New Americorps VISTA members and supported employment case manager join the Stronger Together Project

At the end of April two new Americorps VISTA members joined the Stronger Together VISTA Project in Northport Alabama. One of the Americorps VISTA members just started on May 17th, 2010 and is from Centreville Bibb County. The VISTA member went to college at the University of Alabama at Birmingham for Community Health Education and graduated in 2009. The two new VISTA members will be helping me work on issues of employment and to get jobs for our clients. Until recently I have been alone working on employment. Now there are three members working on supported employment.
Also there is a new supported employment case manager that is working with us to guide us in developing employment opportunities. The new supported employment case manager just started working with us on May 17th.
The goal is to get as many clients as possible employments from our current list of clients that is about 25 people thus far. The strategies will range from using our standard grant money to get employment, public relations, marketing, and also local currency and or trading systems. By the end of the year we hope to get 25 new jobs for our clients if possible and if we only get from 15 to 20 jobs then it is ok as well.

Americorps VISTA Appreciation Event for Alabama

Last Tuesday and Wednesday I participated in the annual Alabama Americorps VISTA Appreciation Event from Tuesday May 11th to Wednesday May 12th. The event was held in Birmingham Alabama and was at the United Way of Central Alabama's office. Guest speakers attended about social media and also about the meaning of Americorps VISTA members support at this time in our country. Every Americorps VISTA project throughout the state of Alabama was represented at this event. Each Americorps VISTA project got up and told everyone at the event about their project. There was also ample time to do networking at the event as well. There was a volunteering activity on Wednesday with Habitat for Humanity that unfortunately I did not go to.

Job coaching begins

I have begun my job coaching with one of our clients from Tuscaloosa Alabama on this past Monday May 17th. So far we have taken her around the building and gotten her acquainted with where she needs to go for doing the job tasks that she needs to do. We did that on the first day and then went through taking out garbage and doing her employee orientation as well. Also we did some sweeping the first two days that she worked. The third day which was today she picked up garbage outside of our building and swept up outside.
Also I have helped her with her job application and to fill it out properly which she has struggles with. Writing or reading does not come easy to her and I have taught her to read some more words. I expect that she will want to learn to read more as time goes on especially if is to get another job in her life. Our client that is working at our building still goes to the Tuscaloosa ARC but only for half a day for four days and one full day on Fridays. She likes the work that she is doing at our building thus far and I am glad that I am working with her to help her do a good job. It is my first time ever job coaching and it has been good so far. The Ability Alliance of West Alabama had hired her a week ago but now she is working 10 hours a week and four days a week.