RAIN Shelter ‘Triumph’

This is to commend your staff writer Fred Alvarez and photographer Anne Cusack for their feature story “Tracey’s Triumph” (June 7). The story put a series of human faces into focus for me and solidified my support for the RAIN shelter operated by the county of Ventura. During the past few weeks, I had read several articles about it in local publications and heard interviews on local radio. The work of director Kathy Jenks and her staff at the shelter in Camarillo had already impressed me as extraordinary and worthy of commendation.

When I read “Tracey’s Triumph,” I was impressed with the program again. The personal story of Tracey Florez and her journey with her children was an inspiration and a great illustration of the human spirit and the often-overlooked government support network that exists to salvage struggling families such as hers.

I noted that once Tracey started her journey with RAIN (the River-dwellers Aid Intercity Network) that other organizations such as Oxnard College contributed to her recovery by providing employment opportunity and job training. Then people such as Diane and Dave Stephens and others from the Oxnard College community stepped forward to further assist her. This is the best of the human spirit in action.

I commend your newspaper staff members and thank you for encouraging this in-depth look into the RAIN program. I will send a copy to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors to ensure that they recognize the need for adequate financial support for this extremely important function of local government.

A.J. FARRAR, Ventura