Bristol Church To Hold Series Of Workshops To Aid Jobless

To register for the workshop series on dealing with a job loss, call St. Anne Catholic Church at (276) 669-8200, or e-mail .

BRISTOL, Va. – With an eye toward the highest unemployment rate in the Tri-Cities for nearly 20 years, St. Anne Catholic Church will hold a series of Saturday workshops aimed at helping area job-seekers.

The free, four-week series begins Saturday at the Monsignor James Hickie Center, behind the church at 430 Oakview Ave. Each weekly session will be held from 10 a.m. to noon.

The Rev. Timothy Keeney, pastor at St. Anne, said he decided to hold the workshops after traveling around the local area and seeing the obvious economic problems.

“I’d look around and see the job losses [at businesses] off Exit 7, the number of stores closing, the layoffs at Exide,” Keeney said, referring to the layoffs of more than 500 workers at the battery manufacturer in Bristol, Tenn. “I realized we needed to do something to help – not just our parishioners, but our community as a whole.”

Keeney said the workshops are especially timely because there are no guarantees the local economy will improve dramatically anytime soon.

“There may be some encouraging signs here and there,” Keeney said. “But there’s still going to be people and families experiencing some degree of pain, due to this economy. We have to help and support them.”

According to the latest Tennessee figures, the Tri-Cities had a 9.6 percent unemployment rate in May. During April, the rate was 8.8 percent.

Keeney said each workshop is designed for 150 participants, and any Tri-Cities resident can attend.

The workshop is supported by Tennessee employment officials, the area’s Small Business Administration and numerous private individuals.

The schedule for the weekly workshops is:
* Saturday, July 11 – Unemployment 101, will provide information and advice for those who have lost jobs, including how to search for work, write résumés and seek health-care options.
* Saturday, July 18 – Coping With Job Loss & Staying Positive 201 will provide encouragement on dealing with the emotional, mental and spiritual side of losing a job.
* Saturday, July 25 – Preparing To Write A Great Résumé 301 will offer strategies on writing effective resumes, and dos and don’ts. Participants should take their résumés for individual critiques.
* Saturday, Aug. 1 – Preparing For The Right Job 401 will provide advice on handling job interviews and understanding what recruiters and hiring managers look for. Participants will take part in mock interview sessions.

| (276) 645-2512.