...Awards $4 Million in Funding for Faith-Based and Community Organizations
Duluth Organization One of 55 Selected Under $4 Million Competition
For Immediate Release: June 28,2006
WASHINGTON--The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a $75,000 grant to SOAR Career Solutions, Duluth, 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, 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.
“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 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.
U.S. Department of Labor
Office of Public Affairs
Washington, D.C.
Release Number 06-1088-NAT
Contact: Mike Volpe or David James
Phone: 202-693-3984 202-693-4676
SOAR Contact: Rebecca Ellenson, 218-722-3126
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!