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\~I_"~~ <br />~ s <br />~~~~ <br />LA.G.O, <br />To: South Bend Redevelopment Committee <br />~~ ~ <br />Date: February 1 1, 2010 <br />V.C w~ lrZ.- 1 c ~~.~'~~ <br />U.S.A. <br />AFFILIATED NETWORK <br />Re: IAGO/Youth Build South Bend <br />Youth Training and Education Program <br />This request is in response to the conversation with several of the members of the Redevelopment Board regarding <br />programs designed to assist out of work young aduks (age ] 6-24 yrs old) and ones lacking their secondary <br />education attainment of either a Diploma or GED, and lacking job readiness certifications and skills needed to <br />obtain gainful employment throughout South Bend's urban areas. <br />YouthBuild South Bend is an affiliate of the national program YouthBuild USA. YouthBuild USA has been <br />assisting young adults attain their secondary education and construction skills since 1978. The program's national <br />recognition has put us in line for multiple streams of federal dollars. <br />Because IAGO Inc (Initiatives Achieving Goals Outstanding) has been successfully providing skills such as resume <br />writing, job interview preparation, mentoring opportunities with local business men and women, and tutoring <br />programs to youth throughout the St Joseph area for the last 7 years, we felt the combined efforts of the two <br />programs would be an unstoppable force for good for our youth. <br />Because we now offer certification programs with management level skills, we not only prepare our youth to go and <br />get a job, we teach them how to create employment opportunities for themselves and others. Thus widening the <br />market for their employable skills. <br />We are asking that you review our request for assistance in the amount of $108,300.00 to implement the <br />YouthBuild South Bend program. <br />We are aware that a request for the full amount of funding set aside for urban renewal ($350,000.00) has been <br />requested by one local organization ah~eady. However, we ask that before you release all the funding to that one <br />organization, you consider the good that our organization can bring to the table. <br />We ask that you look at the ability of our program to be self sustaining in a very short period of time, because we <br />have chosen career training avenues that are in demand, we ask that you note the potential for our graduates to <br />obtain meaningful employment that will help them care for themselves and their families in a very real way, we ask <br />that you see the potential for the South Bend housing market to receive a nice "face lift" because of the aggressive <br />efforts of our program participants in the construction area, to refurbish worn out housing in low income areas. <br />For those and many other reasons, we ask that you consider using a portion of the urban revitalization funding to <br />assist with the implementation of our Youth Build <br />South Bend. program. <br />Thank you for the opportunity to introduce our program to you. Hopeful}y, it can make it's way onto your calendar <br />for consideration. <br />You may contact me at 574-532-0499 or by email at ~aradiseindiana~a <iol.co~n. <br />Sincer y, <br />L da C er, ABR, CFHC <br />Director <br />3419 W. Washington 3t.. South Bend. IIP.46619.574-b32-0499 ph.S74-235-3706 vm.8[ <br />