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St. Christopher's Inn Receives Grant for Their Job-Readiness Programs for Homeless and Addicted Men
 | | Literacy volunteer Gertrude Sellick assists a resident with an assignment |
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St. Christopher's Inn, a temporary homeless shelter for men and substance abuse rehabilitation center, has received a $3000 grant from the Entergy Charitable Foundation that will be used to purchase materials like dictionaries and job skills books for their job-readiness programs which includes a literacy program, GED program, math skills sessions, credit counseling and vocational counseling that assists the men in resume writing, preparing for interviews, and looking for work.
"We know that in 90 days we can't make readers out of nonreaders or totally prepare men for the GED, but the simple fact that these programs exist and the men can see that they can achieve gives them hope and builds their self-esteem which is so important in recovery," said Paula Santacroce, Vocational Counselor at St. Christopher's Inn. But there are men who are prepared - 10 of the 12 men in 2006 who took the GED test while in the program passed and so far this year six men have received their GED while at St. Christopher's Inn.
The literacy and GED programs have been in existence for ten years. The literacy program started with one volunteer. Today there are approximately 10 people who come in once a week and meet one-onone with the men to assist them with reading, word comprehension, spelling, and most importantly, teach them how to use the dictionary so that when they leave they have a resource they can rely on. Gertrude Selleck, a mother and grandmother from Cortlandt Manor, has volunteered for two years and describes the work as very rewarding. The man she is currently helping says, "Reading and writing. It is like a miracle for me."
Volunteers are always needed. Anyone interested in volunteering should contact St. Christopher's Inn at 845-335- 1000 and ask for the vocational counselor.
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