Five Job Placement Success Stories
Programs are about people. Here are the stories of five people who found jobs with the help of AARP Foundation Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP). Each person came to SCSEP for different reasons. What they have in common is their motivation and willingness to succeed.
Trinnie
After a successful career in car sales, Trinnie found herself needing a change in work environment, out of the hot Arizona sun. She found out about the services offered through AARP Foundation SCSEP in Phoenix and enrolled in a five-week computer class program. Through SCSEP, Trinnie attended a Resume Writing class where one of the guest speakers was a Human Resource representative from Best Western International. Trinnie was very impressed with the company and applied for a position. She was hired as a reservation agent. With her bilingual skills and computer training, she was promoted within 90 days with an increase in pay. Today, she is a Language Specialist at Best Western and excited about her future. "I can't believe what opportunities this company offers," she says. She is currently taking Italian classes to prepare for the next step on her career path. As a trilingual employee, she hopes to work in Best Western's call center in Milan, Italy doing the same job she is doing now. Trinnie has a new direction and a chance to see countries around the world. With her determination and skills, combined with a boost from AARP Foundation SCSEP, she is well on her way to making a dream come true.
Shirley and Joe
It did not take long after retirement for Shirley and her husband Joe to realize that they couldn't live on Social Security alone. Shirley had been out of work for eight months when she and Joe, recently retired after 42 years as a truck driver, found out about AARP Foundation SCSEP through a friend. Since they had only one vehicle between them, SCSEP assigned them to the same host agency, the Senior Adult Center in Mount Ida, Arkansas. Shirley's training assignment in the senior center's kitchen soon resulted in a permanent job as head cook, a job she loved-but this left Joe with a real problem. Even though he was doing an exemplary job of light maintenance, there simply wasn't any money in the Center's budget to hire him as well. Also, the higher pay Shirley was now receiving would soon make Joe income-ineligible for AARP Foundation SCSEP.
At about this time, an AARP Foundation SCSEP's employment specialist learned that a nearby nursing home had lost their maintenance worker. The office contacted the nursing home, set it up as a host agency, and transferred Joe there for a short trial period-with the understanding that he would be hired permanently if he did a good job. After a few weeks, Joe's supervisors were so thrilled with the quality of his work that they hired Joe as a permanent employee. Not only do Shirley and Joe enjoy having jobs close to home with similar schedules, they now have the extra income they need to make ends meet. "We will always be grateful to AARP for giving us this opportunity," says Shirley. "We highly recommend AARP SCSEP to anyone who is in the same position we were."
Gary
Gary was the picture of success, managing a large dealership and earning $80,000 a year plus the car of his choice. All that changed in July 2002 when complications from back surgery turned his life completely upside down. Unable to walk and overwhelmed by medical bills, he lost his job, car, and house in quick succession. He and his wife moved back to Joplin, MO, their home town. Gary sank into a deep depression; "I simply did not care if I lived or died," he says.
Gary started Vocational Rehabilitation but was soon discouraged. He began to feel he was worthless and would never work again. Realizing that he was on the brink of despair, Gary and his wife knew something had to change. A newspaper ad led them to AARP Foundation SCSEP, where they both enrolled and immediately entered job training - Gary at a host agency and his wife in the AARP Foundation SCSEP project office in Springfield, MO. Gary's host agency, the Red Cross, provided him with hands-on office experience and training in computer skills, and after eight months, hired him.
Gary is now administrator of Project Help, a program that provides low-income people with fuel assistance and other benefits. Not only is he employed, but he is progressing from a wheelchair to walking with a cane. Most importantly, he feels that life is good again. In a letter to the project director, Gary writes, "I want to thank AARP Foundation SCSEP for giving me back my dignity and for restoring my will to live."
Catherine
After a long marriage that ended abruptly, Catherine found herself on her own: suddenly single with no job and a disability check too small to cover expenses. She had worked all her life until the mid-80's, when she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis as a result of exposure to toxic chemicals on the job. Her self-esteem, already shaky because of her personal situation, dropped even further at the prospect of finding a job.
At the urging of a friend, Catherine contacted AARP Foundation SCSEP in Augusta, GA, even before she was age eligible for help. As soon as she turned 55, Catherine enrolled in the program. She served in various training assignments at host agencies including the Golden Harvest Food Bank, where she performed very well, filling orders for Food Bank customers and enjoying the work. But Catherine wanted more than just minimum wage, so she inquired at the Food Bank about any paid positions that might be opening up in the near future. There was one potential opening-for applicants who could operate a fork lift.
Though she had no previous experience of this kind, Catherine discussed the situation with the Project Director and was reassigned to a training position where she quickly learned to drive the forklift. Convinced that Catherine could do the job, the supervisor hired her as a permanent employee. She's now an assistant manager, working 20-plus hours a week. "Catherine is a good example of someone who established a goal for herself and methodically achieved that goal," says the AARP Foundation SCSEP Project Director. From Catherine's point of view, "SCSEP gave me the motivation to get out there and apply for the job. I feel really good about myself now-in fact, I'm planning to take computer classes. I just feel there's nothing that's put before me that I couldn't do."
AARP Foundation SCSEP is a program of the AARP Foundation.
