Ona Rice: Making a Difference for the Children of San Diego County

Residential Care Supervisor – Ona Rice

SEIU Local 221 members provide vital services that keep our communities a safe place to live, work, and raise a family. The following member profile highlights the important work Local 221 members perform for our communities.

Ona Rice

Residential Care Supervisor Ona Rice has a challenging job, but it’s a job she loves. Rice supervises Residential Care workers at the Polinsky Children’s Center, an emergency shelter for children.

Many of the children Rice encounters at Polinsky are coming from a difficult situation. Whether their problems stem from abuse, abandonment, or some other trauma, the children need support and guidance from adults. Rice and her team offer a stable environment for the children in their time of need.

“At Polinsky, we have an active teaching approach to behavior modification for the children,” Rice said. “I make sure our programs are properly implemented and the staff are role modeling appropriately.”

Rice was inspired as a teen to work with children when she was involved in an after school program. She witnessed the struggles of the other youth in the program and realized she could make a difference.

 “I knew I wanted to do something to make their lives better,” Rice said.

 Rice and her team have the challenge of providing support to some of San Diego’s most fragile children and sometimes they need support too. That is why Rice is glad to be a union member.

“Being in the union allows me to network with my coworkers and have good conversations about our work environment,” Rice said. “It helps us all make sure we are on the right page. Our goal is to work smarter.”