Did you know? Senior Community Service

Spring 2011
Vol 2 • Issue 1
Formerly Green Thumb
Senior Community Service Employment
Program - Economic Impact
Last year, Experience
Works made a significant
financial and community
service impact in the state
of Indiana.
We provided service to
more than 750 seniors.
More than $2.81 million
in salary and fringes were
paid to older workers.
Program participants provided in excess of 388,891 hours
of community service at more than 434 local agencies
throughout Indiana.
About the Senior Community Service Employment Program
(SCSEP):
Did you know?
•T
he SCSEP has a significant economic impact in local
communities by putting unemployed older people to
work – thereby increasing the number of people who
spend their earnings in their home towns, maintain their
dignity and significantly reduce their reliance on public
assistance.
• The SCSEP has a dual mission of community service
and employment and is highly effective in improving the
quality of life for poor seniors; even transitioning older
workers into jobs in this very difficult economy.
•T
he SCSEP is the only federal program that provides job
opportunities for low income older individuals.
• The SCSEP is operated in every state and territory in
the United States.
• Experience Works is the oldest and largest grantee of
the SCSEP and operates in 30 states and Puerto Rico.
Interested in the effects of federal budget proposals on the
Senior Community Service Employment Program? Check
out our press release in the news section of our website at
www.experienceworks.org.
Thank You to Our Partners
Experience Works would like to take this opportunity
to extend a very special thank you to the following
organizations and partners that continue to support
our programs and services for older workers in Indiana:
•G
oodwill Bridgepointe Services for providing
excellent job coaching to prepare participants for
the job market. Five participants have been hired
by Bridgepointe Services in South Central Indiana
after completing their Experience Works training.
• J ason Griffin and Goodwill in Rushville, Indiana for
hiring two participants in the last six months. Jason
continues to be a supporter of our program and
excels in both training and hiring practices.
• J ennifer Montgomery at the Lawrenceberg WorkOne
for providing office space for Experience Works as
well as a safe and secure location for participant
interaction.
•S
teve Ringenberg of Centerstone in Richmond for
training participants in the use of green products
and practices. Centerstone just hired a participant
that had successfully completed Experience Works
training.
•K
ate Scales with the South Central Community
Action Program in Bloomington for hiring two of our
participants, Mary Zimmerman and Sandra Boomsma.
•W
orkOne Southeast in North Vernon, the Jefferson
Public Library, WorkOne-New Albany and Blueriver
Services Inc. in Corydon for providing Experience
Works with meeting and job club space this year.
We appreciate the support and friendly faces at
each location.
•T
he Education Training Center in North Vernon,
WorkOne-Southeast in Madison, Harrison County
Lifelong Learning Center and Ottawa University in
Jeffersonville for partnering with Experience Works
and providing the space for Experience Works
county wide participant meetings.
Contact Information
Pam Fox
Experience Works Indiana State Director
Phone: 812-522-7930
pam_fox@experienceworks.org
Indiana Business Spotlight
individuals on systems and policy, but we can’t teach
them the basic ability to deal with other people. Potential
employees also have to love people, enjoy interacting with
others, and enjoy dealing with the public.
What are some of the jobs currently performed
by older workers?
Many of our older workers work in customer service
positions. We have full time, part-time and flex scheduling,
but most of our staff work full time. New employees have
to be available full time during an eight to nine week
training period.
L to R: Alan Rivkind, James Taylor, Robin Branch, and Celia Case
A Conversation with James Taylor, Site Director
and Melissa Winn, Recruiter, Alorica, Inc.,
Terre Haute, Indiana
Please describe your business:
Alorica is an inbound call center. We are a customer service
management provider that supports the entire customer
lifecycle, from front-office customer interaction to back-office
reverse logistics. We deliver fully integrated solutions such
as customer interaction management, service logistics,
depot and onsite repair services, in-home integration, as
well as total eBusiness solutions. Alorica provides on site
employment for 650-700 in Terre Haute and we have nearly
20,000 associates worldwide.
What qualities do you look for in your employees?
Our employees need to have good customer service
skills and the ability to relate well to others. We can train
What have been the greatest changes in your
business in the last ten years?
Ten years ago our computers had green screens (DOS) and
the customer service reps had binders on their desks. We
now use a Windows-based environment. Every department
wants their information right away, so our customer service
staff has to deal with multiple windows open on their monitors
simultaneously.
What are the benefits of hiring older workers?
Older workers know the importance of being on time. They
have already learned to keep their cars in working order and
watch the weather to make sure they show up for on time.
How long have your worked with Experience
Works and have any of our referrals been
successful?
We have worked with the organization for about six
months. We have already hired two former Experience
Works participants, including Alan Rivkind.
The Search Begins for America’s Outstanding Oldest Worker
Nominations now are being accepted in the search for
America’s Outstanding Oldest Worker for 2011. Sponsored
by Experience Works, the search is part of a national effort
to raise awareness about the contributions older individuals
make in today’s workplace and to break down the barriers
often associated with their employment. Experience Works
operates the Senior Community Service Employment
Program (SCSEP), which is funded by the U.S. Department
of Labor to provide skills training, work experience, and
community service opportunities for low-income older
workers.
America’s Outstanding Oldest Worker nominees must be
100 years of age or older, currently employed, working at
least 20 hours each week for pay and involved in his or her
community. The deadline to apply is April 15, 2011.
to sponsor the search for America’s
Outstanding Oldest Worker because
older individuals provide inspiration
to people of all ages and serve as
role models for those who want to
continue to stay active and make
valuable contributions to the
workplace and to their communities.
Last year’s honorees were 105-yearold Emilio Navarro, of Ponce Puerto
Rico, and 101-year-old Sally Gordon,
of Lincoln, Nebraska.
Sally Gordon
This year’s nomination form can be
found at: www.experienceworks.org
In a recent conversation with Executive Directors Billy Wooten
and Sally Evans, they noted that Experience Works is proud
Emilio Navarro
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Vol 2 • Issue 1
Experience Works • www.experienceworks.org