Perkins students join in anniversary celebration of LBJ visit

Angaleena Presley with Perkins Culinary Arts students.

April 24 marked 50 years since U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson visited Inez, KY in 1964 and promised to end poverty in America.  On April 25, students at the Carl D. Perkins Job Corps Center celebrated that important anniversary of the start on LBJ’s War on Poverty as they showcased their skills during the “Dream! Martin County” event.  The celebration featured former presidential candidate and Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee as keynote speaker, and included members of the Inez community, the Kentucky Congressional delegation, state and local elected officials and business leaders.

Martin County native and country star Angaleena Presley told the Perkins students that her parents met at Job Corps and that she still has letters they wrote to each other while enrolled there.

To help with the anniversary event, Perkins culinary arts students prepared the meal for the VIP room, while Security & Protective Service students provided traffic, parking and crowd control.

Job Corps, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, is an important component of LBJ’s War on Poverty. As one of the longest-running programs for disadvantaged youth in America, Job Corps offers students the education, job training and hands-on experience they need to succeed in today’s competitive market place, continue their education and strengthen their communities.

Job Corps student receives Outstanding Multicultural Award

Muhlenberg Job Corps student Kitumaini Nturubika received the Outstanding Multicultural Award from Madisonville Community College Multicultural Student Association on April 24.

Kitumaini currently is one of seven Muhlenberg JCC students enrolled at Madisonville Community College. He is studying to become an Occupational Therapist and holds a 3.0 GPA.

In addition to his recognition by the college’s Multicultural Association, Kitumaini also works as a math and French tutor at the college’s Central City campus.

Kitumaini, who was born in The Congo and later became a resident of Orlando, Fla., successfully completed the Medical Office Support and Pharmacy Technology career technical training programs at Muhlenberg JCC before enrolling at Madisonville.

Kitumaini Nturubika continues to be a positive role model to the students of the Muhlenberg Job Corps and Madisonville College. He is proof that Job Corps works!

 

Pictured, left to right, are Dr. Jay Parren, chief student affairs officer at Madisonville Community College; Kitumaini Nturubika; and James Bowles, director of cultural diversity.

The Cleveland Job Corps is continuing its climb to excellence.

The center is now ranked 65th in the nation out of 125 Job Corps centers, with an overall rating of 102.4% of goal, according to the Outcome Measurement System. The OMS is Job Corps’ comprehensive performance management system to assess program effectiveness of the services and programs offered to Job Corps students. The OMS is an important measure of worth to taxpayers, Congress, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, to the students we serve. Way to go Cleveland!

Charleston Job Corps celebrates Global Youth Services Day

On April 11, Charleston Job Corps Center joined an estimated 2 million young people participating in Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) activities nationwide. This year, students and staff focused on fire prevention.

Students Sharis Purnell, Arielle Davenport, Donneica Johnson, Adam Lee, Audrey Liggins IV, Jaleel Shabazz, William Waters-Shorter, and Abia White, along with Business Community Liaison Tia Welch, partnered with Heather Foster, Regional Volunteer Service Director for American Red Cross –WV Region. The students canvassed neighborhoods in Dunbar, W.Va., to distribute fire prevention information to residents.

"GYSD is an important day for students at the Charleston Job Corps Center to join youth across the country to give back to the local community," said Welch.

The American Red Cross-Regional CEO Erica Mani, shared tips on fire prevention. "The most effective way to protect yourself and your home from fire is to identify and remove fire hazards. Sixty-five percent of home fire deaths occur in homes with no working smoke alarms. During a home fire, working smoke alarms and a fire escape plan that has been practiced regularly can save lives."

Pictured, left to right are, first row: Abia White, Ms. Heather Foster, Sharis Purnell; Second Row: Donneice Johnson, Audrey Liggins, Adam Lee, William Waters-Shorter, Jaleel Shabazz, and Arielle Davenport.