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Helping the Backbone of Our Economy: Anheuser-Busch Donates Money for Innovative Employment Programs at St. Patrick Center


WEBWIRE

$600,000 Gift Includes Support for Small Business Development

ST. LOUIS .- At a time when President Barack Obama is urging Americans to earn certification in order to seek higher levels of employment, Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc. is supporting these efforts with a $600,000 gift to St. Patrick Center that will help fund innovative employment programs.

The Anheuser-Busch gift will benefit St. Patrick Center’s Employment Enhancement Program and help fund the BEGIN Training & Education Center.

“BEGIN stands for ‘Businesses,’ ‘Employment,’ ‘Growth,’ Incomes’ and ‘Neighborhoods.’ Most importantly, BEGIN changes lives and creates meaningful opportunities,” said Dan Buck, CEO of St. Patrick Center. “We thank Anheuser-Busch for recognizing how St. Patrick Center’s employment programs truly provide life-changing assistance for our homeless and poor neighbors.”

“This gift is about helping people achieve success,” said Dave Peacock, president of Anheuser-Busch and a St. Patrick Center board member. “It’s about supporting job skills and training programs that can make a profound difference in peoples’ lives. St. Patrick Center’s employment programs, such as its BEGIN Training & Education Center, enable men and women to learn critical skills needed on the job, to earn certification by completing vocational training and to seek higher grades of employment. Anheuser-Busch is a proud supporter.”

The BEGIN Center also includes a small business incubator and was built through a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce. It is housed on the fourth floor of St. Patrick Center’s downtown agency. Incubator space is available to startup and early-stage companies that would benefit from individualized assistance and low-cost, state-of-the-art facilities.

. “During tough economic times, such corporate gifts are even more necessary and greatly appreciated,” Buck said.

St. Patrick Center is Missouri’s largest provider of homeless services, assisting more than 9,000 individuals and their families annually through 28 employment, housing and mental health programs.

In addition to The BEGIN Center, the Anheuser-Busch gift will also help support a comprehensive set of employment programs: McMurphy’s Grill; the Job Experience Training (JET) program; the Building Employment Skills for Tomorrow (BEST) program; and City Seeds Urban Farm.

According to Buck, these employment programs provide the following job readiness and job skills training:

* Employability skills: Clients create resumes, practice interviewing and come to understand and exhibit proper on-the-job conduct. Learning takes place in job-readiness classes and job-skills training programs.
* Training & certifications: Clients who need to acquire or improve job skills meet with the agency’s employment specialists to explore training options based on education, experience, interests and aptitudes.
* Employment placements: Clients receive referrals to employers with whom St. Patrick Center maintains relationships. Staff members and volunteers from the business community help clients complete job applications and coach them on how they might address possible interview questions.
* Career advancements: Employment specialists make follow-up calls to clients’ employers at 30, 60, 90, 180 days and one year after placements. They also assist clients who wish to pursue further training or job upgrades.



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