70 adults and children protest adult ESL budget cuts

2012-05-28T02:58:53Z

Adult ESL learners and their children came out in droves to rally for Sacramento City Unified School District to reinstate funding for the ESL program at Fremont Adult School in Sacramento. Seventy people waved signs and cheered outside the school district office on 47th Avenue on Thursday. Countless cars honked and showed their support.

Student Juan Navarrete said in a letter to the school board, “I learned a lot as you see. Now I can write, read, speak. Also I completed my GED and some computer programs, but the more important thing is that I can help my kids with homework. Incredibly, their grades have gone up in school. They have dreams, hopes, they have a future.”

Teacher Marge Matoba said, “With the school slated for closure at the end of this semester, students are understandably devastated at the prospect of having nowhere to go to learn English so they can survive and thrive in Sacramento.”

To get involved, e-mail savefremont@hotmail.com.

With more than 2,000 students enrolled in its 181-day regular school year programs, Fremont School for Adults works to educate adults so they will have the basic life skills and academic skills essential to be successful. Fremont students come from around the world and bring with them a wide range of languages and cultures, providing the campus with rich cultural diversity. Fremont offers a fully accredited High School Completion program, as well as an ESL program and an Adult Basic Education program that provides foundation skills for elementary reading, writing and math. Fremont also offers GED test preparation.

Sacramento-based app lets customers provide private feedback to local businesses

2012-02-21T23:17:04Z

Sacramento residents weary of writing public online reviews can provide private, anonymous and immediate feedback to local businesses through the new free Sacramento-based iSuggest app. iSuggest is a Sacramento mobile technology startup company that gives customers a voice while providing tools for businesses to improve customer satisfaction.

“Often people want to provide suggestions to local businesses without risking the company’s reputation by writing a public review,” said Matt Brickley, iSuggest marketing director. “iSuggest gives them the chance to communicate directly with the manager or business owner right away without tracking someone down in person or searching for an online contact form.”

Customers visit iSuggest.com or download iSuggest for free from their app market. When the app is launched, customers see all nearby businesses or can search for businesses in other locations. After a suggestion is written, it is delivered instantly and privately to the manager or owner. Businesses can then respond to customers and offer rewards for helpful feedback. The basic iSuggest service is free for all businesses, but a Pro Plan upgrade will soon be available to businesses looking for additional tools such as customer rewards and analytics.
“This is a win-win,” Brickley said. “Customers have the chance to share their brilliant ideas, and businesses can correct errors or implement new ideas before negative public reviews hit the web. The result benefits the entire community.”

iSuggest can provide feedback to any business, but many local businesses have signed up to promote their desire to receive feedback, including De Vere’s Irish Pub, Hot Italian, Sterling Hotel, Sacramento Comedy Spot and Mike’s Bikes of Sacramento. Businesses receive iSuggest’s green “We Heart Feedback” stickers, bill inserts, table tents and more, and can manage their online suggestions and provide incentives through a control panel. To sign up as an iSuggest partner, visit www.isuggest.com or call (888) 907-2054.

iSuggest was created by Sacramento entrepreneurs Cory Robertson, Mike Machado and Matt Brickley when they noticed physical suggestion boxes were dwindling while at the same time, online review sites were lacking privacy, timeliness and direct communication. iSuggest provides a virtual suggestion box that allows customers to provide anonymous, private and immediate feedback through their mobile devices directly to management. iSuggest gives customers and businesses the chance to communicate privately and make changes that benefit the community as a whole. For more information, visit www.isuggest.com.

Disclosure: Kristin Thébaud is the PR consultant for iSuggest and works with numerous local nonprofits and companies that give back to the community.

Sacramento Scene

70 adults and children protest adult ESL budget cuts

Sacramento-based app lets customers provide private feedback to local businesses