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For Immediate News Release
U.S. Department of Labor
Office of Public Affairs Thursday, June 28, 2007
Washington , D.C. Contact: Ted Fitzgerald
07-978-BOS/BOS 2007-180 Phone: (617) 565-2074
U.S. Department of Labor awards $3.8 million to 73 faith-based and community organizations making career connections
Burlington , Vt. , organization to provide training, work experiences
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that Linking Learning to Life Inc. will share in $3.8 million in grants being awarded to 73 faith-based and community organizations involved in workforce development. The Burlington, Vt., organization was selected as among the best of 305 competing applicants and will receive $60,000 to carry out its proposed activities.
"Faith-based and community organizations play vital roles in helping those in greatest need to find jobs and build better lives for themselves and their families," said Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "The $3.8 million in grants will go to 73 faith-based and community organizations to provide supportive services as individuals seek to reintegrate into the workforce."
Linking Learning to Life Inc. will provide an intensive five-week summer program combining classroom activities with local, paid work experiences. Utilizing a three-phase approach of ongoing support, mentoring and skill-building, the program is aimed at at-risk youth, disabled youth, youth living in poverty, refugees, English as a Second Language students, racial minorities and first generation college students.
"Faith-based and community organizations have proven their ability to reach into communities and connect individuals facing barriers to employment to local career resources," said Assistant Secretary of Employment and Training Emily Stover DeRocco. "These groups are one of the primary links between individuals struggling to gain employment and needed assistance."
The grants are part of the Labor Department's ongoing effort to partner existing programs with effective faith-based and community organizations to better serve the needy. Today's awards will allow recipients to expand their services to more neighborhoods than ever before.
"Working with every willing partner allows us to better serve those in need," said Rhett Butler, director of the Department of Labor's Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. "The organizations receiving funding today are skilled at making connections with those in need, at providing services with a personal touch, and at helping individuals break their cycle of recurring struggles that have kept them from better economic opportunities."
For more information on the department's employment and training programs, visit www.doleta.gov .