United Way Worldwide and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), a federal agency that helps millions of Americans improve the lives of their fellow citizens through service, have a shared vision to see individuals and families in communities who are financially stable, well-educated and living healthy lives. The Economic Mobility AmeriCorps VISTA Project will help build the volunteer engagement capacity of local United Ways and their partners to support programs that provide education and training, increase job readiness and improve financial management skills and make it easier for employers to get their employees more plugged into volunteer opportunities that deliver an experience with positive impact for everyone involved.
United Way Geauga has been selected, along with 20 other United Way’s across the country, as part of the VISTA project. This placement will allow UWSGC to effectively continue the work that is needed to move the people in this community toward self-sufficiency.
“We recognize that 22% of our residents struggle to fulfill basic needs such as food, clothing and housing and are committed to connecting individuals and families to programs and services that help lead this population towards financial stability,” states Kimm Leininger, Executive Director, United Way Services of Geauga County.
“United Way is attempting to create a path out of poverty by investing in programs that provide case management to help individuals overcome barriers that keep them from working or advancing within the workplace. We are looking at things in a whole new way by talking to Geauga employers to find the most effective solutions to attract, support and retain a local workforce. For families to be financially stable, it takes a longer term plan that includes obtaining employment and building career pathways,” says Leininger.
AmeriCorps VISTA, in collaboration with our team and dozens of community partners that serve economically disadvantaged and at risk individuals and families, will develop and expand the Geauga Income Collaborative’s (GIC) Bridges2Work program, an effort to connect under-resourced individuals to educational opportunities as well as connect them to local employers who are in need of trained employees. The VISTA will also help address poverty in our community by engaging volunteers to collaborate on solutions that increase the financial stability of local residents and helping identify career pathways for underemployed and unemployed individuals who need assistance towards greater financial stability.
For VISTA position description and to apply please go to: https://my.americorps.gov/mp/listing/viewListing.do?id=71194&fromSearch=true
For more information, please contact Monica Bricker-Thompson at United Way Services of Geauga County at (216) 436-2044 or mthompson@uws.org.
