Did you know? Senior Community Service Employment Program

Spring 2011
Vol 2 • Issue 1
Formerly Green Thumb
Senior Community Service Employment
Program - Economic Impact
Last year, Experience Works
made a significant financial
and community service impact
in the state of Pennsylvania.
We provided service to more
than 1,138 seniors.
More than $5.21 million in
salary and fringes were paid
to older workers.
Program participants provided in excess of 405,942 hours
of community service at more than 400 local agencies
throughout Pennsylvania.
About the Senior Community Service Employment Program
(SCSEP):
Did you know?
•T
he SCSEP has a significant economic impact in local
communities by putting unemployed older people to
work – thereby increasing the number of people who
spend their earnings in their home towns, maintain their
dignity and significantly reduce their reliance on public
assistance.
• The SCSEP has a dual mission of community service
and employment and is highly effective in improving the
quality of life for poor seniors; even transitioning older
workers into jobs in this very difficult economy.
•T
he SCSEP is the only federal program that provides job
opportunities for low income older individuals.
• The SCSEP is operated in every state and territory in
the United States.
• Experience Works is the oldest and largest grantee of
the SCSEP and operates in 30 states and Puerto Rico.
Interested in the effects of federal budget proposals on the
Senior Community Service Employment Program? Check
out our press release in the news section of our website at
www.experienceworks.org.
Thank You to Our Partners
Experience Works would like to take this opportunity
to say thank you to the following organizations and
partners that support our programs and services:
•C
entre County CareerLink for providing office
space for Experience Works staff and assistants
and referring older workers to Experience Works.
•V
alley View Nursing Home for their ongoing
support of Experience Works and advocacy on
behalf of mature workers.
•P
erry County Literacy Council for being an
outstanding host training site and for going
above and beyond in helping our participants
update their job skills.
•N
ehemiah Project in Altoona for providing office
space for Experience Works staff and assistants.
•C
ambria County CareerLink, Somerset County
CareerLink and Bedford County Careerlink for
their support and referrals.
•S
nyder/Union Counties CareerLink for providing
office space for Experience Works staff and
assistants and referring older workers to
Experience Works.
The Pennsylvania Experience Works team would like
to say thank you to these agencies for providing meeting
space for county meetings with our participants:
• Clarion County Airport
• Clearfield County Assistance Office
• Coalport Borough
• Glendale Area Library
• Mercer County CareerLink
• Oil City Public Library
• The Foundry Senior Center
Contact Information
Joe Farrone
Experience Works Pennsylvania State Director
Phone: 717-790-0165
[email protected]
Pennsylvania Business Spotlight
What have been the greatest changes in your
business/industry in the past ten years?
There have been lots of laws and regulations passed that
affect the food industry. Also, a lot of technology has been
developed, for example an electronic sorter for tomatoes.
Even the tractors have GPS now!
Do you have any “go green” initiatives?
Furmano’s is committed to sustainability, stewardship of the
land, and environmental responsibility. We also encourage
healthy eating and nutritional knowledge.
A Conversation with Kermit Kohl – Senior Vice
President of Human Resource, Furmano Foods,
Northumberland, Pennsylvania
What types of jobs do your older workers
perform?
Workers of all ages do the type of work they prefer, from
farm work, to heavy work on the loading docks, to fork lift
operation and monitoring the machines that do what was
formerly done by human hands. They work shifts 24 hours
a day, five days per week in winter and six days per week
in summer.
Please describe your business:
Furmano Foods is a fourth generation family-owned
business, which processes and grows mainly tomatoes
and beans. We do food processing and growing. About
85% of our business is for the food service market and
the remainder for retail.
What are the benefits of hiring older workers?
If I could use one word to describe the benefits of mature
workers, it would be dependability. We can always count
on them to be there on time and ready to work.
We have approximately 275 employees in the winter and
550 in the summer. About 54% of our workforce is over
age 50, we have 15 full time employees 65 and older.
The oldest full-time employee is now 76.
What qualities do you look for in your employees?
A good work ethic.
How long have you been partnering with
Experience Works?
For over a year. We have hired three individuals previously
enrolled with the Senior Community Service Employment
Program.
The Search Begins for America’s Outstanding Oldest Worker
Nominations now are being accepted in the search for
America’s Outstanding Oldest Worker for 2011. Sponsored
by Experience Works, the search is part of a national effort
to raise awareness about the contributions older individuals
make in today’s workplace and to break down the barriers
often associated with their employment. Experience Works
operates the Senior Community Service Employment
Program (SCSEP), which is funded by the U.S. Department
of Labor to provide skills training, work experience, and
community service opportunities for low-income older
workers.
America’s Outstanding Oldest Worker nominees must be
100 years of age or older, currently employed, working at
least 20 hours each week for pay and involved in his or her
community. The deadline to apply is April 15, 2011.
to sponsor the search for America’s
Outstanding Oldest Worker because
older individuals provide inspiration
to people of all ages and serve as
role models for those who want to
continue to stay active and make
valuable contributions to the
workplace and to their communities.
Last year’s honorees were 105-yearold Emilio Navarro, of Ponce Puerto
Rico, and 101-year-old Sally Gordon,
of Lincoln, Nebraska.
Sally Gordon
This year’s nomination form can be
found at: www.experienceworks.org
In a recent conversation with Executive Directors Billy Wooten
and Sally Evans, they noted that Experience Works is proud
Emilio Navarro
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Vol 2 • Issue 1
Experience Works • www.experienceworks.org