L. to R. Ray Lemieux, Carroll McCarthy, Charles Sisson, Doreen Ostiguy, Rita Boudreau, Patricia Fernandes
Senior Community Service Employment Program Returns to Coastline
By Abrah J. Salk
Coastline has recently received a grant from the Department of Labor and from Senior Service America, and is proud to be once again serving the older worker through the Senior Community Service Employment Program, or SCSEP.
The dual purpose of the program is to provide useful part-time community service assignments for persons 55 years of age or older who meet income guidelines, while promoting the transition of these individuals to unsubsidized employment. These individuals gain valuable on-the-job training through their paid temporary community assignment with local non-profit and government organizations.
The participants are compensated at the State minimum wage for 20 hours per week assignment. To be eligible the individual must be 55 years of age or older, be income eligible and be a resident of Bristol or Plymouth county and unemployed.
One of the many participants is Ray Lemieux. Ray has been part of the SCSEP going on 5 years now. In this time, he's worked at a few of the Elderly Nutrition Program Meal sites serving food, and he's been the “go to man” at Coastline Elderly Services, helping out where needed, doing janitorial work and lending a hand at the right time.
Ray first saw an ad for this program in the Senior Scope. Being an active individual, he knew he couldn't just sit around and do nothing. Once his wife passed away, he found “the walls just started to close in”. So he applied for the job and was hired right away. Ever since, he's been extremely happy. The money he earns helps to pay his bills. More importantly, this job keeps him busy. He enjoys everyone he works with and finds everyone friendly and very accommodating. By working 20 hours a week, it allows him keep his mind busy and also still go bike riding in the afternoon – a hobby and sport that Ray has been doing for years. Ray has nothing but wonderful things to say about this program. “It's enjoyable. It keeps you busy. I'd recommend it to anybody.”
Another program participant is Carroll McCarthy. She is a return program participant. Carroll was part of this program from 1998 – 2000. She then took her newly acquired skills and left to work full time for her brother. When her brother retired this past July, Carroll didn't want to stay home and do nothing. So she knew exactly where to go – back to the Senior Community Service Employment Program at Coastline Elderly Services. Here at Coastline she does clerical work and helps out all the departments as needed. “It's a great experience and you can learn a lot”, Carroll says, “I absolutely recommend this program.”
A former participant is Patricia Fernandes. Patricia knew all about the wonderful programs at Coastline, through her mother who worked for Coastline years ago. When Patricia needed some help making ends meet, she applied for many jobs, but found it difficult since she was “older”. So she stopped into Coastline in 2002 and inquired about SCSEP. Through this program, she was placed at the Career Center in New Bedford . She worked her way up to resource coordinator and eventually she was moved to a different site, where Patricia coordinated the entire flow of daily business. She was a “jack of all trades” and loved it. However, Patricia was asked to return to the Career Center due to downsizing and other changes. At about the same time as those changes were going on, SCSEP returned to Coastline and Rita Boudreau was a searching for a program enrollee to help administer the new program. So Patricia applied for the position and less than 3 months later was hired by Coastline as the Program Assistant. “It was unbelievable”, she gushes, “I cried like a baby when I was hired. I love the job. It is a great job even at age 71!”
Another former participant is Doreen Ostiguy. She joined the SCSEP in 2003. She was in need of a job and needed to update her skills. The last time Doreen had worked was 1967. She then got married and stayed home to have and raise 14 children. By the time she was ready to rejoin the workforce, a lot of things had changed and she no longer possessed the needed skills. She was fortunate to have found the SCSEP at Coastline. Through the program she was sent for training and became the program's job developer. She learned a lot, developed a lot of contacts, and gained self confidence. Right before the program left Coastline, she was sent for additional training and became certified as a CNA. So when the program was no longer at Coastline, Doreen was able to get a regular job as a CNA. While working as a CNA, she heard about a job opening in Coastline's Personal Care Attendant Program and applied for it. Thanks to the many skills she learned while part of the SCSEP, she was more than qualified for the job and has been working for it ever since. Doreen thinks the SCSEP is such a great program. “It opened a whole new world for me”.
Program director Rita Boudreau agrees with Ray, Carroll, Patricia and Doreen that this is a wonderful program. Though, the program just returned to Coastline, it's not unfamiliar to Rita. Except for a brief 3 year period, Coastline had been sponsoring SCSEP since the 1970's and Rita had been the Program Director from 2000 to 2003. Rita is very excited to have it back here at Coastline and to be running it again. She feels very passionate about it.
“It is a win/win for the seniors themselves who learn to transfer their skills into a new career; the agencies in the community that get the benefit of the older worker performing a service at no cost to them; and the employer who ultimately hires them. They benefit the most – they get a worker with solid work ethics, who is well trained and dedicated “.
The above stories are just a few of the wonderful success stories from the Senior Community Service Employment Program at Coastline Elderly Services, Inc. For more information on this program or any of the wonderful programs that Coastline offers, please call (508) 999-6400.
