At the November 2023 staff meeting, the Little Rock location celebrated Carlos Reyes recently passing his citizenship exam and interview.  Reyes has worked for City of Faith since 2016.  In 3 weeks he will take his oath officially gaining his American citizenship.  A cake was made by former City of Faith employee Catie Morrow to celebrate Mr. Reyes heritage and his new citizenship.

City of Faith Director of Security Sam Williams retired from the Maumelle Police Department in 2019. Cory Pickard was named as his replacement upon Sam’s retirement. On October 21, 2023 a tournament was hosted in Cory’s honor to help support his family through his cancer treatments. City of Faith was able to sponsor a hole.
A special thanks to all 33 team, 132 golfers, 40+ sponsors, the tournament committee, and the entire community of Maumelle who made the tournament happen. The outpouring of love and support was remarkable and a powerful reminder of the strength that lies within a community! Tee it up fore Cory.

Announcements

1. Revver Check ins Start this week so check in all your files by Friday.

2. All requests must have a ticket to be completed.

3. Special Congratulations To Carlos Reyes for Making it as a US citizen!

4. We’ve started migrating to Teams. If you have not logged into teams please get with me so we can get you moved over. The goal is drop Group me at the 1st of the Year.

5. Have a good Holiday Everyone!

Lets Talk about Passwords Security

Password security is crucial for several reasons, as it plays a fundamental role in protecting sensitive information and maintaining the overall security of digital accounts. Here are some key reasons why password security is important:

1.  Protecting Personal Information: 

   – Passwords act as a barrier against unauthorized access to personal and sensitive information. They safeguard details such as emails, financial transactions, and private messages.

2.  Preventing Unauthorized Access: 

   – Strong passwords help prevent unauthorized individuals from gaining access to your accounts. This is essential for maintaining privacy and ensuring that only authorized users can access sensitive data.

3.  Securing Financial Information: 

   – Many online accounts are linked to financial information, such as banking and credit card details. A secure password is a critical line of defense against financial fraud and unauthorized transactions.

4.  Safeguarding Business Data: 

   – In a business context, password security is vital for protecting proprietary information, customer data, and other sensitive business-related materials. Compromised passwords can lead to data breaches and significant financial losses.

5.  Preventing Identity Theft: 

   – Strong passwords are a deterrent to identity theft. Cyber-criminals often target personal information to impersonate individuals for fraudulent activities. A secure password helps mitigate the risk of identity theft.

Don’t put your password out in a public forum ever. Use secure password sharing. There’s a link on cofess and the help desk for this.

6.  Mitigating Cybersecurity Threats: 

   – In the era of cyber threats and hacking, a weak or compromised password is one of the easiest ways for attackers to gain unauthorized access. Strengthening passwords helps mitigate the risk of cyber attacks and protects against various online threats.

7.  Maintaining Online Reputation: 

   – A compromised account can be misused to spread false information, engage in malicious activities, or damage your online reputation. Secure passwords help maintain the integrity of your online presence.

8.  Compliance with Regulations: 

   – Various regulations and laws, such as GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), mandate the protection of personal data. Adhering to password security best practices is essential for compliance with these regulations.

9.  Preventing Credential Stuffing Attacks: 

   – Cybercriminals often use automated tools to launch credential stuffing attacks, where they use stolen usernames and passwords from one site to gain unauthorized access to other accounts. Strong, unique passwords help mitigate the success of such attacks.

10.  Encouraging Responsible Online Behavior: 

    – Promoting good password hygiene encourages responsible online behavior. This includes practices such as using unique passwords for different accounts, regularly updating passwords, and avoiding easily guessable information.

City of Faith Mitigates these concerns by using things Like Last Pass. Once everyone is on last pass Password Changes will become stricter, more routine, and instrumental.

How Do I make a Secure Password? 

To create a secure password you’ll remember can be tricky. Start with something simple like a passphrase but replace a letter with a symbol and add a number series at the end.  Just make sure you can remember it too. For Example “ForEverSecure” might become “43ver$EcUre!”. Alternatively Password managers typically have a way to generate passphrases and set up changes. Get with me if you have questions on this!

If you haven’t set up your last pass get with me and follow the recommendations in the article Here. A few of you will have to meet with me 1 on 1 during my next travel session.

If you can’t get into the account submit me a ticket!

Next week we will review secure password sharing via Last Pass and how to add a password to the account.

During my time spent at the Rights after Wrongs event on September the 15th 2023, I witnessed, several lives being changed in the brink of minutes with the services several of the vendors offered. There were HIV test, several employers, AR Adult Education, AR Workforce, Central AR Legal Services, District, and Circuit Court holding Leniency Court, Child Support, Driver Control, as well as speakers to assist with how to become more employable. This full event was centered around a person who has something challenging on their background being able to turn their life around with all the services located in one area. There were several volunteers to make this happen, up to an including sororities, churches, masons, city of faith, workforce, as well as employers and many, many others. Throughout the duration of the event, the biggest feature that everyone was interested in, was the Leniency Court, which allowed people to come get their fines wiped away, or tickets wiped away if it was a mist, or a small felony. They also had Central AR Legal Services there to assist with the startup process of expunging people’s records so all they would have to do is take the paperwork to the court to get it finished. Food was provided, as well as several door prizes and gift cards. This event serviced well over 1000 people in the great Little Rock area. Attached is a picture of myself and Steven Vaughn who previously had something challenging on his background, but entered the TEO program under my supervision at the time. He graduated, and has since gone on to become the Director of Mission Services for Goodwill.