"Rise And Shine" Enjoys Splendid Debut

Article Date: Tuesday, September 29, 2009

The “Rise and Shine” volunteer team included, front from left, Denise Hargrove, Jackie Hughes, Donna Rutala, Diane Tindall, Mary Nash Rusher and Cindy Pittard. Back row, Susan Pollitt, Dana Hoffman, Emily Wessel Farr, Susan Burkhart, Marguerite Scheley, Louise Paglen and Judge Christine Walczyk.

It didn’t take long for members of the Women in the Profession Committee of the North Carolina Bar Association to realize they were onto something special last week during their first “Rise and Shine” program to assist disadvantaged women who are searching for employment.

The only question that remains is who benefited most, the women who participated in the two-night program or the volunteers who conducted the event.

Either way, this truly was a win-win situation for the volunteer attorneys and 28 women who received extensive training, advice and instruction during the event.

The rewards were immediate for both parties: within days two of the participants had already attended a job fair and secured employment. Here’s to hoping that the same success story is replicated by all of the participants.

“Rise and Shine” debuted Sept. 21-22 in Raleigh with outstanding support from Urban Ministries of Wake County, which operates the Helen Wright Center for Women, and the First Baptist Church of Raleigh which hosted the event.

The women who participated in the event are current and former residents of the women’s center.

“I was delighted to share the news about the two women who found jobs right away,” said Diane Tindall who chairs the Women in the Profession Committee. “We are hoping that we can do this again, especially if we find out that it works, and try to do it in different places as well.”

Tindall credited Mary Nash Rusher for taking the lead role in securing the invaluable support of the First Baptist Church, and cited the exemplary efforts of Jackie Hughes, Cindy Pittard and Donna Rutala.

“Mary Nash Rush had the contact with First Baptist Church that made it all happen: the space, transportation, all of their facilities and support from IT who helped us set up the computers, all of which helped tremendously.”

The volunteer team also included Denise Hargrove, Susan Pollitt, Dana Hoffman, Emily Wessel Farr, Susan Burkhart, Marguerite Scheley, Louise Paglen, Judge Christine Walczyk, Judge Susan Taylor, Mary Williams, Evonne Hopkins, Mary Wells, Suzanne Chester and Melinda Burrows.

Amanda Blue of Urban Ministries of Wake County, left, accepts check from Diane Tindall.

“Rise and Shine” was formulated in response to then-President Charles Becton’s charge to NCBA sections and committees to establish injustice initiatives in 2008-09. It centers on female members of the bar working with disadvantaged women in need of employment to help them develop the basic tools and skills they will need to effectively compete for jobs.

“Things that most of us would take for granted, such as filling out an online job application, present a real barrier for many of these women,” Tindall said. “But in so many instances, the companies where they are applying only accept online applications.”

To assist in this regard, volunteers brought their own laptops to the event and helped participants familiarize themselves with the Internet and establish e-mail accounts which enable them to better communicate with potential employers.

All aspects of the application and interviewing process were discussed at length, as were the basics of employment law, criminal law, background checks and local employment resources.

Students from the Campbell University School of Law even volunteered to provide fashion shows for the participants so as to provide insight as to what to wear and what not to wear during the interview process and thereafter.

Afterward, participants selected from clothing donations which had been collected from lawyers and law firms in the weeks preceding the event.

“The event was very successful and very well received from the perspective of our shelter residents,” said Anne Burke, executive director for Urban Ministries of Wake County. “We were thrilled that two of the women already have jobs as a result of the event.”

Thanks to the generous donations of food which were served both nights, a surplus of $400 in cash donations remained after the event. These funds were donated to the Helen Wright Center for Women.

Program sponsors included Talecris Biotherapeutics, Harris Teeter, Pepperidge Farm and Cafe Carolina. Also providing valuable contributions were Pat Bryan of the Christian Women’s Job Corps and Blanche Berkowitz of the NCBA Paralegal Division, which helped with the food and drink.

Future developments regarding “Rise and Shine” will be determined in the coming months by the Women in the Profession Committee.

“Our next step is to get the subcommittee to gather all of the materials from this event, everything that we can get our hands on that people can use,” Tindall concluded. “We want to develop a tool kit that anybody could use to put together a similar program anywhere in the state.”