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Henry enjoyed his customer service role at a local community center before COVID-19. He was one of the welcoming faces who greeted city residents as they entered the main lobby. Henry found joy in explaining program options to customers, answering their questions with poise and attentiveness, as well as registering them for valuable recreation and continued learning classes. Then COVID-19 abruptly interrupted Henry’s employment.
Being a resourceful professional, Henry enrolled with the NOVA Job Center in Sunnyvale and learned about the Mature Worker Job Coaching Program, a part of the Peninsula Family Service (PFS) Second Careers Program funded by Santa Clara County. He was relieved and grateful that he could participate in a program customized to the age 50+ job seeker.
Henry participated in customized job search coaching from the Mature Worker Program adviser, workshops, and group discussion sessions. He learned about writing an age-neutral resume, interviewing strategies in a multigenerational workforce, and the importance of networking with others. Henry embraced networking as a key strategy, and he kept in touch with his previous supervisor as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded. He discovered that the community center needed help with transitioning some of its classes to a remote environment. While demonstrating his “can do’’ attitude in conversations with his previous supervisor, she invited him to pilot a remote class as the facilitator. Henry willingly adapted to new technology platforms and ran a very effective remote class. It wasn’t long before he landed a new job with the organization. Despite the impact of COVID-19, this job seeker is thriving!
Reflecting upon his participation in the Mature Worker Job Coaching Program, Henry gratefully shared that “it is a very valuable program for the ‘older’ segment of workers!”
Funders Support Financial Empowerment
In addition, Sutter Health Mills-Peninsula Medical Center provided a generous grant to support DriveForward in providing low-cost vehicle loans. With the emergence of COVID-19, the Financial Empowerment team pivoted to help participants who experienced income loss maintain their vehicles by deferring car loan payments as well as supporting families to obtain emergency financial support, rental relief, and utility bill waivers. Meanwhile the California Department of Financial Protection & Innovation supported our financial education work which converted to online classes and financial counseling. The flexibility of our funders was incredible and on behalf of the many people we serve, we are so grateful.
Read the full 2021 Annual Report here: https://www.peninsulafamilyservice.org/annual-report-2021/
