Page 15 - Mid Valley Times 1-21-21 E-edition

VIRUS
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bers, and there is some good news on the hori- zon. Reedley College an- nounced on its Facebook page on Jan. 16 that the campus will be one of the area's vaccination sites in the near future.
Jerry Buckley, the college's president, re- ceived one of the CO- VID-19 vaccines last week, and reported no complications. "The pro- cess was efficient, pain- less and effective," he said on the school's page, adding that there should be no concern about get- ting the shot.
"They will protect families and our commu- nities from this deadly virus. I encourage ev- eryone to get vaccinat- ed when it is offered to them," Buckley said.
In Tulare County,
TEEN
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of the school's HOSA club and also serves as president of the school's ACCEPT Club and is a past presi- dent for the NAMI (National All- liance on Mental Illness) Club.
"I have dedicated the past four years toward these clubs, because I believe I am able to make a dif- ference and show compassion," she wrote. Pannu and her offi- cers team put on a blood and bone marrow drive for Judith Marie, and the blood drive has become an annual event. As a sophomore, she competed for HOSA at the an- nual state leadership conference, placing in the top 10 in state for prepared speaking.
Other awards Pannu has won include Miss Tulare County out- standing teen citizen, along with
MCC names
its first Latina
exec director
Hanford's González-Piña began her new job Jan. 4
As of the most recent update on Tuesday, Jan. 19, there had been 82,485 confirmed cases (no active update) of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) out of 659,926 tests in Fresno County, with 968 deaths and 580 hospitalized.
positive case numbers exceeded the 40,000 mark during the week before reaching 41,867 by Jan. 19. While deaths increased by 32 for the week to 506, hospital- izations for the week actually decreased by
Dunlap had 46 and six total positive cases, respectively, through a Dec. 29 update. The county announced on its website that it will not list recoveries at this time to reallocate staff for new cases.
Thursday, January 21, 2021 | A15 | Mid Valley TiMes COVID-19 update
Among Mid Valley Times cities in the county through Jan. 19 (the Fresno County dashboard page is under construction until early 2021), Sanger continues to have the most total overall positive cases with 3,453. Through the Jan. 19 unofficial printed update, Reedley is at 2,745 cases; Parlier was listed with 2,046 cases and Orange Cove had 1,203 cases. Del Rey was at 253 cases while Fowler had 762 cases through Jan. 19. Squaw Valley and
In Tulare County, there were 41,867 total confirmed cases (4,922 active) of COVID-19 with 506 deaths and 201 hospitalized as of Tuesday, Jan. 19. Breakdowns by cities/regions show 3,648 cases in Dinuba, 1,252 in Orosi, 655 in Cutler, 212 in Traver, 46 in the rural area south of Reedley and 17 in the rural area southeast of Orange Cove.
Contributed
Dina González-Piña has been named the new executive director of West Coast Menno- nite Central Committee (MCC).
For the past 100 years MCC, a global nonprofit, has part- nered with local organi- zations in over 50 coun- tries to offer relief, de- velopment, and peace- building to vulnerable communities. González- Piña, a resident of Han- ford, moved from her current work as MCC's U.S. ethnicity and gen- der equity specialist into the regional lead- ership role on Jan. 4.
González-Piña be- comes the first Latina to serve in the role of executive director for MCC. Committee members said her pro- fessional and personal experience will offer transformational lead- ership for the West Coast region and push the organization to ad- vance in development and innovation.
As ethnicity and gender equity special- ist, González-Piña con- sulted with MCC staff
and boards, and with the committee’s sup- porting denominations and colleague organiza- tions, and led trainings and workshops across the country.
In addition to sup- porting MCC’s interna- tional and U.S. work, the office operates regional program es- pecially focused on re- storative justice, immi- gration direct services and education, and peacebuilding along the Mexico-U.S. border. It also operates a materi- al resources center and the Mennonite Quilt Center in Reedley, and Thrift on Blackstone, an MCC Thrift shop in Fresno. Its main office is in Reedley.
Prior to her staff role with MCC, González-Piña was a member of the West Coast MCC Board of Directors from 2003- 2009 and the MCC U.S. board from 2006-2015. González-Piña worked with Fresno Pacific University (FPU) for 23 years, most recently as assistant dean of mul- ticultural ministries. She continues to serve as FPU adjunct faculty.
being a Tulare County Character Counts nominee for caring.
Pannu's work with ACCEPT helps students learn about differ- ent cultures, and stemmed from her own experience being bullied for her ethnicity. "I believe it is im- portant for our generation to gain knowledge on different cultures and embrace them," she wrote.
Her NAMI commitment stems from Pannu's belief that the cur- rent generation is vulnerable to mental illness because of social media. Her junior year, the club opened up a wellness center that provided students with games, books and a relaxing safe area where students could express themselves and their feelings.
Arshpreet said she believes in serving others inside and outside of the classroom. Her volunteer works includes at Kaweah Delta
Hospital in Visalia and PRO-PT, a physical therapy clinic in Dinuba. "These volunteering experienc- es have helped me realize that I would like for my future career to be in the medical field," she wrote.
Pannu also is involved with the Big Brother, Big Sister program, where she mentors a "little" who currently is a fifth-grader at Wil- son Elementary School. She also has volunteered to serve Thanks- giving dinner and serve the home- less with her family during New Year's. All told, she has compiled 730 community service hours.
"After I am done with my edu- cation I plan to come back and continue to serve my community," Pannu wrote. "My community has shaped me into a selfless person and has helped me realize my strongest values, which are hon- esty and perseverance."
Another good sign was that active cases in the county decreased by more than 400, to 4,922 on Jan. 19. Dinuba had
had a slight gain in re- cently active cases dur- ing the week while Oro- si's dipped to just 109 in the last three weeks (655 overall).
A total of 36,439 people (87 percent) in Tulare County were listed as recovered as of Jan. 19.
five to 201. There also
was a small increase
in availability of ICU ending Jan. 19. Orosi beds.
3,648 cases, adding 117 in the four-day period
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