In Honor of Veterans Day
/In honor of Veterans Day, the West Alabama Area Agency on Aging would like to recognize one of our Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) participants, George Collier. Mr. Collier is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and said being a Marine taught him discipline and commitment. He also credits his time spent serving our country with shaping him into the hard worker he is today. Despite challenges brought on by significant health issues, Mr. Collier has stayed steadfast in his desire to work and be involved in the community.
SCSEP serves as gateway for participants, age 55 and older, to re-enter the workforce. Participants are matched with a host agency where they provide 20 hours of paid community service a week. This is a means to not only serve the host agency, but for the participant to gain skills and work experience with the goal of ultimately achieving employment off of the program. Mr. Collier is assigned to the host agency Love Inc. where he provides labor and support in their donation center. Mr. Collier explained that he does not want to feel like a victim or useless and being able to serve as a SCSEP participant keeps him motived. Rob Reynolds, Supervisor and Operations Manager at Love, Inc., praises Mr. Collier’s work ethic, and said Mr. Collier “takes pride in his work no matter how big or small the task”. Mr. Reynolds added he doesn’t have to worry about the job getting done in a timely and efficient manner.
The SCSEP program is an ideal way to utilize some our country’s greatest assets, an aging population who is ready, willing and committed to remain relevant and active in today’s workforce. This demographic is projected to grow more than three times the rate of growth of the overall labor force by 2024 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics! If you are interested in being a part of this employment boom by either becoming a SCSEP participant, host agency or are looking to hire one of our qualified participants, please contact the West Alabama Area Agency on Aging at 205-333-2990 today. For a listing of our Host Agency partners and additional information visit our website at www.westalabamaaging.org/scsep
