Shay Irwin was having trouble finding a job due to a felony charge on her record. She went through six job programs without being sent on a single interview, and in June of 2010, after sending her kids to live with their father in Columbus, Ohio, she moved to Lexington with just enough money to live in housing for one month.
She found a roommate, entered a two-week program at Jubilee Jobs and was employed three weeks after finishing. In January of 2011, she was brought back to Jubilee as a counselor.
“I didn’t know if I would be homeless in 30 days, so I was a basket case,” Irwin said. “They really nurtured me, even after I was employed. They were concerned about my emotional and spiritual well-being.”
About 80 percent of clients at Jubilee are former criminal offenders, and the problem Irwin faced is one that many second-chance workers continue to face every day: They become profiled by their prior convictions.
“They were fabulous here about your future not being defined by your past mistakes,” Irwin said. “They brought to light what I did to the employer and did not allow them to look at me as a manipulator, a fraud, an opportunist. They presented me as a person.”
With an orientation meeting every Monday, Jubilee Jobs provides free workshops that offer a range of services, from résumé building to conflict resolution to a session that teaches interviewing skills, and ultimately Jubilee Jobs works to help people find a second chance through employment.
According to Cary Plummer, Jubilee Jobs’ executive director, the program is all-inclusive, catering to the needs of individuals with a wide array of educational backgrounds.
“We have people that show up with master’s degrees, doctorate degrees, and many that show up with less than a high-school diploma,” Plummer said. “Everybody is welcome to
attend.”
Jubilee Jobs was launched in Washington D.C. in 1981. Starting in Lexington in 2009, the program began offering two-week courses to help second-chance workers find employment, complete with both group-oriented workshops and one-on-one meetings with a counselor.
“Our mission is to help them find a job so they can work for sustenance, dignity and hope, and to take care of themselves, their families and in many cases, to move past poverty,” Plummer said.
On Nov. 8, Jubilee Jobs is holding a fundraiser called “A Year of Dignity and Hope,” aimed at helping sustain their jobs program, which is a free service to those they serve.
One of the speakers at the event will be Kevin Atkins, the chief development officer for the city of Lexington.
“I’m drawn to the caring that the people involved at Jubilee Jobs have for their clients,” Atkins said. “I went to one of the training sessions, and it’s a pretty awesome experience. Not only is it a training experience, but it’s a motivational experience. It’s about getting people to believe in themselves, and when you believe in yourself, there’s not a whole lot you can’t accomplish.”
Though the main goal is to find jobs for their clients, those associated with the program also pride themselves on their role in helping Lexington’s economy through the workers they assist.
“Somebody is going to have to do it,” he said. “Somebody is going to have to help these folks, one way or another, and it’s nice if we can help them get a job, and they can actually be productive and give back to their community.”
Lorie Lovejoy-Ward, a volunteer at Jubilee Jobs and the chairwoman of “A Year of Dignity and Hope,” is enthusiastic about the progress the program has made. “Since the beginning, we’ve affected nearly 1,500 unemployed people,” said Lovejoy-Ward. “In 2012 alone, we’ve influenced 475 people, and placed 130 in jobs.”
Jubilee Jobs works closely with area employers, seeking out those interested in giving second-chance workers a fair opportunity.
“We’re continually knocking on doors. We’re continually trying to get information out to area employers that will work with us,” Plummer said.
Plummer emphasized the program’s belief in providing a second chance and the importance in giving people with background issues an opportunity to succeed.
“I don’t know any perfect people today. We all make mistakes, but these people have paid their debt, and we just want to give them the opportunity to work and take care of their families,” he said.
Jubilee maintains a database of about 1,150 people who have participated in the program, many of them currently working. Keeping tabs on the progress of their clients even after the class has ended is just one element that Plummer believes separates Jubilee Jobs from other programs.
“We develop relationships with a lot of our clients, and that’s what sets us apart. We’re not an employment office, we’re not a temp agency,” said Plummer. “We’re something different.”