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News Release: CB Chamber Receives Women's Fund Grant
The Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce has received a $5,000 grant from the Community Foundation for Western Iowa through the Women’s Fund of Southwest Iowa. This fund has been established to support programming designed to improve the quality of life and well-being of women and their families. The CB Chamber will utilize these funds to support Leveraging Individual Female Talent (L.I.F.T.) Mentor Program, a new workforce development program.
“The Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce is honored to continue our strong partnership and collaboration with the Community Foundation for Western Iowa,” said Drew Kamp, president & CEO of the CB Chamber. “These funds will assist greatly with integrating the L.I.F.T. Mentor Program into the community and assisting females returning to the workforce. We thank the Community Foundation for Western Iowa for their support and look forward to continuing to provide workforce services to the entire Council Bluffs and southwest Iowa community.”
The L.I.F.T. Mentor Program is a joint endeavor between the Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce and the Omaha chapter of the Human Resource Association of the Midlands (HRAM), and in partnership with the Business Ethics Alliance. The program is focused on supporting talented professional women looking to restart their careers after an extended absence from the workforce. Women have historically assumed many roles that have caused them to exit the workforce temporarily. Such responsibilities include, but are not limited to, giving birth, raising children, or caring for aging or ailing relatives. Additionally, COVID-19 has caused many mothers to return home to ensure the well-being of their families and to assume the duties of educators as schools closed when “stay at home” ordinances were issued.
The L.I.F.T. Mentor Program provides opportunities for participants to receive a one-on-one professional female human resource manager mentor, become reacquainted with the local professional network, strengthen professional skills, broaden their perspective, explore new career paths, and experience direct and guided mentorship.
OPPORTUNITIES INCLUDE:
- A guided period of mentorship for six months
- Networking opportunities with local professionals including professional women networking groups
- Assess the best path for a successful transition back into the workforce which could include direct full-time employment, entrepreneurship, or technical skills training
- Career coaching/advising provided by a female mentor who is currently in the HR occupation
- Professional development workshops facilitated by Business Ethics Alliance
- Assistance with placement in new employment opportunities.
“We are very excited to invest community support from the Women’s Fund of Southwest Iowa toward this empowering project through the Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce,” said Donna Dostal, president and CEO of the Community Foundation for Western Iowa. “The CB Chamber’s focus on raising up and addressing issues facing women as they return to the workforce is in alignment with the focus areas of the Women’s Fund, and on behalf of the Women’s Fund Steering Committee, we applaud this innovative work. In addition, we look forward to seeing the results of this investment, and the impact of these women as they move into new roles throughout our community.”
The CB Chamber’s workforce programs include CB Career Acceleration, UNbelievable Workplaces, GrowCB, New & Emerging Leaders Professional Development Workshops, Next Level Leadership Professional Development Workshops, DE&I in the Workplace Workshops, and L.I.F.T. Mentor Program.
For more information about these programs and other offerings, please visit www.councilbluffiIowa.com and visit the workforce or programs tabs.
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Alicia Frieze Workforce Development Director
- October 03, 2022
- (712) 325-1000
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