Emily Rittenour grew up in a small town in southern Maryland. When she entered Maryland’s Salisbury University, she was not expecting to study social work, but ended up finding a true passion for the field after a very impactful volunteer experience. “I was actually an Environmental Law major to start with and I was planning…
Katy Dirks brings an integrated approach to her new position at Project Place. Katy is a substance abuse counselor and licensed mental health clinician (LMHC), as well as an experienced leader in fundraising, communications and events planning. She began her career with an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice Studies and went on to pursue a…
Project Place board member, Cathy Claflin, facilitates a therapeutic environment for her Life Skills enrichment workshop. Here, the aim is to identify personal challenges and then develop strategies to create what Cathy calls “good mental hygiene”. Participants share their challenges with the group and everyone listens attentively before offering encouragement, validation of each other’s feelings,…
Project Place’s Industry Internship Program (IIP) is the next phase in our workforce development model, after clients complete our Work Ready program. While some clients find employment directly after graduating from Work Ready, others benefit from advancing to our IIP program for further workplace skills training. In Work Ready, clients learn to develop resumes, write…
Tommy Walker and his fiancé and daughter posing with Mayor Walsh at Project Place’s 2017 Open Door Gala Photography by: Vail Fucci Six years ago, Tommy Walker was preparing for his release from prison. Today he lives in Boston with his fiancé and their three-year old daughter in their recently-purchased condo. He’s a successful construction project…
Tommy Walker, 2017 Peter Callaway Scholarship recipient, hands off this year’s award to Joli Sparkman Bayron Photography by: Vail Fucci Joli Sparkman Bayron works full-time as a reentry coordinator and case manager for Bethany House Ministries, helping men and women recently released from prison find treatment or job readiness programs, housing, and other critical support…
The night was short, it passed us by before we knew it, but we were able to hear so many powerful stories from both current students and alumni; those still forging ahead in spite of the many setbacks they’ve faced. Yolanda, Dexter, Tommy, and Joli are inspirational individuals that are beacons of how impactful the power…
April 8th through 12th marked this year’s Mental Wellness Week at Project Place. Staff and clients alike took a week to reflect on their mental health, finding time in the day to decompress and relax. Navigating the stress and finding the things that make you happy are important factors that contribute to success, both in…
Project Place was happy to have local Girl Scout Troop 82487 (aka The Daring Divas) help us assemble NavSacks for our reentry program. The goal of our NavSack project is to help individuals immediately after they are released from jail. Project Place intervenes in the reentry process, pre and post release, in order to provide…
As they begin their quests for job readiness, participants in our introductory Work Ready class are given a chance to try their hand at a mock job interview. Not only is the ability to effectively communicate a valuable skill that will be used in everyday life, but interviewees gain insight into the expectations of the…