SOAR Career Solutions

About Us : 2005 - 2006 Annual Report

2005 - 2006 Annual Report

This year SOAR Career Solutions got a facelift! In April we officially changed our name from Project SOAR of Northeastern Minnesota. Thanks to a marketing grant from the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation we were launched our website, www.soarcareers.org, changed our logo, developed a marketing plan and began to implement that plan—including installing our new building sign.

In September SOAR hosted an open house at Bayfront Park to mark our 25th Anniversary. Past and present clients, staff, board members, and other stakeholders celebrated the success of an estimated 7000 people who have been helped to find a job, start a business, or embark on an educational journey.

Two major multi-year grants, (Bush Foundation and Minnesota Office of Justice Programs,) allowed us to start the Community Offender Reentry Program (CORP) in collaboration with Men as Peacemakers, Lake Superior College, Arrowhead Regional Corrections, and Northeast Regional Corrections Center. Formed in response to clearly unmet community needs this program saves money, creates safety and involves the community by providing intensive case management, transitional support and employment focused programming for ex-offenders returning to Duluth.

We continue to provide case management for the HOPE VI Step-Up Construction Apprentice program. Executive Director, Rebecca Ellenson poses on the Matterhorn building site with three of the program participants the day the Duluth Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) announced a national award for the Step-Up program.

We expanded on our partnership with the HRA’s HOPE VI project by planning for a new cognitive change program called STEPS (Steps to Economic and Personal Success.) STEPS helps participants explore the obstacles to success they face inside themselves and ways of overcoming those obstacles. It also helps identify real and realistic ways of setting goals all the way through to a person’s highest goal.

SOAR was awarded a Federal Dept. of Labor grant to build a formal referral partnership with the Duluth Workforce Center. SOAR will offer services to complement those offered at the Workforce Center in order to more effectively serve a wider population through cross-referrals. “We have had a successful informal relationship with SOAR in the past and look forward to strengthening that relationship in order to enhance the service delivery capabilities of both organizations,” said Don Hoag, Manager of Duluth Workforce Development.

Having focused for years on providing intensive case management and pre-employment services to low income persons, SOAR launched a revenue-driven branch of services this year. Resume writing and review, career assessment, and business planning services are now available on a fee-for-service basis to career changers and professional job seekers who are able to purchase those services.

SOAR Career Solutions provides affordable, holistic, and creative career and business planning services to job seekers and career changers. We utilize a personalized team approach, focusing on the customers' life passions, core values, and talents so they can identify, obtain, and keep their ideal job or start their own business. Simply put, we help people get jobs, good jobs, jobs that fit you they are and are sustainable for them.

At SOAR we believe the best social program is a job. Unlike many social service agencies that provide for immediate, essential needs like housing or food, we help individuals create a path to achieve their own personal and economic success and end their dependency on public support.

SOAR Career Solutions seeks to be the premiere nonprofit career services organization in the Northland.

FUNDING

SOAR is in an exciting period of rebuilding and reprioritizing for the future. Like most non-profits which have relied on government funding sources, we have experienced a variety of funding cuts in recent years. Instead of cutting programs we have worked aggressively to diversify our funding base. We identify target populations where a need for our services exists, and where ongoing funding will be available, for example— the Community Offender Re-entry Program. We identify foundations that fund programs like ours, applying for 1-2 new grants each month. We developed revenue based services for individuals and for employers to supplement our low-income programs. We have begun to seek individual and corporate donations.

DONORS

SOAR Career Solutions would like to thank the following individual donors for the contributions. Their generosity makes it possible for our clients to discover their strengths, overcome their barriers, and move into personally and economically successful lives.

Michael & Nancy Baxter

Sue Bradford

Donna Buckhalter

Katherine Brantner

Paul & Mardy Dovre

Ann & Ed Ellenson

Rebecca Ellenson & Steve Cherne

Marya & Bob Farrell

Peter Golden

Charlene Gunnarson

Kim Hall

Jay Hoglund

Deb & Jeff Holleman

Herb & Viv Huard

Brad Jenson

Paul & Becky Kilgore

Kathryn Koch

Kevin Koth

Jim & Sue Knetsch

David & Marcia Lothner

Muriel Lehman

David Mattson

Doug & Betty Mattson

Greg Mielke

Diane Pelinka

Patti Quirk

Wendy Rauzi

Glen Riddle

Chris Swenson & Don Johnson

Deb Topping

Steve Wagner

Charles Walters

Shirley Wuchter

SOAR Career Solutions is grateful for the support of the following foundations, federated campaigns, and corporate donors:

Albert W. Cherne Foundation,

Athwin Foundation,

Bush Foundation,

Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation,

Grotto Foundation,

Northland Human Resources Association,

Wildey H. Mitchell Family Foundation,

St Mary’s Duluth Clinic

Piper Jaffray

United Way of Greater Duluth

2005-2006 INCOME BY FUNDING SOURCE

Government Grants		84,911
Community Development Block Grant, Duluth	46,324
Community Development Block Grant, County	8,551
MN Displaced Homemaker	23,750
MN Office of Justice Programs	6,286
Foundation Grants		81,500
A. W. Cherne	5,000
Athwin	4,000
Bush	54,500
DuluthSuperior Area Community Foundation	5,000
Grotto	10,000
Wildey H. Mitchell	3,000
Federated Campaigns		19,252
United Way of Greater Duluth	19,252
Corporate/Private		21,874
Piper Jaffray	3,000
St Mary’s Duluth Clinic	15,000
Individuals	3,874
Program Fees		46,039
Individual Fees	1,234
Contract Fees—Hope VI	44,805
Other Income		11,086
Rental Income/Other Revenue	9,242
Interest/Investment Income	1,844
TOTAL INCOME		264,662

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

We have eight Board members who have backgrounds in Human Resources, Finance, Non-Profit Leadership, Health Care, Diversity Training, Small Business Ownership, and Marketing. Shown here are Board Members and other community stakeholders at our 04-05 Annual Meeting.

Sue Bradford, Vice-President	Procurement Admin, Housing & Redevelopment Authority
Susan Dettweiler	Community Member
Kathryn Koch, Secretary	Human Resources Manager, Allete
Wendy Rauzi, President	Business Manager, Uniprise
Linda Quanstrom	Pastor, Chester Park United Methodist Church
Deb Topping	Center for American Indian Resources
Steve Wagner,Treasurer	Dean of Workforce Development, Lake Superior College
Robert Vokes	Community Member

STAFF

Rebecca Ellenson, Executive Director.

Marya Farrell, Career Specialist.

Linda Glaser, STEPS Coordinator.

Debbie Holleman, Career Specialist.

David Mattson, Finance and Office Manager.

Jessica Ostrowski, CORP Coordinator.

Anna Owens, Career Developer.

Patti Quirk, Receptionist.

Client Demographics:

The vast majority of SOAR clients have low, very low, or no incomes. Most have multiple employment barriers—alcohol or drug problems, mental illness, criminal histories, poor educational preparation, etc. We served 260 program participants this year, 35% male/65% female.

This year, 88% of SOAR participants demonstrated positive outcomes-- they got a job, began their education, or started their own business.

The average wage of those who found employment was $9.57/hour.

Income levels:

All of those 90 people had low to moderate incomes:

22% had no income
49% had very low income
- (30% of area median income)
14% of clients had low income
- (50% of area median income)
11% of clients had moderate income
- (80% of area median income)

Ethnicity:

69% Caucasian
10% African American
11% Native American
6% Multi-racial
3% Hispanic

Barriers to Employment:

14% report alcohol/drug problems
17% report mental illness issues
18% have a criminal record
14% have a disability
6% have less than a GED or High School diploma

** Many report more than one

Our Programs and Services

Career Development Workshop: 48-hour course where clients discover career dreams and build skills to reach their goals. Clients also receive: one-on-one sessions with a Career Specialist, resume development, computer lab work, videotaped mock interviews, access to the Internet, business phones, voicemail, and job search resources. (Our primary program, offered since 1999.)

STEPS: Steps to Economic and Personal Success: 15-hour cognitive program to assist clients in changing behaviors and attitudes, building motivation, and gaining a desire to succeed. (Our newest program, beginning 9/06.)

Business Planning Workshop: 36-hour interactive course covering all aspects of business planning, decision-making, and writing of a comprehensive business plan for starting and operating a small business. (Started in 1990, this program has been offered on a limited basis since 2004 due to city funding cuts.)

Basic Computer Skills Training: 16-hour course for clients who need to overcome computer anxiety and become confident with basic computer skills in order to be successful securing employment or starting a business. (New last year, offered 3 times last year, 6 sessions planned for the coming year.)

HOPE VI: we provide career and business planning services to public housing residents in the Duluth Housing and Redevelopment Authority’s HOPE VI project; customized job readiness training program for participants in a construction apprentice program, Step Up; and case management for those apprentices.

CORP—Community Offender Reentry Program: a 3-year pilot project in collaboration with Men As Peacemakers, Lake Superior College, Arrowhead Regional Corrections, Center City Housing, the Human Development Center, and Northeast Regional Corrections Center. CORP is an employment-focused program to help ex-offenders successfully transition from incarceration to productive life in the community. (Started in April 06.) (at risk youth and individuals coming from incarceration)

Resource Center and Supportive Services: all clients have access to computers, internet and e-mail, business phones and voice-mail, newspapers, job postings, and community resource and referral information in a self-directed setting.

Customized Career and Business Planning Services: resume review or resume writing, interview coaching, career assessments, business plan review or development, marketing plan development. (We have just begun to offer these services on an individual fee-for-service basis to generate revenue to support our core programs.)

Contracted Employer Services: case management, staff development training, in-services for area employers, and job readiness training are available on a negotiated fee basis. (A new initiative started last year to generate fees to support core programs.)

Success Stories:

Bernie

In 1998 Bernie first walked into our office— overwhelmed with life changes, job market changes and a lack of computer skills.
She completed our program, gained her confidence and obtained a receptionist position. When the company expanded she obtained a position in the Accounting Department.
In 2005 Bernie retired early to care for her brother who was very ill. After he passed away, Bernie came back to her friends at SOAR and set new career goals.
Recently she graduated from DBU as a Certified Phlebotomy Technician.
She was hired at DBU as a receptionist until she reached her goal. Bernie now works as a phlebotomist at ZLB Plasma Services.
Bernie says she loves SOAR Career Solutions, will always maintain contact, and hopes to be able to return what was given to help someone else.
Bernie states, “If I could give any advice it would be, it is never too late to make life changing decisions regardless of your age. By the way, I am 64 years young.”

Tyrone

Tyrone enrolled in SOAR through Opportunities Cooking
Personal problems at first prevented him from reaching his occupational goals
He was able to access the DuluthWorks Employment and Retention Program
Overcame identified barriers and reached his career goals
In March 2005 Tyrone was hired at St. Scholastica Monastary.
Since then he has been promoted and received 3 raises in less than a year.
Tyrone states that he loves his job and now has his own apartment.

AnneMarie

Anne Marie relocated to Duluth to access services for her adult disabled daughter
Had a strong work history as a newspaper writer
Received job search services plus use of resource room until finding employment as a writer for a local parochial agency
Makes a great wage with excellent benefits in her field of fascination

To read SOAR Career Solution's past Annual Reports click below:

Download the 2004 - 2005 Annual Report (600 KB pdf) here!

Soar Career Solutions · 205 West 2nd Street · Suite 101 · Duluth, MN 55802
Phone: (218) 722-3126 · Fax: (218) 722-4617 · Email: info@soarcareers.org

This website was made possible through a grant from the Duluth/Superior Area Community Foundation.
We are grateful for their support!