Village at Lakeview Neighborhood Network Community Center:
Offering Opportunities to Learn, Discover, and Gain Experience

In November 2009, the Village at Lakeview Neighborhood Network Community Center achieved Model classification.

The Village at Lakeview Neighborhood Network Community Center's Work Experience Program provides volunteer opportunities that help individuals find their place in the job market. Through the program, individuals who volunteer at the center get a feel for the roles and responsibilities of a particular job and gain relevant experience that helps with obtaining employment. Typically, individuals volunteer for 90 days. If, at the end of this period, individuals do not find a job or wish to try another volunteer position, they are welcome to continue on as a volunteer at the Village at Lakeview Neighborhood Network Community Center.

"We offer a wide range of programs at the center," explained Lewis. "This provides individuals with numerous job-sampling opportunities that may fit their distinct talent or interests. From the afterschool program that offers a home cooked, family-style meal, to computer skills classes, to administrative or office work, volunteers can find their niche and determine where their aptitude lies."

All Are Welcome

Many participants in the Work Experience Program are referred to the program by center partners the Harford County Department of Social Services, the Susquehanna Workforce Network, and Community Work Service. Many of these referrals gain employment due to the training and knowledge acquired at the Village at Lakeview Neighborhood Network Community Center.

“One of our volunteers secured a job at a nearby elementary school in the cafeteria because of the experience and skills she gained while cooking meals for the family-style dinner the center offers as part of the daily afterschool program," said Lewis. "Another young woman, who had excellent verbal skills, demonstrated her strong work ethic by participating in our program. This earned her a job at a local hotel."

Lewis welcomes all individuals who wish to participate in the center's Work Experience Program. "We had one young woman just walk in off the street and tell us she wanted to volunteer at the center," said Lewis. "She could not decide what she wanted to do for a career, and decided to work with the children at the center. The satisfaction and rewards she received through her volunteer experience prompted her to enroll in college and major in elementary education. She is currently pursuing her new dream to become a teacher."

The Work Experience Program is not only for adults. Younger community members and residents are also benefitting. "Recently, two teens participated in the program," said Lewis. "One young man had some trouble and was placed in behavior boot camp. He came to the center to work with us, and is now back in school. Another young resident was in the Work Experience Program for three years. She now manages the cafeteria at a Baltimore city school, and has moved off the property to a conventional apartment."

More Where That Came From

The Work Experience Program is only one of the Village at Lakeview Neighborhood Network Community Center's programs that is helping residents and community members achieve greater success. With the support of local partners, including Harford Community College, the Family Tree, and the local Rotary Club, Lewis and her team established a Model multi-service community learning center that offers computer access, afterschool programming, parenting classes, senior activities, and a full range of workforce development programs, including a monthly mock job fair that helps residents hone interview skills.

Lewis' experience as a social worker helps to prepare residents and community members in Edgewood for work. Not only does she intimately understand the local terrain in terms of employment opportunities, she also understands how to assess individual needs. Workforce development training at the Village at Lakeview Neighborhood Network Community Center encompasses not only skill building, but also life skills training, appropriate professional clothing, how to behave as a professional, and consistent followup to help maintain work.

During Neighborhood Networks Week 2009, the center's General Educational Development (GED) exam preparation class was spotlighted when the Village at Lakeview Neighborhood Network Community Center served as the host site for a Do it for You Day event. For the event, the center hosted a graduation ceremony for residents who completed workforce development programs at the center and successfully passed the GED exam and/or obtained employment as a result. During the event, which was Web cast live, recent graduates shared their success stories, and representatives from the property management company and local partners described the benefits of collaborating with the local Neighborhood Networks center.

Lewis says these are the experiences that make her work most fulfilling. “Adults, youth, and children know they can count on the center when they need to, just like family,” said Lewis. “In fact, our slogan is, ‘It’s a Family Affair.’ We have high expectations, but we also have faith in everyone’s ability to become productive and self-sufficient.”

For more information about Neighborhood Networks centers in Maryland contact:

Debra Walker
debra.walker@hud.gov
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Baltimore Multifamily Hub
10 South Howard Street, Fifth Floor
Baltimore, MD 21201
(410) 209-6605

Diana J. Gaither
diana.j.gaither@hud.gov
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Baltimore Multifamily Hub
10 South Howard Street, Fifth Floor
Baltimore, MD 21201
(410) 209-6534

For more information about the Village at Lakeview Neighborhood Network Community Center, contact:

Angela Lewis
alewis@valnncc.org
Center Director
833 Fishermans Lane
Edgewood, MD 21040
(410) 679-0473