Key Points

We recently sat down with Amber Gorman, program specialist for BETTER WORK Columbus, to discuss a new GCO-led class being offered in the area called Small Changes = Big Results. In this interview, Amber shares what makes the class unique and how it’s helping workers and employers in the Columbus region.

Q: What is the Small Changes = Big Results class? Who does it serve and what does it cover?

Amber: The new training that’s being offered through GCO’s Better Work Columbus program is a four-part series to help those in our community understand the “why” behind essential skills. The training was offered at SafeHouse Ministries in Columbus, Ģ����Ƶ, and many of their clients were in attendance. Now, SafeHouse serves the homeless population to help them obtain shelter, permanent housing, and employment.

Q: So what inspired the class? How did it get started?

Amber: There are many trainings and opportunities for job seekers in the community to gain knowledge of the topics that we introduced in class, but we noticed a disconnect as many were not seeing the value in these trainings or incorporating them into their job search and interviewing process. They were being taught how to do these things, but not necessarily why they were important. The focus of our training was to help explain why it matters. We wanted to complement and not duplicate the services already being offered, so at the end of each session participants were provided with resources where they could obtain more training and information about what we talked about during that class.

Q: What are some topics covered in the class?

Amber: Our Better Work Columbus program director Kristin Barker, and the lead recruiter from Columbus Water Works Inez Godbee, facilitated the first session. They helped to inform and educate the participants on why what you share in an interview matters, and then tips for best practices during interviewing. They also covered how to utilize job descriptions and job postings to make your resume stand out.

In the second session, we talked about why good communication and time management are essential before, during, and after employment, and how they directly relate to respect. The third session, one of our guest facilitators helped us understand why healthy relationships matter and how to build and maintain those relationships. They also introduced social capital — what it is and how it can be used to overcome roadblocks to employment.

For our fourth session, we had The Family Center in Columbus and Renasant Bank come in, and they brought valuable information to help the participants understand why budgeting matters and tips to get started on creating a budget and savings plan. They also touched on credit — what it is and how credit is sometimes used by employers and rental companies.

Work means more than just a paycheck. That is why we are focused on opening up the opportunities to work and thrive in every community.

Work means more than just a paycheck. That is why we are focused on opening up the opportunities to work and thrive in every community.

Q: What’s some of the best advice to come out of the sessions?

Amber: There are so many golden nuggets that happened, but here are some of the best pieces of advice I heard. First, presenting a positive self-image will encourage an employer to consider you for hire regardless of your background or past mistakes. Second, being on time matters. It communicates to others whether they can trust and rely on you.

Third, your value comes from God, and believing that will impact how you see yourself and how others see you as well. And then the fourth and final one is to avoid setting goals that someone else tells you to set, or goals that you feel obligated to set. Set goals that are realistic and personal to you.��

Each one of these has a correlation to how someone views themselves. If you have a negative view of yourself, others will see that too, but if you change the story in your mind — from failure to gratitude or even success — this can help us to portray a positive self-image. As a result, others will pick up on our energy and start to see us in that light also, and this can create many opportunities and open doors that we thought should or would be closed to us.

Q: That’s great! So were there any stories from the inaugural training that stood out in particular?

Amber: Yes! We had a participant who had limited skills in reading and writing, and this has been a roadblock for him for many years, but he now knows that there are people who care and are willing to invest their time to see him succeed. I assisted him throughout each session and we built a relationship, and he started to trust me and to share more of his story with everyone. Then, through collaboration with the SafeHouse, he is now being connected with a personal tutor who’s going to work with him on his reading and writing skills so that he can obtain a better paying position.

Q: Any overall advice for employers or community partners who are looking to connect with people looking for work?

Amber: I thought about this one for a while, and my advice would be to try to understand the different social norms of groups, and use that knowledge to help educate others on the expectations for the workplace. Every failed interview can be an opportunity to provide constructive feedback to help that person succeed in their next interview.

Q: What’s in store for the rest of the year?

Amber: We’ve got to do an “after action” review, but I would say that this is going to be something that is going to continue and to grow in Columbus.

The post Q&A with Amber Gorman on BETTER WORK Columbus’ Small Changes = Big Results class appeared first on For Opportunity.

Amber Gorman joined the BETTER WORK Columbus team in October, 2022 as a program specialist. We recently had a chance to sit down with her and hear more about her background, what brought her to BETTER WORK, and why she is passionate about helping people who are struggling find meaningful, self-supporting work.

Q: Please tell us a little about yourself.

I come from generational poverty. I grew up very poor. I also struggled with addiction for a couple of years, but I’m now five years clean, which is great. God brought me out of that and He has also brought me out of poverty through employment and networking. Now, I have social capital which I didn’t used to have. I also have a better view of myself now than I used to. I thought that was just my life and that it wasn’t ever going to get any better. Then I got tired of living like that and I was like, “I’m going to do something different.” And I did whatever it took. It was a lot of work.

I have a criminal background as well. Looking at me on paper, most people wouldn’t hire me, but they bring me in for an interview. Then, they hear my story and they’re like, “Oh, wow! I want to give you a chance.” I’ve never been not hired because of my background, which is great in the position that I’m currently in.��

A lot of the candidates that I work with at BETTER WORK Columbus deal with a lot of what I’ve already been through and overcome, so I can take my life experiences and bring that to them and help them come through that. That’s kind of me in a nutshell. As far as work experience, I feel like I’ve done it all. I’ve done it all like resorts, chicken plants, textile mills, and retail. I’ve done it all.

Q: What brought you to BETTER WORK Columbus?

I’m not from Columbus. I’m actually from Northeast Ģ����Ƶ, a little bitty, small town in White County. My husband and I moved down here. There just weren’t a lot of opportunities up there and he had a network down here. So, about a year after we got married, we moved down here, and then I didn’t work for a while, and then I started going back to work. It was just kind of part-time, just to kind of get out of the house.

We got involved with Fountain City Church in Columbus. Pastor Grant Collins is amazing. We love him. Before we became members, I asked him, “What’s your ministry? Who do you partner with? How are you trying to reach the community?” He told me that Jobs for Life is what they partnered with. And at the time I wasn’t working and I was like, “Oh well, I don’t know if that’s something that I would be interested in because I don’t even have a job.”

That’s when I met Kristin Barker. She was holding a Jobs for Life luncheon for employer partners at the church. I didn’t know that’s what it was. My pastor asked me to help volunteer serving food, and so I went and I got to sit through the presentation and it touched me because we didn’t have that where I was from and I had to do all of it on my own — like build my own connections and make myself more marketable to employers.

So many people need that and it gives you such an advantage in the work market place. And so after that, I was like, “I have to be a part of this.” You know, I have to and so a little bit later, Pastor Grant comes back. He asked me, ” Hey, do you want to be a facilitator for Jobs for Life?” I was hesitant. I got all nervous and I was like, “I don’t know. I don’t know if I can do it”. He said that he thinks I’d be great and so I said yes.

Kristin and I worked closely together for 13 weeks. And then the job posting came up with BETTER WORK Columbus, and she was like, ” I think you should apply for it.” I was a little worried because I didn’t have a degree or this or that and there’s my criminal background but she knew all of that. She’s heard my story and she still encouraged me to apply. And I was like, ” You know what, if God wants me to have it, then I’ll have it. ” And so I did and I applied and went through the interview process, and here I am.

Q: What’s your role at BETTER WORK?

I’m the program specialist for BETTER WORK Columbus. I’m the point of contact for candidates and am working on becoming the point of contact for employers as well. When candidates put in their applications — whether it’s for employment, training, or mentorship — I speak with them. We kind of figure out what it is exactly that they need, and what’s going to be a good fit for them. I help pair them with resources in the community as well as job opportunities. Or, if they’re interested in mentoring or having a mentor, then I partner them with that mentor as well and kind of foster that relationship.

“What really touches my heart is being able to help those people who are maybe underemployed or have just been out of the workforce for a while or moms that are trying to come into the workforce and being able to connect with those opportunities.”

“What really touches my heart is being able to help those people who are maybe underemployed or have just been out of the workforce for a while or moms that are trying to come into the workforce and being able to connect with those opportunities.”

Q: What are some of your favorite aspects of BETTER WORK’s mission?

Our positive relationship with employers is my favorite part. In Columbus there are around 300 applicants for every open job. It’s a tough environment. But with BETTER WORK, we have those relationships so we can kind of help the candidates get a foot in the door. What we’re doing though is we’re targeting people who are in poverty.��

We don’t turn anybody away. I have people who come to me with Bachelor’s Degrees that’s just relocated and it’s great to be able to help them to gain employment, too. But what really touches my heart is being able to help those people who are maybe underemployed or have just been out of the workforce for a while or moms that are trying to come into the workforce and being able to connect with those opportunities. A lot of them are on government programs. Eventually, the goal is to be self-sufficient and connect them with opportunities where they can work.��

It’s not just a job. It’s something that’s supposed to be long-term where they can grow. They can learn more about themselves. They learn more about the workforce and they can move up in the industry. I love being able to give those opportunities to people that want them.

Q: What are some of the things that motivate you, personally, in your work?

My hope for the future of BETTER WORK is that I want us to become the go-to place for job applicants and employers. Applicants can feel confident that we’re going to be able to place them somewhere. Employers are going to be confident that we’re going to send them people that are going to be there till they retire, and they’re going to be wonderful employees. Also, it could also reduce unemployment rates and things like that. I really want to create a childcare program. That’s what I want to do.

The post Q&A with Amber Gorman at BETTER WORK Columbus appeared first on For Opportunity.

Key Points

• BETTER WORK Columbus is launching a new service allowing us to assist clients on-site.
• BETTER WORK provides connections to local resources and work opportunities.��
• Listening and responding to the needs of our community is how BETTER WORK better serves those in need.

Client assistance just got a little bit better

BETTER WORK Columbus is now able to assist clients on-site. We enjoy assisting our non-profit partners and helping them connect clients with employment. This is a new dimension of our work and is proving to be very helpful to non-profit organizations in Columbus and the surrounding area. Our non-profit partners who are focused on providing resources like housing, food, or assistance with utilities know that their clients also need the stability that comes with work. Meeting their clients on-site is a way for BETTER WORK to allow them to focus on their lane while we leverage our existing resources to help with the employment connection.

“Home for Good is partnering with BETTER WORK Columbus to help formerly homeless clients obtain and sustain employment so they can end their cycle of poverty,” said Terry Gallops, Home for Good Director. “Kristin Barker, BETTER WORK Program Manager, has been very successful in fulfilling this need by helping our clients as they complete applications and establish contact with potential employers. We are exceptionally pleased with the success of the BETTER WORK program, and several of our clients now have substantial employment!”

For Latesha, finding work was more than a paycheck. It helped her start a life journey that had meaning and purpose.

For Latesha, finding work was more than a paycheck. It helped her start a life journey that had meaning and purpose.

Meeting the need

Kristin recently shared why this is so important. “We enjoy meeting people where they are and where the need exists. It is in these spaces where we can learn more from each other and connect in new ways that will make all groups and all people in our community more successful. It’s a pleasure to help people like James who are looking for an opportunity to improve their lives by earning a steady income.”

If you are a non-profit and would�� like to take advantage of the support and tools that BETTER WORK has to offer, send an email to��kristin.barker@georgiaopportunity.org��and start a conversation today!

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• A shift in mindset changed everything. Through the BETTER WORK program, Latesha Jackson embraced a growth mindset that helped her move from feeling stuck to continually pursuing new opportunities.
  
• Persistence led to major milestones. She earned her bachelor’s degree in 2024, built a stable career, and quickly received a promotion to her current role.
  
• Success now extends beyond her career. Latesha’s stability and healthy lifestyle have helped her become the role model she always wanted to be for her daughters and grandchildren.

Latesha Jackson, a Columbus native and mother of four, grew up in the Chattahoochee Valley and still lives in her hometown. Latesha was raised primarily by her mother in low-income neighborhoods throughout the city. Her mom was a housekeeper who worked in a hotel and later for a judge across the Chattahoochee River in Phenix City. Latesha spent each available weekend and break with her father in Phenix City. Her parents’ dedication to their work, she recalled, would inspire her to challenge herself.

“I was the only one of my siblings to graduate high school”

Graduating from high school was a huge family milestone. “I was the only one of my siblings to graduate high school,” Latesha proudly mentioned. “I never wanted to disappoint my father, so I worked hard every day.” After high school, she went to work and used the income to help her mom pay the bills. 

At 19, Latesha decided to start life on her own. A year and a half later, she gave birth to her oldest daughter. With three more children to follow, Latesha thought she’d put college in the rear-view mirror.

Changing Course Through BETTER WORK

For years, Latesha lived in what she describes as “survival mode.” As a single mother, life often involved working whatever job she could find while trying to keep her family afloat.

But today, Latesha describes her life very differently. “Today, I am at peace,” she said. “Five years ago, I was in chaos.”

Her journey toward that peace began when she participated in the Ģ����Ƶ Center for Opportunity’s (GCO) BETTER WORK program, which is designed to help people access job skills, local resources, and employers so they can pursue meaningful careers that sustain their families. 

“I happened to walk into the local Habitat [for Humanity] office to pay my mortgage, and the woman there was handing out flyers for this program called BETTER WORK,” Latesha recalled. “She said ‘you might want to call these people to check it out.’” Latesha was frustrated with her current position and work environment—she wanted to find a job that felt satisfying, paid well, and offered good benefits. “I called … the Ģ����Ƶ Center for Opportunity immediately,” she remembered. 

But after attending her first BETTER WORK class, Latesha’s life was suddenly disrupted when she was rear-ended by another vehicle on her way to work. Although she was still able to attend the BETTER WORK classes, life became a daily struggle between handling insurance claims and medical appointments.

2018 was a difficult year for Latesha. Due to injuries and time off of work, she had almost no income that year. Even after she was cleared to go back to work, she still had no vehicle, and reliable transportation to work was hard to come by. She had to look for a new job again, closer to home. 

Through all the change and adversity, Latesha’s children were her constant inspiration. “With how I grew up, the things that I’ve lived through and witnessed … I don’t want my kids to go through that,” she said.

Developing a New Way of Thinking

When Latesha first connected with BETTER WORK, she was searching for better job opportunities. What she discovered was something deeper: mentorship, encouragement, and practical tools that helped her move forward.

She learned how to build relationships, navigate interviews, and connect with employers. But the most important lesson Latesha learned from Kristin Barker, GCO’s Vice President of Workforce Solutions, went beyond job skills.

“A lot of what Kristin taught me helped me along the way,” Latesha said, but “I learned about the growth mindset and started learning more about myself.”

Before embracing that mindset, Latesha was used to living day-to-day, focused on getting through each challenge as it came. BETTER WORK helped her begin to see that her situation wasn’t permanent and that she could grow, adapt, and make intentional choices to build a different future.

Inspired to pursue new opportunities, Latesha began working toward a goal she’d once set aside—earning a college degree. In the fall of 2024, she graduated with her bachelor’s degree in business management.

Kristin, who worked closely with Latesha throughout the class, says her perseverance stood out from the beginning. “Latesha has always had determination,” Kristin said. “Seeing her graduate with her degree and build stability for her family has been incredible.”

Choosing Health and Stability

Latesha also made a commitment to change her lifestyle—a decision shaped by what she learned from BETTER WORK about confronting the physical and emotional barriers that can keep you from moving forward.

She began walking two to three miles each day and focused on improving her nutrition. The results were dramatic: she lost more than 70 pounds and brought both her cholesterol and blood pressure into healthy ranges.

Her motivation was simple.

“I want to be here for my children and my grandchildren.”

Becoming the Example

Today, Latesha is proud of the life she’s built. Her daughters are flourishing in their own careers and educational paths, and she now has four grandchildren. Watching her family succeed reminds her how far she’s come. The biggest change in her life is perspective—which she learned about in the BETTER WORK class.

“I used to feel stuck,” she said. “Now I want to stay unstuck. I always want to keep growing.”

And the advice that carried her through some of the hardest seasons of her life still guides her today:

“Pray and take everything one day at a time.”

The post From Survival to Stability: How Latesha Jackson Built a Better Life appeared first on For Opportunity.

A focus on the contributions of the African American family

delivers Marketing Yourself training to clients of our non-profit partners upon request. This training gives students insight into the perspective of an employer and what matters to them during the hiring process. They leave this training more hopeful and with a new understanding of steps they can take to communicate well when they are looking for work. If you have clients who are preparing to look for better work opportunities in the Columbus area, they will benefit from this training. Send an email to kristin.barker@georgiaopportunity.org to schedule a training for your organization.��

Barbara Moushon, Circles Coordinator at shares below why this program is helpful to Circles Leaders in training.

“We are very grateful for the Marketing Yourself training brought to our Circles Group here at Open Door Community House. Our group was very engaged with this presentation and they appreciated the information Kristin and Inez shared. They are still talking about this training. The topic of ‘What Employers Want’ explained to our group why it is so important to stop and really reflect when preparing for an interview. This information explained that the interviewee needs to analyze why an employer would want to select them.�� The concept of knowing themselves and what they really want before going into an interview was a powerful message. Our clients understood that they need to spend a little time in self-reflection prior to seeking a job.” –Barbara Moushon

The post Training Success at Open Door Community House appeared first on For Opportunity.

A belief in working together is key

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BETTER WORK Columbus is connected with groups and organizations across the Chattahoochee Valley. These groups include both the Chattahoochee Valley Poverty Reduction Coalition (CVPRC) and the Mayor’s Commission on Reentry. A belief in working together in the local community as the key to eliminating poverty in our city is the common thread binding these groups together. ��More specifically, the CVPRC holds a shared vision to reduce the poverty rate in the Chattahoochee Valley by 50% over the next 10 years.

BETTER WORK Program Manager, Kristin Barker, plays a leadership role in both of these groups. As forthcoming chair of the Reentry Commission, she works to identify key people in our community and bring them together to address the needs and concerns that impact individuals who are justice-involved. This is necessary to further the mission of preventing recidivism by strengthening cooperation and collaboration between law enforcement agencies, corrections and supervision entities, resource agencies, social service and non-profit organizations, faith-based non-profit organizations, community members, and other private and public stakeholders. Embedded in the group’s purpose is a focus on finding key people in the community and bringing them together to address the needs and concerns that impact individuals who are justice-involved.

The Success Sequence provides an outline of how to reverse the cycle of poverty in our communities. GCO uses this as a framework for much of our work.

Local Connections and National Partnerships

It is these local connections and national partnerships like Jobs for Life that will allow Columbus to discover the high-impact strategies needed to support families in poverty and connect them with resources that will move them toward self-sufficiency.

Find more information about the and the online.

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A Network of Partners is Growing in Columbus

Columbus, Ģ����Ƶ has over 11,000 citizens identifying as unemployed, but the number of available jobs is over 6,000. ��What’s the problem? Why are so many people not working?

Kristin Barker serves as the program manager for , and provides insight as to why there’s limited job access in the area.

Through growing partnerships in Columbus, the will meet the needs of people where it will have the most impact – in their neighborhoods. One of our partners, Jobs for Life, will utilize their sites to help address the underlying issues creating unemployment.

We know that satisfying work has the ability to restore dignity, build communities, and reduce crime.

We are excited to see so many people working together for the good of helping people.

The will meet the needs of people where it will have the most impact – in their neighborhoods.

The post BETTER Work Network is Growing in Columbus appeared first on For Opportunity.

Working to more quickly connect our communities to work.

In efforts to better address the needs of the unemployed in our communities, we have taken an evolving learning approach to how we support those in need. Not only are we looking to learn from those in need, but we also listen to the business and service providers that are vital to the success of programs like BETTER WORK (formerly Hiring Well, Doing Good). This has led to the rebranding of the project () but has also helped us as we create tools and align resources.

We are excited because this week we launched our in the Gwinnett County and Columbus areas that we serve. Through this resource, we are able to help remove many of the obstacles that people may face to finding employment and connect them directly to businesses hiring people in their situation.

“BETTER WORK is helping people connect more quickly and directly into jobs and providing additional resources to help those who are motivated prepare for better work opportunities in the future. When everyone is able to find the right resources, attain safe housing, and find gainful employment, we will experience less poverty, less crime, and greater prosperity across our communities.”

Kristin Barker
BETTER WORK Columbus

Through the job application resource, users will be able to quickly answer a few questions and apply for multiple jobs in their area. Local businesses also benefit because they have helped us craft the questions on the application itself. This means they know that each applicant meets their specific criteria to start working.

A great example is someone coming out of the prison system. Oftentimes returning citizens looking for work may only be able to work nights and weekends due to family and child needs. With our new resource, we can connect these individuals directly to an employer willing to hire returning citizens that offer nights and weekend work. Thus we alleviate the barriers workers face trying to find the right work. And we support our local economies through local businesses.

Work is a vital step in helping people feel a sense of purpose, belonging, and responsibility to themselves, their family, and their communities. It is why we constantly say that work is “more than a job”. This new tool will help remove another barrier faced by workers and will drive more people to independent and flourishing lives.

The post BETTER WORK adds direct-to-business job applications appeared first on For Opportunity.

By Kristin Barker

The year 2020 has been difficult for everyone. It has caused organizations and businesses to pivot from their planned strategies and shift quickly to identify new ones. It has forced individuals to find new career paths and create new support structures. It’s kept us from our families and isolated us from the communities we are used to counting on. In short, it has been one tough year.

It has been the most difficult year I have seen over my lifetime. But I will say it has also been inspiring. I have been inspired by the ability of our community and its leaders to come together. Leadership in Columbus has been able to connect in new and sometimes surprising ways to support and meet continually changing needs.��

Betsy Covington at the Community Foundation and Ben Moser at United Way acted very early in the year to coordinate COVID Response calls to keep Columbus connected, positive, and focused throughout much of this crisis year. Their efforts and the efforts of others to join hands and find out-of-the-box solutions in the moment has been very encouraging.

While seeing these efforts gives hope to myself and (I’m sure) to others, our Hiring Well, Doing Good (HWDG) partners also know there will be many additional challenges to address and emerging issues to tackle in the future. We began to talk about the shifts that were happening with our own efforts in Columbus. We heard about the new practices that our business and nonprofit partners were having to adopt and the heightened needs that continue to arise among the populations we serve.��

Our subcommittees began to ask, “What can we learn from our ability to pivot in 2020 that will allow us to react more effectively and responsively in 2021?” This question led us to develop a series of events focused on The Changing COVID Workforce.��

Our first event in this series will be held on January 21, 2021. This event will address During this event we examine the labor-supply gaps that exist and look at business policies and practices that impact workforce participation. This discussion will set the stage for later events and will consider the need for possible shifts in training and hiring practices.��

Our second event in the series will be on March 24 and will examine how we leverage our community assets to mitigate the impact of COVID. Betsy Covington and Ben Moser are going to speak during this event and help us think through what our community did really well in 2020. We will discuss how we can leverage what we have learned to navigate 2021 and to improve our community in the future. The final event on May 19 will focus on maintaining the strength of our workforce.

All three of these discussions will help us prepare to successfully repair our local economy in light of the COVID-related adjustments we have been forced to make along the way. We need to be sure that businesses (large and small) can prosper while keeping all people in our community safe and avoiding as much collateral damage from this virus as possible.��

There are also some existing issues that COVID has shined a light on. In comparison to other areas of the country, Columbus has very low average wages. This has created a situation locally where national stimulus efforts may harm our local economy disproportionately. In some cases, businesses have shared that their challenges in hiring additional labor have hamstrung their efforts to produce at scale or accept additional contracts. In other cases, employers have had to scale down production due to workforce restrictions. These situations open up an essential conversation about both average and living wages in Columbus, because it’s important for everyone to earn enough to support their families.

Ultimately, I see a heart at work in our community that is something I don’t believe you can find everywhere. There is a genuine and pervasive desire to work together for the common good. This is something special about Columbus, and I believe the Changing COVID Workforce event series will allow us to take greater advantage of our outstanding community spirit.

Register Now

The post How to Take Away Something Positive from the COVID Crisis appeared first on For Opportunity.

We must begin to see past our biases and speak life into those who have fallen.

I recently had a mini-awakening. We were interviewing a young man who was a convicted felon. He was given a second chance to move into a job about one year ago with a company full of champions who were able to recognize his immense on-the-job potential early on. They continue to outwardly encourage him, help him as he maps out his future path, and openly show him their appreciation. The support he receives from his managers and the Human Resources team is phenomenal. But I knew this going in.

This was not the awakening. The company is Columbus Water Works in Columbus, GA. As a core company value, they believe in providing great opportunities and giving second chances. This is not because the business itself is looking to gain, although it does gain a lot, but because their corporate culture encourages this as the right thing to do. This company is a partner in part because of this important core value that we share, so this was also no surprise to me. This was not the awakening.

As Kevin spoke about responsibility, he also shared his desire to influence others so they would begin see that opportunity does exist. As he continued, I saw a spark ignite in his eyes.

When he shared how he will encounter someone at a gas station and encourage him or her not to give up, it was clear that his influence on the community that surrounds him is a direct extension of the individuals who have nurtured and encouraged him since his incarceration. The responsibility he feels to share what he knows from his own experience is more valuable than any economic equation can measure. What he now knows without a shadow of a doubt is that there is hope and that he has value!

Our communities need to understand and appreciate Kevin and others like him. We must begin to see past our biases and speak life into those who have fallen. The poverty of community is just as important (if not more important) than economic poverty, and the butterfly effect I am describing is always at play either in a positive or in a negative way.

Every one of us decides daily who we will lift up and who we will allow to continue to fall. We choose every day whether we will contribute to the strength of our community by respecting and showing that respect to the weakest of our neighbors. The alternative is to fail to speak hope and to perpetuate hopelessness. As a result, this weakens our communities. 

If we, collectively, determine to see the value that is inherent in others and begin to express this belief proactively and personally in an open and vulnerable way, the same spark that I saw in Kevin today will begin to catch fire in others who have no hope. Our communities will grow stronger and healing will follow. 

As for me, I am thankful. I am thankful for the opportunity to meet Kevin and to hear his story. I am thankful to learn from his experience. I am also thankful to know the great leaders at Columbus Water Works who live their corporate values on the job every day. Above all, I am thankful to live in a community where potential is abundant, people generally support one another, and opportunities abound for most. My greatest hope is that tomorrow, those opportunities will abound for all!

EMPLOYMENT RESOURCES

SYSTEMIC WELFARE IN GEORGIA: PART 1 THE CASE FOR REFORM

In the first paper of our three-part series presenting a vision for systemic welfare reform in Ģ����Ƶ, we explore the need for a welfare system that starts with the assumption that natural support systems, including individual work and a reliance on family and community assistance, should be the primary sources of help when individuals face financial need. This report demonstrates how the current system does not meet these assumptions and points to the need for reform.

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SYSTEMIC WELFARE IN GEORGIA: PART 2 PRINCIPLES AND FRAMEWORK FOR REFORM

In the second paper of our three-part series presenting a vision for systemic welfare reform in Ģ����Ƶ, we explore the new system as we imagine it could be, give guiding principles, provide a general framework for how the reformed system can function, and establish preliminary steps needed to implement the vision.

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SYSTEMIC WELFARE IN GEORGIA: PART 3 HOW THE NEW SYSTEM WILL WORK

In the third and final paper of our three-part series presenting a vision for systemic welfare reform in Ģ����Ƶ, we propose the creation of new, consolidated program modules (including their structure, design, and expected outcomes) to replace current, disjointed programs. We go on to present a structure Ģ����Ƶ’s governor and executive agencies could adopt to effectively and in relatively short order implement a reformed system.

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A REAL SOLUTION FOR HEALTH INSURANCE AND MEDICAL ASSISTANCE REFORM

Medical assistance programs have long needed reforms to address high prices and lack of access. Despite the fact that federal policy tends to dominate medical assistance programs, states do have some flexibility to enact reforms. This study explores how states – and particularly Ģ����Ƶ – have flexibility and can experiment with Medicaid, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to improve access, lower costs, and streamline the system to better serve those in need of assistance.

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HIRING WELL, DOING GOOD IN GEORGIA

Ģ����Ƶ has suffered from higher unemployment rates and lower high school graduation rates than the national average for many years. This report takes a look at the trends driving those problems and the potential solutions, including apprenticeships, that could lead to greater economic mobility for young adults.

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