Central Oregon’s Latino Community Association has been given three grants to be used towards its Workforce Program.
The grant money is from:
- $75,000 from the Northwest Area Foundation
- $10,000 from U.S. Bank through its Community Possible giving platform
- $10,000 from Wells Fargo Foundation
According to a report from LCA, there are around 20,000 Latinos living in Central Oregon.
“There’s about 25% of that 20,000, so 5,000 roughly, that are recent immigrants from Latin America,” said Brad Porterfield, executive director of LCA.
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The Workforce Program offers many resources:
- English classes
- Tutoring
- Computer training
- Resume assistance
- Business advice
- Job placement
- Job referrals
You do not have to look far to find someone who has benefitted from this program. Working in the office was Pilar, a woman who was assisted by LCA after moving to Central Oregon. She is from Peru and has a masters degree with a background in higher education.
“Pilar just moved to the area and was looking for a job,” said Carolina Afre, work force program navigator. “We created her resume and I helped her apply for a couple jobs.”
With the grant money recently given, this has opened up a new position at LCA.
“It also gives us some extra income to hire a new position that we’re looking to hire which is a workforce education coordinator,” said Porterfield.
After Pilar was helped by the program, she was hired on to help other Latinos looking to obtain employment or increase their income.
