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WESSON – Copiah-Lincoln Community College has been awarded a grant of $492,582 from Senior Service America, Inc. Almost 90 percent of this grant –originally from the U.S. Department of Labor – will provide temporary employment to at least 94 low-income older adults living in Adams, Amite, Claiborne, Copiah, Franklin, Jefferson, Lawrence, Lincoln, Pike, Simpson, Smith, Walthall, and Wilkinson Counties. These older adults will participate in the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) a major program of the Older Americans Act. SCSEP is the only federal government program mandated to assist unemployed older adults seeking to rejoin the workforce by working in their community.
“We are very pleased to continue our support of the Copiah-Lincoln Community College for the 44th consecutive year,” said Tony Sarmiento, Senior Service America Executive Director. Co-Lin has received this annual SCSEP grant since 1972. Senior Service America is the second largest sponsor of SCSEP after a national grant competition held this year.
“This program delivers a triple win for older adults and the whole community,” said Dr. Brenda Orr, Dean of Community Programs. “First, SCSEP participants are helping about 40 local community, faith-based, and public agencies carry out their mission, including the Brookhaven Recreation Department, Copiah County Human Resource Agency, WIN Job Center, and Jimmy Furlow and Natchez Senior Citizen Centers. Second, older workers are receiving on-the-job training to enhance their skills. And third, older workers are keeping healthy by remaining connected and not isolated in their community.”
“Many low-income older adults want and need paid work,” said Donna Satterthwaite, Senior Service America Director of Employment Services. “By serving their community, older workers receive renewed skills as well as renewed hope, knowing that they are not forgotten. Older Mississippians are fortunate to be given the opportunity through SCSEP and the dedicated staff of Copiah-Lincoln Community College.”
A strong work ethic coupled with their “old fashioned employer loyalty” makes older workers an attractive resource for employers seeking workers and possibly mentors for younger workers as well. The goal of this employment-training program is to provide an opportunity for participants to utilize or enhance their present skills and also gain new marketable skills in order to enter or re-enter the employment sector.
Employers who are interested in hiring older workers can find out more about SCSEP by contacting Anna Rogers, Co-Lin’s Senior Community Service Employment Program Coordinator, at 601-643-8673.
About Senior Service America, Inc.
Senior Service America, Inc. (SSAI) is a national nonprofit organization that provides civic engagement and employment opportunities to low-income older adults. As one of 19 national SCSEP grantees of the U.S. Department of Labor, SSAI is based in Silver Spring, Maryland, and provides more than $42 million annually to a diverse network of 65 local partner organizations in 13 states. For more information, go to www.seniorserviceamerica.org, call (301) 578-8826, email tsarmiento@ssa-i.org or dsatterthwaite@ssa-i.org, or Twitter @SrSvcAmerica. (Sarmiento and Satterthwaite are available for phone interviews upon request.)
