At Grace Allentown. Weed & Seed Job Placements Top 250 Mark

[This story was posted on the website of the City of Allentown, 09/11/2008]

More than 250 Allentown residents have been placed in jobs thanks to the City of Allentown Weed & Seed employment counseling program. Mayor Ed Pawlowski, Weed & Seed Coordinator Phyllis Alexander, Weed & Seed Employment Counselor Cecilia Rodriguez, Grace Episcopal Church Rector Father Patrick Malloy, Parish Administrator Bob House and employment program client Yendira Rosario marked the occasion this morning at a news conference outside the church.

Some 268 persons have landed full time jobs through the program since March 2006. The average starting salary this year has risen to $9.87 per hour. Some are earning as much as $12 per hour. Full benefits are awarded to full time employees after an initial 90 day probationary period. A number of other clients have also secured part-time jobs. Clients have been placed at businesses and corporations like Wachovia Bank, Sodexho, Wells Fargo, ABX Air and Holiday Inn to name a few.

“The program is paying dividends,” said Pawlowski. “Job counseling has been an important function of the Weed & Seed program. We are grateful to Grace Episcopal Church and our business partners in the community who have provided the jobs.”

The job placements have generated approximately $8.6 million to the Weed & Seed area economy at a cost of less than one percent.

Prospective employees can make an appointment through the Weed & Seed office by calling 610-437-7679 or by contacting the job counseling office at the church at 484-221-8841.

“Job placement is perhaps the most vital seeding work we can do in the target area,” said Alexander. “We are ecstatic about the progress that has been made in a relatively short period of time.”

“I have found some very receptive employers in the city,” said Rodriguez. “It has been a pleasure to deal with them. It has become a win-win relationship.”

Program client Yendira Rosario has obtained a job as a Family Partner with Community Services for Children. “It’s so hard to find employment,” said Rosario. “The Weed & Seed program opened a door for me. I couldn’t be happier with the outcome.”

The Weed & Seed employment counseling office may get busier in the coming months. Unemployment in the region stands at 5.5 percent, more than a percentage point higher than at the same time in 2007.