News
1/27/12: First Shot
By Steve Baumann, President
It’s All About Jobs!
The ongoing focus on unemployment and job creation is topic number one in the national political debate. Here at Starfinder we also know first-hand the impact that a paying job has on our Senior Leader participants. For the past two summers, we have created paid internships for over 20 of our most committed participants. In previous newsletters we have included written reflections from the Senior Leader interns that highlight the meaningfulness of the work experience. For most, this is the first paycheck that they have ever received. We have seen in all of our interns how the tasks and requirements of the paid summer experience are instrumental in the development of new levels of awareness, accountability, and responsibility that comes with having a job.
We are ecstatic to announce a new partnership with The Hill at Whitemarsh, a continuing care retirement community located in Lafayette Hill. Through an introduction from Starfinder supporter Richard Lowe, conversations began last spring between Judy McGruther, CEO at The Hill, and me about how our two organizations might work together. Today, two Starfinder graduates, Luc Toussaint and Mohammed Bah 
(both at Delaware County Community College), and four Senior Leaders, Mike Arthur and siblings Nury, Sammy, and Danny Ortiz are working as part-time food service employees at The Hill. Each day brings many opportunities for learning and growth as these young people navigate the responsibilities of being part of the world of work.
We are hopeful that 3 or 4 additional Starfinder youth will join the food service ranks in the coming weeks. Looking to the future, Judy and I envision other work opportunities in facility maintenance, landscaping, and possibly health services. We are also very excited about the possibilities for intergenerational programming where Starfinder participants might share their expertise in computers and social media while residents at The Hill share their vast knowledge and experience with business, education, and numerous other exciting career paths. What a great collaboration to begin 2012!
(Pictured above: Luc Toussaint, Sharon Javier (Dining Manager), Patrick Brooks (Dining Director), and Mohammed Bah at The Hill)
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