‘Getting Ahead’ graduation set for Monday
Cooperative Christian Ministries and Clinic’s Bridges out of Poverty “Getting Ahead” program will soon graduate a total of four classes of individuals striving to move from poverty to self-reliance.
Four classes have successfully completed the program’s 16-week curriculum, CCMC said this week. Two “traditional” classes will be combined into one graduation ceremony that will be held at 6 p.m. Monday at First Baptist Church in Hot Springs.
Graduation for the other two classes that are part of Bridges out of Poverty’s “Getting Ahead While Getting Out” program will be held at the Garland County Detention Center around mid-December.
U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-District 4, of Hot Springs, recently recognized the program and Oaklawn Park, one of the businesses participating in hiring its graduates, from the floor of the U.S. House.
“I believe the No. 1 way to move people from poverty to self-reliance is not a government program. If we want to make a difference in the lives of the impoverished, we must help them find a pathway to employment,” Westerman said in his remarks, which were made on the House floor on Wednesday.
“In my hometown of Hot Springs, Ark., a nonprofit has taken this mission to heart. Cooperative Christian Ministries and Clinic works with disadvantaged residents to give them skills that will give them a step up in the workforce,” he said.
CCMC’s Bridges to Hope program has worked with employers in Hot Springs to put its graduates to work, “and it is seeing great success,” Westerman said.
Citing an article that appeared in The Sentinel-Record, Westerman singled out Oaklawn Park for its employment of four graduates of the program.
Eric Jackson, Oaklawn’s general manager, told the newspaper in late November that, 90 days after being hired, four graduates of the Bridges to Hope program who were employed by Oaklawn Park have a 100-percent success rate.
“Of all the things that I have seen trying to make a dent in poverty and assistance, I don’t think I’ve ever seen any quite as impressive as this,” Jackson said.
“The Bridges to Hope class graduated only 90 days ago, but its success is already resounding, as residents in the 4th Congressional District of Arkansas are finding satisfaction in self-reliance through employment. I thank Bridges to Hope for its work in my hometown, and I hope to see its efforts not only grow, but also be replicated. Because there is a better way to fight poverty, and it is still the best anti-poverty program of all time — a job,” Westerman said.
CCMC said in a news release that the two classes represent a total of 17 people who are “ready to begin living their new future life stories.” The groups were facilitated by Mike and Deby Prince.
First Baptist Church partnered with CCMC again this semester by offering meeting space, purchasing the curriculum, and making arrangements for meals each week for the participants and facilitators, the release said.
Additionally, First Baptist Church is hosting the graduation in its sanctuary for the third time.
“Getting Ahead curriculum provides a platform for those who want to take the steps and make the changes for building sustainable lives,” the release said.
“It is a rewarding experience to be involved in this program that changes lives,” Lynn Blankenship, CCMC executive director, said in the release.
“This 16-week curriculum puts the concepts, tools, and relationships in the hands of individuals to make a difference in their own lives and in the life of their community. The upcoming graduation will celebrate the accomplishment of the 13th and 14th Getting Ahead classes. We are very proud to be a part of all of the new future stories represented in these graduates. Congratulations to the graduates on their accomplishment,” Blankenship said.