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Mobile Works, Fred Richardson and Leevones Dubose Kick Off the $449,197 MCPSS Summer Jobs for Youth Program Friday, Jun 10th, 2005Fred Richardson will speak to youth at 10:00 a.m. on 6/13/05
Leevones Dubose will speak to parents of youth at 6:00 p.m. on 6/13/05
(both events at Leflore High School Theater)
MOBILE, Alabama - June 10, 2005 - Mobile Works Inc. announces the official kickoff of the Summer Jobs for Youth 2005 program with a special presentation for students the morning and for their parents that evening on Monday June 13, 2005. Mobile Works has invested $449,197 in the 12-month youth program being delivered by the Mobile County Public School System.
"We are proud to fund the Summer Jobs for Youth program and contract with the Mobile County Public School System to bring this program to these students in need. Dorinda Franklin and the MCPSS do a fine job of working with these students, pairing them with volunteer businesses to help the students gain on-the-job experience and learn what it takes to succeed beyond school," said Sydney G. Raine, President of Mobile Works.
The Summer Jobs for Youth 2005 program will serve 275 low-income in-school at-risk youth aged 14-18, including graduating seniors, to improve their career and leadership potential to assist students in getting a job or furthering their education. The youth will attend a week-long Leadership Academy, then report to worksites and engage in 30 hours of work a week for six weeks. Youth will be able to explore careers; receive life skills and occupational skills development; and enjoy paid and unpaid work-based learning opportunities.
During the weeklong Leadership Academy, students will be taught several soft skills mini-courses by people in the local business community, including: interpersonal skills by John Fitzgerald of Saunders Engine Company, money management by Floyd Pough of Financial Consulting Services, personal grooming by Mary Morris of Bishop State Community College, dressing for success by Faye Phillips of Stein Mart, important factors in getting and keeping a job by Sydney Raine of Mobile Works and "keeping it real" by Yvonne Baldwin, the Chief of Police for the City of Prichard.
"Mobile Works has been a huge supporter of youth programs in Mobile and in helping us reach out and assist those youth who need our services most," said Dorinda Franklin, the School to Work Supervisor for the Mobile County Public School System, "Without Mobile Works, it would be much more difficult to provide this program to our students. And I also want to thank the many businesses without whose participation and support there would be no program."
Mobile City Councilman Fred Richardson will deliver his message to approximately 275 Mobile County Public School System students on Monday June 13, 2005 at 10:00 am at the Leflore High School Theater in Mobile, while Leevones Dubose, CEO/Founder of the Bay Area Women�s Association, will be speaking to their parents that evening at 6:00 pm at the same location. "I will enjoy hearing both Fred Richardson and Leevonis Dubose speak to the students and their parents about the importance of education, personal responsibility and living up to one�s potential," said Raine.
Mobile Works Inc., a local partnership of business, education, labor and community leaders, provides businesses with training, leadership, labor market information and employment programs designed to stimulate local business by meeting the needs of Mobile area businesses while increasing the available labor pool of skilled jobseekers in the Mobile area. Since its inception in 2000, the group has invested more than $19 million overall to support Mobile area job and educational programs. In addition, in the 2004-2005 fiscal year alone, Mobile Works invested nearly $4.9 million dollars in jobs, training and economic initiatives for all of Mobile County.
Fred Richardson, Mobile City Councilman, District 1, is also a political scientist, historian, writer, playwright, author and lecturer. He has lived in Mobile since 1958 and previously had a career with the U.S. Postal Service, while going to school at night to earn his bachelor�s and master�s degrees from the University of South Alabama. While working and attending school, Richardson found time to do research and write and is the author of three books and a play, currently on national tour. His first book, The Genesis and Exodus of Now, published in 1978 and 1996, documented social and political change in Mobile from 1965 to 1975, during which time he was also active in the local civil rights movement. Richardson is the historian for and serves on the Board of Deacons of the Stone Street Baptist Church. He was past board chairman of the History Museum of Mobile; a past member of the Board of Zoning Adjustments; a member of the Executive Board of Mobile Tricentennial Inc.; the Gulf Coast Exploreum Museum of Science Board and named Who is Who Among African Americans; he is National Coordinator for National Coalition of Justice and Equality, a group that monitors criminal justice issues; He graduated from the 2003 class of prestigious Leadership Alabama. On the Mobile City Council, Richardson is chairman of the Rules Committee, playing an active role in implementing community policing, establishing entire neighborhoods a drug free zone, and establishing advisory groups that function at the precinct level. Richardson has focused on removing conditions that breed crime such as litter, junk, abandoned houses, weeds, and blight in general. Richardson also serves on the Public Safety and Economic, Cultural and Civic Development Committees. He has joined Mayor Michael C. Dow and Council President Clinton L. Johnson in leading several trade delegations, including to China and South America.
Leevones Dubose is a Mobile native who taught school for 31 years, with 25 of those within the Mobile County Public School System, where she taught science and math. Besides being CEO/Founder of the Bay Area Women�s Association since 1997, she has been President of American Association of University Women in Mobile for the last eleven years, the City Human Relations Commissioner for District 1 for over eight years, the Chairman of the Mobile County Lead and Environmental Coalition for the past two years, as well as a member of the board of the local Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Mobile Aids Support Services and many others. Dubose has been awarded many fellowships, including the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Fellowship in 1993 and has secured several grants that have benefited Mobile, including the 2000/2003 LEA Community Grants, Learn & Serve Mobile, American Association of Community Action Grant, Mobile Community Foundation Grant, LEA Community Grant, Urban Housing & Development Grant, Alabama Power Company Grant, Teacher Apprenticeship Grant-USA, International Paper EDCORE Grant, Presbyterian Self Development of People Grant and a Waste Management Grant. She has also won numerous honors and awards, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation Director�s National Award for 2002, the JC Penney Volunteer of the Year in 2001, the Tandy Outstanding Teacher of the Year from RadioShack Corporation and the SECME Leadership National Award for 2000 and 1990 SECME National Teacher of the Year. SECME is an alliance linking engineering universities, school systems and corporate/government investors with a mission of increasing historically under-represented, under-served and differently-abled students who will be prepared to enter and complete post-secondary studies in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology.
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Contact:
Gia Dinges
Director of Marketing
251-432-0909 phone
[email protected] email
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