April 22nd / 24th, 2011
"Urban League Making a Difference in Tough Times"
Some Washington economists say the recession is over. Try telling that to
hundreds of thousands of unemployed or underemployed North Carolinians. Try
explaining it to the 37,000 who are about to lose their extended benefits.
Try telling it to the hourly workers and their managers who were laid off
when their plant closed. Clearly, despite what the so-called experts say,
times are still tough here in the Tarheel state. Fortunately there is an
organization that is addressing our recessionary problems by tailoring
programs and services to every demographic group who needs a leg up.
The Winston Salem Urban League has been around for over 60 years, and
during that time, its core mission has remained constant: to empower the
community and change lives.
"In today's economy, when we look at the number of corporations who are
downsizing or have left the community, we can't get down on ourselves. We
have to look at ways in which we re-train, re-think, and re-boot ourselves so
that we can make ourselves viable in this community, and that's what
empowerment is all about", says Urban League CEO Keith Grandberry. Toward that
end, Grandberry is also quick to dispel the myth that the word Urban means
the League's service is limited to minority populations. "The Urban League
is in 18 counties, and many of the people we serve are not minorities. We
serve everyone. We serve middle income people. We serve folks who have lost
their job, and who need to be re-trained. We try to provide a service to
everyone in this community because we believe everyone is important".
The Urban League is funded in part by donations from corporations such as
the Wachovia Foundation, whose $100,000 grant allows the League to help
unemployed managers and executives prepare to re-enter the job market, some of
whom have gone on to start their own businesses. Meanwhile, Piedmont
Federal Savings Bank recently donated a building in North East Winston-Salem
where Forsyth Tech and Wake Forest University will help the Urban League
establish a training center and job readiness program for people out of work.
These and other programs benefit a diverse population, including those
over 55. One such initiative is the Digital Inclusion Program that teaches
older adults how to use a computer. "Some of our seniors are involved in a job
search, and they realize that in today's market you need to have basic
computer skills. So our program is a way of empowering them to be employed",
said Patricia Sadler, the League's Director of Marketing. And for retired
persons, the Digital Inclusion Program is being offered in 18 senior
facilities where residents can set up email accounts and communicate with distant
relatives.
But for all the good work the Urban League is doing for adults, perhaps
their most ambitious initiative involves young people who are at risk of
dropping out. Working with the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County schools, Forsyth
Tech, and nationally recognized facilitator Stedman Graham, the Urban League
offers a structured program for teens enrolled in alternative schools where
historically about 70% of the students tend to drop out. "We're focusing
on a lot of kids who are in tough situations, and we provide them with
mentoring, tutoring, and leadership development skills to make sure that they
stay in school", says Grandberry. Students who participate in the Urban
League's Youth Leadership Program graduate with a renewed purpose and a
marketable skill.
One of Graham's favorite motivational phrases for youth is, "You are not
your circumstances. You are your possibilities". But that philosophy really
applies to people of all ages who need and deserve a second chance.
Appearing on my Triad Today program, Lt. Governor Walter Dalton commented that,
"In these tough economic times, the Urban League gives people a foundation to
move forward". It's well deserved praise for the architects of that
foundation.
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