A License to Succeed

Community Action Partnership of Cambria County

Adalberto Ortiz

Adalberto Ortiz was open to taking any kind of employment he could get to help provide for his family. When he settled in Johnstown in June 2006, with his wife and five children, he hoped for a full-time job with benefits.

In July 2006, the Community Action Partnership of Cambria County (CAPCC) began to help Adalberto realize his goals and to put himself and his family on the road to self-sufficiency. CAPCC Case Managers Diane Weingartner and Dawn Brooks enrolled Adalberto in the Supported Work Program and assisted him in submitting several applications. Within several weeks he received a job offer at a local steakhouse. Adalberto worked hard, making an impression on his employer, and was assigned a steady work schedule.

Knowing that he could not sufficiently raise a family on his current salary, Adalberto decided to pursue another opportunity he learned about from CAPCC. The agency's Head Start program held Commercial Drivers License classes for school bus drivers. Adalberto knew that this could be the direction he needed. While working full time at the steakhouse and caring for five children, Adalberto attended classes and acquired his commercial license. He then applied for and was hired by Head Start as a full-time bus driver.

The steps that CAPCC had assisted Adalberto with, moved him into a good work and financial position. In January 2007, he moved into the exciting position of homeowner, purchasing a home in Johnstown. Adalberto's extraordinary success is largely due to his own initiative, however he does point out that Community Action helped to keep him motivated. He credits the Supported Work Program with providing him with support and guidance when he needed it.  

"[I am] happy and grateful...for the help given to me," said Adalberto. "[CAPCC] never said no when I came for help."

Community Action Partnership of Cambria County provides programs and services to aid low-income residents of Cambria County in reaching self-sufficiency.