My Turn lands $35K Champion in Action grant for summer workforce programs

Jun. 20—For the second summer in a row, 18-year-old Elieyahu Neptune will work as a maintenance assistant at West High School through My Turn Inc.'s summer employment training program.

Part of his pay goes to pay household expenses, and the rest goes into a savings account.

Neptune takes pride in helping get his school ready for classes to restart in the fall for his senior year, including moving furniture as the building is cleaned. He will work about 18 hours a week.

"I've learned about saving money, working every day and about life," he said.

He said working in the warm building is both hard and fun.

At Manchester High School Central, student workers engage in both, as they see how much gum they can collect from the undersides of desks.

Other students work at Delta Dental Stadium or develop their own business models as part of a competition. About 75 students are on the payroll, including students in Franklin and Nashua.

The nonprofit, which works with 14- to 24-year-olds in high schools and communities across New Hampshire and north central Massachusetts, was named a Champion in Action by Citizens and New Hampshire Union Leader.

The group was presented a $35,000 Youth Summer Workforce Programming Grant on Tuesday afternoon.

Citizens New Hampshire President Joe Carelli said the funds are unrestricted, which are hard donations for nonprofits to obtain.

"Many times checks come with some stipulations such as it needs to be matched or 'We need to know exactly where it is going,'" Carelli said. "The beauty of this award is we have such trust in the organization and how you invest your dollars that it's unrestricted. You get to use it in any way that My Turn feels is necessary to support its mission."

Carelli said Champions in Action goes through a thorough vetting process, including a look at finances and outreach.

"My Turn hands down was the winner," he said.

My Turn helps people develop their skills, goals and self-confidence through alternative education, post-secondary planning, career exploration and employment training, according to its website.

Allison Joseph, My Turn executive director, said the nonprofit has worked in the city for 19 years to prepare students for success in and beyond the classroom. Students develop skills like conflict resolution, time management and budgeting.

"Our summer youth employment project is a huge part of that work," she said. "Our students work all year cultivating employability skills and then they get to put those skills into action in a supportive environment."

Many of the students receive their first paycheck through the program.

"That is a really cool feeling to hand someone their very first paycheck," she said. "It is typically followed by them saying, 'What are all these taxes? Why is all this money coming out?' Then we talk about public schools and roads and other things you'd like your tax dollars to go toward."

Union Leader President and Publisher Brendan McQuaid said more people will find out about the work of My Turn through the Champions in Action program.

The work of the organization "fills a gap that is so necessary in our society right now to get young people working. To get them through school and into careers, not just jobs, but careers," he said.

Neptune, whose family is from Haiti, finds the work rewarding.

"I am very proud of myself," he said.