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“My experience with StepUp has been a powerful one,” Sal shared with us in an email, just one month after he graduated from Jobs Week. Before he came to StepUp Wilmington, Sal spent 17 months in prison.  While in prison he earned his way to the work release program and worked diligently to gain the respect of his plant manager and the entire leadership team.  He says, “when it came close to my release date, the plant manager set up a meeting with a re-entry coordinator. He recommended that I get in touch with StepUp and go through Jobs Week.”

Throughout Jobs Week, Sal absorbed the curriculum and was very excited about the possibilities for the future.  He says, “I felt very optimistic!” On the last day of Jobs week, he met with Isabelle, StepUp Wilmington’s Career Development Coordinator, who asked if he was interested in taking a plumbing class at Cape Fear Community College.  Sal says he was reluctant at first and knew nothing about plumbing.  He was offered a scholarship and thought “Why not? It can’t hurt.”

For two weeks following Jobs Week, Sal attended CFCC’s Construction Institute. During that time, his Employment Counselor at StepUp, Bruce, checked in on him and made sure the classes were going ok.   At graduation, both Bruce and Isabelle were there to celebrate his achievement.  After graduation all the students had the unique opportunity to meet with owners of very established plumbing companies. Sal’s instructor introduced him to a local company and recommended him for a position. Sal had an interview with them the following Monday and the very next day they called him with a job offer!  Today, Sal is enjoying his new career and is excited about the future.

Organization rebrands as StepUp Wilmington; Announces 1,000 Job Goal

Wilmington, N.C. – On Jan. 31, Phoenix Hometown Hires will update its DBA name to “StepUp Wilmington.” The evolution comes as part of the local nonprofit’s long-term strategic plan and reflects its existing affiliation with the member-driven organization, StepUp NC (www.stepupnc.org).With this fresh direction, StepUp Wilmington has set a bolstered job goal, aiming to put 1,000 people into occupations over the next four years. In the 2016/17 fiscal year, Phoenix Hometown Hires placed 171 jobs.

Since 2013, Phoenix Hometown Hires has been actively collaborating with other StepUp member organizations in Raleigh, Greensboro and Durham. The Wilmington nonprofit officially became a part of the StepUp NC collaboration in January 2017, allowing it to learn from some of the state’s most successful nonprofits in the workforce development space.

The Phoenix Hometown Hires rebrand follows a long community history. The organization was originally founded in 2002 as Phoenix Employment Ministry and integrated Hometown Hires – a program under United Way of the Cape Fear Area – into its operations in 2015.

As StepUp Wilmington, its mission will remain the same, with a focus on addressing unemployment, poverty and economic instability throughout the Cape Fear region. In addition, the organization will continue to be locally run, managed and funded. “By collaborating with top-notch workforce development organizations across the state, we will bring better programs to more people and place more people into better jobs,” said Will Rikard, Executive Director of StepUp Wilmington.

An event is being held at Live Oak Bank on January 31, 2018 from 5:30pm to 7pm to announce the re-branding and share the organization’s future goals. “StepUp Wilmington and Live Oak Bank have very similar missions – to provide people with the tools they need to live the American dream,” said Kate Groat, Live Oak Bank’s Director of Philanthropy. “The direct impact of helping someone find a job so they can provide financial stability for themselves and their family is extremely valuable. That’s exactly how you create a stronger, more vibrant community both economically and culturally.”

StepUp Wilmington is working with Bon’s Eye Marketing to develop its new logo and website. Look for more information to come over the next month at www.stepupwilmington.org.

For more information about StepUp Wilmington, visit www.stepupwilmington.org or contact Will Rikard at (202) 957-4298 or will@phoenixhometownhires.org. StepUp Wilmington is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

For more information about StepUp North Carolina, visit http://www.stepupnc.org. StepUp North Carolina is a member-driven organization that provides a platform for communication, best practice sharing, standards, service provision, funding, strategic initiatives, and leveraging resources and promotion.

On June 28th eleven adults and two children graduated from the 9 month Life Skills Program. It was an evening of celebration, but also a reminder of just how far our participants have come in achieving their goals. Several have found their dream jobs, others have been promoted; they have worked on their finances and collectively saved over $2,800. As one participant shared, “Since starting the Life Skills Program I have gained confidence and learned so many new skills. I have met people who are going through job struggles as I have done, yet we have overcome them and set goals for our future.”

In 2017 Phoenix Hometown Hires partnered with the Blue Ribbon Commission to provide job readiness training to 47 students ages 16-19. Over the course of 2 weeks, volunteers and staff worked with the students on overcoming barriers, building self-confidence, marketing yourself, time management and interviewing techniques. Forty-two students successfully completed the training and were placed into summer jobs and internships in fields that aligned with their career goals. We loved being a part of these students transformation and are excited to see where their jobs take them.

Every day Gino wakes at 5:30am. After getting ready and eating breakfast he hops on his bike and starts the 4-mile journey to Dillard’s where he works as the store’s Support Manager. He is proud of his job and loves working at Dillard’s. You can tell from his smile that he has a warm and welcoming personality. Upon arriving at work, he helps prepare the store for opening and works until noon. Then he hops back on his bike for a 5-mile ride over to Cape Fear Community College where he has been a full-time student for the past two years. Last Friday, he graduated with his Associates degree in Arts. He says he has always loved school. He regrets not finishing school when he was younger and is determined to follow through with his Bachelor’s degree now. After class, Gino heads back to Dillard’s to finish his day at work and then bikes home. This life, the life he has now built for himself, is a far cry from the one he had when he first walked into StepUp Wilmington back in 2015. He was referred by Sister Isaac from Basilica Shrine of St. Mary after moving to Wilmington. He came to Wilmington to be close to his son and the opportunity to go back to school.  In 2015, he started Jobs Week and was so impressed by the dedication of the staff and volunteers. He says he will never forget the StepUp core values that were instilled in him on the first day, which he credits for keeping him motivated to come back every day. He started out as a Dock Manager at Dillard’s and was promoted after 6 months to his current position. He loves his job and is happy to have work. Next week Gino will start as a student in the Cameron School of Business at UNCW. His focus is to get his Bachelor’s Degree in International Business Relations. He says he hopes to move up with Dillard’s and use his experience and knowledge to advance in his career.