Project Self-Sufficiency will host a virtual Family Law seminar featuring Michelle Olenick, Esquire, on Wednesday, March 10th, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Olenick will discuss child support, grounds for divorce, court procedures, alimony, parenting time, equitable distribution of assets, and other topics related to divorce. The presentation, which will be offered through Zoom, is free and open to the public; interested attendees should call Project Self-Sufficiency at 973-940-3500 for log-in details.
Project Self-Sufficiency is seeking volunteers to assist with planting, maintenance and harvesting of fruits and vegetables from the community gardens at the agency’s Newton campus. Volunteers would work alongside seasoned horticultural professionals on Monday – Thursday mornings, from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Volunteers must be at least 17 years of age. No experience is required.
Project Self-Sufficiency’s Newton campus is home to numerous vegetable gardens which bear all kinds of crops for consumption by the agency’s low-income participants. During the summer, hundreds of potted tomato plants also wreath the sidewalks throughout the 5-acre campus. Produce is harvested daily and offered to agency participants at Project Self-Sufficiency. Baskets are also provided for families to cart the bounty home and share with their children. Participants are given tips on cooking and nutrition along with the food, and the children at the agency’s Little Sprouts Early Learning Center help with the harvest while learning about healthy eating habits.
To volunteer to work in Project Self-Sufficiency’s community gardens, or to find out more information about the programs and services available at Project Self-Sufficiency, visit the agency’s website www.projectselfsufficiency.org or call the agency at 973-940-3500.
Project Self-Sufficiency announces that the next session of its popular employment skills training program, Higher Opportunities for Women (HOW), will launch April 8th. The 16-week HOW Program combines intensive computer skills training with classroom instruction and has been reconfigured for a hybrid of in-person and virtual experiences, due to the ongoing public health crisis. Curriculum prepares women who have been out of the work force or underemployed to seek entry-level office administrative positions. Classes will operate Mondays and Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. through July 29th. In-person instruction will take place at the agency’s campus, located at 127 Mill Street in Newton.
Women who take part in the agency’s HOW program can expect 80 hours of computer skills training, including instruction in Microsoft Word, Excel, and other applications. Normally, the HOW program also includes 40 hours of classroom instruction and 120 hours at an unpaid externship at a community employment site, which further prepares participants to successfully venture into the job market. Since the onset of the pandemic, the workplace experience component has been eliminated in favor of coursework focusing on workplace navigation, life skills training, resume preparation, and interviewing strategies.
Since the HOW program’s inception, more than 1,000 women have gained self-confidence and learned marketable skills which placed them on the path to economic self-sufficiency. Deborah Berry-Toon, Executive Director of Project Self-Sufficiency explains that the HOW program is more than just a job-skills program. “The Higher Opportunities for Women program offers participants the opportunity to gain the skills and confidence to compete in today’s job market, and that in turn, helps put food on the table, pay the rent, and ultimately turn around the prospects for the entire family. Giving our participants the tools necessary to become economically self-sufficient makes families stable and helps the entire community.”
Project Self-Sufficiency’s Higher Opportunities for Women program launches on April 8th. To enroll, or to find out more information about the program, call Project Self-Sufficiency at 973-940-3500. Information about Project Self-Sufficiency is available at www.projectselfsufficiency.org.
