As part of the Clinton School’s ongoing commitment to public service and tradition of Giving at Graduation, the school will collect socks, checks, and cash for “A Bridge to Work,” at its 2019 Commencement Ceremony. This year’s commencement is set for Sunday, May 5 at 2 p.m. at the Statehouse Convention Center.
A City of Little Rock partnership with Canvas Community Church, “A Bridge to Work,” offers same-day work opportunities to individuals experiencing homelessness through a six-month pilot program with the goal of connecting participants to stable employment.
The program is being created in part due to the work of graduating student Brian Wegner (Saginaw, Mich.), whose survey on local homelessness was part of his project collaboration with Vice Mayor Kathy Webb. The participants will be assigned work through the City of Little Rock Public Works Department and will be offered opportunities to obtain case management services and career counseling in an effort to assist them in finding permanent employment and housing.
The partnership is modeled after Albuquerque’s “There’s a Better Way” program. The official who oversees the program, Alan Armijo, spoke in Little Rock as part of the Clinton School Speaker Series in September 2018.
For those unable to attend graduation, tax deductible checks can be made payable to Canvas Community Church and mailed to: Clinton School of Public Service, 1200 President Clinton Avenue, Little Rock, Arkansas 72201, Attn: Annette Gary.
Since 2010, Giving at Graduation has been a part of the Clinton School’s commencement. Each year, the school selects a local organization and encourages students, family, and graduation attendees to bring items for that organization. Thousands of items have been donated and thousands of dollars have been raised.
Previous organizational recipients include Volunteers in Public Schools (VIPS); Our House; Arkansas Children’s Hospital Mobile Dental Clinic; the Van; Jericho Way Resource Center; Central Arkansas Library System’s Hillary Rodham Clinton Children’s Library; the Arkansas Food Bank; and the UA Little Rock Trojan Campus Food Pantry.
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