Greetings, everyone - I am excited to share our most recent edition of the Challenge Works newsletter with you!
This month, we are highlighting our Summer Youth Employment Program, which Challenge is running for the third year in a row! In this program, more than thirty young people in our community get valuable, on the job experience with dozens of local employers, while at the same time working directly with our Challenge staff on skill building and growth.
I had the opportunity to visit the students myself several times, I was very impressed - we are honored to run this program and grateful for our funders, like the Tompkins County Workforce Development Board, and to every person in our community whose individual gifts to the Lauren Comly fund make this program possible! We also want to thank the Tompkins Public Library for hosting our SYEP Pro-skill classes throughout the summer.
Other exciting news - building upon our growing Food Hub CSA project, Finger Lakes Fresh is now offering a "half share" CSA box starting from now through the end of November. This new box is filled with the fresh, local healthy fruits and vegetables, but is now in a smaller size, which could make it perfect for students! There's more information below in our e-newsletter!
At Challenge, we believe that everyone deserves a chance to grow and show their skills, regardless of disability, age, or other barrier to employment. Programs like Summer Youth Employment and others are small but very important channels that we've created to make that mission come alive for over 1,200 people every year.
Whether you are a long time supporter of Challenge or just learning about our programs for the first time, thank you for your spirit and support as we play our part in making Tompkins County a great place to live and work!
Warmly,
Joe