The PA WorkWear Programs provides clothing assistance to individuals involved in employment and training initiatives. While our clients have the opportunity, either a scheduled job interview or new employment, without our help they are unable to take advantage of this opportunity. During individualized appointments clients select the ideal outfits and the support and advice to make the best impression at their employment opportunity.

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The PA WorkWear Programs are funded by the State of Pennsylvania, Department of Public Welfare. CDI has assisted more than 2,500 men and women in their return to employment.

 

PA WorkWear – Allegheny County, Men’s Program

332 Fifth Avenue 1st Floor
Pittsburgh, PA. 15222
Phone: (412) 281-4220
Fax: (412) 281-4223

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PA WorkWear – Delaware County

419 Avenue of the State, Suite 404
Chester, PA. 19013
Phone: (610) 499-1610
Fax: (610) 499-1690

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The Family Literacy Program provides support and resources for parents to become the lifelong literacy coaches in their households.  While the Family Literacy Program offers books for ownership and literacy services to children ages birth-18 years of age, we focus on efforts to support literacy engagement during the early childhood years.  All instruction is provided through role modeling and hands on learning opportunities.  The Family Literacy Programs offers 3 levels of engagement for children and caregivers, allowing families to select their level of engagement in the program.  Services include:

* The Book Ownership Program *Family Evenings *Literacy Outreach-Skill Building in the Home

The Family Evenings provide an opportunity for children and their caregivers to relax and engage in literacy opportunities in a fun yet challenging manner.  Family Evenings allow families to experience literacy in new and exciting ways, opening their exploration of reading to all learning styles.  Our curriculum includes:

* Music & Reading *Movement & Reading *Imagination & Reading *Young Authors *Real Life & Reading *Early Childhood Literature and Multiculturalism

Our organization will return to Adult Functional Literacy Services, Moving On. . . Workshops in June 2011.  Adult learners will focus on core reading, writing as well as math skills.  Services will increase learners workplace readiness skills, ability to be a reading leader with their children, and increase GED test taking skills.

The Family Literacy Program is currently funded through The Dollar General Foundation, Reading is Fundamental (RIF) and a collaboration with Educational Data Systems, Incorporated.  

In the last 3 years a group of therapist working through Capacity Developers Incorporated has formed an informal mentoring group for at-risk youth, families and young adults to provide the helping relationships to support and walk with individuals as they define and achieve their goals.  This small group of therapist has utilized a combined 65 years of experience in helping professions to apply it to this mentoring work.  Mentoring, defined as a personal developmental relationship in which a more experienced person helps a less experienced or less knowledgeable person; a mentor is an individual that acts as a teacher or trusted counselor, requires that the mentor walk with the client through their difficulties and successes rather than to simply direct the individual how or what to do.  Our work generally calls on us to provide support during non-traditional hours, sometimes evenings or weekends, and requires the mentor to serve as a a role model and support to motivate necessary changes in individual's lives.  

Most of the individuals we have worked with in mentoring relationships are in extremely desparate situations, sometimes facing homelessness.  As we travel with individuals in their journey to improve their life situation and achieve their goals there are often financial needs that must be met in order for goals to be achieved.  Limits, red tape, and waiting lists very often act as obstacles to very basic financial needs being met.  While we work with individuals to explore every possible avenue related to financial assistance there is often a dead-end.  For this reason CDI has founded the Hope Fund which will offer financial scholarships for specific purposes to individuals needing monetary assistance to achieve their goals.  

 

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The Hope Fund is controlled by an advisory board of community individuals who are not mentors or staff members of CDI.  Individuals making a grant request will be introduced to the advisory board by their mentor and will present their scholarship need and its relation to their short-term or long-term goal.  The advisory board will award or reject the scholarship.  Unlike other financial support programs for at-risk populations the Hope Fund empowers individuals to present their own need, creating a positive system of ownership and investment.  Additionally, because individuals have been and continue to work closely with mentors it is not the monetary support alone that is helping them, thus they are more likely to achieve their goals.

The Hope Fund advisory board meets monthly.  For more information please contact

 

CDI Executive Director, Erin Martinez,

313.429.3766 ext 2077

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Each month our Suited for Work/PA WorkWear Programs receive minimally 5,000 donations of clothing items to assist our referred clients in their efforts to return to employment.  A significant amount of volunteer manpower is required to sort, categorize, and inventory these items.  In June of 2010 the Suited for Work/PA WorkWear Program located in Delaware County (Chester City), PA was selected to become a Centralized Training Site for individuals seeking work experiences as a pathway to unsubsizdized employment.  Beginning August 2010 approximately 50 individuals each week will gain skills critical to their future employment success.  Unlike traditional work experiences commonly available to this population, individuals will be able to gain skills related to retail inventory systems, website design and formatting, photography, and advertising.  These individuals will also play a key role in expanding the donation processing of the program.