NEBA chosen as Commonwealth Corps host site

Date: 8/28/2014

SPRINGFIELD – New England Business Associates (NEBA) has announced it has been chosen to be one of 16 Commonwealth Corps host site partners.

Administered by the Massachusetts Service Alliance, the Commonwealth Corps engages Massachusetts residents of all ages and backgrounds in service to strengthen communities, address unmet community needs and increase volunteerism.

NEBA will host four Commonwealth Corps members to work with out of work parents and people with disabilities to improve their job search, interviewing, and career exploration skills.

“We are so pleased to have been chosen as a Commonwealth Corps host site,” Jeannine Pavlak, executive director of NEBA, said. “The addition of these four volunteers will enable NEBA to assist more individuals obtain employment, build assets and become self-sustaining.”

Since 1983, NEBA has helped people find and maintain competitive employments. The Commonwealth Corps volunteers will strengthen Nela work by providing one-on-one help to job seekers and will help NEBA build capacity by recruiting additional volunteers. NEBA was one of only four host sites selected this year in the state.

Since its inception, nearly 850 Commonwealth Corps members have served in the program throughout the state, providing more than 500,000 hours of service in areas such as community development, health services, benefits screenings, afterschool or summer programs, and volunteer recruitment and management, directly benefiting approximately 500,000 individuals. No other state in the country has a service corps program focused solely on state residents.

Massachusetts has a long history of engaging individuals of all ages and backgrounds in service and volunteerism. The desire to serve and be part of a solution continues to grow each year,” Emily Haber, CEO of the Massachusetts Service Alliance, said, “We are excited and proud to support these 16 host site partners whose Commonwealth Corps members will meet pressing local needs and strengthen our communities as they develop civic leadership skills that can last a lifetime.”

2014-2015 Commonwealth Corps members will serve for 10.5 months in a stipended full-time or half-time capacity with one of the 16 selected host site partners in focus areas of economic opportunity/workforce development, education, or youth development, from Aug. 14 to June 27, 2015. Corps members provide direct service, build capacity, and recruit, organize and mobilize additional volunteers, thus building a grassroots movement of volunteers dedicated to service. The Commonwealth Corps has a dual focus on members’ impact in their organizations and communities and on members’ own growth and development.

NEBA combines innovation with proven experience to help individuals with disabilities or other barriers reach their employment goals. NEBA’s programs include supported employment, self-employment, job skills training, and post-secondary education. NEBA is committed to helping each individual it serves realize their full potential. To learn more about NEBA, visit www.nebaworks.com.

The Massachusetts Service Alliance, established in 1991, is a private, nonprofit organization that serves as the state commission on community service and volunteerism. The Massachusetts Service Alliance invests in community-based organizations and institutions that rely upon volunteers and people engages in service to meet their community’s needs.

Through investing, convening, advocating and building capacity, the Massachusetts Service Alliance develops and supports programs like AmeriCorps and Commonwealth Corps that incorporate service and volunteerism as effective strategies to address the pressing needs of the Commonwealth. To learn more about the Massachusetts Service Alliance’s role across the state, visit www.mass-service.org or www.massvolunteers.org.