FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ann Leen
PH: 313-945-5200, 4270
Email: aleen@sermetro.org
SER Metro-Detroit, Jobs for Progress, Inc., 9301 Michigan Ave., Detroit, MI 48210
Date: December 18, 2020
DETROIT– SER Metro-Detroit, Jobs for Progress, Inc. will support educational advancement and upward economic mobility for 200 additional Detroit youth and adults.
According to the Detroit Regional Chamber’s State of Education Report for 2019-2020, 69% of Detroit residents ages 18-64 are without a high school diploma or not in the labor force or are unemployed. With the pandemic in full swing, the number of Detroiters out of school or unemployed will continue to rise, impacting the economic recovery for the entire Detroit metropolitan region.
As the need for alternative education and vocational training opportunities continues to increase, SER Metro-Detroit will increase its capacity to engage and reconnect struggling youth and adults and provide services critical to their economic and emotional well-being. This work will be supported by a two-year, $200,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
“We are extremely proud and honored to have the W.K. Kellogg Foundation as our partner in providing educational and employment services to the most economically challenged members of our Detroit community,” said Eva Garza Dewaelsche, SER Metro-Detroit’s President and CEO. “Many of us who were fortunate enough in life understand that a path to economic independence and success begins with access to education and training. This grant will help us to provide access to a range of educational, training, and employment services that will lead to increased job readiness and employment for 200 impoverished youth and adults that would not be possible without the generous support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.”
SER Metro-Detroit will enable participants to obtain a HS diploma or GED, nationally recognized industry-valued credentials, and increase their foundational skills, significantly improving their chances for upward economic mobility and local economic recovery. Working in unison, the nationally recognized SER YouthBuild Learning Academy (SYLA) and the ReBuild Detroit programs (formerly “Bridges to Career Opportunities”), will act as beacons to guide the participants toward pathways to careers in the construction trades industry, thereby creating the next generation of talent pipeline to meet the post-pandemic industry demand for skilled workers.
“SER Metro-Detroit’s support for youth and workers is extremely important in providing resources, services and training that responds to the challenges presented by the pandemic and works to improve economic outcomes for Detroiters,” said W.K. Kellogg Foundation Program Officer Sarida Scott.
SER Metro-Detroit looks forward to collaborating with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in addressing the education, employment, and basic needs of youth and adults in Detroit.
About SER Metro-Detroit
SER Metro-Detroit, Jobs for Progress, Inc. (SER) is a community-based organization that believes in the potential of every individual. For more than 49 years, SER has assisted thousands of at-risk and disadvantaged residents from across the City of Detroit and the region in becoming self-sufficient through quality employment, education, and training programs. For more information visit http://www.sermetro.org.
About the W.K. Kellogg Foundation
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal innovator and entrepreneur Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in school, work and life.
The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Michigan, and works throughout the United States and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special attention is paid to priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF priority places in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans; and internationally, are in Mexico and Haiti. For more information, visit www.wkkf.org.
