better life for her daughter. Julia pursued an education to establish herself in a counseling career, but her journey took a detour when she needed to become the primary caretaker for her partner and her mother. She is currently working for the Office of Diversion and Reentry Services.
“Others can learn from my experience and my success story that you should not feel shame or embarrassment for needing help,” said Julia.

Abdul Fawad Khalil and Nafisa Sadat had successful careers with the U.S. Department of Defense in Afghanistan. They left the life they knew in 2023 with their two children (with help from a Special Immigrant Visa) when they learned that working for the U.S. government put them in danger. Jewish Family Services connected them with CalWORKs resources, and Abdul and Nafisa were soon taking English and job readiness classes. The CalWORKs Family Stabilization Unit worked with other housing agencies to help the family find a suitable residence. Both Abdul and Nafisa are now employed and no longer receiving aid.

YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley is acknowledged as the CalWORKs Achievement Awards Partner of the Year. They have been a partner with the County of Santa Clara Social Services Agency for more than 10 years and have developed a collaboration that truly empowers survivors of domestic violence to achieve safety and self-sufficiency. This collaboration offers survivors critical resources on their road to recovery and to become self-sufficient.

Colibri Pottery Studio has been selected as the CalWORKs Achievement Awards Employer of the Year. As a bilingual studio, Colibrí has created job opportunities for monolingual, Spanish-speaking clients from the CalWORKs Employment Services Center. Colibrí Pottery Studio has demonstrated a deep commitment to the goals of the CalWORKs program and an understanding of the transformative impact employment can have on those facing challenging situations.
“This place is more than an art studio, it’s a place to network, make friends, collaborate and learn from each other,” said Reyna Fernández, founder and owner of Colibrí Pottery Studio.

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ABOUT CALWORKS
The Santa Clara County CalWORKs program serves approximately 6,000 families each year. The program provides families with cash assistance, employment-based services, including assistance with job readiness, vocational training, education programs, and subsidized employment. In addition, the CalWORKs program offers a variety of support programs such as home visitation services to new and expectant parents, as well as other critical services related to housing, homelessness prevention, childcare, transportation, domestic violence, expungement, and behavioral health to assist families on the path to economic stability.
ABOUT THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA
The County of Santa Clara government serves a diverse, multicultural population of 1.9 million residents in Santa Clara County, Calif., making it more populous than 12 states in the United States. The County provides essential services to its residents, including public health protection, environmental stewardship, medical services through the County of Santa Clara Health System, child and adult protection services, homelessness prevention and solutions, roads, park services, libraries, emergency response to disasters, protection of minority communities and those under threat, access to a fair criminal justice system, and many other public benefits.
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MEDIA CONTACTS: Laurel Anderson/Matthew Rudig, Office of Communications and Public Affairs, (408) 299-5119, [email protected]