Employers learn how to find B.E.S.T. workers

Local employers learned Thursday about a new program that may help them provide free training to their workers and allow workers to learn basic skills to become better employees.

The details of “Basic Employability Skills Training” — or B.E.S.T. — were unveiled at a luncheon hosted at Neighbor to Neighbor in downtown Concordia and presented by Neighborhood Initiatives Inc., a new office of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia.

“This is about allowing your employees to get better, and about finding people who have the basic skills you need,” said Cheryl Lyn Higgins, coordinator for Neighborhood Initiatives and the organizer of the lunch.

Higgins was instrumental in creating B.E.S.T. when she was president and CEO of the Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce. As the Iraq War began in 2003, that area was preparing for a massive influx of people with the return of the 1^st Infantry Division headquarters to Fort Riley in 2006.

An estimated 33,000 people were expected to move to the Junction City/Wamego/Manhattan area, and that population boom drove quick economic expansion that meant countless new jobs. But, Higgins said, “We had more jobs than qualified people.”

The state Department of Commerce and local chambers of commerce were recruiting workers from other areas, but, Higgins said, “We realized we needed to raise the basic skills of the people already here.”

Faced with that challenge, a group from the state and the local chambers — including Higgins — developed B.E.S.T., which she calls “a patchwork of other programs and ideas that business said worked for them.”

B.E.S.T. is a series of eight classes that cover everything from punctuality and dependability to customer service and workplace ethics. Classes are generally about an hour to an hour and a half long, and participants receive a certificate of completion for each class.

Thursday’s lunch was designed to gauge local interest in offering B.E.S.T. classes for current employees or potential workers.

“Another carrot the Department of Commerce is offering if we can generate enough interest,” Higgins told the group, “is to bring their big mobile unit here,” which would help employers connect with workers seeking jobs and help job-seekers with skills like writing resumés and filling out applications. The mobile unit would be parked at Cloud County Community College, to work in conjunction with the Career Center there.

Judging by the comments and questions at Thursday’s lunch, there should be enough interest. Participants from OCCK Inc. said they believe the training could be very beneficial for their clients, while several employers said the completion certificates could be a valuable tool in screening potential workers.

Employers who would like more information may contact Higgins at 243-2113, ext. 1215, or at clhiggins@csjkansas.org

Higgins said this program is one of many she hopes Neighborhood Initiatives will be able to offer. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia created her office in January, she said, “because we are looking for ways to serve the communities in which our sisters live and minister.”

Higgins is also working on community projects in Ellis, Kan., Grand Junction, Colo., and El Paso, Texas, with Sisters of St. Joseph there. The local congregation has about 140 members, with about half of those living in Concordia. Others live and serve in 10 states and in Brazil.

Methodists volunteer as painting crew

Volunteers from the First United Methodist Church in Concordia turned up, paint brushes in hand, this morning (April 30)  to help Neighbor to Neighbor with its next big project.

• • • • • • •

The church members — Dallas Nading, Mike and Marsha Wentz, Harvey Olson and Mary Thoman — were there to paint the second-floor expansion of the women’s center in downtown Concordia. Joining them for the day was Sister Cecilia Green, who works at the Nazareth Motherhouse, and Sisters Jean Befort and Pat McLennon, two of the three women who run Neighbor to Neighbor.

This was the second time a volunteer crew from First United Methodist donated work at Neighbor to Neighbor. In October 2009, about 15 people from the church held a “demolition day” as part of the original renovation of the 122-year-old building on Sixth Street. After the renovation was completed, Neighbor to Neighbor opened in May 2010.

But within months it became clear that more space was needed for all the women and children who come to the center every day.

From Monday through Friday, Sisters Jean and Pat, along with Sister Ramona Medina, and a cadre of volunteers offer classes and services that range from one-on-one tutoring for GED exams and book studies to providing a place to do laundry or take showers and classes in sewing, baking, lacemaking and household budgeting. Individual counseling services are also available as needed, as is help in navigating the social services maze. And, for some moms, the center has become a place to go with their young children, to give the kids a chance to play and the moms a chance to befriend other moms.

There is never any cost to the women taking part; all the programs are offered free, with funding coming from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, a handful of grants and individual donations.

Planning began last fall to double the size of the center by renovating the second floor. Employees from the Motherhouse began work in December to create an art room, a private counseling or small meeting room, two more bathrooms, lots of storage space and a kitchenette that will look out over a large play area for children.

And once again, First United Methodist wanted to be part of the project.

A work day had been scheduled this winter for Methodist volunteers to help put insulation in the second-floor walls, but that project was canceled due to icy roads on the slated Saturday.

Instead, the volunteers waited for another opportunity to help — and they got it Saturday.

Curtis Mansfield, one of the Motherhouse maintenance employees who has been heavily involved in the renovation project, showed up early to make sure the volunteers had all the tools and supplies they needed. And Sister Jean worked downstairs in the kitchen to keep them supplied with coffee and snacks.

Greg Gallagher, facilities administrator for the Sisters of St. Joseph, expects the renovation to be completed later this spring.

The center remains open during the upstairs construction. The sounds of work on the second level sometimes competes with conversation on the main floor, but not enough to deter women from continuing to come to Neighbor to Neighbor.

The fund drive to pay for the renovation of the second floor is continuing as well. At $24.33 per square foot, donors may pay for the renovation of one foot, or 10 — or 100.

If you’d like to help support Neighbor to Neighbor or any of the sisters’ other ministries, you can make a donation through a secure server with Amazon Simple Pay, simply fill in the amount of your donation and then click on the Donate button:

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Center receives Blosser grant to help with renovation

The Charles H. and Isabell Blosser Foundation of Concordia has awarded a $8,357 grant to Neighbor to Neighbor to add awnings to the front of the building and repair its back wall.

Bob Steimel, representing the Community Foundation for Cloud County which administers the Blosser Foundation grants, presented the check on Friday afternoon to the sisters who operate the downtown women’s center.

In December, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia began a renovation project at Neighbor to Neighbor that will double its size by turning the second floor of the 122-year-old building at 103 W. Sixth St. into usable space. Employees of the sisters have been at work all winter and hope to have the project finished this spring.

When construction began, so did a fundraising campaign to pay for the renovation. Neighbor to Neighbor has received grants from the Sunflower Foundation, Kansas Health Foundation, Catholic Charities, Orscheln Foundation and the Community Foundation for Cloud County. A special appeal letter for the renovation also went out, and it has generated more than $32,000.

But the awnings and repair work to the back wall were not covered by any of those funds. That’s why the Blosser Foundation grant was needed, according to Sister Jean Rosemarynoski, the congregation’s development director.

Sisters share a message of love on Valentine’s Day

Women who regularly take part in programs and fellowship at Neighbor to Neighbor gathered this afternoon (Monday) for an offering of love from the sisters who work there.

• • • • • • • •

In short remarks to begin the Valentine’s Day party, each of  the three Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia  — Jean Befort, Pat McLennon and Ramona Medina — talked about the power of love to bring people together and to build a community of the people who come to the downtown Concordia women’s center.

“We are just a small group,” said Sister Jean, “but by being kind to each other and caring about each other, we demonstrate love.”

Sister Pat said that Valentine’s Day — coming after a long winter when many people start feeling stressed by “cabin fever” — gives everyone the opportunity to love each other as neighbors and to be grateful for each other.

The sisters served special Valentine’s cupcakes and sundaes to celebrate the sweetness of the holiday.

Neighbor to Neighbor is open every weekday  — from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and from 1 to 6 p.m. on Thursday. It’s at 103 E. Sixth St. in downtown Concordia, next to the Catholic Thrift Shop.

To learn more, call the center at 785/262-4215 or CLICK HERE to go to the Neighbor to Neighbor home page.

Donors pay for 1,302 square feet — so far

The idea when the fundraising drive began to expand Neighbor to Neighbor was that people like to have a sense of what their money will pay for. Eight weeks later, donors have paid to renovate 1,302¼  square feet of the center’s upper floor at 103 E. Sixth St.

At $24.33 a square foot, that works out to $31,684 donated so far — or about 63 percent of the total needed to double the space available for the center in downtown Concordia.

• • • • • • •

At the same time, workers from the Sisters of St. Joseph Motherhouse have been working in the upstairs portion of the building since Dec. 1.

When Greg Gallagher, facilities manager for the Sisters of St. Joseph, began planning work on the two-story building nearly two years ago, he knew that the project would be more resurrection than renovation — particularly on the second floor, which had not been used for anything other than storage for decades.

So when the first floor was cleaned out and the lath and plaster removed from the walls, that work was done on the second floor, too. The only other work upstairs was to remove the boards that had filled the three large windows facing Sixth Street and replace them with new vinyl windows.

Then the work upstairs stopped.

Downstairs, on the main floor, Nazareth Motherhouse employees completely refinished the 122-year-old structure, adding new plumbing, lighting, a heating and cooling system, interior walls, a complete kitchen, bathroom facilities, a laundry room, flooring and all the finishings.

When Neighbor to Neighbor opened in May 2010, it seemed to offer ample space for the women and their young children who would be welcomed there by Sisters Jean Befort, Pat McLennon and Ramona Medina, the Sisters of St. Joseph who conceived of the center and now staff it every day.

From Monday through Friday, the sisters and volunteers offer classes and services that range from one-on-one tutoring for GED exams and book studies to providing a place to do laundry or take showers and classes in sewing, baking, lacemaking and household budgeting. Individual counseling services are also available as needed, as is help in navigating the social services maze. And, for some moms, the center has become a place to go with their young children, to give the kids a chance to play and the moms a chance to befriend other moms.

There is never any cost to the women taking part; all the programs are offered free, with funding coming from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, a handful of grants and individual donations.

“This is about one neighbor helping another,” as Sister Ramona explains it.

And the neighbors throughout Cloud County have responded — the center is often packed throughout the day.

So Gallagher and the sisters last fall began working on a plan to bring the upstairs back to life, in much the same way as was done downstairs.

Second-floor plans call for an art room, a private counseling or small meeting room, two more bathrooms, lots of storage space and a kitchenette that will look out over a large play area for children.

Sister Jean emphasizes the word “large” in that description of the coming work: “With more and more children, they really need a bigger space,” she explains, “and this is the only way we can provide that.”

Again, Motherhouse employees are doing the bulk of the work, which keeps the labor costs for the project low.

As February begins, workers have framed new walls upstairs and are stringing electrical wiring throughout the second floor. At the same time new ductwork for the heating and cooling system is being custom cut and fit. Employees doing the bulk of the work are Gene Gangstrom, Curtis Mansfield, Jim Helton, T.J. Hayne, Brad Snyder, Bob Kearn and Renn Allsman.

Gallagher expects the work will be completed this spring.

The center remains open during the upstairs construction. The sounds of work on the second level sometimes competes with conversation on the main floor, but not enough to deter women from continuing to come to Neighbor to Neighbor.

The fund drive is continuing as well. At $24.33 per square foot, donors may pay for the renovation of one foot, or 10 — or 100.  As of Jan. 31, there are 754¾ square feet not yet covered by donations.

If you’d like to help support Neighbor to Neighbor or any of the sisters’ other ministries, you can make a donation through a secure server with Amazon Simple Pay, simply fill in the amount of your donation and then click on the Donate button:

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Concordia chamber honors three sisters

The three Sisters of St. Joseph who last year opened a center for women in downtown Concordia were honored this evening with the 2010 Kaleidoscope Award.

• • • • • • • • •

The award was presented as part of the Concordia Area Chamber of Commerce “State of the Community” dinner. Making the presentation was Chrissy Henderson, who had nominated the women behind Neighbor to Neighbor — Sisters Jean Befort, Pat McLennon and Ramona Medina — for the award.

“They saw a need and they wanted to meet it,” Henderson said in making the presentation. “And whatever that need is — emotional, educational, spiritual — they are helping women and their children,” noting that she takes part in programs with her two children.

Neighbor to Neighbor opened in downtown Concordia in May 2010. Through the end of the year, the center had recorded more than 2,500 visits by women and their children from throughout the Cloud County area. A number of women are also fulfilling community service commitments by working at the center, and the sisters have recruited an array of volunteers to help provide workshops and other programs.

Sister Jean, Pat and Ramona were on hand to receive the award, but they had not been told about it in advance. All three were stunned by the recognition for their work.

The annual Kaleidoscope Award — in the form of a stained-glass plaque — recognizes a person or group who has “dedicated himself or herself to a project that advances Concordia, and … for exhibiting spirit in the pursuit of an idea, passion in the process and determination throughout the completion of the (project), seeking to improve the community.” Last year the award went to the Whole Wall Mural Committee.

Also last year, the entire congregation was honored as the 2009 Volunteers of the Year, receing the LeonGennette Award for Community Service.

That award recognizes the sisters’ work on a variety of projects, including Neighbor to Neighbor. Other projects cited were the Concordia Year of Peace, the Concordia Community Garden of Hope and the Community Needs Forum.

Neighbor to Neighbor receives $20,000 grant

For the second year in a row, Neighbor to Neighbor has received a major grant from the Kansas Health Foundation.

The center for women in downtown Concordia is the only organization in Cloud County to receive funding this year from the statewide organization.

The grant of $20,175 will help pay for programs at the center, which is operated by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia and does not charge for any of its services, classes or workshops.

A year ago, Neighbor to Neighbor received a grant of $24,988 from the foundation to help with its start-up costs. The center opened at 103 E. Sixth St. in May.

The “Recognition Grants” from the Kansas Health Foundation are designed to help nonprofit organizations throughout the state as they do “meaningful work” toward “improving the health of all Kansans,” according to the grant announcement,

For Fall 2010, the foundation announced grants to 59 organizations across the state. Grants typically range from about $1,500 to a maximum of $25,000.

Meanwhile, Neighbor to Neighbor has also launched a fundraising drive to help pay to expand its services by renovating the second floor of its historic downtown building.

Since it opened this past spring, local women and their young children have made more than 1,800 visits to the storefront center. But such success has a downside: The center that opened with community fanfare in May is proving too small to contain the growing array of programs offered and women taking part.

So construction began this week to double the center’s space and add an art room, a private counseling or small meeting room, two more bathrooms, lots of storage space and a kitchenette that will look out over a large play area for children.

As with renovation of the first floor, Motherhouse employees are doing the bulk of the work, which keeps the labor costs for the project low.

But Neighbor to Neighbor’s fundraising drive will pay for materials and furnishings. A donation of $24.33 will pay to renovate one square foot of the upstairs space; a donation of $48.66 will pay for two square feet, and so on.

“We hope this will truly give people in Concordia and Cloud County a sense that they are investing in what we’re doing here,” said Sister Pat McLennon, one of the three women who operate the center. “Neighbor to Neighbor is for the women of Cloud County, and this is a way for individuals to help us by paying for a piece of it.”

The fund drive began Dec. 1, with the hope that people throughout the area will consider tax-deductible donations before the end of the year.

Greg Gallagher, facilities manager for the Sisters of St. Joseph, expects the work on the upstairs to be completed next spring.

To learn more about Neighbor to Neighbor, call the center at 785/262-4215 or visit any day. The center is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Thursday from 1 to 9 p.m.

— 30 —

Neighbor to Neighbor needs to grow!

In early May 2010, when three Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia opened the doors for the first time at Neighbor to Neighbor, we had no idea what to expect.

We knew there were women in Concordia and Cloud County who felt isolated and alone. We knew there were women living on the streets. We knew there were women feeling the increasing pressure of parenthood, a tough economy and an inability to make changes in their lives. We knew there were women who just needed the friendship of other women. Simply put, we knew there were women who needed the neighborly hand we were stretching out. But would those women take our hand?

Less than six months later, the answer is a resounding Yes!

• • • • • • • • • •

From May through October, women and their young children have made more than 1,800 visits to the storefront center at 103 E. Sixth St. The three sisters have been there to meet the needs of more than 80 individual women.

In addition five women have completed their community service commitments at the center, and another 17 women from throughout the community have stepped forward as volunteers.

But such success has a downside: The center that opened with community fanfare in May is proving too small to contain the growing array of programs offered and women taking part.

So beginning Dec. 1, Neighbor to Neighbor is growing up — literally.

That’s when construction is expected to begin to double the size of the 6-month-old center by renovating the second story into useable space.

When Greg Gallagher, facilities manager for the Sisters of St. Joseph, began planning work on the two-story building a year and a half ago, he knew that the project would be more resurrection than renovation — particularly on the second floor, which had not been used for anything other than storage for decades.

So when the first floor was cleaned out and the lath and plastic removed from the walls, that work was done on the second floor, too. The only other work upstairs was to remove the boards that had filled the three large windows facing Sixth Street and replace them with new vinyl windows.

Then the work upstairs stopped.

Downstairs, on the main floor, Nazareth Motherhouse employees completely refinished the 122-year-old structure, adding new plumbing, lighting, a heating and cooling system, interior walls, a complete kitchen, bathroom facilities, a laundry room, flooring and all the finishings.

When the center opened in May, it featured soft colors throughout — except for the vibrant paint of the children’s playroom.

It also seemed to offer ample space for the women who would be welcomed there by Sisters Jean Befort, Pat McLennon and Ramona Medina, the Sisters of St. Joseph who conceived of the center and now staff it every day.

From Monday through Friday, the sisters and volunteers offer classes and services that range from one-on-one tutoring for GED exams and book studies to providing a place to do laundry or take showers and classes in sewing, baking, lacemaking and household budgeting. Individual counseling services are also available as needed, as is help in navigating the social services maze. And, for some moms, the center has become a place to go with their young children, to give the kids a chance to play and the moms a chance to befriend other moms.

There is never any cost to the women taking part; all the programs are offered free, with funding coming from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, a handful of grants and individual donations.

“This is about one neighbor helping another,” as Sister Ramona explains it.

And the neighbors throughout Cloud County have responded — the center is often packed throughout the day.

So Gallagher and the sisters began working on a plan to bring the upstairs back to life, in much the same way as was done downstairs.

Second-floor plans call for an art room, a private counseling or small meeting room, two more bathrooms, lots of storage space and a kitchenette that will look out over a large play area for children.

Sister Jean emphasizes the word “large” in that description of the coming work: “With more and more children, they really need a bigger space,” she explains, “and this is the only way we can provide that.”

Again, Motherhouse employees will do the bulk of the work, which keeps the labor costs for the project low.

But Neighbor to Neighbor is launching a fund drive that will pay for materials and furnishings. A donation of $24.33 will pay to renovate one square foot of the upstairs space; a donation of $48.66 will pay for two square feet, and so on.

“We hope this will truly give people in Concordia and Cloud County a sense that they are investing in what we’re doing here,” said Sister Pat. “Neighbor to Neighbor is for the women of Cloud County, and this is a way for individuals to help us by paying for a piece of it.”

The fund drive is also beginning on Dec. 1, with the hope that people throughout the area will consider tax-deductible donations before the end of the year.

Gallagher expects the work on the upstairs to be completed next spring.

If you’d like to help support Neighbor to Neighbor or any of the sisters’ other ministries, you can make a donation through a secure server with Amazon Simple Pay, simply fill in the amount of your donation and then click on the Donate button:

$

Sale features handmade items (& hugs)

Gray skies and chilly weather were not enough to keep Neighbor to Neighbor from filling up early for today’s Holiday Gifts Boutique. Most came to shop for handcraft crafts and homemade treats. Others came just to show support for the new center in downtown Concordia. And still others were there because they were the women who created everything that was for sale.

• • • • • • • •

The first-ever event at Neighbor to Neighbor gave the women who have been taking part in the center’s programs a chance to show off their handiwork and to help support the center. All the programs, classes, services and even hugs are free to the women who take part; funding comes from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, a handful of grants and donations from organizations and individuals.

Neighbor to Neighbor opened last May at 103 E. Sixth St. and is operated by three Sisters of St. Joseph — Sisters Jean Befort, Pat McLennon and Ramona Medina — and a growing cadre of volunteers. The center is designed to meet the needs of women and women with young children in Concordia and Cloud County by providing a safe place to spend time and the fellowship of other women.

In its first six months of operation, Neighbor to Neighbor had more than 1,800 visits from women who took part in everything from GED tutoring, English as a second language lessons and budgeting workshops to baking classes, individual counseling and conversation over a cup of coffee.

“Usually I just come in here for a hug,” said one woman at Saturday’s sale. “Today I’ll give back a little by buying a few things.”

UPDATE: Winning chili spices up October evening

Bob Maxson’s “straight-up chili” — no cheese or chips on top, no sweets to finish it off — was the top votegetter in Thursday’s Chili for Charity. But everyone who showed up in downtown Concordia this evening received the prize of a beautiful October evening and a chance to support local organizations.

The annual outdoors Chili for Charity event drew eight contestants, which each offered a sample of homemade chili — some with fixin’s and others, like Maxson’s, unadorned. A few even sweetened things up with after-chili treats of mints, miniature cinnamon rolls and caramel apples. Maxson was serving his chili to support Breckyn Reynolds, the 2-year-old Concordia girl born with multiple heart defects. Representing the Sisters of St. Joseph were Neighbor to Neighbor and Helping Hands, the food pantry at Manna House of Prayer. The Neighbor to Neighbor chili makers were the defending champions from last year.

The event at Sixth and Washington streets was sponsored this year by the new Neighbor to Neighbor center, a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph, and Cloud County Community College. Proceeds from the event make up the prize money, which is shared by the winners.

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