Self Receives East Coast Support For Self-Sufficiency Program

BUTLER COUNTY – The Liz Claiborne Foundation in New York City has awarded Supports to Encourage Low-income Families (SELF) with a $10,000 renewal grant for its Project 2 Empower program, a case management program focused on employment and the overall financial stability of low-income Butler County residents.   The grant funds will support SELF’s efforts in West Chester and Liberty Township, where the company has a distribution facility.
 
Project 2 Empower strives to increase the level of self-sufficiency for “working poor” families in low-wage jobs who struggle to find ways to meet their daily living expenses. Through this program, SELF provides participants with an individualized support system designed to help them overcome barriers to increased income, higher education levels, and more stable living situations. More specifically, Project 2 Empower focuses on helping individuals to improve their employment opportunities through education, vocational counseling and other resources.
 
In 2007, 67% of Project 2 Empower participants achieved at least two of their goals within a twelve month period of joining the program. 
 
Many of them have also obtained job-specific training or education which will increase their earning potential and job opportunities in the future.  Annually, SELF assists about 45 households in West Chester and Liberty Townships. 
“The Liz Claiborne Foundation has been an integral part of the Project 2 Empower program’s success in West Chester and Liberty Townships,” says Jeffrey Diver, executive director of SELF.  “In fact, the Foundation was one of the first funders of the program more than three years ago.”
“We are proud to support SELF's efforts to fulfill the goals of low-income families by providing them with the appropriate resources to sustain a secure financial future,” explains Jane Randel, Vice President, Corporate Communications, Liz Claiborne Inc. “As a corporation, we have long been committed to the wellbeing and vitality of the communities in which our associates live and work.”  
The program is also supported by the Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty Township, the Butler County United Way, and the United Way of Greater Cincinnati, upon recommendation of its Middletown area volunteers. 
SELF accepts donations to further its mission to empower low-income individuals to achieve, sustain and advocate self-sufficiency. For more information on SELF or how you can support its community efforts, please call the agency at 513-868-9300 or visit www.selfhelps.org.

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