Operation: GoodJobs aims to land veterans in

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Operation: GoodJobs aims to land veterans in
new careers
By Michele Willer-Allred
Posted April 16, 2014 at 6:01 p.m.
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PHOTO BY JUAN CARLO, VENTURA COUNTY STAR // BUY THIS PHOTO
JUAN CARLO/THE STAR Theresa Miller, a veteran’s services coordinator for Goodwill in Oxnard, told her story
of finding job success with Operation: GoodJobs after serving in the Air Force and the Navy during a kickoff
event for the program Wednesday in Oxnard. Goodwill Industries of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties has
received part of a grant from the Walmart Foundation to offer the program.
Goodwill Industries of Ventura and Santa Barbara
counties is one of 12 Goodwill organizations in the country
to receive part of a $5 million grant from the Walmart
Foundation to help veterans and their families with
employment.
PHOTO BY JUAN CARLO,
VENTURA COUNTY STAR
JUAN CARLO/THE STAR
Theresa Miller (left), a
With the three-year grant, Goodwill and Walmart are
expanding Operation: GoodJobs, a program that helps
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veterans services coordinator
for Goodwill at its Oxnard
office, talks with Rep. Julia
Brownley, D-Westlake
Village, at the start of
Operation: GoodJobs in
Oxnard Wednesday. The
program helps veterans find
jobs, and Miller, who spoke
at the event, is a veteran
hired to work as a
coordinator at the Oxnard
office. She served in the Navy
and the Air Force.
veterans and their families find meaningful work and gain
financial stability.
The program is expected to serve more than 300 veterans
and military family members locally by providing the
resources they need to achieve their educational, career
and financial goals.
The kickoff for the program was Wednesday at the
Goodwill office in Oxnard, and it was attended by Goodwill
and Walmart representatives and local politicians,
including Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Westlake Village, and Assemblyman Jeff Gorell, RCamarillo.
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“The goal of Operation: GoodJobs is to smooth the
transition from military service to the civilian workforce,”
said Kathy Leahy, president and CEO of Goodwill
Industries of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
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JUAN CARLO/THE STAR
(From left) Rep. Julia
Brownley, D-Westlake
Village, Goodwill board
Chairman David Mead and
Kathy Leahy, president and
CEO of Goodwill Industries of
Ventura and Santa Barbara
counties, talk before the
Operation: GoodJobs
luncheon in Oxnard on
Wednesday. Operation:
GoodJobs is a Walmartfounded initiative to provide
employment outreach and
job placement for veterans.
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VENTURA COUNTY STAR
Goodwill, said Goodwill will also provide subsidized
employment to eligible veterans, paying 100 percent of the
first 30 days of employment for select positions. Goodwill
has also raised about $25,000 locally from its stores,
where customers can donate to the program, he said.
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Through the grant period, which extends through 2016,
Goodwill will connect program participants with training,
financial education, credentialing opportunities, retention
support and resources they need to return to work and
advance their careers. The program is open to veterans,
military spouses and adult dependents ages 18-24.
Bruce Wilroy, vice president of Workforce Services for
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Leahy said 165 Goodwill organizations in the country
could apply for the grant and that 40 did.
Changes to state rules mean
school boards will have to do more
prioritizing of their own budgets this
year.
“We’re very excited,” Leahy said.
PHOTO BY JUAN CARLO,
VENTURA COUNTY STAR
JUAN CARLO/THE STAR
Theresa Miller (center), a
veteran’s services
coordinator for Goodwill in
Oxnard, talks to fellow
veterans services coordinator
Rocky Roberts (left) and Mike
McManus, veterans service
officer for Ventura County.
Miller talked about finding job
success with Operation:
GoodJobs after serving in the
Air Force and the Navy.
What program would you put at the
top of the list?
“Our veterans have many great skills to offer the current job
force, and with 1 million veterans slated to return home in
the next five years, we need to ensure they have the
opportunity to put those skills to work,” said retired Army
Brig. Gen. Gary Profit, senior director of military programs
at Walmart.
One example, the Oxnard Union
school board will decide whether to
continue funding a drop-out
prevention program that provides
childcare centers for high school
students, a cost of about $800,000
for four Oxnard sites.
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Veterans Rocky Roberts and Theresa Miller have been
hired as veteran’s services coordinators to help with the
program out of the Oxnard office.
Miller, 42, began her service with the Navy in 1995 and
also became an air traffic controller with the military. She
left after her spouse died, and she needed to support her
family. Miller finished her master’s degree and additional
classes but still had problems finding a job because she
had a 10 percent disability rating after her service.
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“There are a lot of struggles veterans are facing. It’s not an easy situation,” Miller said.
Roberts, 33, said he wished the program existed when he left the military.
“Before, when you were out of the military, you were basically on your own. That’s what
we’re here for. We help veterans who want to use their skills they learned and used in the
military, or change jobs if that’s what they want,” Roberts said.
He said the jobs offered are as varied as cashier and information technology.
Some are at private businesses as well as larger companies such as Walmart, Whole
Foods, and Home Depot.
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Brownley, who serves on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, said 720,000
veterans in the country are unemployed.
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“This program will help with that here,” Brownley said.
For those seeking jobs, information sessions are at 10 a.m. Wednesdays at Goodwill,
130 Lombard St., in Oxnard. RSVP to 981-0130 or [email protected].
Employers may also contact the Oxnard office to participate in the program.
© 2014 Ventura County Star. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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