“I had the support of everyone in that office, encouraging me and helping me move forward in and realize my potential,” Hawk said.

In what now seems like a moment of synchronicity, IFC found a stray business card from Employment Services and decided to give the county a call. They were in need of an assistant to deal with mounting workload, and hadn’t had much success finding candidates in the past.

They worked with Employment Services to come up with a list, and after interviews, Kelly ended up at the top.

“There were lots of great candidates and Kelly was a perfect fit,” said Garrett Konrad, IFC’s co-owner and partner.

The process, he said, was “easy,” from getting candidates in his email inbox for review to scheduling interviews. “I'm sure that there's others in the program that would be a great fit for other employers.”

Hawk is loving her new role and carries her business cards around like a badge of honor, having discovered a newfound passion for networking.

“It’s looking like a very promising, long-lasting career,” she said. Her family has a home and her son is back at school. “We are thriving and doing so much better because of the program.”

Heather Davis describes herself as “broken” when she began to work with Employment Services.

This was both figurative and literal: A victim of domestic violence, Davis had been forced to leave her home and her job, taking her two children to a shelter. Her confidence had been shattered both by the experience and by some of the physical injuries she’d received, including damage to her teeth.

“I was in a really tough spot,” she said.

Getting connected with a case manager allowed her to set incremental goals. She began to take some of the “Get Hired” workshops hosted by the county and Placer School for Adults - and after working a bit through WEX, eventually landed one part-time job and then another. The Housing Support program, in partnership with local nonprofit AMI Housing, helped her find a new home, and assisted with rent for the first few months as she got back on her feet. And her case manager even helped her connect with a dental provider who was able to repair her teeth.

Now, Davis is smiling.

She spends a few days a week helping at Team Giving in Auburn, a nonprofit that connects volunteers with volunteer opportunities. Davis manages their calendar and keeps track of email lists other outreach tools. It’s the first time she’s had a desk job in years, but initial nerves have given way to a sense of satisfaction and purpose.

“I've never worked for nonprofits in my life and now I'm working for two of them. It's just a way to be able to give back,” she said.

Davis and Hawk are two of many Employment Services clients who celebrated their journeys at a recent ceremony. View pictures from the event below (click to scroll). To learn more, or connect with the Employment Services team as a potential client or employer, visit their website.