Employment Success Program Hosts A Day of Beauty

The Employment Success Program, a grant program of the Family Counseling Center, Inc in Newtown, hosted a “Day of Beauty” recently at Edgardo’s Hair Design Team in Danbury. The day was a gift to its clients, most of them single mothers who try to manage day-to-day struggles while devoting themselves to their families on a low-income level.

Since 1996, welfare reform has assisted many families transition from welfare to work in their communities. Unfortunately, it has not moved every family away from poverty. The Employment Success Program works with the Department of Social Services and the Department of Labor to assist families address issues and break down barriers beyond financial needs.

The “Day of Beauty” offered the clients of the Employment Success Program a day of pampering with haircuts and styles provided by the stylists at Edgardo’s Hair Design Team on Ives Street. The pampering continued with skin care and makeup sessions by Stanford Smith of Danbury, an independent makeup artist who devotes a lot of effort to giving back to the community. At the end of the day, women left with not only a new look, but also with gift bags filled with makeup, perfumes, and hair and skin care tips they can use daily as they prepare for employment searches and interviews.

The Employment Success Program is a welfare-to-work program of the Connecticut Council of Family Service Agencies dedicated to empowering families to succeed by identifying and reducing the effects of barriers to employment, increasing access to community resources, and minimizing risk to children. The program is committed to identifying family strengths and helping to empower the utilization of these strengths to succeed in employment, education, and community building.

Clients of the Employment Success Program are provided with education as well as intensive outreach and case management services by primary service managers through home-based visits and nontraditional hours.

The Family Counseling Center, Inc, founded in 1983, is a United Way-supported, state-licensed and nationally accredited family counseling agency dedicated to helping today’s families through counseling, support groups, education, and referral services throughout the greater Danbury and Southbury area regardless of the ability to pay.

For more information on the Employment Success Program, contact Shelby Baumer, MSW, at the Family Counseling Center, Inc at 426-8103 or the Connecticut Council of Family Service Agencies at 800-505-9000.