Employment opportunities change lives

Recent generous gifts from North Phoenix Kiwanis and Wells Fargo foundations provided funding to renovate space on Gompers Employment Services (ES) campus to create a career transition program.

“The soft skills necessary to complete a successful job search and achieve long term employment are complex and often more difficult to learn for individuals with cognitive disabilities,” Mark Botterbusch, Director of Employment Services explained. He continued, “Understanding social cues, writing a resume, explaining one’s experience, and clearly communicating during the interview process are very difficult for people with disabilities who have not interviewed or worked in a traditional job setting before.”

As more members in Gompers Employment Services program develop vocational skills that qualify them for competitive wage employment in the community, creating a professional space for career transition training became essential. In addition to the financial support provided for the physical renovation by the North Phoenix Kiwanis Foundation and the Wells Fargo Foundation, Associated Billing Services donated office furniture and a sister agency donated computers, monitors and keyboards. Without support from these caring supporters, the career transition center would not have been possible.

“Our members work very hard to develop their employment skills,” Botterbusch. “Thanks to philanthropic support from the community, we now will be able to offer a job search training program specific to our members learning styles, while increasing their opportunity for success in finding employment.”