Pillars of the Community Workforce Initiative to Host Employer Appreciation Breakfast
HOLYOKE — MassHire Holyoke’s Pillars of the Community Workforce (PCW), an initiative funded by the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development’s Community Empowerment and Reinvestment Grant Program, will culminate with its first annual Employer Appreciation Breakfast to honor Hampden County and Franklin County employers for their commitment to their communities and exceptional contribution to the workforce.
The event will take place on Tuesday, June 27 from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Summit View Banquet and Meeting House, 555 Northampton St., Holyoke. Breakfast will be served. Members of the community are invited to attend by registration only. Click here to register.
State Sen. John Velis and Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia are the featured guest speakers. Garcia will provide opening remarks on the city of Holyoke’s pledge to be a Recovery Ready Workplace. Velis will address the topic of fostering good mental health in the workplace and the significance of employer-employee relationships in achieving this goal.
Ramona Rivera-Reno, executive director of MassHire Holyoke’s Re-entry & Recovery program, will provide an overview of progress with the Recovery Ready Workplace (RRW) initiative and present awards to outstanding employers in various categories.
PCW has broadened MassHire Holyoke’s (MHH) successful re-entry and recovery programming by expanding capacity for services in the community. PCW’s service design is a boots-on-the-ground approach with a mobile community lab of 15 devices, which allows for employment services including digital literacy, financial literacy, and job-readiness skills training on site with community partners.
In addition, PCW expanded MHH’s outreach to the business community with the Recovery Ready Workplace. MHH intends to roll out the RRW throughout the state of Massachusetts so that businesses begin to shape a cultural norm that eliminates the stigma associated with addiction and substance-use disorders and promotes a healthy, thriving workforce.
Anyone interested in learning more about the Pillars of Community Workforce or the Recovery Ready Workplace initiative should contact Ramona Rivera-Reno, executive director of MassHire Holyoke’s Re-entry and Recovery Program at (413) 427-3498 or rreno@masshireholyoke.org.