Press Releases: Southern California
October 8, 2009
Kaiser Permanente Encourages Mothers and Daughters to Team Up To Pursue Higher Education and Reach Career Goals
Kaiser Permanente Educational Outreach Program in Baldwin Park Hosts the 16th Annual Mother and Daughter Learning Together Conference
BALDWIN PARK, Calif. – Araceli Mata was 11 years old when she teamed up with her mother to pursue a higher education and a career in law enforcement. Araceli and her mother enrolled in the Kaiser Permanente Mother and Daughter Program, which was established in 1993 to encourage Latinas to focus on the rewards of attending college and establishing a professional career. Sixteen years later, Araceli, one of the first graduates of the program, earned a Bachelor’s degree from California State Polytechnical University, is a police officer with the San Bernardino Police Department, and has been a Mother and Daughter Program volunteer for the past six years.
Araceli's story is one of more than 600 mother and daughter team success stories. In celebration of the program's many successes and to continue Kaiser Permanente's commitment to helping the community thrive beyond its doors, Kaiser Permanente is hosting the 16th Annual Mother and Daughter Learning Together Conference at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel, 14635 Baldwin Park Towne Center in Baldwin Park on October 10, 2009, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. "Rather than focusing solely on the dangers of dropping out of high school, the program teaches mothers to work as a team with their daughters, using their positive influence and become their daughter’s primary educational advocates and supporters," said Diana Rivera-Beltran, MSW, program manager, educational outreach program. "The mother and daughter teams meet once a week for 3½ hours on Saturday mornings for seven weeks."
The conference keynote speaker is Carmen Muñoz Silva, J.D., director of Compliance, Organizational Training and Development and Risk Programs at the California State Polytechnical University, Pomona. Silva will address the audience in Spanish and speak about her professional experiences in a variety of leadership roles with federal government programs, as well as large health and corporate entities.
Another component of the conference includes presentations by professional Latinas from the community, including Kaiser Permanente's employees who share their experiences about their professions. The conference reunites all program participants in an effort to continue and support the alumnus' commitment to their educational and career development.
To arrange an interview with any of the mother and daughter teams, contact Marie Y. Lemelle at 626-405-5384. For more information about the Baldwin Park EOP, contact Diana Rivera-Beltran, MSW, at 626-814-6408.
About Kaiser Permanente’s Educational Outreach Program
Kaiser Permanente's Educational Outreach Program provides academic and support services to primarily Latino and low-income youth in the San Gabriel Valley. It is one of the many community benefit programs and services funded by Kaiser Permanente as part of its more than $369 million annual Southern California commitment to improving the health of the community in which it serves. The late Jean Marie Carpenter founded Kaiser Permanente's Educational Outreach Program, established numerous educational programs at the Watts Counseling and Learning Center, and served as president of the Baldwin Park Unified School District.
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is one of the nation’s leading integrated health plans. Founded in 1945, it is a nonprofit, group practice prepayment program with Southern California headquarters in Pasadena, California. Kaiser Permanente serves the health care needs of 3.3 million members in Southern California. Today it encompasses the nonprofit Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and their subsidiaries, and the for-profit Southern California Permanente Medical Group. Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California Region includes more than 55,800 technical, administrative and clerical employees and caregivers, and more than 6,400 physicians representing all specialties. More information about Kaiser Permanente can be found at kaiserpermanente.org.
