Jacqueline Solimini of the Jobs Corps sent in this photo and write-up.
During the week of October 27 – 31, New Haven Job Corps Center students and staff joined an estimated 2 million people participating simultaneously in Make A Difference Day activities nationwide. From C.N.A. students providing care to seniors by volunteering at both Goodwin-Levine Adult Day Care Center in New Haven and Orchard House in Branford, to Carpentry students helping to build homes with Habitat for Humanity. For the second year, Culinary Arts students baked cookies for families with loved ones at Connecticut Hospice.
Administered by the Department of Labor, Job Corps is the nation’s oldest and largest residential job training program for at-promise young people aged 16 – 24. Last year more than 10,000 Job Corps students and staff across the United States participated in Make A Difference Day.
The New Haven Job Corps Center is proud to be a part of Make A Difference Day, a national day of helping others. Acting Center Director Patty Wooten has this to say: “Make A Difference Day not only impacts those that we serve, it provides our students the experience of giving. They got to feel what it is like to give to others without receiving material rewards in return. They receive the gift of giving and it is a joy that is not soon forgotten. Each year, Job Corps provides approximately 60,000 students with the skills they need to become employable citizens. Job Corps training also furthers leadership development in our young people, and Make a Difference Day is a great way for our students to build their leadership skills through community service.”
Job Corps C.N.A. student Yesenia Rivera volunteered at Orchard House Adult Day Care in Branford. Under the direction of Lisa Lawrence, Director of Nursing, Yesenia said, “I really liked having the chance to talk to the residents and get to know them. When I graduate from Job Corps, I would like to work there.”
Over the last 44 years, Job Corps has provided opportunities to more than 2 million at-promise young Americans. This voluntary education job training program offers career technical training, and academic and social skills training to students at 122 centers nationwide. For more information on Job Corps, visit http://jobcorps.dol.gov .
Make A Difference Day is sponsored by USA Weekend Magazine in partnership with The Points of Light Foundation. A listing of local and national Make A Difference Day plans are available online at www.makeadifferenceday.com
Photo above: Orchard House Adult Day Care Center in Branford. L. to R. C.N.A. student