supplying hope

The Employment Advocates of Jeremiah Works!

By Kaitlyn Egan

Many paths

“I think I filled out the very first volunteer form at Jeremiah Program,” Mae Brooks, an Employment Advocate for Jeremiah Works!, said.

She started out cooking meals, providing childcare and eventually began working on the Employment Task Force, now called Jeremiah Works!.  Brooks has been volunteering at Jeremiah Program for over 10 years, and helping students with their employment goals for at least eight years.

Kathi Pitra, owner of Full Circle Partners, a small business that helps coach companies on their sales process, is a relatively new volunteer.  She first became involved with Jeremiah Program through a friend, working on the Bullfrog Bash and at graduation.  She soon realized that she wanted to make a bigger commitment to the women of Jeremiah Program, and became an Employment Advocate in late January.

“This whole thing is about networking,” Pitra said, “Many of us who are in the business world have really wonderful, powerful networks and here’s an opportunity to really use them, not only just for our business groups, but to work for the community and for those less fortunate.”

Susan Goodman Isebrand is also a relatively new Employment Advocate.  She is the Recruiting and Communications Manager at TempForce, a staffing firm in the Metro area that volunteers at Jeremiah Program.  Goodman Isebrand said becoming an advocate was a natural progression for her.

“It really lines up with our philosophy.  We’re women-owned and we have a very strong focus on improving the lives of women and children in the area,” Goodman Isebrand said.

Working together

Employment Advocates help Jeremiah students work on their resumes, cover letters, interviewing skills and employment goals.

“I have tried to give realistic career advice and made sure that they were given a realistic idea about what the work world was like,” Brooks said.

“Mainly, when we get together it’s really about a strategy; what businesses, what types of jobs does she want to go after, and where is she looking at doing that,” Pitra said.

But it’s so much more than that.

“One of the best parts… is reaching out to people and helping them find work,” Goodman Isebrand said, “It’s life-changing.”

“More than anything, I just feel like I’ve been there for her,” Pitra said, “It’s not just looking for a job, it’s really trying to help her now transition outside of the Jeremiah Program into the real world.”

Brooks said that she tries to be a visible and accessible example of a different lifestyle that Jeremiah students may have never encountered before.  “A lot of the women are women of color,” Brooks said, “So I always think that I’ve played an important role in that they can ask me questions they maybe couldn’t ask some of the other people.”

Shared motivation and inspiration

All three woman said that Jeremiah Program, Jeremiah Works! and the Jeremiah students themselves provide constant inspiration and motivation for volunteering and in their daily lives.

“What inspires me is when I see the kids, I mean the kids are just gorgeous, and the idea that what I’m doing to help them and their life be even better because their mom is doing so much better,” Brooks said, “I like the idea that I hopefully am giving people a chance for expansion of their world and what it can really be.”

“That’s the inspiration,” Goodman Isebrand said, “It’s being able to help somebody be more independent and better their own life for themselves.”

Pitra said that working with her recent Jeremiah graduate has taught her all about gratitude and perseverance.  “She’s taught me just as much as I’ve hopefully taught her,” Pitra said.

“What’s rewarding,” Goodman Isebrand said, ” is being able to give them information that may be able to make or break them having employment that is going to take them someplace where they are able to be independent and able to share that with their children.”

“I think I’ve learned a whole lot about teamwork,” Brooks said.  She feels that a lot of the young women believe that it is all up to them, but Jeremiah Program shows that they can get help.  “If you work with others, and listen to other people, then your world and your options become that much richer and that much better.”