Partners for Success

Affiliated Agencies

(NEFWC) assists migrant and seasonal farm workers and their families, as well as other low-income groups, with fuel assistance, employment, job skills and job search training to end poverty and social dependency.

Corporation for Public Management

seeks solutions to welfare dependency, chronic joblessness and illiteracy. It also focuses on providing services to those with physical and developmental disabilities.

Corporation for Justice Management

is a leader in community-based offender re-entry services to reduce recidivism and address public safety. Its community corrections programs stress respect, motivation and individualized programming for participants.

New England Partners in Faith

works to provide sustainable development and capacity- building to small, faith-based organizations.

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Making a Difference in our Communities

Below are some stories about real people whose lives have been transformed with the help of programs and services from Partners for Community and its affiliates and, most importantly, through their own hard work.

WIA Youth Take Junior Achievement Challenge

Press Release:

On Wednesday, May 5^th Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts held its second Student Business Plan Challenge. Students from the New England Farm Worker Youth Program, Easthampton High School and Minnechaug Regional High School, completed JA’s newest program, JA Be Entrepreneurial, and then competed in the JA Student Business Plan Challenge. The program was funded by a joint grant from the MassMutual Young Professional Society (YPS) and Latino ERGs.

Five students from the New England Farm Workers Youth program worked with JA President, Jennifer Connolly to learn about entrepreneurship and prepare for the competition. In addition to the PowerPoint presentation, the students created a one-minute video ad and a video pitch for investors. The students formed a company, Nature Fresh, and developed an innovative product, the Scented Aquaterrium, that brought together fresh scents, color, light, fish and plants in beautiful vases. Members of Nature Fresh include Jose Bermudez, Jacqueline Calabrese, Marelyn Escalera, Yanitzie Gore, and Jaqueline Hull. Nature Fresh was supported by Ana West, from the New England Farm Workers Youth Program.

The competition was fierce and the businesses were innovative and well presented. In the end, the Panelists, students and audience selected Nature Fresh as the winner of the competition. There was a tie for second between Mighty 8 from Easthampton High and Skalbite Farm from Minnechaug Regional High School. The top presenters received a certificate and a gift card.

From Giving Up to Giving Back

Yarlene Sanchez portrait photo When Yarlene Sanchez was 16, she had just about given up on herself and her future. She was pregnant and had dropped out of school in the 10th grade because she needed help understanding the material and didn’t see any help offered. She happened to see a flyer for the WIA Youth program in a window and decided that it could be the second chance she needed to make a life for herself and her new family.

Yarlene enrolled in the program in December of 2005 and started preparing to earn her GED by studying on the AnyWhere Learning System available at the program. She was so determined change her life that she first tried to take her GED exam while she was going into labor. She didn’t succeed the first time but passed on her second attempt even while adjusting to life as a new mom.

Yarlene pouring soda at a WIA Youth event After earning her GED, Yarlene kept going. She completed a 12-hour Work Readiness Certificate Program and started volunteering at the busy NEFWC office. Her commitment and dedication paid off and Yarlene was finally hired part-time as an office assistant. Soon she was able to obtain her drivers’ license and enrolled at Holyoke Community College, where she has started working toward an Associate’s degree.

In July of 2007, Yarlene was hired as a full-time NEFWC case manager. She now works with youth who are in the same position she was in just over four years ago, tutoring them in writing and math, and bringing them to college fairs and career centers.

“Her dedication and enthusiasm were what impressed us most. Even with two kids, she still finds energy to volunteer or to stay late if someone needs her help. I don’t know how she does it,” says Ana West, the WIA Youth program coordinator.

Yarlene is now completely off public assistance and supports her mom and two daughters, as well as provides care and attention to the dozens of youth who come to the WIA program she now helps run.

Now at 21, Yarlene looks back on her decisions and can’t believe that she would abandon school or give up on herself so quickly, but she knows that she was a different person then. With support and trust of her colleagues, friends and family, the future finally looks bright.

Rowing Machines: Young Parents Find Support and Self-Esteem in an Unlikely Place

In the Corporation for Public Management's Young Parents Program, participants are often learning new things, even new vocabulary words, but in May of 2009, they were practically speaking a foreign language, quizzing each other on terms like feathering, square up, and weigh-enough.

This technical terminology was one of the last things the young women needed to learn before they were officially allowed out on the water of the Connecticut River as the Young Parents Program first-ever rowing team.

YPP teammates rowing on the Connecticut River “Feathering means place your oar up so it glides gently on the water. Squaring up means pleace your oar sideways. Weigh-enough is another word for stop what you are doing. Once we learned all the terms and the strokes, we only has one more thing to work on – being a team,” explains team member Kellyanne Hollingshead.

The group quickly learned that the terms and the strokes were easy compared to the teamwork needed to get a rowboat to move through the water.

The team quickly advanced through practice, trust and team-building, and this past August, actually competed in the Holyoke Regatta, racing teams from all around Massachusetts. The team had an impressive showing, coming in third place. But clearly, the young women had won just by participating.

The YPP rowing team and coaches smile for the camera “I felt so excited to see my family and friends cheering for me. I will never forget the great time I had on that day,” exclaims Nadine Amaro. “It was one of the best experiences of my life.”

“The support of all of the people who showed up was incredible,” says Hollinshead. The team earned medals and received flowers.

For the young parents, rowing taught lessons in both teamwork and self-confidence, lessons that clearly hit home.

“If I could tell other young parents about joining a team, I would tell them that they could learn many new things. Open your eyes to new opportunities and explore,” urges Biance Rivera.

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