hello and welcome to "comunidad del valle." i'm damian trujillo and today we're honoring our veterans on the show, plus another feria de salud on "your comunidad del valle." male announcer: nbc bay area presents, "comunidad del valle" with damian trujillo. damian: we begin today with an effort to make job sites more family-friendly. with me on "comunidad del valle" is the chair of the commission on the status of women of santa clara county, lupe rodriguez. welcome to the show. lupe rodriguez: thank you for having me. damian: talk about the effort here. what are we trying to accomplish? and, how are you--how is the commission and other agencies trying to reward employers who kind of have a family-friendly atmosphere? lupe: right, well, so the award that we're talking about today is called, "the family-friendly workplace award.

and, as you mentioned, it was sort of thought of the commission on the status of women and the office of women's policy, as well as other departments, the george and katharine alexander law center, which does a lot of employment law. so, it was a thought, sort of our brain child in order to reward employers in the county of santa clara that are doing right by their employees, basically, that are providing environments that are supportive of them, and their families-- damian: what--give us some examples of that. what are we talking about here? lupe: so, the award has three different criteria. we're looking at things like pregnancy and parenting leave. so, accommodations in facility that they offer their employees around that. it also is looking at lactation accommodations for women specifically, women who have children, and then also, work-life balance. so, some of the--there are three levels to the award. there's a bronze, there's a silver, and there's a gold. and, employers can do a self-assessment of their own organization and their own, sort of, employee policies and then, you know, see whether or not they can be awarded one of the

three different levels of the award. damian: it seems like you have a couple of winners here. one is the employer for doing what they should be doing, and the employee who's getting that much needed family time, if you will. lupe: exactly, that was the impetus behind it. we really want to recognize employers who are, you know, doing the right thing, who are following the law, which the first level of the award, the bronze award is basically for all employers in the county that are following the basic sort of tenets of the law in terms of lactation accommodations and parenting leave. and then the other, you know, levels of the award are for those who are going above and beyond. and, you're right. we are--you know, it's a dual thing. we want to recognize employers that are doing the right thing, that are creating environments that are, you know, creating better efficiencies for the employees. a lot of research has shown that you know, they win too if they provide better environments for their employees because there's more efficiency. you know, there's higher morale and thereby, better work production. and then of course, you're right, you know, this is really important for families and for employees in the county, because

it allows 'em the ability to you know, to recognize that they're working for employers that are providing them the accommodations that are necessary. and then, it also is in incentive for employees that are really, you know, highly qualified and others to find employment that is supportive of them and their families. damian: maybe people who are maybe afraid or reluctant to start a family because they're not sure how much they'll be able to cope, and deal, and raise that family. lupe: absolutely, you know, one of the things that we found is that 80% of women in the county have children, at least one child. and so, you know, that's 50% of our workforce is female in the county. and again, you know, not to say that the fathers in the families aren't an integral part of those family ties and must have accommodations as well as women. but, for some of the specific things in this award, we really want to recognize employees, employers, excuse me, that allow for things like lactation accommodations, some things that are specific to women, who are often, you know, left out of you know, conversations in terms of

accommodations at their employment-- damian: did you find that maybe some women were having problems in the county with these accommodations, and they came to the commission, and expressed those concerns? or, what was the impetus for this? lupe: you know, we've definitely heard that--as i mentioned, one of our partners is the george and katharine alexander law center that has done a lot of work on wage theft issues and other issues of you know, employment abuse. and yes, you know, we found that a lot of women particularly in the county and not the impetus for the women--commission on the status of women came from that. you know, a lot of women are in employment that, you know, isn't supportive of their families, that doesn't offer flexibility in terms of hours, and we you know--as you know, the county has been pushing for living wage. it's also been pushing for accommodations for employees in different ways in terms of you know, paid leave, and sick leave, and that kind of thing that are also a really integral part of being able have a full work life and family life. and so, it came because of that. but, also definitely because we understand that women are often the victims of employment practices that are bad, you

know, wage theft and other kinds of discrimination and other kinds of policies that are difficult for them. and so, this, you know, is an incentive for all employers in the county to be able to present their best foot. you know, show the things that they're doing for their women employees. and, show the world and the community that they are doing right by our community here in santa clara county. damian: all right, well, if you think you qualify, there is the web address. make sure you jot it down because that's where you'll be able to--do you take nominations or the companies themselves submit their own-- lupe: yeah, so we're asking the companies to submit their own. and, do the self-assessment. and then, there's a committee that will review all of the applications. and then, the awards will be done of august 28th at the women's equality luncheon. damian: and so, it's--anybody going from the googles to lorena's taqueria, who qualifies? lupe: absolutely, anybody, any company of any size, nonprofit organizations, privates companies, large corporations, as long as you are in the bounds of santa clara county, you can qualify for this award. damian: all right, thank you for what you're doing

in our community. lupe: no, thank you. damian: all right. and, up next here on "comunidad del valle," another feria de salud. stay with us.

on "comunidad del valle." norma molina is back. she's a registered dietician. and, she's back to talk about a couple of things, one is the feria de salud coming up in one of my favorites places in the valley, the flea market, la pulga. and then, you have a couple of diabetes camps for children with type-two diabetes. well, let's talk about the feria de salud first, the one at the flea market. you're having it there at the flea market on august 15th. why--it's obvious who the target audience is going to be. what do you hope to get across at that feria and what can people come in and take advantage of? norma molina: well, one of the services that are provided, so many of the services is they get free screening for their blood sugar. we check that. they also have vision checks. they have checks like with their feet. so, it's a lot of education as far as what do you need to look

at if you had diabetes type-two. the other is they've had screenings where they have found that someone does have diabetes, then they didn't know that. so, it's really a great service and it's free. it's to anyone who'd like to come. there's entertainment, there's activities for the kids. and, there's music. so, it's really family-oriented. and, it's also--they also have cooking demonstrations to show what a healthy course would look like-- damian: one of the reasons why i go to the pulga is because of the corn dogs and the french fries. what's your reaction to the fact that [laughing] i indulge? norma: do you know, that is the environment that we live in. but, you--they also--you can also have choices. and, at the flea market, they sell produce. so, you have the choice of do i buy fruit, or should i buy them

cotton candy or a snow cone. well, in this feria, it's awareness that we want to talk to about families. because, it all starts with parenting and then it trickles down to the kids. so, this--the focus is educating families and awareness. and also, to find out, are you at risk for type-two diabetes. do you have--are you diabetic and you don't know how to take care of your feet? you don't know what's going on with your eyes. so, it's really an important one, and we want families to come to us-- damian: and, for instance, if you have a child, and who is lured by the said corn dogs and french fries, and away from the farmer's market where you do have fresh fruits and vegetables. how do you reel them in to the other side? norma: well, if has to do a lot with the parents, because the parents are the ones that have the money. they're the ones that purchase.

so, if the parents are aware that those types are "sometimes" foods. you know, if they buy it sometimes, that's fine. but, have them go more towards the farmer's markets. teach your kids about fruits and vegetables because, they may not have been exposed to any types of fruits and vegetables. and there, they have a huge array of fruits and vegetables. they even have tasting. if you pass by the booths, they will tell you, "hey, you know, come and try this. come and try that." so, it's really an all around type of family experience. and, part of that education is to show them how much sugar is in drinks, how much fat is in certain foods, and then they can--they have more information about how do i make the choices-- damian: now, let's talk about--do you have a couple of summer, actually, three summer camps that are coming up. and, they're not your typical summer camps. they're kind of special and well, tell us about them. norma: well, these camps, there isn't any other camp that

we know of that are these type. and, usually they are camps that are type-one diabetes where children have to give themselves insulin injections for the rest of their life. and, with the type-two diabetes camps, these are focused on children and kids who are at risk, who are overweight, or who already have type-two diabetes at a young age, which used to be called, "adult diabetes." so, these camps, they come to these camps, it's a day camp. and, they learn about prevention of diabetes. also, and i'm the educator for that. i also teach them how to make healthy snacks, how to put them together themselves without having to cook. they get exposed to different fruits and vegetables. i focus on those. and, some of them have never tried any of these, like the

type of--like soybeans or edamame. they've never heard of 'em. but, they try them and they like 'em. the other is, we are in collaboration with the community center that hosts the camp. and, they provide all of the activities, swimming. the kids get to go on a field trip. last year they did ice skating, which we know that in the low-income communities, latino communities, some of them never ice skated before. and, we have presenters that come in. last year, we had pilates instructor, we also had provided yoga. so, they're exposed to other activities-- damian: well, i mean, it's important to get 'em active and to get 'em eating right. well, we do have, again, a few events happening. the august 15th is at the san jose flea market for the diabetes association. and then also, the three youth camps. two in san jose and one in hollister on those dates that are on the screen. there is a web address. any other web address you can think of that they can log on to? i know if you go on to diabetes.org and type in san jose in the search, it'll give you a listing

of all the dates that are-- norma: yes, and, i also want to say for the feria, there's a huge raffle for a flat screen tv if you're present, yes. and also, with the camps, they're free. they're free for 18 to 15 year olds. and, we couldn't do this without the sponsors like the anthem blue cross and el camino hospital. we really depend on those to make 'em free-- damian: those are the right partners. thank you, norma, for what you're doing for our kids-- norma: yes, thank you. thank you for having me. damian: and up next here on "comunidad del valle," honoring our veterans. stay with us.

is gearing up for the annual veteran's day parade and they do need your help. francis mcvey is the president of the veteran's council, also with the veteran's alliance of santa clara county. welcome to the show, first of all. francis mcvey: thank you. damian: now, we do have some beautiful images that we want to show you. what comes to your mind?

what are you--what's your thought process when you see these images of what your organization is responsible for? the annual veteran's day parade, the largest in the country? francis: i believe it is. it's certainly close to that. and, this will be the 97th year, so i think it's probably the oldest for sure. and yes, these are images from some of our prior parades. i think you will see that they're very enjoyable, both educational to young folks, and a way to honor the veterans and military service. and, a parade is fun. it's a good, family oriented event to bring folks out and just have a day with the family. damian: it's not cheap to put something of this magnitude on-- francis: no, it certainly is not. it costs us at least $50,000 to put on the parade between city fees, and insurance, and all the things that we need. we'd like to have that budget more at 70 or 75, but every year, it's a nail biter right down to the end to see if we're going to have enough money. but, every year we have.

but, you mentioned the veteran's alliance, our purpose in forming that separate 501(c)(3) was we would like to get funding through the 100th year, and to be able to generate some corporate sponsorships, so that we could have more of a rolling budget with the 2 or 3 year time frame out in front of us. damian: your thoughts when you see the fact that it's not only the veterans who participate but families, and children, and anyone else who comes out to the festivities there. francis: it is being about the military service. it's both educational but any parade that is fun there is fun. there's music. there's things to see and i very much appreciate all the car clubs that bring out their fine cars to transport the vips. so, for a lot of people that's worth seeing in itself. damian: and absolutely, what--i mean, at this point, what we're asking folks is if they can donate to the veterans alliance of this area. did you imagine that part of putting on a parade of this magnitude was going to require all this fundraising, and

efforts, and knocking on doors, and picking up the telephone, and what not? francis: well, yes. i'm pretty much aware that a parade takes a lot of organizing and a lot of funding. and so, like i said, we've always been able to make it. but, it sure would be more comfortable if we had some corporate sponsors. but, we also love anybody who will give us a small amount of money. and, i encourage are members to talk to everybody they come in contact with to bring up the subject, and see if someone might be interested. damian: and well, we saw the beautiful images. what do folks get in return would you say with their donation and with the fact that you'll be able to have the parade this year again? francis: well, just a nice day outdoors with their family. perhaps they'll decide to enjoy downtown san jose, stay for lunch, do some other shopping, and maybe having become more familiar with the area that'll come back for christmas in the park and those kind of things over the holidays. damian: talk about your organization, the united veterans council because, i mean, this is a force

to be reckoned with. this is the umbrella of several other veterans group, american legion post, and what not. but, talk about the council if you will. francis: yes, the veteran's council is the umbrella organization. it's a 501(c)(19) in its own right. but, there are more than 50 veterans posts within the county that are eligible for membership. probably 30 or 35 are active at any given time. but, we like to call ourselves the glue and the grease. we like to be the glue to pull things together when they're common mission, veterans things, and the grease that we make sure that everything, it meshes and interfaces smoothly. damian: that's it. talk about your personal history, your service to this country. francis: okay. thank you for that. damian: sure. francis: i was a navel flight officer. well, at first, i was an enlisted quartermaster. but then, i was fortunate enough to get commissioned before flying in vietnam. i was a navigator and tactical coordinator on a p-3 orion.

left active duty after 5 years but stayed in the reserves for a total of 31 years, continuing to fly and serve in the reserves at moffett field. my last operational assignment was second-in-command, executive officer of the reserve patrol wing during desert storm. damian: well, you say that with a lot of pride. talk about-- francis: i think you'll find that with all veterans that they're proud of their military service and would do it again, even though it's not for the money. and, it's not easy. it's hard work. but, it's the pride and the commitment to country that makes us do it. damian: absolutely, well, thank you for that service. we've all known that the 129th, the rescue wing was responsible for flying the north and south no-fly-zones at one point in iraq. they've been back. now, they do rescue mission out in the open sea. i mean, it's nonstop for that air wing that you were the xo of. francis: actually, that's an air force air wing. when i was there, it was the moffett p-3 squadrons were still there.

damian: and, how long ago was that, sir? francis: that was 1990 to '92. damian: and, your duties there? i mean, the wing's duties were what? francis: well, that's overseeing the squadron level. so, brief, and debrief, and safety of flight tracking, and mission planning, and all of that kind of thing. damian: wow, heavy stuff. if you'd like to help out, again, in coordinating and helping out with the parade, the annual veteran's day parade, there is the information on your screen, the veteran's alliance at santa clara county. we'll be back and talk more about this fundraising effort when we continue. stay with us. thank you so much. did you say honey? hey, try some? mmm that is tasty. is it real? of course... are you? nope animated you know i'm always looking for real honey for honey nut cheerios well you've come to the right place. great, mind if i have another taste? not at all mmm you're all right bud?

never better i don't know if he likes that. yeah part of the complete breakfast about the annual veteran's day parade and talk if you will, sir, about--i mean, the way, i believe the way we were receiving our veterans when they return from overseas in combat is a lot different than the way we treated them when you came back.

talk about what you saw and maybe the difference that you see now. francis: well, it's like day and night. the vietnam veteran's were not treated well at all. and fortunately today, veterans are recognized for their service if anyone even has a disagreement with policy, they still don't take it out on the individual soldier. and, that seemed to be not the case in my time frame. and, i of course didn't experience that as badly as some others did. because, i came back with my squadron flying the same nine airplanes back that we took over in a quick turn around to go back overseas on another mission. so, for guys that came out of vietnam, 2 or 3 days later, they were out of uniform and on the street. that was a hard transition. damian: has it gotten easier i would imagine-- francis: yes, i think the military is making a real effort to transition people, help them with preparing for civilian jobs, going back to school that kind of thing.

but, what's most important is the public acceptance of respecting people and shaking their hand. damian: i'll give you an example. my father-in-law, we went to visit the vietnam memorial in washington, d.c. for the 25th anniversary of the wall. and, it was the first time in 40 years that he heard the words, "welcome home." francis: yes, my girlfriend once said to me about 5 years ago that she realized that when i was recognized with a number of other vietnam vets, that was the first time that we had heard it some 30 plus years later. damian: what's that like to wait that long? i mean, not that you expect it. but, it's probably nice to hear. francis: it's very nice to hear and you'll notice that veterans try to thank other veterans for their service. and, it's a mutual respect thing. damian: your thoughts on those veterans who are returning nowadays and maybe your advice to them to kind of--if they need the counseling, and if they need whatever benefits that are coming to them that they should go out and obtain 'em.

francis: absolutely, there are benefits. and, a lot of people don't realize how many benefits there really are out there through the va and the veteran's service centers. look into it. take advantage of it. but also, stay in contact with other veterans. it's usually buddy-to-buddy that helps you integrate back into school or the job market, that kind of thing, and not be afraid to call on another veteran if something's bothering you. damian: and, getting back to the parade situation. i mean, not to, you know, the idea is obviously to put this parade on, on an annual basis. but, you're gonna need the funds again. and, without those funds, you know, these images might not be possible. and then, that's why you're--you probably start on the day after the parade to start fundraising-- francis: that's right. it's a year-around effort. and, you are absolutely correct. we worry about the risks that someday that there might not be a parade. but, i certainly don't want it to happen on my watch, if you will, as this year that i'm president. and, we want to get to the 100th year and be comfortable

that we will get there. > damian: why should there--last question for you. why should there be an annual veteran's day parade? francis: well, i mentioned earlier, it's not about the money, it's about pride, and it's about dedication to country. and, the veteran's deserve that respect. and, it's also educational to have a parade where the kids can come out and really interact with the soldier, and then perhaps follow questions with their folks about what is this all about and why is it so meaningful to these guys. damian: beautiful, again, if you'd like to help out they are raising funds, looking for a corporate sponsors for the annual veteran's day parade. that's the veterans alliance of the santa clara county, also with the united veteran's council of santa clara county. thank you so much for your servic--any final thoughts before i let you go? francis: oh, i just very much appreciate you taking the time to get--let us get some visibility, and promote our parade, and honor military service. damian: thank you, fran--thank you for your service and welcome home.

all right, and now, here's what's happening in your comunidad. a ver qué pasa. [music] [music]

damian: and our saludos to those celebrating a special day, felicidades. [music] [singing in foreign language] damian: and, there is our address for any show suggestions. you can follow me on twitter. my handle is @newsdamian. also, pick up a copy of "el observador" newspaper and support your bilingual weeklies all across the bay area. we thank you once again for sharing a part of your sunday with us on "comunidad del valle." you can watch us every saturday at 5:30 p.m. on telemundo 48 "comunidad del valle" en español. we'll see you again here next week, buenos dias. [music]

♪ ♪ turn around ♪ every now and then i get a little bit hungry ♪ ♪ and there's nothing really good around ♪ ♪ turn around ♪ every now and then i get a little bit tired ♪ ♪ of living off the taste of the air ♪ ♪ turn around, barry ♪ finally, i have a manly chocolatey snack ♪ ♪ and fiber so my wife won't give me any more flack ♪ ♪ i finally found the right snack ♪ ♪

♪ >> who can you rely on to always be there when you need immediate help? and even when you don't? any time of the day or night, even when you're hundreds of miles away from home, always giving you and your family peace of mind with people, benefits, and services always there for you, to make your life a little easier. a company where you always know we're always with you. aaa, a company built by and for members. hello, i'm don wildman. chances are you know of aaa, but you might be surprised what you don't know about aaa. so, come along and discover what aaa is all about.