The Village Called Malden!

Over the summer, TFS once again had the privilege of participating in Mayor Christenson’s Summer Youth Employment Program (MYSEP) to provide a summer job placement to a Malden teen.  This program which allows teens to be able to gain valuable work experience as well as give them some income to help themselves and in some cases their families.

This year, we were approached to host a student from the Malden High School Practical Academics and Community Education Program for the five week program.   As we had been working for the past several years with the students in this program, it was a natural fit for us and we were looking forward to having the student begin work.

Unfortunately, it became apparent during the first week, that transportation was an issue for this student.  At one point, it looked as if he might not be able to continue unless he got transportation to and from our location.  This student who, like many Malden High School students, had overcome some unbelievable obstacles to stay in school and be a part of the MYSEP program.   Therefore, I was not going to let transportation be an issue.  Additionally, with one phone call to the village known as Malden it quickly became clear that others felt the same way.

 It was through the collaboration of different agencies involved with the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program that we made sure this deserving teen would not miss the opportunity to continue his summer job experience.

The Malden “village” that I am speaking of consisted of TFS employees, Kelli Collomb-Malden High School ‘s Pathways Internship and Transition Coordinator, Karen Cólon Hayes, Community Outreach Manager and most importantly of all, Malden Transportation.  Once we collectively decided that this student deserved and wanted to continue in the MYSEP program the transportation issue was solved. 

So, I write this to thank everyone involved who helped to make sure this student completed his first placement in a summer job.  As the saying goes “it takes a village to raise a child”, well I can attest that in Malden demonstrate this concept all the time!