Vanessa Salado
Bilingual Family Resource Specialist
In March 2022, Vanessa Salado was hired as our newest Bilingual Resource Specialist at H.E.A.R.T.S. Connection. Vanessa grew up in Lamont, CA and obtained her diploma from Arvin High School. Shortly after graduating, she became a mother and married her husband, Cesar Salado. They were blessed with a daughter and a son, who are both diagnosed with Autism.
Soon after her children received the diagnosis of Autism, she made the tough decision to quit her first job and focus primarily on advocating for them. At first, Vanessa felt alone and completely bewildered; she didn’t know who to turn to or what to do. Nevertheless, she quickly gained the necessary knowledge and located the proper services to support her children’s needs. This led her to Richardson Center, where her son attended for early start intervention and it was there that her introduction to Special Education started. She discovered H.E.A.R.T.S by participating in the Richardson Collaborative support groups.
After attending multiple support groups, she learned H.E.A.R.T.S provided many resources, including IEP training, resources for different diagnoses, and guest speakers to educate parents. Vanessa started to volunteer at H.E.A.R.T.S. Connection and when an opportunity for employment at H.E.A.R.T.S. became available, she immediately applied and was offered the job. Within two months of her employment, she participated in a fundraiser (Give Big Kern) and ranked as the top staff member, bringing in the most funds. Because of her great organizational skills, she was assigned an important role in logistics for one of our events, Hero's 4 HEARTS.
Vanessa recently acquired a certification in Adult Mental Health Aid. She is now trained to provide initial help to someone experiencing a mental health issue or substance use challenge. In a short period of time, she has made a huge impact for the organization and utilizes her life experiences to connect with families. One of her professional goals is to assist parents that have difficulty with IEPs, finding correct resources, or who are simply looking for a friendly connection. Because of her past, Vanessa can sympathize with clients at H.E.A.R.T.S. Connection on a personal level. She takes pleasure in supporting parents by helping them fully understand an IEP by dissecting it and by searching for any other services they might need.
