On April 12th, we will be scooping up free cones at our Ben & Jerry’s PartnerShops as part of National Free Cone Day. But, thanks to the support of some special businesses and individuals, we’ll also be raising funds to support our job training and workforce development programs! The 6th Annual Scoop-A-Thon brings together “Scooper Heroes” in our community who are dedicated to ensuring that youth learn the skills they need to find employment and lead independent lives. Whether they mentor the youth we serve, provide internships and employment, support our programs financially or work to engage others in our efforts, they are truly heroes for at-risk and homeless youth in our community.
The Standard is one of those Scooper Heroes, and Erin Gorsline is not only one of their valued employees but she’s also on our Board of Directors. We asked Erin to reflect on her first job experience and why she and The Standard are committed to being part of the solution to ending youth homelessness.
Tell us about your first job . . .
My first paid job was to cut and plate desserts at a very busy restaurant down the street from where I lived in Toronto, Ontario Canada. I was in 9th grade and worked there on Friday and Saturday evenings. They were very well known for fantastic desserts –carrot cake, fudge cake, cheesecakes, etc so Friday and Saturday evenings were very busy shifts. I learned several important things in this job – how to balance multiple things at once (multiple waiters running past you yelling out their orders – 2 strawberry cheesecakes and 1 éclair!!), how to stay centered when it feels like chaos around you and how to work effectively with lots of different personalities.
Why does the Standard support the Scoop-A-Thon?
Practical work experience is critical to future job success – being able to learn new skills and continuously improve those that you already have a grasp on is important for gaining positions of higher responsibility and increasing your earning potential. New Avenues’ programs and businesses do just that – they provide excellent experiences for youth and help to make them even more marketable to other employers. As a local employer, we’re thankful for New Avenues’ helping to create talented and skilled potential employees for us and other local employers!
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