Light House Awarded a $75,000 Phillips Charitable Foundation Grant
(L-R) Jo Ann Mattson, Light House Executive Director, Jennifer Good, Vice President, Phillips Charitable Foundation, Inc., Nicole Thompson, Light House Job Placement and Retention Specialist, Eileen Gross, President, Phillips Charitable Foundation, Inc., Jenny Crawford, Light House Director of Development
The Light House Workforce Development Programs have been awarded a $75,000 grant from Phillips Charitable Foundation, Inc. This much needed support will provide job training and opportunities for individuals struggling with employment barriers, empowering them with the skills they need to support themselves and their families. Grant funds will help pay for the expansion of the Building Employment Success Training (B.E.S.T.) Building Trades program, the Light House Bistro social enterprise training program, and the Career Start soft-skills employment program for Light House residents.
To celebrate this grant award, representatives from Phillips Charitable Foundation visited The Light House to present Light House Executive Director, Jo Ann Mattson, with the grant check. “Employment is a critical link to stable housing, self-sufficiency, and to ending the cycle of homelessness,” stated Mattson. “Our workforce development programs promote self-sufficiency and independence for those struggling with barriers to employment. These programs rely on the generosity of our community, and we are very grateful to have this support from Phillips Charitable Foundation.”
The Light House offers a continuum of employment programs for both residents and community members. Their B.E.S.T. program provides hands-on job skills training in either Culinary Arts or Building Trades and has gradated over 350 students since it began in 2012. Career Start, which is a soft-skills program that utilizes the national, evidence based Worknet Solutions curriculum, is a key component of the B.E.S.T. program, and is also offered as an independent program for Light House residents who are unable to participate in the B.E.S.T. program. The Light House also offers real work experience for graduates of their programs through training and job opportunities at their Light House Bistro social enterprise restaurant.
About Phillips Charitable Foundation
The Phillips Charitable Foundation’s mission is to support charitable organizations that provide a genuine impact in the lives of others by solving problems, removing obstacles, and leading to lasting solutions. The organization targets problems where government interventions are not sufficient and economic and educational markets have failed to bring solutions. Through their grant giving they aim to bring measurable improvements in the prosperity, health, and vitality of people and communities. More information about Phillips Charitable Foundation can be found at https://phillipsgrants.org/.
