Kick-off NDEAM and support our organization this October by participating in

Tierra’s Virtual Walk n’ Roll 

Walk, Run, or Roll at your own pace 

October 1st – 15th 

Donate, Start a Team, or Fundraise on your own! Complete a 5K (3.1 miles/7,000 steps) or 10K (6.2 miles/13,000 steps) or your own personal challenge at your convenience any time, anywhere between October 1st through October 15th. 

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

PRIZES

All registrants receive a long sleeve 

“Walk n’ Roll” t-shirt.

Prizes for fundraisers include clear stadium  bags, portable chargers, bluetooth speakers,  and beach towels.

Highest fundraiser wins 4 loge seats and parking to a 2026 Dodger Season Home Game!

Register, share with your friends, raise funds, awareness, and HAVE FUN! 

For questions or details, contact Jessica Asciolla at jasciolla@tierradelsol.org or (818) 723-2282 

The post Tierra’s 2nd Annual Virtual Walk n’ Roll  appeared first on Tierra del Sol.

Tune in for laughs, tears, and a HUGE surprise!

For more detials on Celebrations with Lacey Chabert, click here!

The post Lights, Cameras, Action! Tierra on Hallmark’s Celebrations with Lacey Chabert on September 22! appeared first on Tierra del Sol.

Angie Negrete, Director of NHF Arleta Recuperative Care, explains, “Our interim housing guests come from programs like the Los Angeles Homeless Authority housing queue, while our recuperative guests come from hospital and insurance partners and are with us for a shorter stay. For both groups, we focus on helping people get back on their feet and into permanent housing. In some cases, we’re also able to support family reunification.” At its current capacity, the center has over 100 guests who receive three meals a day. Mario Ledesma, Arleta’s Chef and Kitchen Supervisor, shares, “Preparing such a high volume of meals takes a consistent pace from a strong crew. We support the dietary and nutritional well-being of our residents and prepare fresh dishes that are lowsodium and nutrient-rich.”

With 20 years of experience in food service and preparation training, Tierra was approached by NHF in 2023 to inquire about creating a partnership where associates would work in the kitchen to prepare and serve food. At that time, the center was in the early stages of development, which gave Tierra time to continue training associates who were eager to step in and take on the challenge of joining Arleta’s fast-paced kitchen crew. Negrete exclaims, “We love Tierra! Arleta operates 365 days a year, and we are nearing full capacity, so Tierra associates have been instrumental in making our kitchen services a success. Tierra provides quality interns and mentors who help us operate our kitchen with complete confidence and meet the needs of the people we serve. They are fast learners and eager to grow! And I also appreciate how they get to know the Arleta guests and staff. It’s been a great experience so far, and we are grateful for all the help they have provided. As NHF’s programs and services are expanding in the coming year, so will our partnership with Tierra. It’s been almost a year since the partnership began and it has already exceeded expectations.”

This April, NHF hired Rodney Monroe and Rony Giron, who were both interning in the Arleta Kitchen. Erika Garcia, Master Instructor in Tierra’s Workforce Development program, shared, “Rodney and Rony focused on developing their skills—from dishwashing and food prep to nutrition and serving.” They received valuable mentorship from both their NHF supervisors and Tierra staff. Their hard work paid off, and now they’re working full-time, Monday through Friday. Congratulations, gentlemen, we are so proud of you!”

Flor Garcia, Workforce Development Program Manager, shares, “We’ve always seen guests at Arleta being treated with dignity and respect no matter what their hardship, which has been powerful for Tierra interns to experience. For some of the interns who have been here since the beginning, they’ve come out of their shells. There have been so many great relationships built at Arleta, and the atmosphere is continuously welcoming.” Tierra strives to create a world where everyone is seen for who they truly are. Regardless of perceived disability, all people have the right to live productive and personally meaningful lives. Through our partnership with NHF’s Arleta Housing program, we are proud to align our visions—creating a world where everyone is treated with respect and dignity. Together, we are building an inclusive community that heals, supports, and uplifts—making us stronger and more resilient than ever before.

The post “Yes, Chef!” The Innovative Partnership of Tierra del Sol and National Health Foundation’s Arleta Kitchen appeared first on Tierra del Sol.

This week, the House of Representatives voted to approve a budget resolution directing $880 billion in cuts to the budget controlled by the House committee which oversees Medicaid.

As Congress continues to consider this legislation that could significantly impact Medicaid funding for community-based services, opinion pieces in the form of op-eds and letters to the editor are an important way to raise awareness on why Medicaid is so crucial to providing supports and services to people with I/DD.

As our National Week of Action to #SaveMedicaid rolls on, today is a great day to spend a few minutes drafting an op-ed or letter to the editor. From there, spending a few more minutes working to get your opinion piece placed in your local media outlets can raise awareness in your community about the significant harms that cuts to Medicaid funding would inflict for people with I/DD.

Writing and placing a letter to the editor or an op-ed might sound like a heavy lift, but we’ve done most of the work for you! Below are the steps to follow to knock out today’s action with a light lift.

• Decide whether you want to write a letter to the editor (typically 150-250 words) or an op-ed (typically 500-750 words). Then, download our easy-to-use letter to the editor template or our op-ed template, visit https://www.ancor.org/writing-placing-opinion-pieces/

• Writing from your perspective, update the template to share your own thoughts about the need to protect Medicaid funding. You’re welcome to adapt the templates as much or as little as you like, but at the very least, be sure to replace the parts highlighted in yellow with information that’s relevant to your experience.

• Once you’ve drafted your opinion piece, visit ANCOR’s Advocacy Toolkit to find comprehensive guidance on how to get your opinion piece placed.

If you have any questions, email Tierra’s CEO, Rebecca Lienhard, at rlienhard@tierradelsol.org.

Thank you for all you’re doing—this week and beyond—to #SaveMedicaid. We appreciate your advocacy!

The post Take Action NOW to Save Medicaid!!! appeared first on Tierra del Sol.

I proudly present a snapshot of our annual satisfaction report for the calendar year 2022. We work to achieve our mission to champion inclusion and value for all people with disabilities through creative pathways to employment, education, and the arts. We have developed a broad array of Workforce Development Programs, including competitively paid employment and professional volunteerism opportunities, College-to- Career Programs, Careers in the Arts Programs, and Individualized Support Services. Since 2019, we have seen an associate growth of over 40%, from serving 566 associates to 780 associates in 2022!

For this year’s survey, we received 418 recorded responses. Of these, 240 were associate responses and 147 were family responses, leaving the remainder to our various funding agencies, such as Regional Center. In 2022, we partnered with 780 unduplicated associates with our supports and services that were as geo- graphically diverse, as they were ethnically and racially. Overall, 86.3% of the respondents gave Tierra an A or B score for their experience with our services.

Thank you for your support, and I hope you will continue to stand with us as we work to ensure that all people live productive and personally meaningful lives, regardless of the notion of disability.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Lienhard
Chief Executive Officer

Click here to read full article

The post Tierra’s Satisfaction Survey and Message from CEO appeared first on Tierra del Sol.

  – Karren McClenahan

The post Outstanding Philanthropist of the Year! Karren McClenahan appeared first on Tierra del Sol.

What started as only a few days a week, has evolved into a four-day work-week schedule.  Tierra Coach, Rosa Bravo, shares, “Jessica and Matthew have come a long way since they began working at Descanso Gardens.  Initially, it was challenging for Jessica to adjust to volunteering here, but the environment was a great fit.  Matthew has trouble focusing – he loves to converse on the job.  Now, he does his best to concentrate, works hard, and even learned how to use the more sophisticated gardening tools that the horticulturists use.  In addition to being a fast learner, he’s very helpful.  Jessica and Matthew make a great team, and have a good reputation.”

“I see Matthew and Jessica almost every day.  They perform a variety of tasks that range from pulling weeds in the Camellia Forest to patrolling the Gardens to making sure the grounds are spotless. Any job they take on, they do with earnestness, efficiency, and positivity. They are a hard working group and have been a joy to work with.”

– Felix Schroeder, Descanso Gardens Volunteer Coordinator

      

Jessica shares, “I like my job.  Hearing the birds, being in nature…and I enjoy working with Matthew.”  Matthew echoes Jessica’s sentiments, “It’s fun, the people are nice, and I like working with Jessica too!”

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