Metro Detroit Women Wanting to Join the Millions of US Employees Searching for a New Job in January Eligible for Free Help from Gesher Human Services’ Women to Work Program.
Life changing program will hold informational meeting on Jan. 9 in Southfield; all participants also able to join free computer skills training classes too.
A new study by the magazine Inc in October 2024 found that six out of 10 people want to get a new job in 2025. Pay that is too low, employee burnout and not feeling appreciated are all leading to this search. For metro Detroit women who need new skills and resume help to land a better job for themselves and their families, or for those who have been out of the workforce for some time and need help in beginning a job search process, free help is at hand.
Oakland County, MI- With a birthday close to Christmas, Laltsha Cunningham knows how easy it can be to over-spend. But after overcoming her own youthful debt, she’s now helping others take control of their finances and plan for the future. Cunningham has worked in finance and lending for 27 years, and now is the Financial Education Manager for Gesher Human Services, a nonprofit that offers career development, behavioral health, and residential services to “strengthen our community by strengthening the individual.”
Last week Cunningham held an online class through Gesher to share financial tips for the holidays.
“I’m passionate about making sure families learn this, not just for the holidays, but for life,” she said.
Cunningham shared that at one point she realized, “the more debt I went to in this season, the more I had to pay off the next year.”
U.S. consumers are expected to spend an average of $1,014 on holiday gifts this season, the first time ever that the amount will top $1,000, according to Statista. To assist families in budgeting so that they do not face heavy bills after the holidays which they struggle to pay off, Gesher Human Services, one of the largest human service agencies in metro Detroit, will be offering a free virtual workshop on Fri. Dec. 6 at 1 p.m. Holiday Budget Bootcamp: Stress Free Spending will help Michiganders conquer holidays costs with ease, provide a step-by-step process to gather essential information about their finances for the holiday season, set a realistic budget and master comparison shopping. To register for the free event, go to geshermi.org/events.
Budgets can be tricky for people to stick to — but there are ways to prepare and prevent over spending. Laltsha Cunningham joins Hank Winchester to discuss what can be done to not go over.
Gesher Human Services wants to help you budget for the holiday season with a free spending boot camp on Dec. 6.
U.S. consumers are expected to spend an average of $1,014 on holiday gifts this season, the first time ever that the amount will top $1,000, according to Statista. To assist families in budgeting so that they do not face heavy bills after the holidays which they struggle to pay off, Gesher Human Services, one of the largest human service agencies in metro Detroit, will be offering a free virtual workshop on Fri. Dec. 6 at 1 p.m.
Holiday Budget Bootcamp: Stress Free Spending will help Michiganders conquer holidays costs with ease, provide a step-by-step process to gather essential information about their finances for the holiday season, set a realistic budget and master comparison shopping. To register for the free event, go to geshermi.org/events.
Life in the former Soviet Union was no easy feat for its Jewish citizens.
Tsila Pleasant (Vinik), employment specialist at Gesher Human Services, recalls rampant antisemitism growing up in Moldova, a former Soviet republic. By the time she was ready to attend college, the antisemitism had reached levels her family could no longer tolerate.
In 1973, the Vinik family made aliyah to Israel. Like many other Soviet Jews, they sought a better life where they could practice their religion freely and have equal opportunities for their children. Pleasant spent 11 months in Israel, one of which included the Yom Kippur War.
Then, two months before Pleasant’s 20th birthday, the Viniks emigrated to the United States.
Holocaust survivors Chaim and Manya Vinik, and their four children settled in Oak Park in 1974, which served as the hub at the time for Soviet Jewish refugees.
Pleasant, who soon became a young mother, began working at a local drugstore as a pharmacy assistant. Her English was limited, and like most Soviet Jewish immigrants, she faced the daunting task of starting over in a world that was completely unfamiliar and new.
Struggling Metro Detroiters could receive $2,500 in time for the holidays.
More than 15,000 women in Metro Detroit were assisted by Gesher Human Services programs last year. The 16th annual Trade Secrets event, a fundraiser for Gesher Human Services’ many workforce initiatives for Metro Detroit women, such as the flagship Women to Work program and financial education and computer training classes, will be held at the Detroit Marriott Troy on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 6 p.m. The event includes a reception, dinner and silent auction.
It is hoped Trade Secrets 2024 will raise $275,000; more than $2 million dollars has been raised for women’s programming since the annual event started. A significant number of Metro Detroit women-owned businesses are supporting Trade Secrets this year as sponsors or silent auction donors, including skinnytees, Bra-vo Intimates, Greene & Co., Winning Imprints, Art & Frame, FAIRCLOTH Boutique, Fascination Factory, My House of Style and Franklin Cider Mill.