The beacon, Vol. 6, no. 1 (Summer 2007)

- Page 2 - Val. Six/lssue 1 FROM THE EDITOR

Editor. The Beacon
3 Positive Thinking

I truly believe in the

power of positive thinking. In fact, I beliwe it can change your life. Many don't understand what "think positive" means. Does it mean not to think negative or to think happy thoughts? Remez Sasson, creator of the website

5uccessConsciousness.com

says,

"Positive thinking is a mental attitude that

translates into the mind thoughts, words

and images that are conductive to

growth, expansion and success. A posi-

tive mind anticipates happiness, joy, and a

successful outcome of every situation.

Whatever the mind expects, it finds."

Sasson relays the following story about

two job applicants and how the power of positive thinking works.

Ailon applied for a new job, but his selfesteem was low and he considered himself a failure and unworthy of success, he was sure that he was not gorng to get the job. He hod a negative attitude towards himself, and believed thot the other applicants were better ond more qualified thon he was.

Allon's mind wos filled with negative thoughts and fears concerning the job the week before the job interview. He was sure he would be rejected. On the day of the interview, he got up lote, discovered thot the shirt he plonned to wear was dirty, and the other one needed ironing. As it was already too lote, he went out wearing a shirt full of wrinkles.

During the interview he was tense, displayed a negative attitude, worried about his shirt and felt hungry because he did not hove enough time to eat breakfast. All this distracted his mind and mode it difficult for him to focus on the interview. His overs//

behavior mode a bod impression and consequent!~he materialized his fear and did not get the job.
Jim applied for the same job, but approached the matter in a different way. He was sure thot he wos going to get the job. The week before the interview he often visualized himself making a good impression and getting the job.
The evening before the interview, he prepared the clothes he was going to wear and went to sleep o little earlier. On doy of the interview Jim woke up earlier thon usual. had ample time to eat breakfast and arrive to the interview before the zcheduled time.
He got the job because he mode a good impression. O fcourse,he also hod the proper quolifcotionsfor the job, but so had Alion.
This story examines what happens when the attitude is positive. We entertain pleasant feelings and constructive images, and see in our mind's eye what we really want to happen. Positivethinkingtakes practice. It really takes effort to squash negative thoughts as they pop in your mind and replace them with positive thoughts. I encourage you to try it, I guarantee you'll feel better and receive positive results.
The Beacon, will consider for publication articles relating to or dealing with the Georgia Department of Lobor. Articles may be ernoiled to lonice Reoves at jonlce. reaves@dol.state.ga. us or foxed to (404) 656-2683. Editor reserves the right to edit all articles of submission. The Beacon is avoiloble in Braille ond other alternate formats.
Moil orticles to: Georgio Department of Lobor Suite 600 148 Andrew Young lnternotionol Blvd., N.E. Atlanta. GA 30303- 1 75 1

T ~ RPFACON - C ~ n r v i an e n a r t m ~ n nt f Iahnr
2006-2007 State Charitable Contributions Program
Story by Motia Storey Edwards
This year's 2006-2007 State Charitable Contributions Program (SCCP) was a success at the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL}.Thanks to all the hard work of many GDOL divisions, the agency raised over $78,000 for the cause which suppons local, state and national charitable organizations.
Several divisions raised funds for the SCCP through creative fundraisers. Some of these activities included pie throwing contests, silent auctions, raising funds via food sales and spearheading raffles for gas cards, Walmart gift certificates, electronics, etc.
This yeal; the Marketing& Community Relations Department awarded its third Paragon and Pelican awards for most funds raised and most creative fundraiser. For its Dress Down Days fundraiser, Stone Mountain's Disability Adjudication Services division was honored with the Paragon Award. Central Office's Claims Administration division won the Pelican Award for its Fiesta for a Cause fundraiser.
Though only two awards are given each year by Marketing & Community Relations for SCCP efforts, all GDOL employees are appreciated for thew contributions. A special thanks also goes t o division coordinators for organizing and facil-
itating fundraising efforts in support of the SCCP To kick off the 2007-2008 SCCP Campaign, the Marketing depanment held
the annual Charityfest on September 18. Several charitable organizations were onsite offering information about the~rservices. Popcorn, drinks and prizes were available to attendees.
Pictured here are members o f the Disability Adjudicat~... - -. .ces unit, recipients of the Porogon Award: L-R. Kim Car!yle. Sylvia ~ e l l a r sand SCCP chairperson ~ o t i oStorey Edwards

Televised Job Fair Reaches Thousands Across the State

Story by lonice Reoves jackson

Thousands of job seekers, employers and workforce development: professionals

tuned in to the Georgia Department of Labor's (GDOL) Televised job Fair on Sunday,

June24. This year's job fair, aired live on Georgia Public Broadcasting, markedthe I3th

consecutive year that the Labor Department sponsored the fair. WALB-TV in Albany

also simulcast the job fair for the third year in a row.

The televised job fair is an innovative way to assist jobseekers in finding

employment. Rosa Hayes, assistant commissioner of the department's Field

Services Division, says, ''At the GDOL, we don't rely on people coming into the

office and filling out applications. We try to be proactive and bring opportunities to

our cu~tomer~."

The televised job Fair is a two-hour show that gives viewers the opportunity

to learn about the sewices and programs of the Georgia Department of Labor as

well as advertise jobs that are avaitable around the state.

Not only did jobseekers have the opportunity in ,find out about available

jobs, employers were informed of the services the department offers in assisting

them in screening and posting available jobs at their companies. The 53 Career

Centers across the state provided interview rooms for employers and informa-

tion on tax credit incentives, as well as posted jobs on the GDOL web site, all

free of charge.

The two-hour televised job fair also highlighted some of the programs at the

GDOL such as the Georgia Industry for the Blind, which provides jobs in manu-

facturing and packaging for individualswho are severely visually impaired and the

Summer Youth Initiative.

High-School High-Tech is one such initiative that provides work experience to

young people with various disabilities.

The Summer Youth Work Experience

Program, in partnership with Georgia's

twenty local workforce areas, pro-

vided lob opportunities to youth

JaniceReaves Jackson.Editor JohnArd. Staff writer
Maria Storey Edwards, Stofwriter

between the ages of 1 4-2 I . More than 1,000 youth participated in the GDOL
summer youth programs.

Annie Hughley. Staffwriter Carolyn Kowalski. Stuffwriter
Quentin Miller, Staffwriter Nicote Mangham. Layout Designer,

The Georgia Department of Labor will continue to work toward its mission of a job for every Georgian and a Georgian for every job!

Graphic Artist

,.
,

....

Mike Kavanaugh, radio host and personal financial expert for WSB-AM Radio in Atlanta, hosted the job Fair for the 2nd consecutive year.

Official Newsletter of the Georgia Department of Labor

GDOL volunteers answered 2,549 calls during the televisedjob Fair.

I - The BEACON Georgia Department of Labor

- Vol. Sixllssue 1 Page 3

building a world-class workjbrct
Ilnh W P I I D ~ ~ P

' Albany
The Albany Career Center SATURDAY ACADEMY recently offered five sessions on jobreadiness mining for young jobseekers. focusing on issues and concerns of employers in today's workforce and emphasizing how school habits carry over into their work life.
in;

Camilla
Pictured are Natalie Mpatrick. Ornar Gomez and
Artie Westbrwk,winners of the essay contest sponsored by the GDOL Camilla Career Center and GDOL Vocational Rehabilitation Program. The essay title was
How Can Technology Prepare on lndividual with o Disability for the Global Workforce? Special t h a n k to Wol-mart and Dairy Queen for prize donations.

had more just pick up their packets. We appreciate the kindness of everyone and look forward to being a part of the next one."
! Houston County Congratulations to Iva Greene. Customer
Service Award winner and Tiana Baslq: Team Player award winner. Each winner received a $50 grft certificate from the Middle Georgia Employer Committee and a framed award certificate. Their achievement was aiso engraved on a plaque that is posted in the lobby of the Career Center.

Brunswick
Michael Benson, a GDOL Rehabilitation Services Business Enterprise Program vendor was recently recognized by the Brunswick-Glynn County Mayor's Committee on Services for the Disabledfor his contribution for hiring people with disabilities. Benson Food Service received the Committee's annual Disabled Employer of the Year Award at the annual awards banquet last year. The event is one of the committee's National Disability Employment Awareness Month activities.
Pictured from left are Benson. CEO 6enson Food Service. Don Hogan. Glynn County Commission choirman, Steve Oldaker. Mayor's Committee choirman and Brunswick Mayor Bryan Thompson.
Cairo
Janice Bishop, a 68 year old clerical worker in the Georgia Department of Labor's Cairo Career Center, has been named Older Worker of the Year for Southwest Georgia by Georgia's Older Worker network. Ms. Bishop says she feels honored to receive this award.

Carrollton
Harold Durrah, manager of the Carrollton Career Center, presented Sallie Tirnrnerman, service specialist Ill. with a certificate of appreciation for 1 5 years of faithful service to the GDOL.
Vela Wood is the perfect definition of a team player. During a recent staff meeting. she was presented a Team Player Award by supervisor Bob Thompson.
. .
:- Covington
The Covington Career Center was chosen as the Gold Star Award winner by the Georgia Employer State Committee. This means that the Career Center has provided model customer service and developed a reputation for excellence in delivering the same. This award recognizes the individualand collective efforts of a Career Center staff that is responsive to the needs of the customers they serve and seek ways to give customers more than they expect.
Douglas
The Douglas Career Center held a regional job Fair on June 7. There were 40 businesses and over 600 jobseekers in attendance. They have already received e-mails from businesses, thanking them for holding the event. One stated, "Just wanted to thank you for allowing us to be a part of the job fair yesterday. It was a huge success for our company. We actually registered 49 nurses and

Pictured ore L-R: Iva Greene and Tiano Basley.
The Lafyette Area Employer Committee was awarded the Vision Award for initiating a new EmployabilityCertificate Programthat can be used in their local employer community. Recipients of the certificate are considered job-ready and have passed a series of lob-readinessskills.
, LaGrange
The LaGrange Career Center and the West Georgia LaGrange Employer Committee celebrated Veteran's Day by hosting their 1st Veteran's One Stop Day. Refreshments and door p r i m were donated by the women's auxiliary. local businesses in
-Tmup C o u q and the West Georgia LaGrange
Employer Committee. The celebration enabled Career Center andVocational Rehabiliition employ-
to parmde information on d e m e n t services. Veteran organintiom also shared their servics. Organizations represented included: Disabld American Veterans. Marines Corp League. Werr Georgia Veterans Counsel. Milimy Officers Association, Georgia Department of Veteran Services and West Georgia Technical College.
?.! Thomasville
The GDOL Thomaville Career Center and the Thomas County Employer Committee sponsored a luncheon to show appreciation to Veterans. Approximately 100 people attended the program. which included local dignitaries. veterans, employer committee members. career center, vocational rehabilitation and WIA staff.
Tifton
The Tift-area Employer Committee. Tifton staff, and other businesses donated supplies to

I Page 4 - Vol. Six/lssue 1

The BEACON - Georgia Department of Labor

assist I.A.W.F!in its efforts to help firefighters who are in harm's way with needed supplies.

The Tlfton Career Center honored veterans who have served our country throughout the years by sponsoring and hosting the Fourth annual Veteran's Reception. Other local businesses cosponsored the reception.
n

Valdosta
The Career Cencer celebrated Disabil~ty Awareness Month by having employees perform cheir normal jobs wearing appliances that gave them an artificial disability so they could understand what wor-kers who are disabled face on a daily basis. All participants gained a deeper appreciation for the problems workers with disabilities face.

Courlty 's unit of the Georgia Forestry Cornm~ss~on: Edd~eGirrley, manager of the Tifton Coreer Center: lorgc Gomez. DOL ogricr~lturol specia/~s!: Sorn Martinez. Vuldosta Corcer Center employee: and Mark Lewrs. employment n~orketingrepresentative of the Tiftorl Career Center
The Second Annual Tift-area Career ExpofJob Fair was a successful event w ~ t h43 employers and organizations represented and approxin~ately233 job seekers, The event was sponsored by the Georgia Deparcrnent of LaborlTifton CareelCentet., Tift-area Employer Committee. T~fton Tift Courlty Chamber of Commerce. City of Tifton. and Tift County.

1
The GDOL Triton Career Centerflilt-21-ea Employer Cornmittee are honored to ass~stjob seekers with a Clothes Closet. The closet is open to any jobseeker need~ngctoth~ngfor a job Interview. The need was first identrfied by GOOCs staffer. Greg Morris, who needed assistance with interview cloching for a homeless veteran.
Toccoa
Stephens County High School graduate Quentin Neal (center) was recently awarded a $1,000 scholarsh~p by the Northest Georgia Employer Comni~ttee. P~ccuredwith Neal is Charles Craig (left), chairman of the Employer Committee, and Cathy Smith, unit supervisor of the Toccoa Career Center. Neal plans to attend Armstrong Atlantic University.

Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute
for Rehabilitation
BlazeSports held its annual Fall Camp for recently injured ind~vtdualsand their famil~es. Thirty-three recently discharged young adults and seven ~n-patientsfrom Shepherd Center attended the camp at Roosevelt Warn7 Spl-~ngsInstitute for Rehabilitatton's outstanding facil~ty.Noteworthy was the response of the ch~ldrenof the patients. Clearly they had not realized that they coi~ldstill have such fun recreating with their parents. The camp was a collaborative effort between Roosevelt Warm Springs and the Shepherd Sp~naCl enter.

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STAFF APPOINTMENTS . I--
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Please join the Beacon Staff in congratulatingthe following individuals on their recent appointments.

Ann Barrow - Manager of the Moultrie Career Center. Barrow previously
served as unit supervisor in the Tifton Career Cencer. She began her career with the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) in 1990. She holds an associate's in business administration from Abraham Baldwin College.
William Futrell - Manager of the Griffin Career Center. Prior to his recent
appointment, he sewed as a DOL services specialist in Griffin. He holds associate and bachelor degrees from Cameron University. in addition to an associate degree from the University of Maryland.
Kelly Gribble - Manager of the Dalton Career Center. Prior to this appoint-
ment, she served as director of student financial aid at Georgia Highlands College. Before working for the college. she worked for the GDOL from 1992to 1996 as a DOL services specialist. She holds bachelor's and associate's degrees.
JamesLoyd - Manager of the Columbus Career Center. Prior to this appoint-
rnent, Loyd served as manager of the Americus Career Center. Loyd cornpleted undergraduate and graduate programs at Valdosta State University.
Greg Pitts - Manager of the Toccoa Career Center. Employed with the
Department since 2000, he previously held positions as a DOL services specialist, EMR and unit supervisor. Pitts received a bachelor's degree from UGA.

Richard Ramsey - Manager of the Valdosta Career Center. He previously
served as the manager of the Bainbridge Career Center. He has been employed with GDOL since 1999. His previous positions include services specialist and unit upervisor. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial management from Georgia Tech.
Vivian Richardson - Manager of the South Metro Career Center. She began
her employment with GDOL in 1993 as an empioyment interviewer. Since then, she has served as acting manager of the North Metro Career Center and assistant manager of the DeKalb Career Center. She holds a bachelor's from Almeda College and University.
Larry Ulery - Manager of the Cordele Career Center. He previously worked
in the Jesup Career Center and has been with GDOL since 1980. Before starting his tenure with GDOL, Ulery served in the United States Navy and held severai law enforcement positions. H e holds a bachelor's degree.
Rebecca Waters - Manager of the Habersham Career Center. joined the department in 2002. She holds an associate's degree from North Georgia
Technical College.

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1 - The BEACON Ceoreia Dewrtmentof Labor

- Vol. Six/lssue 1 Page 5
DECEMBE5-R7,2007
SAVANNI IANTIERNATIONAL TRADEAND COWENTI~CNENTER SAVANNAH,G E O R C ~ ~ A

Translation: Coming Full Circle

Brian Fleming received the Distinguished Service

Award presented by the Southeast Regional lnstitute

on Deafness at its annual conference in Tampa last

October. It was no surprise to his colleagues.

From his first day as a rehabilitation counselor for

the deaf and hard of hearing with the Georgia

Department of Labor's Vocational Rehabilitation

( G D O W ) program in Augusta. it was evident that

Brim's life work is to make a difference to persons

who are deaf or hard of hearing.

And he does that in so many ways by: devoting

time well past office hours to ensure each dient

receives the services needed to become employed:

volunteering for statewide and national committees

to advocate for and improve services to people who

are deaf by; speaking to agencies and individuals to

educate them about the deaf culture by working

part-time as a deaf mentor with Georgia PINES

(Parent Infant Network for Educational Services) to

provide family-centered home intervention for chil-

dren with sensory loss and multiple disabilitiesand by

sharing his personal story of overcoming obstacles

and living his dreams.

When Flemingwas five years old and only spoke

about 20 to 30 words, professionals misdiagnosed

him as autistic. His parents and sister knew better.

however. because when he could not communicate.

the precocious child drew pictures.

Fleming's parents consistently fought for educa-

tional -it&

and speech thempy for him, trav-

., ., ,.., ,.,. . , .,, ... .,~dustriesanc

-. -..-.J

Fleming of GDOL use ASL to sign "success".

ding long distances from rural jenkins, KY to get the appropriate services. Fleming attended local elementary schools, b t h public and private, but when he reached high school, his parents knew he had outgrown the educational system in jenkins. He was enrolled at the Kentucky School for the Deaf in Danvitle, learned American Sign Language and flourished in an environment where he communicated and associatedwith other deaf studenrs for the first time in his life. Fleming graduated mledictorian of his class and later earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Gallaudet University and a rnater's in rehabilitation counseling from the Univemityof Tenmssme.

In the six yews Fleming has been employed with GDOWR. his zeal for working with personswith disabilities has resulted in 63 job seekers finding employment. One recent customer is Cheryl Branch, who, like her counsetor, chose to concentrate on her ability rather than her disability in order to achieve workplace success.
Branch, who is hearing impaired, enrolled in the Vocational Rehabilitation program in order to achieve a life-long dream of becominga job coach and career development specialist at Goodwill Industries. Fleming and Branch's VR Work Team focused on work readiness and job ptacementskills, and also purchased ksistive Work Technology items t o help her perform critical job functions.
Branch was hired after completing the Goodwill Disability Employment Grant Program. She is following in her counselor's footsteps by empowering her customers to fulfill their career goals. According to Branch, "My favorite thing about Goodwill is to see lives changed by the power of work." she said. "and to help business owners realize that a person who is hearing o r speech impaired may become their most valuable employee."
Although B m c h had only been employed with Goodwill Industries of Augusta for a year. her talents were recognized early on when she received its 2005 Achiever of the Year Award. Care to guess who was leading the applause that night?

EXCEL Graduating Class
The EXCEL p r o p m is one of the most effective career development opportunities for Georgia Department of L a b r employees with leaderrhip potential. The purpose of EXCEL is to develop leaders so the department is positioned to meet the needs of Georgia's job seekers and employers.
The program is designed t o enhance the department's ability t o meet the challenges of the future by developing leaders within the organization. These leaders have an understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing the nation and state. They possess a commitment to addressing such issues and understand the power of motimting people. The curriculum focuses on developing the leadership skills of staff currently in management or other positions requiring leadership skills.
EXCEL participants meet four times a year for threeday trainingsessions. Meetings are held in October. December, May and June.
1 s t row: Zena Hamilton. Commissioner Thurmond. Ashley Howard; 2nd row: Mikell Fryer, Fairy Curtis. Leonard k k e t t , Ernestine lames, Donna Williams.
David Key -CVIOG Facilitator. Fred Meller; 3rd row: Doug Whitener, ht Bootright, Cossietto Cook. Wil Williams, Notosho Dover- Mirandu, Cathy Manuel; 4th row: julia janigo. Gwen Spikes. K a y Fost, Teresa Austin, jorge Gornez, Keylan Mitchell. Schnmio Bronson; 5th row: Diana Billups, Lynne Jones. Terry Durden. Burry Cormock. b u g Dennis, Ann Kaplan. Vivian Richardson. Terry Ard

Dawson County Summer Work Program
Story by Ion Cribbs

"I'm ganna be under control.

now," says I7-year-old Chris

Holcombe. assessing the outcome of

working the last two summers for the

Dawson County School System

(DCSS). His supervisors adds, "Last year. Chris had to redo a lot of his work. . . this year he set the standard

I

for others. showing them it's better to do the work right the first time."
This program devebpd from a cdW t i v e effon among agencies and

I

their staffs. In this mse, that means the

OCSS and ia RelatedVocational Instruction (RVI) p r o g m , the teorgia Department

of LaborNocational Rehabilitation Program, and the Burnt Mountain Center, a VR

service provider that offered administrative and payroll managemem.

After interviews, evaluations and qualification reviews. students with disabili-

ties in Dawson County were hired for summer jobs to learn to work together as

a team cleaning classrwms, restrooms, offices and computer labs.

The adults work as a team with the students. providing consistency in leader-

ship and training in job skills. Some are onsite daily, working side by side with the

students. During lunch and breaks, they talk about how the day is going and how

to get along with one another and work as a team. The adults stress the impor-

tance of calling in if students are going to be a late or absent, emphasizing how the

team is affmed by tardiness or wondering where someone is.

Students learn to understand their paychecks. as well as how to cash them,

establish a savings account, and interpret the value of saving their money. One

student, Allen Brumbelow was so motivated to work, he arranged his own trans-

portation to and from the job sites. then saved all his earnings t o purchase a year-

book, class ring. class pictures, and take a girl to the prom.

Billie a n . RVI coordinator. Mdr weekly debnefings mth the students and

handles such d i ~ u isksuesas personal h p n e , attitude problems. attendance, and dis-

putes with co-workers. She alxr offers each studwrt an opportunity to calk a d work

things out individualb CitingChris Holcomk as the most improved returningstudent,

Cam saw him dwelop good anger management skills, hhow to get along wrth

p p i e , and report f w work every day wrth a pstw attitude. His goal is to become

the first pwson in his family either to graduate fmm high h lor to earn a GED.

World-crass Lustomer Service

I - The ISLACON Ceorglb Department of Labw

-
Val. Sixllssue 1 - Page 7

Roosevelt Warm Springs: Georgia's One-Stop Capital for Comprehensive Rehabilitation Services

Workforce Information and
Analysis Scores Again

- 1 Pane 8 Vol. Sixllssue 1 SPOTLIGHT ON.

- The BEACON Georgia Departmentof Labor

I - 6. B#;smaths Rasr Fbom N W bulk -Y
LIBRARY SELECTION OF THE MONTH