On February 24, the Reverend Bill Harris spoke to the Sauk Prairie Optimists about the People Helping People (PHP) organization, based in Baraboo. PHP was founded in 1998 as a faith-based non-profit charity whose mission is “to strengthen our community by giving direct help to low-income families and disadvantaged job seekers.” PHP provides families with food, children’s clothing, and school supplies throughout the year, and provides free career training and personal mentoring to people who have the most difficulty getting jobs and staying employed, including incarcerated individuals or those newly-released.
PHP’s newest endeavor, the Career Development Program, is now up and running. This program offers free entry-level training in the skill trades to low-income adults, which can lead to apprenticeships in the trades and new career path. Through mentorship and relationships, as well as requiring members to adhere to a Code of Conduct and work toward goals, the cycle of low-paying jobs can be broken.
As Reverend Harris energetically states “Community means we all need help, and we all need to help.” PHP is always looking for volunteers. They can be contacted at 608-434-0002 or php123@centurylink.net.
