On Wednesday, May 19th, John Joines, Economic Security Corporation's Chief Executive Officer, along with several other colleagues from around the state, traveled to Jefferson City for a signing ceremony with Governor Nixon in honor of Community Action Month.
The Proclamation highlights the work of the Community Action Network in Missouri including:
Providing a wide variety of services that help families in need reach economic stability;
Joining with other entities in the creation of the Missourians to End Poverty coalition and identifying five inter-connected conditions of poverty: food, health, education, housing and energy, and family and economic security;
Working with local communities to develop partnerships and find local and statewide solutions to the crisis of poverty; and United in Purpose, working to inspire and engage people to ensure that all families and communities thrive.
Two Mini-Grants Awarded!
The third annual Step Up to Leadership certification program culminated on Tuesday evening, June 21st. Ten students completed the course and a nice graduation planned by the students was held at the Frisco Building in Joplin.
Students gave their passion speeches and certificates were presented to the graduates by the Step Up to Leadership facilitator, Suzanne Becker.
Tammy Walker, ESC's Community Development Director, presented two graduates with mini-grants for $500 each. ESC staff member Kathy Mason received a mini-grant to assist with a project she is involved with through Life Choices. Ty Austin, age 17, was presented with the second grant for an activity he is involved with through the Neosho Area Youth Board.
Following the event, family, friends and graduates enjoyed refreshments. To learn more about Step Up to Leadership, please contact Suzanne Becker at 417-451-2206 ext. 101.
On the Job Training Program a Success!
ESC's On-the-Job Training Program has proven to be a tremendous success in all four of our counties. Through the program, 59 participants have been placed with 21 area employers in positions including those in the medical field, production, general labor, clerical and service industries. These participants are now earning wages of between $7.25 and $28.00 an hour!
An additional 28 employees have been placed with area employers without utilizing any reimbursement funding through ESC. Currently, 145 more applicants have been processed and are awaiting placement.
Both employers and employees have greatly benefited from the On-the-Job Training Program, which utilizes reimbursement funds provided by the Community Service Block Grant - ARRA grants. Our agency has received several letters of appreciation from these employers and employees stating the benefits that the program has provided them!
Life Skills Classes Available...
ESC's Life Skills Training continues to be successful and the Community Development division is excited to offer several more opportunities to join the class this month.
These classes help clients with skills such as budgeting, conserving energy and finding employment. Anyone can attend the trainings, but those wishing to attend must enroll in advance by contacting one of the following staff members: Sharon Havens or Sally McAffrey (Neosho) at 417-451-2206, Marcia Denny (Anderson) at 417-845-6011 or Wes Barbee (Lamar) at 417-682-5591.
July 14th-
NEOSHO: Budgeting from 8:30-12:30
July 15th-
ANDERSON: Budgeting from 9:00-1:00
July 21st-
LAMAR: Budgeting from 9:00-1:00
July 28th-
NEOSHO: Budgeting from 8:30-12:30
July 29th-
ANDERSON: Budgeting from 9:00-1:00
JOPLIN: Budgeting from 9:00-1:00
Barton County Preparing for School!
Barton County staff members are working hard to prepare for their annual Back To School Fair! This year's fair, to be held in Lamar on July 23rd, is shaping up to be the largest yet with over 300 students signed up to participate.
This year, ESC is excited to be able to offer on-site hearing screenings to participating students. Additional offerings include free haircuts, eye exams, dental screenings, nutritional information on how to prepare nutritious meals on a budget, blood pressure screenings, a bicycle safety course and more.
For more information or to pre-register, please contact the Barton County outreach office at 417-682-5591.
How can you help?
Donations for the event are coming in slowly and we continue to be amazed at the community commitment during such a time of struggle for our area. If you would like to contribute to one of our local Back to School fairs, please contact your local ESC office for more information on needed supplies or resources.
We appreciate all of the support we receive for these valuable community projects!
Point in Time Counts Coming Soon...
Missouri's Statewide Point in Time Count is scheduled for Wednesday, July 28, 2010. This count is used to better evaluate the homeless trends in our state. On this day, different Continuums of Care across the state will concurrently survey shelters and transitional housing programs in their areas about how many clients are being served on that particular day. An unsheltered homeless count (or street count) will also be conducted by having teams go out to known areas where homeless stay.
A winter Point in Time Count is required by HUD, which Missouri completes every year in January. However, Missouri has become the first state to complete both winter and summer counts on the same day statewide. This organized effort has earned Missouri nationwide recognition as a best practice.
If you are interested in helping with the upcoming street count, please contact Carol O'Brien at 417-781-0352 ext. 240.
Is there anything interesting going on in your department that you would like to share with our staff, board members and supporters? To have your information included in an upcoming issue of News from ESC, please contact Andrea Osiek at aosiek@escswa.org.
Economic Security Corporation of Southwest Area (ESC) is a private non-profit Community Action Agency, which was created in October 1965 to serve the needs of low-income individuals and families. The mission of the agency is "to help families currently caught in poverty to find a way out, and to work in our communities to prevent the conditions of poverty from affecting future generations."
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