Dougherty County Board of Commissioners District 6 Commissioner, Anthony Jones, and WorkSource Southwest Georgia, is teaming up to bring a Community Empowerment Event to the area on Thursday, February 20, 2020, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Albany High School building located at 801 W. Residence Avenue, in Albany.

Designed to empower Dougherty County and the surrounding counties with tools needed to succeed in life, this is the first of what commissioners and Work Source hope to be an annual event for the region. From educational and career opportunities, to mental health, disability benefits, and tools for employment, there is opportunity for all citizens to come out for this event to gain knowledge on ways to live better and contribute to the community.

“This event will offer resources for every citizen in Dougherty County,” said Anthony Jones, Commissioner in District 6 for the Dougherty County Board of Commissioners. “For those residents
of Dougherty County who feel like they can’t find a job, find financial stability, we invite you to come out and allow our vendors to help you in all these areas at the Community Empowerment Event on Thursday.”

Albany Technical College and Albany State University will have representatives available to speak with attendees on educational and career opportunities. Albany Tech will hold workshops on “Connecting the Dots Between Earning a GED and Career Pathways,” as well as a session entitled “Dual Enrollment Through the Technical College System of Georgia.” They will also have information for the Commercial Truck Driving (CDL) program offered at the college and many other programs available. Representatives with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) will be holding a workshop on “Trending Careers in Healthcare and WIOA Program Opportunities.”

“In order to create a strong and vital community that empowers the residents to optimize their potential, it is important to heighten the awareness of the numerous resources accessible to them,” said Melody Pierce, Executive Director for WorkSource Southwest.

The Dougherty County Law Library will hold a “Steps to Record Expungement” clinic and the Department of Community Supervision (DCS) will also be available to speak with residents who may have a criminal background on second chances. The Vocational Rehabilitation Group will have information available on disability benefits, while a representative from Synovus Bank will be available to speak with attendees on financial literacy, including topics such as “Credit Recovery” and “Home Ownership.”

A representative with Phoebe’s Network of Trust will be available with information on Health and Wellness, while ASPIRE Behavioral Health will have information on mental health. A session on “Employment Tools” will be shared by Yaz Media, the Department of Labor, and Goodwill Industries of the Southern Rivers. A representative from Open Arms will have information available on “Empowerment and Leadership.”

Representatives from the Census 2020 committee will have a booth available at the event to help citizens understand the importance of being “counted” as the upcoming Census approaches and why it is important for funding for our region.

For more information about this event, contact Commissioner Anthony Jones, District 6 for Dougherty County, at 229.344.8770 or Melody Pierce, Executive Director for WorkSource Southwest Georgia, at 229.336.2378.