Bus tour puts face on jobless social programs
By Judy Masterson jmasterson@stmedianetwork.com October 4, 2011 8:28PM
Doc Reisman (left), vice-president of operations for Facilitec Central in Gurnee, and Brian Caudle, the Facilitec Central branch manager in Gurnee, interview Arturo Hernandez (center) of Waukegan for a job at the Waukegan Job Center on Tuesday. | Ryan Pagelow~Sun-Times Media
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For more information on the Lake County Community Foundation, visit www.lakecountycf.org
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Updated: December 4, 2011 2:03AM
Agencies on the frontlines in the battle against unemployment were spotlighted in the seventh annual bus tour sponsored by the Lake County Community Foundation.
The foundation, which works to raise awareness of need in Lake County and to secure and direct grants and donations to meet that need, introduced tourists to local work force development initiatives based in Waukegan and the people they help.
After he was laid off from a job after 16 years, Carlos Carreno turned to the College of Lake County’s Adult Basic Education program. The married father of three learned English and earned a GED. He plans to pursue certification in heating and air conditioning.
“It helped me a lot,” Carreno said.
Sheryl Shabalala-Fayne, an immigrant from South Africa, told the tourists that her participation in CLC’s Family Literacy program had made her a better wife and mother.
“Without it, I wouldn’t be enrolled in college,” she said. “I started somewhere, I am somewhere. I’m going somewhere.
Emmanuel Brown, 40, of Waukegan, who lost a job as a taxi dispatcher, found help through a six-week CLC program that works with people on probation.
“I learned job readiness skills and attitude adjustment,” Brown said. “We all have to learn how to get beyond bad moments.”
Michelle Vaughn, CLC associate dean for community education, underscored the link between lack of education and joblessness, citing the 445,000 adults over age 25 in Lake County who have yet to earn a GED.
“Teachers won’t have conversations with those parents, because those parents lack the literacy skills to help their children,” Vaughn said.
The tour also stopped at the Job Center of Lake County, 1 N. Genesee St., which has helped 5,000 people so far this year with employment, training and core services, including access to computer, faxes, copy machines and help with resume writing. High unemployment is a fact, but the Job Center boasts a 70 percent success rate, according to Terry Berryman, director of Lake County Workforce Development.
Shields Township Supervisor Gail Strenger Wayne looked around the bustling center — every computer occupied — and shook her head.
“There’s such a growing need,” Wayne said “The Lake County Community Foundation does a beautiful job of finding, vetting and supporting a lot of very, very critical organizations.
“I’ve been so moved by the need and the commitment in the community,” she added.
Jackie Kendall of Grayslake, who rode the LCCF bus past other sites in Waukegan, including affordable homes built by YouthBuild Lake County; St. Martin de Porres High School, which educates underserved minority students; and UMMA Center, which offers GED, literacy and computer training, said the tour served “to put a face on” social programs.
Past tours have covered issues including hunger, immigration and access to health care.
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