Christian Women’s Job Corps (CWJC) sites in Philadelphia, Miss., and San Marcos, Texas, have received this year’s top honors from the Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) Foundation.
The two CWJCs, which each receive a $1,800 grant, are part of WMU’s national network to equip disadvantaged women for life and employment, offering weekly Bible studies and job training, while also pairing them with mentors for encouragement and accountability.
CWJC of Philadelphia, Miss., established in 2008, offers a Jobs for Life program that includes computer basics, budget training and a clothes closet with clothing appropriate for job interviews.
Site coordinator Sandi Lewis added that the site’s one-on-one mentoring sets it apart from secular training programs in the community.
And the site’s Jobs for Life curriculum “is biblically based,” Lewis said, “so it addresses issues that [other skills training] programs do not.”
Lewis said the site will use the WMU grant to purchase additional GED resources and computer tables for use during classes.
At the Texas CWJC site, named Hands of Hope, volunteer leaders likewise focus on job and life skills, Bible study, academics and GED tutoring. The site opened in 2005.
LaDean Williamson, a member of the Hands of Hope advisory council, said the site is the only adult education program in the San Marcos area that offers daily Bible study and a personal mentor for each student.
The San Marcos site will use its grant to fund child care and transportation needs of students, Williamson said.
“Each semester we have applicants who can’t enroll in our classes because they can’t arrange adequate, affordable child care,” she said. “We will use this grant to extend our ministry by making child care available and helping with transportation for participants.”
Becky Ellison, state consultant for Texas CWJC/Christian Men’s Job Corps (CMJC), said the grant will help Hands of Hope take the pressure off moms.
The Mississippi and Texas sites are among more than 200 registered and certified CWJC/CMJC sites across the country — all ministries of national WMU, which is based in Birmingham.
To learn more about CWJC/CMJC, visit www.wmu.com/jobcorps.
To be considered for a CWJC site award, a site must complete an application with information about their site and what the grant would be used to fund. All applications are reviewed by the national CWJC advisory board which is comprised of leaders in CWJC who serve in various capacities. The advisory board then sends its recommendations to the WMU Foundation. The WMU Foundation reviews the findings of the advisory board and makes the final selection.
(BP)
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