On Friday, February 24, the City of Lake Charles and United Way of Southwest Louisiana hosted a news conference to announce the re-launch of the City’s Community Connection workshop series.

Originally launched in July 2019, Community Connection is a series of free, one-hour workshops. The workshops will enhance life skills for adults in Lake Charles and the surrounding area and are scheduled for Mondays in March.

“As our community continues to recover from the pandemic and the string of natural disasters that impacted our community in 2020 and 2021, we want to ensure that everyone has access to important job and life skill information,” said Mayor Nic Hunter. “Community Connection will focus on providing real, practical information on topics such as job readiness and career planning, financial literacy, effective parenting and guardianship, the path to home ownership in the current economy and more.”

Workshops begin on Monday, March 6, and will be held from 6 -7 p.m. The location will alternate between the Oak Park Middle School Library (2200 Oak Park Blvd.) and the Allen P. August Multi-Purpose Center (2000 Moeling St.). Attendees will be entered into a raffle to win a brand-new laptop computer.

“These workshops focus on the life skills that fit into what we know to be the building blocks to success,” explained Denise Durel, President and CEO at United Way of Southwest Louisiana. “The more widely available we can make learning resources in our community, the more our community benefits as a whole in the future.”

The schedule is as follows:

March 6, 2023, Oak Park Middle School:  “Don’t Lose the Job Before You Get It!” (Job readiness, career planning and social media etiquette, presented by the American Job Center).

March 13, 2023, Allen P. August Multi-Purpose Center: “While You’re Working for the Money, Make the Money Start Working for you!” (Financial literacy, presented by Chase Bank).

March 20, 2023, Oak Park Middle School: “It All Starts at Home!” (Resources for effective parenting and guardianship, presented by Resolutions Counseling Services, LLC).

Monday, March 27, 2023, Allen P. August Multi-Purpose Center: “Building a Foundation for a Better Future!” (Home ownership in an unstable, inflationary environment, presented by Project Build a Future).

Community Connection is presented in partnership with the JP Morgan Chase, Project Build a Future, American Job Center, United Way of Southwest Louisiana, Resolutions Counseling Services, LLC, and the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury.  

“Chase is thrilled to be a part of the Community Connection Initiative,” said Alexius Williams, VP Community Manager for JP Morgan Chase Bank. “Chase thrives on driving economic inclusion by providing more opportunities for homeownership, growing small business and boosting financial health for those in our community. We are aiming to be the bank for all, breaking down barriers and working hard to improve economic growth in our Lake Charles Community.”

Complete details on the program, including a full, printable schedule, can be found at www.cityoflakecharles.com/communityconnection.

Click here to download a printable workshop schedule.