City of Columbia Missouri

P.O. BOX 6015
COLUMBIA, MO 65205

MEDIA ADVISORY

July 27, 2017

CONTACT: Ron Schmidt, CARE Supervisor, 573-874-6377

CARE Annual End of Summer Program Reception and Awards

(COLUMBIA, MO) -

Trainees from the City of Columbia's Career Awareness Related Experience (CARE) program, their families, work site mentors, the public, and media are invited to attend the 2017 CARE End of Summer Program Reception from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 27.  A program/awards presentation will begin at 5:30 p.m.  The reception will take place at the ARC, 1701 West Ash, to celebrate the end of another successful summer program.

Each summer, CARE work site mentors and summer job coaches nominate their trainees for two separate awards.  CARE job coaches choose one winner for each award from his/her caseload.  The awards are called the Wynna Faye Elbert Outstanding Trainee Award and the Almeta Crayton Tenacious Spirit Award.  Elbert and Crayton played prominent roles in the development and continuation of the CARE Program.            

The CARE Program, which began in 1982, is a comprehensive program for Columbia's at-risk youth that provides:

  • paid real-world hands-on work experience
  • mentoring
  • career exploration
  • life skills training

The CARE program works with at-risk 14- to 20-year-olds who live in the City of Columbia, MO and/or attend a Columbia school and places them at local businesses, where they gain much needed real-world hands-on work experience while getting paid. One hundred percent of the trainees' wages are paid by CARE.

CARE's goal is "for Columbia's youth to be ready to enter the workforce and become productive, selfsufficient citizens." The CARE program is administered through the Columbia Parks and Recreation Department.

CARE is committed to helping the City of Columbia achieve goals of its strategic plan, in regard to economy, public safety and social equity.

High-risk teenagers face many barriers to joining the labor force, especially in Columbia, because of substantial competition from thousands of college students for the available entry-level jobs but the CARE program can help break down those barriers. Without an entry level job and proper mentoring, many of Columbia's local youth will never realize the dream of obtaining a good job and supporting their family.

Lack of job readiness skills, employment experience, positive adult role models, career exposure, and life skills training can lead to adolescents being unemployed and/or underemployed. Unemployment and underemployment can lead to increased:

  • truancy and high school dropout rates
  • emotional problems
  • crime
  • adolescent pregnancy
  • alcoholism/drug addiction
  • dependence upon government assistance

For more information about CARE, please visit www.CoMo.gov (search CARE).



City of Columbia Vision
Columbia is the best place for everyone to live, work, learn and play.

City of Columbia Mission
To serve the public equitably through democratic, transparent and efficient government.

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