Saturday, October 8, 2011

Last Kiss of Summer 8 Gala (Featured in the Georgetowner)

Mary Bird for the Georgetowner wrote the following article:

Debbie Rales, Ludy Green, who is President and founder of 2nd Chance and Event Chair, David Arkless.
(Photographer:  Neshan H. Naltchayan)
 
Left to right: Debbie Rales, Ludy Green, who is President and founder of Second Chance and Event Chair, David Arkless.
 
It is hard to believe that Last Kiss of Summer in support of Second Chance Employment Services recently held at The Four Seasons Hotel is the eighth such gala. ABC7/WJLA-TV anchor Alison Starling was master of ceremonies at an evening of silent and live auctions, dinner and dancing.  SCES Board Chair Ronald S. Perlman, M.D., hailed SCES as a “one stop show” to empower women. Ludy Green founded the non-profit organization in 2002 to promote financial security for at-risk women and their children through free and professional comprehensive employment training and placement services.  SCES has helped more than 3,000 women and placed more than 800 clients in meaningful long-term employment positions. Already serving clients nationwide from its D.C. base, SCES is opening sites in Palm Beach and Los Angeles.
 

 
(Photographer: Neshan H. Naltchayan featuring Dr. Ludy Green)

Friday, October 7, 2011

Suspected domestic abusers go free as Topeka city, county officials bicker over funds

Shockingly, the following article by By Liz Goodwin | The Lookout about Topeka's budget cuts which include stopping the prosecution of domestic violence cases, for now:


State capitol in Topeka (Thinkstock)

A bitter argument over money in Topeka, Kan., means that city and county authorities have neglected to prosecute or charge people suspected of domestic battery since Sept. 8.

In other words, the local justice system has spent a month effectively sending the message that misdemeanor domestic assault will go unpunished--at least for now.

The dispute started last month, when Shawnee County District Attorney Chad Taylor announced that a 10 percent budget cut to his office in 2012 meant he would no longer be prosecuting any of the city's misdemeanors, effective immediately. Topeka city council members say they can't afford the estimated $800,000 yearly cost of prosecuting those misdemeanors and jailing offenders--and that they want the county to continue carrying out misdemeanor prosecutions as it has for the past 25 years. The county continues to insist that the jurisdiction for these prosecutions should shift to city prosecutors, but the Topeka City Council says that none of the city's five attorneys has any recent experience prosecuting domestic violence cases.

Next week, the council will vote on a measure that will strip domestic battery from a list of crimes that are illegal in the city. The vote is a tactical bid to force the county to take those cases on again.
City Council member Larry Wolgast told The Lookout he's opposed to that tactic, since there's no guarantee that the county will actually prosecute domestic battery cases just because the city decriminalizes the offense. But Wolgast also says the city cannot find the money to prosecute the cases themselves. "If we could just solve this by taking them over, that would be great to do. But the people aren't there," he said. He added that the most severe cases of domestic battery would be written up as felonies, which are still prosecuted by the county.

Karen Hiller, another City Council member, tells The Lookout that the county already has the resources needed to prosecute these kind of cases, while the city--which doesn't even have its own jail--would have to build from the ground up. Taylor would need an extra $200,000 to continue prosecuting them, while the city would have to spend nearly $1 million.

"How could we possibly do this on 10 minutes notice?" she said.
A domestic abuse survivor and activist, Claudine Dombrowski, told Fox4 that the city is sending the message that it's OK to beat your wife or husband.

"They need to invest in headstones, because these women are going to end up in cemeteries," Dombrowski told the station. She said she was hit with a crowbar in a domestic violence incident classified as a misdemeanor 16 years ago.

Wolgast says he's not sure when the jurisdictional dispute will end. When asked to address potential victims of domestic abuse whose perpetrators are not being prosecuted, he said: "We're working to solve the situation. I don't know what more I can say at this point."

According to James Anderson at the Topeka Police Department, city authorities have arrested 20 people on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic battery since Sept. 8. Anderson said he doesn't know how many were charged, but Shawnee County court data suggests that all of the suspected offenders were released and not charged. One man was arrested twice over the month, both times on suspected domestic battery, and released both times. Their cases will be brought up for prosecution again once the city and county resolve their dispute, according to Hiller.

In Kansas, domestic battery is defined as "intentionally or recklessly causing bodily harm by a family or household member against a family or household member," or intentionally physically contacting a family member in a "rude, insulting or angry manner." The third time someone is convicted of domestic battery within five years, the offense becomes a felony.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

ManpowerGroup and Second Chance Employment Services Pilot a Shared Facility in Atlanta

I wanted to share the latest news release for SCES.  I am not the author of the article below:




Program to help battered and trafficked women re-enter the workforce
manpower

ATLANTA, Sept 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN), the world leader in innovative workforce solutions, and Second Chance Employment Services (SCES), a leading nonprofit organization that helps battered and trafficked women re-enter the workforce, today launched a pilot project designed to bridge SCES' successful programs with the extensive network of services, including training resources, that ManpowerGroup's Manpower business provides.

ManpowerGroup is contributing space and facilities at its Duluth, Ga., Manpower office in order to help SCES launch its operations in metro-Atlanta. Manpower and SCES will work together to raise local awareness of human trafficking in the area, and educate employers about the marketplace skills that survivors of abuse and trafficking offer businesses who need qualified talent.

"Building on ManpowerGroup's commitment to unleashing the potential of individuals in today's Human Age, we continue to identify tangible and effective counter-trafficking solutions," said David Arkless,  ManpowerGroup, President of Corporate and Government Affairs. "SCES has developed a highly effective program for reintegrating survivors of human trafficking into the workforce, and our Manpower business develops the skills people need to help victims of this appalling crime become productive members of society once again."

Under the ManpowerGroup-SCES partnership, Manpower will contribute space and facilities at select branch offices to help SCES replicate its program in additional cities. SCES staff will administer its own programs, and Manpower and SCES personnel will share resources to help SCES candidates obtain access to sustainable jobs.
SCES has already conducted significant outreach in the Atlanta business community to develop opportunities for its candidates, and looks forward to an aggressive and successful launch.

"ManpowerGroup's decision to share its Manpower facilities will make a major difference in our ability to expand and replicate our operations," said Dr. Ludy Green, President and Founder of SCES. "It gives us an ability we've never had before to start up new operations in additional cities, and it gives our staff - and our clients - access to Manpower's expertise and resources in the employment area. Together we will build a widening network that offers hope and sustainable employment to survivors of abuse."

"We're proud that Atlanta has been selected to pilot this initiative," said Beth Herman, Regional Director for Manpower in Atlanta. "We've seen some excellent support from business and civic leaders, and I'm looking forward to working with SCES' local team to show what we can do together."

About Second Chance Employment Services

Second Chance Employment Services (SCES) is a nonprofit organization of human-resources professionals who have placed hundreds of women in meaningful employment positions free of charge. Its mission is to promote financial security for women victims of violence and their dependents through comprehensive employment placement services. Its beneficiaries are survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking victims. SCES is the only employment placement service for domestic violence and human trafficking victims in the U.S. www.scesnet.org

About ManpowerGroup

ManpowerGroup™ (NYSE: MAN), the world leader in innovative workforce solutions, creates and delivers high-impact solutions that enable our clients to achieve their business goals and enhance their competitiveness. With over 60 years of experience, our $22 billion company creates unique time to value through a comprehensive suite of innovative solutions that help clients win in the Human Age. These solutions cover an entire range of talent-driven needs from recruitment and assessment, training and development, and career management, to outsourcing and workforce consulting. ManpowerGroup maintains the world's largest and industry-leading network of nearly 3,900 offices in over 80 countries and territories, generating a dynamic mix of an unmatched global footprint with valuable insight and local expertise to meet the needs of its 400,000 clients per year, across all industry sectors, small and medium-sized enterprises, local, multinational and global companies. By connecting our deep understanding of human potential to the ambitions of clients, ManpowerGroup helps the organizations and individuals we serve achieve more than they imagined - because their success leads to our success. And by creating these powerful connections, we create power that drives organizations forward, accelerates personal success and builds more sustainable communities. We help power the world of work. The ManpowerGroup suite of solutions is offered through ManpowerGroup™ Solutions, Manpower®, Experis™ and Right Management®. Learn more about how the ManpowerGroup can help you win in the Human Age at www.manpowergroup.com.

ManpowerGroup is the most trusted brand in the industry, being the only company in our industry to be named to the Ethisphere Institute's 2011 World's Most Ethical Companies list for our proven commitment to ethical business practices, including an outstanding commitment to ethical leadership, compliance practices and corporate social responsibility. In addition, ManpowerGroup has also been recognized as the industry leader by Fortune magazine, who named the company in first place on its 2011 list of the Most Admired Companies in the temporary help sector.

In January 2011, at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, ManpowerGroup  announced the world has entered the Human Age, where talent has replaced capital as the key competitive differentiator. Learn more about this new age at www.manpowergroup.com/humanage

Gain access to ManpowerGroup's extensive thought leadership papers, annual Talent Shortage surveys and the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, one of the most trusted indices of employment activity in the world, via the Manpower World of Work Insight iPad application. This thought leadership app explores the challenges faced by employers navigating the changing world of work and provides in-depth commentary, analysis, insight and advice on strategies for success.

Follow ManpowerGroup Chairman and CEO Jeff Joerres on Twitter: twitter.com/manpowergroupjj

SOURCE ManpowerGroup

ManpowerGroup
100 Manpower Place , Milwaukee, WI 53212
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