MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Participants in JVS’ WoMentoring Program
Make Changes in Own Lives to Benefit Others

Imagine being a single mother. Or someone who left everything behind to come to America. Or spending years of your life in school to learn a certain field only to discover its not fulfilling. Or having someone close to you being diagnosed with a severe disease. The women in JVS’ WoMentoring program have not only dealt with these challenges, but with the help of professional mentors, have turned them into opportunities to help others through new careers. Their accomplishments will be celebrated at a special luncheon on Monday, June 16 starting at noon. Wendi Knox, a former ad executive who designed ground-breaking campaigns for Honda and Acura among others, will be the event’s special guest speaker. Now a consultant on brands that are designed for and speak to women, she’s also created her own line of products called Oh My Goddess, which include books, cards and gifts based on her watercolor paintings.

JVS’ WoMentoring program has helped hundreds of women increase their job skills, network, establish career paths and discover new job opportunities. Each participant is paired with a mentor from the same professional field for one year, with whom she meets on a monthly basis. Both mentors and mentees undergo training on how to maximize the partnership.

“Women today already face many challenges in the workplace. But the women in this year’s WoMentoring program have dealt with things that would make most of us run and hide. Yet they’ve been able to use those difficulties to find what they really want to do in life. That’s what this program is all about,” said JVS COO and WoMentoring founder Claudia Finkel.

After losing her mother to a little known disease called neuropathy, and having to care for her uncle, Lisa Gilman decided she wanted to become an advocate for the condition. With the help of her mentor, Diane Schneider, who works with Executive Service Corps, an organization which helps nonprofits establish their boards, Lisa explored various options such as starting a new nonprofit, working with an existing organization, and soliciting help from influential people. She has been able to get her message across to several media outlets already.

Kathleen Taylor spent years in the microbiology field doing scientific research. But while working on a project, she became interested in public health and education. Wanting to be able to address the disparity she saw in the health sector, she decided to become involved with non-profits and other community organizations where she could help. Her mentor Shoshana Hirsh, COO for the Jewish Student Union, gave her the skills and guidance she needed to transition into the field.

A single mother, Teresa Dillard has had to cope with severe illness in her family and numerous geographic relocations. Stressed and working in a variety of temporary positions, she came to WoMentoring looking for stable and permanent employment that would also offer her the chance to move up the career ladder and support her family. With the help of her mentor, Nooshin Nathan, herself a former mentee and now Director of Human Resources at Plastpro Incorporated, Teresa has been able to prepare an effective resume and has been on several promising job interviews.

Funded by Union Bank and the Powell Family, WoMentoring aims to help participants achieve at least one career milestone -- such as a promotion, completion of a training program, obtaining a key interview or landing a job in their field of choice. If you are interested in becoming a mentor or mentee, please contact Bobbi Yanke at 818-464-3222 or Rachelle Cohn at 323-761-8888 x8876.

For more than 75 years, JVS has enhanced hundreds of thousands of lives with vital employment and career services. Each year, JVS helps more than 24,000 people through 18 locations around the Southland. A non-profit, non-sectarian organization, JVS works with city, state and county agencies to ensure everyone has access to the help they need, including career professionals, at-risk students, people with disabilities and newly arrived immigrants. For more information on JVS’ range of programs, please visit www.jvsla.org.

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