Do you remember your first summer job? Whether it was babysitting, mowing grass or scooping ice cream, the experience most likely gave you the self-discipline and motivation to continue working hard and learning. The city will give 2,000 low-income youths that same chance to build skills necessary for the working world with six-week paid summer internships, thanks to the Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board, the Jerome Bettis Foundation, Mayor Bill Peduto and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. They will have positions at various corporations, government entities and non-profits around the city.
And these young men and women will need to look the part. Dress For Success has teamed up with various law firms including Fox Rothschild, Reed Smith, Cohen & Grigsby and Meyer, Unkovic & Scott to collect 6,000 articles of clothing. The goal is for Dress For Success to meet with law firm volunteers like clothing drive chair Hayley Haldeman from Jones Day to dress each of the 2,000 students. (That’s 130 a day!).
“Our youth will look great, be prepared for their six weeks work experience and have the confidence they need to grow into that skilled worker,” said Vanessa Dodds, Learn & Earn Manager with the Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board.
The clothing drive kicks off tomorrow [May 26] and runs through June 5. “The fact that nonprofits, government agencies and for-profit organizations are coming together to provide such a great opportunity to these young adults is amazing. We at Dress for Success Pittsburgh see this as a true social impact endeavor with real outcomes and real successes. We look forward to lending a hand-up to these 2,000 young adults,” said Mónica Méndez, executive director of Dress for Success Pittsburgh.
The Learn and Earn internship begins June 29. If you want to help, contact Dress For Success at 412-201-4204.
Together, #LetsMakeASEEN!
First Published: May 25, 2015, 4:00 a.m.