(bright music) (upbeat music) - Hello, everyone.

I'm Rameca Vincent Leary, and welcome to this edition of Connecting the Community.

Are you ready to land that dream job?

If so, do you have everything you need to get the ball rolling?

Entering the workforce can be intimidating for some, and of course, oftentimes, because people are lacking essential resources that they need.

Don't worry because we're here to help.

During this show, we've assembled several organizations that can help you achieve your entrepreneurial goals.

So no matter where you are in life, we believe we can help.

You'll hear from the Gulf Coast Minority Chamber of Commerce and ReEntry Alliance Pensacola.

Plus, once you land that job, we'll provide essential tools to help you manage your finances.

But first, we'll focus on a one-stop shop with three locations that has a wealth of resources just for you.

I'm happy to welcome Marcus McBride, CEO of CareerSource Escarosa.

He's joined by Alan Galindo, business services representative.

Now back to Dr. McBride, let's start with you.

When seeking employment, sometimes people just don't know where to start, am I right?

- You're right.

A lot of times when people are looking for employment, they may not have worked in a while.

They may not have the essential knowledge of saying, where do you go to look for a job?

How do you do your resume?

Who do you call?

And that is CareerSource Escarosa.

Call us.

I always say, if someone is willing and able to work, we can get them ready.

And that getting ready starts from walking in the door in one of our centers.

- [Rameca] So give us a little bit of a backstory.

We have three significant locations, Pensacola, Milton, and Century.

How long has it been around?

- [Dr. McBride] So CareerSource Escarosa has been around for quite a while as the Local Workforce Development Board.

It is transitioned from Workforce Escarosa to CareerSource Escarosa, and for about 25 years here serving Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

- [Rameca] And you've been with the organization how long?

- [Dr. McBride] I'm coming up on two years, and it seems like time has just flown by.

- Two years sounds like 20 years in a good way, doesn't it?

Now, Alan, let's talk about services apprenticeships.

First of all, tell us what an apprenticeship is, for those who may not know.

- An apprenticeship is a program where you will have a job, and in one of the three areas that we serve is plumbing, heat and air HVAC, and electrical.

The on-the-job training will be done by your employer where you're receiving a paycheck, and then we will enroll you in one of the technical schools in the local area those being Locklin and George Stone.

The services that CareerSource Escarosa will provide will be the support of services, and that will cover the toolkits and the work boots for the individual.

- [Rameca] What about specific career fields?

Is welding one of them?

- Welding is not at this time.

- [Rameca] Okay.

- The three, again, are electrical, heat and air, and plumbing.

- That's magnificent.

And we know that CareerSource Escarosa has a broad spectrum of services.

A lot of times people are asking questions of me specifically about veterans.

Will you talk about that?

- Okay.

All things are related to employment at CareerSource Escarosa, and we do work with veterans.

Veterans have a priority of service.

So our veterans group there, we have a disabled veterans outreach program coordinator, we have local veterans employment representatives, and those individuals specifically target those individuals who have served our country to help them transition to the civilian world of work.

So we have veteran programs in all of our locations, but primarily they are housed in our Pensacola and Milton offices.

- So let's discuss some of these activities and resources, including employment opportunities, a wealth of information.

- So we all know right now, when you're driving down the street, you see "now hiring" signs everywhere.

- [Rameca] Everywhere, right?

- Everywhere.

Everyone is hiring.

So when we are hosting job fairs, and when we're hosting recruiting events, we're trying to make sure that we're operating like that match.com for the employer and the job seekers.

- [Rameca] Okay.

Good scenario.

- [Dr. McBride] Right?

So we're really trying to make sure that we are able to identify the skills that someone has, that they can transfer from one job to another, and trying to help make sure that they can identify even if they don't have all the skills in, how can they skill up train, enter into a training program?

We provide scholarships for training programs for individuals in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

We wanna really make sure that people are able to sell themselves for the job that they want, desire, and really want to get.

- What about Vietnam veterans, Vietnam era veterans as well, because that's a huge majority?

- Well, we actually just received one of the Get There Faster Grants, that specifically targets veterans for like a concierge service for veterans, and really trying to make sure those who may have been disconnected for some time, that may be faced with homelessness, that may be faced with some other barriers, really trying to give that kid glove approach to them, to make sure that we're able to get them some skills, be able to connect them to the resources, to make sure they're gonna be employable in the community.

- That's amazing.

Alan.

- Yes?

- There are some people who may not have a high school diploma and they're seeking a GED.

We have an inspirational story that we would like to share with our viewers from Clemency McDonald, take a listen.

- My dream, always, I have been thinking about this for many years.

My dream was to doing my GED and, you know, and I was a welder when I was younger, and I cannot do in that job anymore.

But if I get my GED, I can get more jobs.

- Amazing story.

What an inspiration.

Alan, speak to that?

- Clemency's been coming into our center for some time and she is very dedicated.

This lady comes in almost every day and she is working in attaining her GED and passing those tests, so we can place her in some new job for her.

The GED class runs 9:30 to 12, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and stays pretty full.

We have two great instructors.

One just recently came on and relocated to this area.

Once they have completed their testing and received that diploma, which is run through George Stone Technical College, then we discuss apprenticeship programs with them, and/or do job searching, or talk to them about continued education.

- Alan, I like the word free, don't you?

- Yeah, that's everybody's favorite word, free.

- Now here's the silver lining, folks.

Your services are offered, what?

- Free.

- Yes.

We love it.

Everyone needs to clamor toward CareerSource Escarosa.

And if you're on the fence, please jump off the fence.

Right, Dr. McBride?

Because there's so many opportunities.

Let's shift gears and talk about another aspect.

On-the-job training for employers.

- Right, we have a number of resources for employers.

And I know a lot of times when people think about CareerSource Escarosa, they're really thinking about those services that we offer for people that are looking for employment.

But if you are a business owner, and you need help with growing and developing your workforce, we have several on-the-job training grants.

We can help offset some of the costs that you have as a business owner by providing stipends to pay for half the salaries of individuals' training on the job.

That helps people learn the skills for the role, that helps them kind of test drive both sides.

You get to test drive the employee, the employer could test drive the company, and really see if it's that match that's going to last.

So that's a great resource for an employer, the on-the-job training grants, as well as the grants that can help you train your current workforce for more skills if that's needed.

- You have a huge fan from Pensacola International Airport, who's singing your praises all the time.

Her name is Rhonda Deaton.

Let's listen to what she has to say.

- The good thing about CareerSource Escarosa is that they handle everything for you.

They're skilled at this.

They know exactly what they need from the first step, A to Z, to get it done.

And what you need to do is work with the employees and the employers to get into the Employ Florida system.

And they track that, that's our tracking mechanism as well.

They worked with me from everything to marketing, from messaging on a flyer, social media, print media, broadcast media.

They brought their computers on site.

They brought printers on site.

They did everything that they needed to do, so that anybody walking into the door that wanted to apply for a job, or was interested in a job at the airport could stop.

It was a one-stop shop.

They stopped and talked to Kevin or Alan.

What is it we're missing?

What do we need?

They help facilitate that for them, so they continue on with the process, with all of our tenants and vendors for the application aspect.

- All right, Alan.

I am blown away.

From A to Z and then some all of the great qualities the CareerSource Escarosa brings to the table.

Now that is just one success story, but I know you must have another.

- Another success story.

I will follow up on the OJT, the on-the-job training program.

We met with the HR department at Armstrong World Services, and they are currently utilizing the OJT program.

And we brought 10 employees on this Monday, the 28th, under the program, and they're currently working there.

And we just got into contact with them.

And we're following up once a month for six months, and we've heard nothing but good news.

- I know it.

I've heard great things.

Dr. McBride, I know it must make you feel wonderful giving back to the community, correct?

Selflessness, and the job fairs.

We've heard about a couple of examples here, but a lot of work is involved in the entire process.

Do you have volunteers that also assist?

- We don't have many volunteers right now.

We do have some partnerships with other agencies that provide services in the building.

Some of our core agencies are voc rehab, are NCBA, we have, you know, George Stone, so we have several partner agencies inside of CareerSource Escarosa, but not volunteers.

- Alan, do you find that when it comes to a job posting, and of course we're all learning, each and every one of us, but for some of these employers that may want to put a job posting out, the basic tools that you provide.

I know that they feel very good when the end result happens, as you mentioned when someone obtains a job, but we must never assume that everyone knows how to do all of the aspects, right?

So with the job postings, is there a certain means where you find out about these employers?

Do they normally come to you?

Do you seek them out?

- Great question.

Currently, the needle is moved to where employers are coming to us.

Just today, we're receiving calls, they're coming in the door.

And we assist them posting jobs for their open positions on Employ Florida.

Again, as you mentioned, it is free and we can do that for them.

They can post as many jobs as they want.

You know, I look at it this way.

There's a job out there with your name on it, and we will help you find it.

And again, I wanna throw that out free.

You can look at us.

Employ Florida is the same as Indeed, but free.

And we put those job orders on.

And when job seekers come into one of the three locations, and they look in that database and look for a job, it's there, they can apply, and we connect them with that.

- Dr. McBride.

Funding.

I know that there are various sources, right?

- [Dr. McBride] Right.

- As far as funding is concerned, the fact that these services are offered free for anyone walking through that door who may be a little intimidated as we have.

And I know you'll probably go to sleep at night, thinking about the word free, these free services.

I bet it takes a load off of a person's back.

- It is a great resource, and we don't wanna be the best-kept secret in Pensacola, right?

We wanna make sure that people know that we're a resource for them, for their families, for their friends, for their employer.

If you need help with anything related to the world of work, come see us.

Let us help you out and be that resource for the community.

Because it is free.

And we know that the community grows from having people working, thriving, and surviving, and making this just a great place to live, work, and play.

- And I know that I am inspired.

Many thanks to both of you.

As we head to break, to find out more about this wonderful organization, log onto www.careersourceescarosa.com.

We'll be back right after this.

- I help veterans with significant barriers to employment.

They may be homeless, may have service connected disability, may have low income, may be between ages 18 and 24.

In that population, a lot of them went in military straight out of high school, so they don't have any real civilian work experience.

- My role is to really meet them where they are and help them succeed in getting back into the workforce.

- Vietnam era vets is another demographic that we deal with.

And a lot of times those are seniors that are having a difficult time finding employment.

And these days, social security just doesn't cut it.

And so a lot of times I get out and reach out in the community, trying to find veterans that need assistance.

I work with a lot of the other organizations in the area, and just work as a team.

Example, opening doors, the VA, the Vet Center.

And then, so we try to help them to find employment, to get job ready.

You know, things like doing mock interviews with them, helping them write a resume, helping them to do job search activities.

- There's a huge need.

Honestly, I can't really put a number to it.

We have an abundance of veterans that need jobs.

We have employers that would love to hire veterans.

It's just trying to match the right ones to the right position.

(upbeat music) - Hello, everyone.

During this segment, we're focusing on an organization that's a beacon for small and minority business enterprises, along the Gulf Coast.

Indeed, the Gulf Coast Minority Chamber of Commerce has made such a positive impact in the community.

It's my pleasure to introduce president and CEO, Brian Wyre.

He's joined by Christopher Hendricks, founder of Bantucola.

Tilly Souriyaseng, CEO of The Beauty Experts.

And James Gatson, purchasing specialist for Small Minority Business Enterprises.

Now, Brian, let's start with you.

I see you everywhere.

Do you ever get any rest?

- I definitely do.

When you have a passion towards doing things, it's not work, it's fun.

And I really enjoy my every single day being busy and helping the community out.

- Gulf Coast Minority Chamber of Commerce.

When did it start in the overall vision?

- We started in October 2018 as a new chamber.

Previously, we're the Gulf Coast African-American Chamber of Commerce for over 20 years in the community.

So we're going on our four-year anniversary here in October.

And we're so happy to be part of the community.

We brand ourself to reach our entire minority community.

- And I understand that you left another event to make it here.

Networking, how important is that?

- Well, just like your name says, connecting with the community, you have to connect with the community to be successful.

So it's very important.

We left the Big Brothers, Big Sisters networking event, our first in-person event for 2022.

Woo, woo.

- [Rameca] Yeah, everybody.

Woo-hoo!

- Very happy having our first in-person event.

COVID was tough for the chambers.

- [Rameca] Yes.

- Not being able to be in-person, do everything virtual, so I was so happy to have the event tonight, and happy to be here as well.

- All right, Christopher.

I know you know this man very well.

You're the founder of Bantucola.

And that name, I just love the name.

What is it?

Tell us about it.

- Yeah, sure.

So "Bantu" actually comes from the African people groups that really were imported into the United States.

And so it's designed to be a connection back to the main continent land.

And then "cola", the second part of that name, is designed around the local area that we're in, Pensacola.

So I'm bringing together Bantu, Bantu people, Bantu-speaking people, and the Pensacola region, and thinking through all of the African people who are here, from different tribes, nations, and backgrounds.

- And self-love.

It reminds me of selflessness.

Expand on that.

- Yeah, so one of our pillars, self-love, is to actually love ourselves and to be focused on building those bridges of loving ourselves, right, as a community.

And we wanted to design pillars, and that's one of those mainstay pillars, to focus on ourselves.

It's not about anybody else.

It's just about loving ourselves.

- All right, Tilly.

I tell you what, you look gorgeous as ever.

Tell us about The Beauty Experts, and how you came to know Brian Wyre.

- Well, The Beauty Experts has been in the area for about four years.

We do lash extensions, skin care.

Our first location was in Fort Walton Beach, and we expanded to Mary Esther, and then recently in Gulf Breeze.

- No, I understand, the ribbon cutting.

And a lot of people were there.

I was just excited looking at the photo.

So you have multiple locations, but you have to start somewhere.

- [Tilly] Yes.

- [Rameca] Right?

- [Tilly] Definitely.

- [Rameca] Who inspired you?

- Oh gosh.

I'd say my father.

He was an entrepreneur, so I definitely grew up in that environment.

So I'm very much his daughter.

- Oh, we could say that.

We could definitely say that.

- Now, James, I know you have that hat on, my dad is a US Navy veteran.

so thank you very much for your service.

How many years did you serve?

- Well, I did 38 years six months civilian government, but I worked with all the branches of the military.

- All right, so let's talk about the Small Minority Business Enterprises.

I know there's a lot there.

- Well, there's a lot to say about it.

- [Rameca] Yes, it is.

So why don't you tell us something about it?

Give us the backstory.

- Well, as far as I am concerned, I am the change agent for small businesses and small minority businesses for this entire county and the surrounding areas.

- [Rameca] So as a change agent.

- I'm a change agent.

- Yes, give us an example of what you do.

Maybe one business.

Tell us.

- Well, I'm more of an advocate.

- [Rameca] Okay.

- And I advocate for various small businesses, educating them, and inquiring of them, and giving them direction, and answering their questions and inquiries, and I do that nearly every day, all day.

- Success, success, success.

And every question is a good question, at least that's what I tell my students in the business department.

It might be a question that one might deem small, but hey, it's very important, right?

- [James] Yes.

- Finances, that's another angle, correct, James?

- [James] Yes, yes.

- So we need to make sure we give them all of those resources that they need.

All right, Brian, a lot on your plate.

I would say it's a smorgasboard.

But with the networking opportunities that are available through the Gulf Coast Minority Chamber of Commerce, who can become a member?

Let's talk about membership.

- Well, that's one of the things that really was confusing to some people when we're called the Gulf Coast African-American Chamber of Commerce.

Within the first year people say, I love your chamber, I like what you doing, but I can't join 'cause I'm not Black.

I'm like, we're not a chamber just for Black people.

- [Rameca] Right.

- We're chamber for everybody.

We have corporate partners, that are the big organizations in town, to the single small businesses that are just managing their own finances within the area.

So we're for everybody.

Anyone can join the chamber.

- Speaking of which, there are a lot of businesses that have done just that.

Bam!

Snoballs.

I think I'm craving one right now.

They've actually opened a second location, and their connection with you.

I know that there are plenty of other organizations as well, but you've even gone to Tallahassee, Florida.

Black Chamber Day.

Talk about some of those events.

- We had our first Black Chamber Association event in Tallahassee, last year in December.

It was an opportunity for us to get together with other chambers and find out what's going on, share best practices, have really vulnerable conversations, and know the challenges that we're having, and know we're fighting the issue of having equality across the whole entire state.

- Then you come back here to the Greater Pensacola Chamber, and I like the networking strategies, because it's not just a blanketed kind of thing where a little niche here a little niche there, it's expansive.

And that's the beauty of it all.

- It really is.

We work with very well with the Greater Pensacola Chamber here in town.

We partner together.

We have an agreement in place where we help them out, they help us out.

It's not about competition.

It's about making the whole community be rised up and be better.

- Speaking of rising up, many tribes, one nation, right Christopher?

We are a tribe of people helping one another.

And like you said Brian, anyone, everyone.

Expand on your business just a little bit more, Christopher, please.

- Yeah, absolutely.

So Bantucola was designed to really bring to the forefront Black businesses in the area, 'cause a lot of times there's a lack of visibility to it.

And what we wanted to do was make visible all the Black businesses that were in the area between Pensacola and Panama city, partnering with Brian and the chamber to actually help alleviate some of the technological challenges that exist.

And having a background in technology myself, I just say, let me give back to my community.

And that was one of the ways we did, that was actually, bring about visibility to those businesses, right?

From Pensacola to Panama, we have roughly 400 or so assets, business assets that exist in the area.

And the goal is to just continue to make visible those businesses.

- Also the pursuit of higher education.

We all have something to learn.

I learn something new every single day.

So talk about those avenues if you will.

- Yeah, absolutely.

So again, it goes back to one of our core pillars and the thought behind that is, as we talk about business development, we also wanna focus on the community and some of the things that may lack in the community, and we want it to be cool for people to actually pursue higher education.

A lot of times we'll find where certain aspects of our culture will say, well, you know, we should do business like this, or we should hustle like this, or we should, you know, advocate like this.

And in all essence, we need to pursue higher education.

We need to be in every aspect of education.

The COVID vaccine, one of the doctors that was there was a Black doctor and it makes it easier for me to see someone who I know who I can appreciate, who is advocating for this vaccine because she was there to develop it.

We can't do that if we don't have people who are pursuing higher education in our community.

- Education is essential.

Now, Tilly, I just have a feeling with your beautiful smile over there, that you help a lot of people.

I can imagine you having maybe an intern or two, somebody that's interested in learning more about the business.

Speak to that if you will.

- Oh gosh.

So I feel like I'm in the business of inspiration.

We come across women of all ages and we just want to empower them, and make sure that they feel good about themselves, and that helps us to feel good about ourselves too.

So that's a big part of what we do at The Beauty Experts.

- Do you think having an open door policy is successful for a business owner?

Is something that they should do to be successful, because oftentimes, you'll find scenarios where maybe someone feels as if management is not approachable, but having that open door policy, how important is that?

- Oh so important.

Communication is key.

So having a good leadership is what helps the team grow.

So being able to have your team communicate with you is so important.

- All right, James, back to you, my veteran, my friend.

So we're also talking about other things that you do and you have done, because I know you're very humble over there and I just love the way you're listening carefully.

- [James] Yes, ma'am.

- Tell us a few more things about what you do out in the community.

I know it's, like I said, it's very expansive, but give us yet another example of how you help people.

- Well actually, I attend some of the job fairs that are going on in the city to learn, to be educated on what the needs are of the people that are attending the job fairs.

But one thing I wanted to say, small businesses are the engines that keep the big machinery running.

- [Rameca] I like that.

- And if we don't have small businesses, someone will monopolize everything that's going on.

So we need more small businesses to keep folks from coming in, monopolizing everything.

And we small businesses, we take up 45% of the revenue generation- - [Rameca] Yes, yes.

- in the United States.

- It's so well-spoken.

I love, you give me energy on that, you really do.

(all laughing) So Brian, let's talk about the Gain Series, the Gain Series, break that down for us.

- Well, the Gain Series is ability to have members of our chamber come out and speak about their business expertise, it's a chance for people to learn new skills, and to network, to connect with the community, get together other businesses, find out some things that will help them out, and be part of that.

So the Gain Series, we're kicking it off, again, in-person, and looking forward to having some new guests come there to help educate our community.

- Now I tell you, I think, you have a success story, maybe a snippet of a story, that you would like to share.

I know there are quite a lot, but can you think of one that comes to mind?

- [Brian] Well, three of them are sitting right here.

- Yes.

- Chris Hendricks.

- [Rameca] That's right.

- Bantucola making a directory-followed minority businesses, Black businesses, is just amazing.

His effort and giving back is truly inspirational.

Tilly's story, the story where she came from, her family came from, and what she's done in our community is amazing.

And James, James works for the Escambia County Purchasing Department.

And if we can get more minority businesses to get registered and get jobs with the county, this is money that's guaranteed.

We don't have enough businesses being registered with the county, and James is making, help make that happen.

So these are three success stories right here in front of you.

- Yes.

- [Rameca] Huge win.

- And in fact, you have a success story as well.

Your show is amazing.

You're doing a wonderful job.

- [Rameca] Thank you!

I appreciate that.

- And I know you, you work really hard.

You're doing a lot of this by yourself.

So you're a success story.

People are gonna look at you and they're gonna be inspired by you.

- And I'm inspired by all of you.

But Christopher, I also have to come back to you.

Listen.

I feel like I need to put my gloves on.

I need to make sure I get the out in the trenches with Bantucola.

- [Christopher] Let's do it.

- So a lot of times with businesses, to be successful, social media, let's talk about that a little bit.

So how important is that for the success of a business?

- At this day and age, if you don't have a professional-looking social media experience right now, you are behind the curve, you are invisible to people, especially during the pandemic, right?

When we think about the past two years we just came out of, if you did not develop a professional experience online, starting to produce content of any type, right, you're invisible, because people didn't know about you.

And now as people get back out, if they weren't connected with you online during that whole time period, they may not even know you exist anymore in-person.

And so you gotta make sure you have that presence visible.

- All right, Miss Tilly, back to you again.

I want you to share with our viewing audience some words of inspiration for someone who's thinking about starting a business and they're thinking, I'm not sure, what can you tell them to inspire them?

Your story, as Brian said, is sensational.

- [Tilly] Thank you.

- You're welcome.

- One of the key things is definitely surrounding yourselves with other people that are business owners, because you don't know what you don't know.

So definitely surrounding yourself with other people can help you inspire yourself, find different avenues to jumpstart a business if you don't know where to start.

As long as you have that burning desire to do something, you know that you're meant for something greater, that's the first step.

And from there, is just making sure that you surround yourself with amazing people.

- I love that.

And in a few words, James, why don't you tell us what inspires you to help others?

Encouragement.

- Because of the fact that, personally, I did not have an opportunity given to me.

I came up the hard way.

I didn't know, I didn't understand, I didn't have a mentor.

I am the mentor.

And I invite everybody that's listening in to go to myscma.com and register as a vendor for the county, to go to myscma.com and register as a vendor for the county, to do business with the county.

How about that?

- Listen, let us help one another.

And speaking of mentorship, Brian, in a few words, the importance of it.

We have so many success stories as you mentioned, but why should we all be that beacon of light to help one another as mentors?

- You know, I really think as part of what you're, to many successes given you have to give back.

So mentorship is so important to help give back to those and help them along the way to achieve success as well.

- It's all about giving back.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this segment with all of you.

Appreciate you so much.

So folks, to find out more about the Gulf Coast Minority Chamber of Commerce, log onto the website, www.gcmcc.info.

We'll be back in a moment.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music) Hello, everyone.

During this segment, we're switching gears, focusing on resources available to help those who have formerly been incarcerated enter the workforce.

Now to get the conversation started, I'm honored to welcome Vince Whibbs, executive director of ReEntry Alliance Pensacola.

He's joined by Kevin Eason, director of operations, housing and employer relations.

Plus Rosetta Taylor, publisher and trading coordinator for the National Association of ReEntry Professionals.

We also have Dr. John Woods, a chapel volunteer.

Glad to have you all.

So Vince, let's start with you.

Who is the brainchild behind ReEntry Alliance Pensacola?

- I guess the real brainchild is a man by the name of Al Stubblefield, the former chief executive officer of Baptist Health Care.

And he worked, coordinated with Judge Casey Rodgers.

And this was about in 2013.

And they both collaborated to establish a reentry program in Pensacola.

- Of course, we know eligibility.

Some people are a little apprehensive to somewhat get the ball rolling.

Can you go through the eligibility requirements?

- For our program, there are very little- - [Rameca] Okay, good.

- eligibility.

The good news is that, for the most part take everybody.

I guess the basic requirement is that they have been released from a state prison, but we really work with people that are coming out of county jails, and every now and then somebody from a federal prison facility.

We take men and women.

And for the most part, as long as they're about 21 years of age or older, they're gonna be eligible for our program.

- All right, Kevin.

I know your job has many hats, right?

You probably wear a dozen during an entire week, director of operations, but then also over housing and employer relations.

Let's talk about the housing first.

- Well, my belief is this that, when a man or woman come home from incarceration, if you give them place to lay there head safely, and a good environment, you have pretty much put them on the right path.

And giving that safe place to stay, and finding them employment, get them ID and all the things that we do, helps them, that's another 20, 30% of being on the right track, doing what they're supposed to do.

So don't be repeat offenders.

- Now with the housing, regarding the rates, are they reasonable for anyone that's coming through the program?

- Oh, absolutely.

Because when they first come on for their first two months it's free.

- [Rameca] Wonderful.

- I'm sorry, the first two weeks is free.

And then after that, when we find them an employment, they have to pay $85 a week.

You cannot find no place nowhere for $340 a month.

- [Rameca] No, not at all.

- No, whatsoever, but that's just a part of it.

- [Rameca] Yes.

- It's just, you know, it's a passion to watch these men and women come home, and give them a safe place to live, give them jobs, help them accredit that management, help them just do the things they need to do to be productive citizens.

- I like that, and I'm coming back to you in just a moment.

All right, Rosetta, beautiful woman.

So training, publisher training.

Talk about that.

You've done a lot, and I know that you have worked with these gentlemen before.

- Absolutely.

And working in REAP was a real inspiration for me.

Understanding that when people come home, there are so many challenges that they face and often, they think about getting housing, and a job and that's it.

But there's so much more.

And so one of the things that I thought about was if we had an organization that could look at all the issues of people coming home from across the country, with all the great things that are being done for these individuals, that we call them returning citizens, then we could work together as a team to try to build an organizational structure that can work for everybody, not exactly the same, but in different states and in different ways.

- The term training is so expansive.

Some people may need training, of course, we know for job skills, but then again, someone may need to be trained regarding just basic essentials, maybe going to the laundromat, where do I go to buy grocery?

Simple things that oftentimes we say, well, maybe everyone should know it.

But one should never assume.

- That's exactly correct.

And not only do they need training, but we, as professionals, need additional training in terms of learning how we can be effective in working with that population because, not everything works the same for everybody.

And the more we learn and become trained in that area, then we'll be more effective to help them be successful in the community.

- All right, Dr. Woods, I know that a lot of times people are grappling things in their minds, and sometimes they second guess themselves, and you have worked in the prison system for quite some time.

Why don't you tell us about what you do and some of the success stories possibly, that have resulted from that?

- Sure.

So one of the things that I do is I take and provide social skills, basically.

Go through, we have curriculum, I work with an organization called Family Integrity Training.

And we have some curriculum that we go through, courses that we put individuals through.

There's nine lessons to each course.

And it provides really most of the social skills that they need.

We have a parenting course that many of these individuals may have not seen their children for quite a while.

And they're getting ready to reenter back into the community and they're gonna be reunited with their family, and so they need some of those skills to be able to know how to deal with their children.

And the same thing with some of the other social skills that go along with that.

- What about mock interviews?

Those are probably quite popular as well.

- Yeah, actually part of our course, the courses that we have, depending on which one we're teaching, we have several different courses.

Some of the courses do have those integrated into the course curriculum, to where you'll actually have some interviews, some relationship type of scenarios that they can talk about and that they can discuss with each other.

- Great.

Vince, academic services, full spectrum regarding that, because some people may not have a high school diploma, may want to pursue a GED.

How can this organization help?

- One of the things that we have found is that most of the individuals that are exiting a state institution have some things that they desperately need to be able to be successful.

And so a part of our responsibility is to work with the local community, with Pensacola State College, University of West Florida, George Stone, organizations like that can help the individuals get their GEDs, get specific job course training.

A number of different organizations, we work with CareerSource Escarosa on a regular basis to try to get these people, to have the skills that are necessary to be successful.

- All right.

So Kevin, back to you.

When it comes to employer relations, very good job that you do, because people that are getting out are seeking employment, but mention the network of employers that you have.

Would you like to name any of them?

- Yes.

Etheridge Construction, Crown Laundry, L30 Traffic Control, Vick's Cleaners, Joe Patti Seafood.

It's a bunch more.

I'm sorry if I can't remember more, but these employers give of our people the opportunity and the chance.

And they give them the tools and the resources to reestablish their lives.

And the only thing they ask for them to do is come and give them a good 40-hour a week.

You know, with that, and by doing that, it encourages them to want more and to do more.

You do better, when you know better.

- [Rameca] Oh, I like that.

- [Rosetta] That's right.

- You know, you do better when you know better.

And they allow us, and I tell a person, help me help you.

And by them allowing me to help them to show them, and the correct way to put money away.

you know, because a lot of people are scared to go backwards, but we at sometime in our lives, we have to get out the hallways of our past and walk through the doors of our future.

And that's what it's about at REAP, you know.

At REAP, we just want, we're like a big happy family.

We call us- - [Rameca] I can tell.

- We call ourselves Team REAP, and you know, yes, this is my boss, this is my friend, this is my mentor.

You know, just ask Rosetta.

When she was there, she was like our house mom, you know.

We're just a team and it's all about helping.

We just want to give back.

And it's not a job it's a passion.

- [Rameca] No.

- [Vince] That's right.

- [Rameca] Go team, go.

Rosetta, you have dealt with many women and families.

Please talk about that.

- There are many challenges.

Women, first of all, we can be very emotional.

And so dealing with us is a little bit different than dealing with the men.

We do have to pay attention to motherhood, and the relationship that these women have or don't have with their children.

Either way, it impacts them greatly.

So a part of what we do with the women is to just find out where they are first with the idea of being a parent and then see what they want to do, because we could want them to do whatever.

But what they want to do as it relates to their children and family is what's important.

And we use community advocates to kind of help with that role as well.

- Is there any limitation on the number of children possibly or family unit?

- No, we, because at REAP, they deal with only the women themselves and then they reach out and try to help build bonds between children and mothers.

- [Rameca] Good, good.

- One of the things that, with the National Association of ReEntry Professionals, that we're trying to do, is to look at all these different avenues, especially that with the children, because children are impacted with parents that are coming out of incarceration.

- And Dr. Woods, really piggybacking on that, the children, a lot of people who are incarcerated have children.

- [Dr. Woods] They do.

- And oftentimes, they will visit them.

Talk about your experiences regarding that.

I know it can be a touchy issue from time to time.

- Well, in many cases, they don't know, especially if they haven't seen their child for a while and then a visit's coming up.

So they're not sure exactly how to deal with it or how to work with it, so we'll talk to them about that.

We'll take them through our parenting course and talk about the importance of how you speak to your child.

And we'll talk about how you deal with, if the child needs maybe a little bit of discipline or something.

Even on a visitation that could come up.

And so we'll put them through some scenarios, ask them what's the child like, and then deal with it that way.

- Great ideas, yes.

So Vince, many people that have gone through, probably come back, they give back.

I know you can share a few stories.

- Well, I certainly can.

One of the things that we can recognize is that, there are people that have been successful in our program, and they wanna share their stories as being successful with other people.

And then one of the, that networking between the individuals 'cause they, I've been there.

And one of the things that we've found in the REAP program is that there's a decided advantage to having people that have had a previous incarceration history, 'cause they know what it's about, and they can sit down and talk to people.

The people that are in our program, the clients, are returning citizens and say, yeah, you can make it.

You just have to have the dedication.

And I'd use this as an example, like in the last I guess eight years, REAP has worked with more than 1200 men and women who are returning citizens.

- [Rameca] That's amazing.

- And the best part about it is, we do it with about a 90% success rate.

They talk about rates of recidivism, our rate right now of recidivism, as calculated by the Florida Department of Corrections, is less than 10%.

That is a remarkable story.

The people are successful.

- All right, we love it.

What a blessing.

All of you have been sharing this segment with me.

Thank you so very much.

Now my heart's full right now hearing from our guests.

To learn more about ReEntry Alliance Pensacola, log onto www.reapreentry.org.

Stay tuned.

(upbeat music) Hello, everyone.

During this segment, we're focusing on Money Matters and what happens after you get that first paycheck?

Financial literacy is crucial.

To discuss this further, I'm happy to introduce Martha Vignes, Title III Grant Activity Director for Pensacola State College.

We also have Casey Brueske, community educational development specialist for Pen Air Federal Credit Union.

Welcome to both of you.

Looking so lovely this evening.

Martha, let's start with you.

Money Matters.

Just the word money, right?

There's so much that can be attributed to it.

So please give us an idea of what you do in your position.

- So Title III Pirate PATH to Success is a US Department of Education five-year grant.

And the purpose is to boost retention and degree completion for first time in college students who are often first generation in college.

And so lots of times, students enroll in classes and then life happens.

Someone gets sick, they lose a job, and the first thing they want to do is drop their class.

We don't want them to do that, and so we provide support services like financial literacy programs that help them understand the importance of staying in school, and being stable with their money habits.

Being smart with money is what we like to say.

- You raise a very good point because sometimes there are students who don't yet have a job, but when it comes to financial literacy, they're all over the place.

So very good point.

With financial literacy, what are some of the things specifically, that you would teach them or examples that you would give them?

- Well, we're very lucky, because we have community partners like Pen Air, that are subject matter experts.

They come in and talk about credit, how to fix and keep good credit.

Credit scores are important, and students need to understand that when they get a credit card in the mail, and they start using the credit card and they don't pay the credit card back, that affects that magical score that needs to stay above 700.

- Speaking of magic, I know on your job, Casey, you run into quite a bit.

And really, let's take it back to the ABCs and 123s, opening a bank account.

Are you surprised that there are a lot of people who may not have had a bank account or might have questions?

- It's really not surprising at all.

We deal with people on a daily basis at the Credit Union who come in and have no bank accounts, have maybe never had a bank account, or have run into issues and had bank accounts closed on them.

So we kind of see all those things, and it's just so important to learn those principles from the beginning to be able to keep that account going and to have good financial decisions made.

- Speaking of bank accounts, would you suggest that a checking account first?

Are there any, maybe tell suggestions that you would give a person just starting out in relation to that?

- So I would definitely suggest a savings account and a checking account.

Because one thing we like to teach is pay yourself first.

So it's very important to pay yourself first.

When you get that first job it's easy to think, I have these bills and responsibilities and I need to figure out how to make this amount of money work for all of these things.

But if you're not paying yourself first and putting a little money back in savings, you're really gonna hurt yourself in the long run, 'cause you definitely are gonna need that savings for different things, emergencies, there's all kinds of life things that can come up that you're gonna need those things for.

And then of course the checking account to pay your bills, and to learn how to budget, and kind of keep all of those things going whether you're writing checks or using a debit card so.

- So getting back to the savings account, would you recommend a percentage?

- [Casey] So- - For someone starting out.

- for someone starting out, I would really just recommend anything.

- [Rameca] Anything better than nothing.

- But you know, if you can just start with $5 or, you know, 5% depending on, you know, what kind of money they're bringing in.

But you know, it's just as simple as, you know, as you teach your children, if you have children, once they start doing chores or getting that after school job, can you save $5 a week of that?

And it adds up.

And if you're putting it in a savings account, obviously, you are earning a little bit of interest, and so that's just money that's sitting there, and you're paying yourself and getting a little extra.

- Great advice.

Martha, in 2009, something interesting happened at Pensacola State College faculty-led Financial Literacy Committee and then Money Matters.

Tell us about that.

- So we all remember the 2008 economic turndown, and it affected students, and we have such committed faculty and staff, they begin to notice that.

And so they wanted to do something about it to help students.

And they began to meet, and they came up with different types of programs.

Cooking on a dime, budgeting, saving like Casey talked about.

And so every year, they develop a program called Money Matters Week and it's held in April.

And again, they work with our community partners who come in as our subject matter experts.

They teach them, how do you buy a car?

How do you open a savings account?

What do you do if your credit score isn't good?

How do you improve that?

And so every year we have the same Money Matters Week in April.

- Aside from Pen Air Federal Credit Union.

Would you like to mention any other community partners?

- Oh, we have several.

Sandy Sansing comes in and talks about how to buy a car.

Central Credit Union of Florida is also a community partner.

Many of our banks and other entities are great community partners and are always there to help.

- That's sensational.

All right, Casey, back to you.

Credit cards.

Let me paint a scenario for you.

There are a lot of college students that will be inundated with credit card offers.

Some of them just go crazy accepting all of them, running up the credit cards and then we have a problem.

So let's speak specifically, regarding that if you will.

- So credit cards and having credit is not bad, let's get that out there to everyone.

- [Rameca] Yes.

- We teach a lot of financial literacy and education to students in our community, not just college students, we go into high schools as well, and we want them to know that.

We have a lot of students that say, well, why even get credit?

Credit is important, especially in today's society.

So we want them to obtain this credit and learn how to use it responsibly.

So it's very important to start off with that low limit of a credit card and just learn how to use it.

Buy your gas with it every week or every two weeks, however how often you have to do that, and then pay it back every month and on time.

So you're showing them that you're responsible, you can make those payments and that's just gonna keep helping you with your credit score and, you know, show that you're a responsible person and let you continue to just make good financial decisions as well.

- Are there any particular questions that come up a lot in your line of work for people regarding financial literacy, maybe a question or a scenario possibly, that may occur during the process?

- So I know with our college students, a lot of them are concerned with budgeting, and a lot of them, especially, here recently want to know about investing.

So I know we're not necessarily touching on investments tonight, but that's definitely something that has changed a lot in the years.

But definitely budgeting, because they're just not sure how to get started when they have that money and to where to put it and how to make it all work and stretch.

- Speaking of investing, why not invest in education?

And we at PSC have a new financial literacy certificate program.

Please tell us about that.

- So students that really want to build up their resume or maybe want to think more closely about finances, have the opportunity to reach financial literacy certification by attending five of our programs.

We have a program each month.

They have to attend five programs, and they can earn a financial literacy certificate.

Put another line on their resume.

- I love that.

We learn something new every single day.

I know that makes you feel good, doesn't it, Casey?

- [Casey] Yes, yes.

- And working at Pen Air Federal Credit Union, people come, people go, can you think of a success story, maybe someone who just got it right starting off, and they crossed their t's, they dotted their i's, and they're doing well?

- So we are able to start teaching a lot of high school students in ninth grade, and we get to meet a lot of them.

And it's wonderful to follow them in their journey and to see where they go.

So we're able to do that and to see that they learn to budget, they learn to save, they get that first job, and you know, then we get to see them come back and say, I was able to get a credit card, I was able to buy this car, and it's amazing.

- Martha, I see you smiling over there.

I know that you would like to share a story as well.

Why don't you?

- Well, I actually have an opposite type of story to tell.

I've had students before ask me, well, I can't make my car payment this month, I think I'm just gonna let my car go back.

And then of course we don't want them to do that, and we have to stop and say, no, that's where your credit score comes into play, and if you let your car go back, you let it be repossessed, then it's gonna affect any kind of credit you might need in the future.

So sometimes, they don't make those great decisions, and if you notice the tagline on our Money Matters logo, it's plan, save, and grow.

We want them to plan.

We want them to think ahead.

And as Casey talked about saving, we want them to save.

And then, of course, their finances, their personal finances will grow.

- Let's talk a little bit about being smart with money.

Some people may define smart in a different way, but what would your definition be?

- So being smart with your money is having a plan.

That's why it's so important, whether you and in today's world, there's so many tools and resources out there, so if you wanna use pen and paper, it's fine.

Write down your plan, keep track of it every month, keep track of it on a weekly basis.

Spreadsheets are another great option.

But there's so many apps out there now and financial institutions that offer apps with their banking, and you can actually go in and put in all of your bills, what you bring in, things like that.

So that would be the best way.

- I appreciate both of you, oh so very much.

Great advice across the board.

In closing, I'd like to thank all of our guests for joining us.

I'm Rameca Vincent Leary.

Remember to keep it locked in right here on WSRE PBS for the Gulf Coast.

(upbeat music)