Summer 2015 Newsletter

MOLC Newsletter July 2015

Please donate school supplies for our Back-to-School Community Fair on Saturday, August 22, 2015 to help children in our community prepare for school this year. We are accepting donations of the following items for all age groups:

    •    Backpack(s) with or without school supplies (any age group)
    •    Paper
    •    Pens, Pencils,Crayons, Markers
    •    Calculators
    •    Folders
    •    Rulers
    •    Staplers
    •    Other supplies

You may also donate $25 and we will stuff a backpack with school supplies for one child.

Bring supplies and/or mail your donation check to:

    Mission of Love Charities (MOLC)
    6180 Old Central Avenue, Capitol Heights, MD 20743
    301-333-4440
    Monday-Thursday: 9am-5pm
    Friday: 9am-3pm
    Saturday: 9am-1pm

For more information, contact Maryrose Lyles at 301-333-4440.

Sweet Appreciation for MOLC Volunteers

The Mission of Love Charities depends year-round on the assistance of volunteers for various tasks, including accepting donations, sorting donated items, folding and hanging clothing, and some administrative functions. In June, the staff treated volunteers to an afternoon Ice Cream Social, where all present received certificates of appreciation.

During this event, Dwight Monroe was honored as "Employee of the Month" of June. "Dwight is recognized for his great customer service and willingness to help in all situations," said Runa Peoples, MOLC operations manager.

MOLC also gave special recognition to long-time volunteers Earl Edwards, a member of MOLC's Advisory Committee, and Douglas Edwards, secretary of the MOLC Board of Directors (not related).

Above: Denise Robinson, warehouse manager, and Dr. Jacquelyn Henry, executive director, with Dwight Monroe.

Below from left: Denise Robinson and Dr. Jacquelyn Henry with Earl Edwards; Dr. Henry with George Edwards.

Click here for Ice Cream Social pictures.

Wayne Curry Administrative
& Training Facility
6180 Old Central Avenue
Capitol Heights, MD 20743

Douglas E. Edwards Training Facility
1400 Doewood Lane
Capitol Heights, MD 20743
301-333-4440

http://www.molcinc.org

Board of Directors

John C. Pyles, III

Chairman of the Board

Albert Slocum, Jr.

Vice Chairman of the Board

George O. Edwards

Secretary

Aaron Waller

Treasurer

Dr. Douglas E. Edwards Founder

Norman Rivera

General Counsel (ex officio)

***

Adenia Bradley

Gary Michael

Layard Pabsgamon

Jessica Powell

Don Pleasants

* * *

Staff

Dr. Jacquelyn Henry

Executive Director

Larry Bettis
Driver/Warehouse Helper

Kim Brown
Customer Service Representative

Maryrose Lyles
Life Skills/Work Readiness Program Manager

Dwight Monroe
Driver/Warehouse Helper

Runa Peoples
Operations Manager

Denise Robinson
Warehouse Supervisor

Larry Bettis
Driver/Warehouse Helper

MOLC is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit committed to providing free programs and services to vulnerable, at-risk families and individuals in the Washington metropolitan area.

Web site

and Social Media

www.molcinc.org

Workforce Development Graduation: Ain't No Stopping Us Now!

Graduates of the of the Spring 2015 Workforce Development/Life Skills Program. Click here for photo slide show.

The nine graduates of the MOLC's 9th Workforce Development/Life Skills Program walked in smiling and proud to an appropriate tune: "Ain't No Stopping Us Now" (which was also the graduation's theme). As Maryrose Lyles, program coordinator, called their names, they took their places on stage.

In partnership with Giant Food, MOLC's Workforce Development/Life Skills program uses an evidence-based curriculum to provide employment training for unemployed and/or hard-to-place individuals. Training includes career planning, interpersonal relations,customer service, basic work skills, resume and job application preparation, interview preparation and life skills. Program participants have an opportunity to become employed at Giant Food upon graduating.

Dr. Douglas Edwards, founder and interim Board chair, congratulated the graduates, stating, "This is another chapter in the book of life that you are writing. . . . You are constantly moving forward in a growth process. Whatever you are today is not necessarily who you will be in the future."

The program's keynote speaker was John Dedwyler, program coordinator, TeamBuilders Academy, Prince George's Community College. Referencing the graduation's theme song, Dedwyler said, "This song has become an anthem in the African American community. Its lyrics are something that we all can relate to today. That theme is a perpetual statement of forward progression." Dedwyler spoke of living the "American dream," stating for many it may not be within reach, and if it were that easy easy for people to achieve it, "the Mission of Love Charities and other community-based programs and their services would not be needed."

Dedwyler noted that the workforce landscape has changed, and "we must retrain and retool ourselves" to become eligible for growth opportunities in various industries. He concluded:

"Today is your day. We are here to celebrate you. Each of you have taken

a leap of faith to make a change. The disappointments and challenges of life

are designed to make us stronger. Each of you has tapped into your inner

strength of resolve to finish this program. Finishing anything is the key to

realizing success.

Take pride in completing this program. Never give up, keep moving forward,

no matter how hard it gets…and it will, remember this day and what you've accomplished. Let that emotion guide you to new victories in your life."

Maryland State Delegate Dereck E. Davis told graduates, "A goal without action is just a wish. You have to work hard for anything that you want to achieve. You have to keep striving each day to realize your dream.

Spring 2015 graduates are as follows:

Pamela Barrett
Kelle Boone
Gary Cowan
Michael Hill
Patricia Nathan
Lynette Poindexter
Robin Reese
David Witherspoon
Marcus Turman

Graduate Spotlight: Patricia Nathan
Patricia Nathan learned about MOLC's Workforce Development/Life Skills program as a result of being an MOLC Basic Needs client. "I used to shop here, and I started reading the newsletters and I saw something about training, so I completed the application and was called for an interview." But Nathan was skeptical. "I have been in the social services system, I had already taken quite a few of those types of classes," she said. "Do I really want to do this again?" she wondered.

Nathan's last employment was at Six Flags, where she was laid off. She thought to herself, "I'm not doing anything right now. Why not? You won't know anything about it until you get there."

Nathan joined the program, and now says she is really glad that she did. "It's been a really great experience. The instructors really relate to the people in the class. My other classes were dead. We did book work, and the teacher would talk to you sometimes. But in this class I felt like we were all family. We learned what was going on with each other, and we felt comfortable opening up to the other students and the instructors. The instructors made it very comfortable." Nathan continued, "This class enhanced my attitude and my life. I had something to look forward to every day. The knowledge and wisdom that was imparted was excellent."

As a result of participating in this program, Nathan said she has been inspired to further her education at Prince George's Community College.

Moving Up at Giant Food: Everett Lyles

MOLC's Workforce Development/Life Skills program, in partnership with Giant Food, is an example of how the organization lives up to its motto: "Helping People…Changing Lives."

Everett Lyles, a 2011 graduate of the program, has gone from being unemployed to obtaining the position of lead dairy manager at Giant Food, as a direct result of his participation in this program. "When I first came to Mission of Love Charities, I did not want to do the Life Skills class, because I didn't think I needed it; I didn't think there was anything wrong with me. But I did need it," Lyles said. "Sitting in the class, and hearing different stories, you don't realize how much you really don't know about yourself."

Lyles said that he agreed to go to the class at the urging of his mother and because he needed a job, having just come out of jail and "angry at the world."

Lyles said his journey with the program was "kind of tough because I had to open up, and I'm not an 'open up' kind of person. You know, talking about yourself and giving people insight into my life behind closed doors." Lyles said that the main lesson that he learned was about "emotional intelligence," noting: "You could not say anything to me without me responding. I was going to argue with you, even if I wasn't right. Now I'm learning to own up to my responsibilities and know that I am not always right. I take ownership of my mess and I deal with it. Life skills taught me a lot. It taught me how to live, it taught me how to think, it taught me about the business aspect of life, and how to respect authority."

Lyles became employed at the Beltsville Giant three weeks after he graduated. He said that his intention was to work at Giant as a way to "get my life back together and move on to something else." But he said when he got there he started asking questions: How far can I go at Giant? He learned about Giant employees who had years of experience and that he could make a career at Giant.

Now, as the lead dairy manager at the Beltsville store, he is responsible for ordering, bringing in products that will grow the department, knowing what to order and what not to order, based on the percentage of products sold, and setting up the department for the staff who come in the evening. Lyles says that he is currently up for a promotion as the night dairy manager. "The more opportunities Giant gives me to grow, I'm going to take advantage of them. "One day, I hope to wear a blue shirt and become a district manager, then I can come and talk to the Mission of Love's Life Skills class," he said.

Lyles concluded, "I've grown up at the Mission of Love Charities. If you want the tools and the proper etiquette to live life on another level where people are not judging you by who you are, the Workforce Development/Life Skills class is the place to come. As a person, you have to want to better yourself in order for the Mission of Love Charities to help you. They can give you all the tools you need, but if you're not going to take them and use them, you're wasting your time."