Message from our Founder, Pat Craddick

January 2011

Dear Friends and Colleagues:

Happy New Year!  As 2011 unfolds before us we remain full of hope, optimism, and a re-dedication to somehow make our lives better. Many of us, however, continue to struggle to strike a balance between a toughening economy with many challenges and finding peace of mind in an increasing chaotic world. The fallout from this struggle has unfortunately resulted in thousands of low- to middle-income families in our communities struggling to meet basic economic needs.

            

Undoubtedly, employment remains one of the biggest challenges we face.  Nationally, with over 8 million jobs lost in the last two years and unemployment rates slowly decreasing, finding gainful employment is tenuous at best.  The situation amplifies even more pointedly the need for programs and services that educate, prepare and connect parents with jobs and economic opportunities whenever possible. At ParentJobNet we understand that by empowering parents and helping construct a model for financial security, we plant seeds for peace of mind and constructive lives for themselves and their school-age children.

2011 marks the 6th anniversary of ParentJobNet.  Since our inception, we have provided hundreds of New York City public school parents with jobs and economic opportunities. We know the correlation between employment, financial success and a stable home, which supports school-age children and their life experiences. As we approach this year, the cost of living increases and we seem to get less for more, with government agencies and service organizations scrambling with dwindling budgets to help working families not fall further behind. ParentJobNet is producing by providing New York City public school parents with essential programs and services which include, job readiness workshops, ESL (English as a second language), financial literacy workshops, computer classes, job networking events, job development and referral services, along with a host of other key economic benefits, all free of charge.

Thanks to our many collaborators including the New York Women’s Foundation, Consortium for Worker Education, TD Bank, Starbucks, Department of Education, Easter Seals, Office for Family Engagement and Advocacy, Manhattan Educational Opportunity Center, Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, JP Morgan Chase, APA International Placement Consultants, Workforce 1, and our other business partners. In addition, we are grateful for the indispensable support of P.S. 84 and several other public schools who aid in our daily ability to connect to our constituents.

We are proud to partner with the New York Women’s Foundation (NYWF) and are extremely delighted to be a third-year grantee partner.  The NYWF understands how challenging these times are for low-income women and families in our communities. They recognize that ParentJobNet provides economic resources and helps women and families in New York City public schools. That is why we are thankful they’ve continued their support with a third-year grant award. In addition, thanks to the Consortium for Worker Education for their continued funding support of our workforce training programs for five consecutive years; TD Bank and Starbucks for their continued support in hosting our networking events; and JPMorgan Chase for providing financial literacy workshops throughout the school-year. 

We are grateful for the continued funding support of Councilmember Gale Brewer, Councilmember Inez Dickens, Assemblymember Daniel O’Donnell, Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, Vinson & Elkins, US labor Department – Women’s Bureau, DOE Title III Funding, and you – our generous individual supporters.

We invite those of you who are unemployed, underemployed, considering changing careers, developing new businesses or entrepreneurs to continue to take advantage of our school-based workshops, classes, job opportunities and clientele-building and contact making networking events. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at 866-541-3994 or 917-546-9104 for an appointment to see our job developer who can assist you with your choices and needs.  Please be on the lookout for our January 2011 program announcement, which will be available shortly. 

We look forward to maintaining, sustaining, and expanding our progress and success with your continued support.  In 2011 let’s continue to strive and flourish in our communities.  Let‘s try to manifest peace and love in our hearts, and give our children the brighter and better lives they deserve, at a time when a little goes a long way.  We at ParentJobNet embrace the opportunity and look forward to a challenging and fruitful year.

Best wishes,

Pat Craddick

Executive Director/Founder

ParentJobNet, Inc.