SENIOR EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMSTHE JOBSEEKERS WE SERVED THROUGH OUR SENIOR COMMUNITY SERVICE EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM CAME FROM EVERY PART OF THE GLOBE TO MAKE THEIR HOMES IN MONTGOMERY AND FREDERICK COUNTIES. SOME WERE FRAIL, MOST WERE HARDY. ALL WERE 55 OR OLDER AND TRYING TO SURVIVE IN OUR EXPENSIVE AREA AT INCOMES THAT WERE AT OR BELOW 125 PERCENT OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY LINE. THEY SHARED A PASSION TO GET A PAYCHECK AND GET OFF WELFARE. THAT, HOWEVER, WAS EASIER SAID THAN DONE. THE OBSTACLES WERE DAUNTING AND INCLUDED HOMELESSNESS, AGE DISCRIMINATION, FAMILY PROBLEMS, LANGUAGE SKILLS, ILLNESS, DISABILITY.WE NOT ONLY COMFORTED 137 JOBSEEKERS THIS YEAR. WE ALSO ARMED THEM WITH EFFECTIVE JOB-SEARCH TECHNIQUES AND WAGES. THANKS TO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND JCA'S GENEROUS FRIENDS, WE WERE ABLE TO COMPENSATE EACH JOBSEEKER AT MINIMUM WAGE FOR ABOUT 20 HOURS OF ON-THE-JOB TRAINING EACH WEEK. THAT WAGE SEEMED HEAVEN-SENT NOT ONLY TO OUR STRUGGLING PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS BUT ALSO TO THEIR SHORT-STAFFED HOST AGENCIES -- CHARITIES AND GOVERNMENT OFFICES THAT BENEFITTED FROM EACH TRAINEE'S EVER-EXPANDING SKILL SET.DURING FISCAL YEAR 2014, OUR TRAINEES PROVIDED A TOTAL OF 65,886 HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE AT 42 ORGANIZATIONS THAT INCLUDED B'NAI B'RITH HOMECREST HOUSE, THE MARYLAND MOTOR VEHICLE ADMINISTRATION, THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH AND JCA. THAT WORK WAS WORTH $537,651. WE HELPED PLACE NINE OF THOSE DETERMINED MEN AND WOMEN IN REGULAR, PAID JOBS THROUGH WHICH THEY EARNED AN AVERAGE OF $11 AN HOUR FOR 24 HOURS OF WEEKLY WORK.THE 50+ EMPLOYMENT EXPOS THAT WE HELD IN BETHESDA AND FAIRFAX SERVED AN ASTOUNDING 4,167 JOBSEEKERS, WHO MET WITH 128 EXHIBITORS AND ATTENDED 30 WORKSHOPS. ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-EIGHT VOLUNTEERS PROVIDED HANDS-ON SUPPORT, AND THAT INCLUDED FREE RESUME REVIEWS AND HELP WITH CYBER-SEARCHING FOR JOBS.JOBSEEKERS, EMPLOYERS, ELECTED OFFICIALS AND EDUCATORS PRAISED THE EXPOS, AS DID THE FAIRFAX COUNTY OFFICE OF PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS (OP3), WHICH HONORED JCA FOR COLLABORATING WITH AARP, SENIOR EMPLOYMENT RESOURCES, THE SKILLSOURCE GROUP AND OTHERS AND "FOR CONTRIBUTING TO THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN FAIRFAX COUNTY." (AND THIS WAS THE SECOND OP3 AWARD THAT JCA RECEIVED THIS YEAR!)AT THE BETHESDA EVENT, HOWEVER, JCA WAS THE AWARDS-GIVER. WITH THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND WORKFORCE INVESTMENT BOARD, WE PRESENTED EXPERIENCE COUNTS AWARDS TO THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, SANDY SPRING BANK AND ADVENTIST HEALTHCARE WHILE SPOTLIGHTING SUCH AGE-SMART STRATEGIES AS FLEXIBLE WORK OPTIONS, ELDERCARE REFERRALS AND SEMINARS, AND MANAGEMENT TRAINING ON GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES.JCA WILL, OF COURSE, ASSESS THE 2014 EXPOS' EFFECTIVENESS IN HELPING OLDER ADULTS FIND WORK. YET WE ALREADY HAVE HIGH HOPES BECAUSE THE IMPACT OF OUR 2013 EXPO WASN'T JUST HEARTWARMING; IT HAD REAL ECONOMIC IMPACT. AN ESTIMATED 1,287 OLDER JOBSEEKERS FOUND JOBS WITHIN SIX MONTHS OF THEIR EXPO ATTENDANCE, AND THAT NUMBER IS PARTICULARLY TELLING BECAUSE MOST OF THOSE ATTENDEES HAD BEEN UNEMPLOYED FOR 24-48 MONTHS. NINETY-EIGHT PERCENT OF THE 3,575 ATTENDEES IN 2013 GAVE THE EVENT HIGH MARKS.MANY OLDER WORKERS, HOWEVER, FIND THEY NEED INTENSIVE, SPECIALIZED SUPPORT. JCA HELPED THEM, TOO, AND WE DID SO WITH AWARD-WINNING SUCCESS.EIGHTY-THREE PROFESSIONALS WITH EXPERTISE IN GRANT-MAKING AND JEWISH COMMUNAL LIFE SELECTED THE JEWISH COUNCIL FOR THE AGING'S CAREER GATEWAY PROGRAM FROM AMONG HUNDREDS OF FINALISTS FOR INCLUSION IN THE SLINGSHOT GUIDE'S SUPPLEMENT FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS. WHAT ESPECIALLY IMPRESSED SLINGSHOT (A GUIDE FOR PHILANTHROPISTS BY PHILANTHROPISTS) WAS HOW JCA ADDRESSED THE UNIQUE JOB-SEARCH CHALLENGES OF MIDLIFE AND OLDER WOMEN. MANY LOSE SELF-CONFIDENCE AFTER EXPERIENCING THE DOUBLE WHAMMY OF GENDER AND AGE DISCRIMINATION TIME AND AGAIN, SO WE DEVELOPED SPECIALIZED CURRICULA AND MATERIAL TO HELP THEM. THEY DO! THIRTY HOURS OF CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION AND THE UNFLINCHING SUPPORT OF VOLUNTEER MENTORS CHANGED LIVES.EVERY GATEWAY CLIENT WAS 50-PLUS, AND MOST OF THE 55 MEN AND WOMEN WE SERVED IN FY 2014 HAD BEEN UNEMPLOYED FOR ONE TO TWO YEARS. YET WITHIN 12 WEEKS OF GRADUATION, MORE THAN HALF OF OUR GRADUATES WHO WERE STILL LOOKING FOR WORK FOUND IT. MANY PARTICIPATED IN OUR NEWLY FORMED JOB CLUBS THAT MET TWICE AFTER GRADUATION. A NINE-MEMBER EMPLOYER ADVISORY BOARD CONTINUOUSLY HELPED US TO IMPROVE THE PROGRAM.

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