Ivory Snow, Chief Administrative Officer at St. Leonard’s Ministry had her first interaction with a Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) Participant about five years ago. “I was an HR Director at the time and had just entered our wellness center when I was greeted by a gentlemen at the front desk. He was the first one to greet me and I learned he was a SCSEP participant. That’s when I heard about the work the program does helping to reintegrate seniors into the workforce.” Since then, Ivory has hosted many SCSEP participants at St. Leonard’s Ministry throughout the years.
St. Leonard’s Ministry works with returning citizens as they transition into new lives. “It gets very busy around here and very high pace, but Miss Dee [SCSEP participant] is the first point of contact. She’s so even tempered and brings such calmness to our team and to our organization. We’re big on respect, big on dignity, and big on being kind. So it’s important to have someone at our front desk that exhibits those things. She’s such a kind, compassionate person,” says Ivory. She goes on to mention how as the first point of contact for many clients of the ministry, the value that SCSEP participants bring to the organization is critical.
As we continue to celebrate National Employ Older Workers Week, Ivory had this to say to organizations and employers who may be unaware of the key benefits of working with seniors. “Be open to creating space for the aging population to feel valued and to feel important….in this labor market it’s been difficult to find and retain good talent. I’ve been in HR for 20 years, and the folks in this program are so grateful and dependable. They show up and show up with the right attitude. There is so much value in that. Even if you just look at them as the model you want for your workforce, it’ll trickle down. So, the return on investment is absolutely worth it.”
