Barry and Cindy Wiseman were just like any average American working family. They were living the American dream until Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in August of 2005. Barry was employed as a regional salesperson for a garden supply company. Unfortunately, his entire sales area was affected by the hurricane and he soon found himself jobless.
He visited the Alabama Career Center and learned about a temporary position available at Volunteer Mobile through the Mobile Works National Emergency Grant (NEG). The NEG grant provided temporary jobs for workers who became unemployed as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Barry was hired as the Estimator Supervisor which includes coordinating the volunteer labor pool to assist clients with various home construction projects. Cindy, a stay at home grandmother decided to look for a job. As a displaced homemaker, she also qualified for the NEG program. Cindy was hired as a Volunteer and Clerical Staff Coordinator with Volunteer Mobile.
As a result of their dedication, when their temporary NEG work hours ended; Volunteer Mobile hired Cindy and Barry as permanent employees to continue their disaster coordination work.