As we celebrate Steve Moore’s four-year work anniversary as Program Manager for United Way’s Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), we want to take a moment to reflect on his contributions to our organization and his dedication to helping older adults in our community find employment and training opportunities.
Steve’s journey to this role is unique. He started his career as a journalist, working locally at both the Star News and Greater Wilmington Business Journal, where he honed his skills. Now, he applies many of those same skills to his work at United Way, building bridges and relationships to serve older adults in need.
In his current role, Steve oversees the provision of paid part-time community service work, job training, and job placement assistance to people who are at least 55 years old, unemployed, and whose household income is below 125 percent of the federal poverty level.
Over the past year, Steve’s leadership has been instrumental in returning SCSEP operations to a pre-COVID status. The pandemic had a significant impact on the program and the people it serves, particularly on the ability to recruit and enroll new participants. However, enrollment levels are now approaching pre-COVID levels.
Steve’s impact goes beyond enrollment numbers. His favorite accomplishment is seeing SCSEP participants land a job, participate in training or education to acquire new skills, or engage with their community. As the program places a greater emphasis on identifying regular employment opportunities for participants due to worker shortages in many industries, Steve sees his role evolving towards building relationships with employers and connecting participants with regular employment.
Steve cites the most rewarding aspect of working at UWCFA as getting to know the hard-working, dedicated people at the organization, partner agencies, and SCSEP host agencies who are all engaged in building a better community. As a colleague, Steve is someone who radiates humor and compassion. We congratulate Steve on his 4-year work anniversary and thank him for his dedication to serving older adults in his community through United Way’s SCSEP.
Share a story or anecdote about your experience working at UWCFA?
“In the wake of Hurricane Florence in fall 2018, I volunteered, along with UWCFA staff members, to help storm victims apply for assistance for their losses and met dozens of people with harrowing, heart-rending experiences. One day, I was manning the United Way table at the Multi-Agency Resource Center that was set up in a portion of Independence Mall and there were two women from a service dog organization who brought their canine companions to comfort those affected by the storm. It was moving to see the faces of people who had been through such traumatic experiences light up in the presence of these dogs.”
More about SCSEP:
SCSEP is a community service and work-based job training program for older Americans operated under a U.S. Department of Labor grant. We thank the Center for Workforce Inclusion, Inc., for selecting our organization to operate SCSEP in our community.
The United Way of the Cape Fear Area’s SCSEP program is funded by a portion of a $46.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. This funding provides 90% of the support for SCSEP with the Center and its sub grantees providing approximately $5 million in non-federal matching funds. SCSEP is an equal opportunity program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.
Learn more: https://uwcfa.org/scsep/
