SNOW HILL – An organization known for decades for serving those in need now has a location in Snow Hill.
Telamon, the nonprofit founded in 1965 to help migrant workers in North Carolina, opened an office on River Street in Snow Hill in late 2018. Staff there are eager to connect area residents with the services offered by Telamon, which range from a career program to housing assistance.
“Telamon is all about empowerment and community enrichment,” said Erika Uebel, program development specialist for Telamon. “We want to build a partnership so people realize we do have resources.”
While Telamon has offered services to Worcester County residents in the past, those residents had to travel to the organization’s Salisbury office. With the new space in Snow Hill, Uebel is hopeful awareness of Telamon’s services will grow.
“We really want to be a part of the community,” she said. “We want to make sure people know we’re here.”
The nonprofit offers early childhood and family support, workforce and career services and housing and financial services. The organization is working especially hard to publicize its work readiness program, which is funded in part through a grant from the local management board.
Robert Fairbank, workplace readiness specialist for Telamon, said the program was geared toward those between the ages of 16 and 24 who needed support in finding a job or finishing their education.
“The goal of the program is to connect them with services they may need,” he said, adding that those services could range from counseling to job training.
Fairbank said the program had recently connected a youth in Berlin with mental health services and that he was now successfully taking part in job training. In another instance, the program helped a young mother of four enroll in certified nursing assistant training.
“She wants a better life for her children than she had,” Fairbank said.
Once individuals reach out to Telamon, Fairbank works to connect them with whatever they might need to become successful.
“I’m a relationship builder,” he said. “I like to work with these kids one on one. Just being a talking head doesn’t work with this population.”
For more information on any of Telamon’s programs, call 410-546-4604.
