VOICE OF THE TOWNSHIP

I recently attended a celebration at the Educational Opportunity Center (EOC) and was thrilled and surprised that EOC honored the Wayne Township Trustee’s Office with a Community Service Partnership Award. I was very thankful for the Award and am very thankful for the partnership my office has forged with EOC and all EOC does for Wayne Township clients.

My highest priority is to move our clients from assistance to independence. The Educational Opportunity Center has been instrumental in helping our clients do just that. Located at 3000 South Wayne Avenue, EOC offers free educational and career counseling and assistance.

My staff and I recognize the importance of helping our clients remove barriers that prevent them from getting jobs which pay enough to support the clients and their families. Not having a high school diploma or GED is a huge barrier for some of our clients.

Most employers won’t even consider hiring a person without a GED or high school diploma. The Educational Opportunity Center offers GED classes to which we refer many of clients. Once they receive their GED, EOC takes the next step by helping and encouraging clients to go on to college or a vocational-technical school.

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Another barrier to employment, especially for adults, is lack of computer skills or lack of confidence using computers. We refer clients to EOC for free computer classes on topics from Basic Keyboarding to Excel and Power Point.

Having a good, updated resume can give clients an advantage in finding a job. Our office sends clients to EOC to get assistance in creating a good resume for their job search. We also send clients to EOC for career assessments to help them find the right job or career. We even sent a client to EOC for a math class because the client needed to brush up on math skills for a job the client was seeking.

Representatives from EOC regularly make presentations to our every Wednesday employment training classes, and are in our lobby on a regular basis to speak with clients about the services the agency offers. Nicole Trice, Assistant Director of EOC, said 150 Wayne Township clients have been students at EOC since last September.

The focus of the celebration I attended was to give awards to EOC students who have been successful in pursuing their education. The EOC staff helps persons who want to go to college with those often confusing financial aid forms and with college admissions and scholarship forms.

Ms. Trice said EOC has been in our community for 32 years and is funded by grants. We are very fortunate to have EOC in Wayne Township, and my office is fortunate to have a community partner that offers so much to help our clients meet the goal of moving from assistance to independence.

I always appreciate the opportunity to honor our veterans by taking part in the Waynedale Memorial Day Parade. Thank you, Waynedale, for hosting and supporting this great event every year. I also want to thank Mayor Tom Henry for supporting my office’s very successful “Bike to Work Day.” The Mayor met with my staff before our ride and encouraged us to get on our bikes and ride to our office.

Richard A. Stevenson, Sr.

Wayne Township Trustee