“Marcia LaReau – “The Voice of the Unemployed” Presented an Award by JETS Schmoozers”

West Hartford, Connecticut, November 5, 2012 --Marcia LaReau, Ph.D., President and Founder of Forward Motion, LLC of Bloomfield, was  presented an award for her work by JETS Schmoozers, the largest Connecticut networking group for people in transition, on Wednesday, Oct.24, 2012 at Beth El Temple, West Hartford, CT.  Marcia, viewed in the Hartford area as “The Voice of the Unemployed”, was recognized as an ”extraordinary woman who goes beyond professional and personal excellence.”  With Connecticut’s unemployment rate at 8.9%, Marcia’s programs on re-energizing your job search, how to negotiate benefits and salary, and how to make the most of your unemployment situation, has reinvigorated many  a search by unemployed people.

The JETS Program, offered under the auspices of Jewish Family Services of Greater Hartford, is a unique program that provides  Human Resources counseling (resume assistance, interview prep, career counseling); financial counseling (by a certified financial planner); support groups; networking hours; and workshops to anyone who is unemployed.    All services are free and confidential. Since 2009, when JETS started, we have presented more than 180 programs to the JETS Schmoozers Group;  provided free Human Resources counseling services to over 700 people (of which 450 are from the past two years alone);  offered six emotional support groups, assisting more than 80 people; and helped over 325 people network to find jobs.  The  JETS program is under the direction of Judy Rosenthal, JETS Program Volunteer Facilitator and Moderator, whose mantra of “Network, Network, Network” is the guiding force behind the program.

An important aspect of JETS is its adjunct program, the Schmoozer’s Job Network.  Schmoozer’s connects professional leaders with job seekers by offering free workshops on all topics career-related.  Each Schmoozer’s Job Networking Event consists of one hour of casual networking followed by a two-hour presentation on a job-transition topic with a Q & A session.  The program draws talented and diverse speakers who are recognized experts in many career-related fields.  The programs are held twice-monthly at Beth El Synagogue, 2626 Albany Avenue, West Hartford, CT 06117.  The next JETS program is on Wednesday,  November 14, 2012, and will feature Orville Pierson, creator of the Job Search Work Team concept.

For more information on the JETS program, please contact the JETS Program Coordinator, Ellen Cartledge at 860-236-1927, ext. 22 or email ecartledge@jfshartford.org