Two Minnesota Organizations Selected Under Department of Labor $4 Million Awards in Funding for Faith-Based and Community Organizations
Organizations in Duluth and St. Paul Each Receive $75,000 Grants
For Immediate Release: June 28, 2006
SAINT PAUL—The Governor’s Council on Faith and Community Service Initiatives congratulates two Minnesota organizations. The U.S. Department of Labor today announced grants in the amount of $75,000 to SOAR Career Solutions, Duluth, Minn., and $75,000 to African and American Friendship Association for Cooperation and Development (AAFACD), St. Paul, Minn., to help hard-to-serve populations prepare for and succeed in employment opportunities. A total of $4 million in grants to 55 faith-based and community organizations were funded through this competition.
“This Administration recognizes the important role faith-based and community organizations play in connecting workers with tools they need to succeed,” said Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. “The grassroots projects funded through this $4 million competition will provide the customized help some individuals need to prepare for careers in the 21st century economy.”
SOAR Career Solutions, formerly known as Project SOAR of Northeastern Minnesota, expects to serve 225 individuals over the course of the 18-month grant, including services to unemployed/underemployed workers, ex-offenders, and those wishing to start their own businesses. The project will provide career services, mentoring, education, employability skills, networking opportunities and access to important resources.
AAFACD, over the 18-month grant period expects to serve unemployed and underemployed Sub-Saharan immigrants through case management, soft skills training, job search and resume preparation workshops in conjunction with the local Minneapolis One Stop Career Center, the Minneapolis Work Force Center.
“Faith-based and community organizations reach into communities, connecting individuals with barriers to employment to the resources available through local One-Stop Career Centers,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Emily Stover DeRocco. “These organizations often provide the bridge to assistance that changes lives and contributes to the stability of families and communities.”
These grants are part of the Department of Labor’s ongoing effort to partner its existing programs with effective faith-based and community organizations to better serve the needy. Today’s awards more than triple last year’s funding and will allow recipients to expand services into their respective communities.
“We are pleased that the work of these two organizations is recognized at the federal level, said Special Advisor to Governor Pawlenty’s Council on Faith and Community Service Initiatives, Lee Buckley. “We congratulate the leaders, staff and volunteers at SOAR and AAFACD and acknowledge their service models as best practices in the State of Minnesota.”
“We can always do better for Americans in need when we work together with every willing partner,” said Director of the Labor Department’s Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Jedd Medefind. “The personal involvement and caring touch of faith-based and community organizations often make the critical difference between recurring struggles and new beginnings.” For more information on the Department of Labor’s employment and training programs, please visit www.doleta.gov.
Contact: Lee Buckley
Phone: 651-201-2567
SOAR Contact: Rebecca Ellenson, 218-722-3126
AAFACD Contact: Dr. Wilhemina Holder 651-645-5828
Soar Career Solutions · 205 West 2nd Street · Suite 101 · Duluth, MN 55802
Phone: (218) 722-3126 · Fax: (218) 722-4617 · Email: info@soarcareers.org
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