Enable America Mentoring Program Leads to Employment

San Antonio, TX, December 05, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Enable America, a non-profit organization working nationwide to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities, is congratulating a military veteran and the construction firm that hired him, after both participated in an Enable America “Disabled Veterans Employment Mentoring Month” program.

Last month Navy veteran Keith Ferguson was a mentee during a day-long program at the Clark/Hunt construction site, located at the Brooke Army Medical Center expansion project at Fort Sam Houston. During that session he was interviewed and then hired by a sub-contractor, JSR Inc. He reported for work the following Monday.

“I think this is probably the best situation for me,” said Ferguson. “It's a small company, but busy. It fell in line with my military background; it's like a win-win situation.”

In conjunction with Veteran’s Day, Enable America proclaimed November as “Disabled Veterans Employment Mentoring” Month. Clark/Hunt became San Antonio’s first company to participate, and did so by mentoring Ferguson and six other veterans, giving each on-the-job experience and the chance to make a connection with potential employers. In Ferguson’s case, that connection paid off immediately.

“Just having Clark/Hunt and their sub-contractors host a mentoring day for our disabled veterans is a success,” said Steve LaBour, executive director of Enable America. “But having an Enable America mentee land a job makes it a huge success.”

LaBour says Enable America is working across the country to create more opportunities like this, by building bridges between disabled veterans and employers.

“We know that when businesses connect with disabled, work-ready, qualified candidates, there are good results for both the company and mentee,” LaBour said. “Keith’s new job demonstrates our mentoring programs help improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities.”

Enable America’s founder and CEO, Richard Salem, agrees as he congratulated Clark/Hunt for its commitment for providing employment mentoring during Disabled Veteran Employment Mentoring Month.

“Clark/Hunt believes as we do that the men and women who have sacrificed for our country cannot be forgotten during these challenging economic times,” Salem said. “Employment mentoring is the first step in helping many people with valuable skills get back into the work force.”

Enable America is now working with other social service organizations and businesses in the San Antonio region, planning additional employment mentoring projects for 2010. Businesses that want to learn more, as well as disabled veterans and all other people with disabilities, are encouraged to contact Enable America through its web site, enableamerica.org, or by calling the group toll free at 1-877-ENABLED (1-877-362-2533).

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About Enable America: Enable America was established in 2002 by attorney Richard Salem as a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people with disabilities find employment and live independently. The organization’s Community Connections, Business Connections, and VetConnect programs unite members of the disability community and business community to raise awareness and increase employment opportunities for the 54 million Americans with disabilities, including our nation’s wounded warriors.