On Friday, August 30th, President and Board Chair, James Haynes, and OICA Celebrity Ambassador, Gerald Alston, had the pleasure of interviewing with Patty Jackson of WDAS to discuss the program and much more.
ROGER A. MITCHELL, JR. MD
Dr. Mitchell is a board-certified Forensic Pathologist and serves as the Chief Medical Examiner of Washington DC. He is a world leader in forensic medicine. He has lectured in places like Bangladesh, Mumbai, Belize City, and Cairo. He is a leader in the fight against gun violence and recently appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe discussing gun violence as a public health issue. Dr. Mitchell is a licensed minister at New Bethel Baptist Church in Washington DC where he has the great privilege of serving Returning Citizens and their families as the Phoenix Minister.
Gerald Alston, the revered lead singer for the Grammy Award-winning R&B group the Manhattans, is the first entertainer to become a part of the new OICA Celebrity Ambassador Program(CAP). OICA Celebrity Ambassadors are leaders in the entertainment industry, representing the fields of film, television, music, sports and beyond.
The program is designed to help raise awareness about OICA/OIC and the work being done to support and enable the economically disadvantaged, unemployed and under-employed people of all races and backgrounds to become productive, more fulfilled members of society. This work is being done through a Network of 35 Affiliates located in 22 states around the US. The organization’s motto is “Helping People Help Themselves “and Gerald Alston is a huge advocate of helping others to reach their full potential.
Date: July 3, 2019
SOAR program expands from eleven to twelve affiliates and program partners in seven states
Philadelphia, PA – OIC of America (OICA) was awarded a new three-year U.S. DOL Reentry Grant totaling $4,500.000 which will expand its SOAR program. Starting July 1, 2019, this grant will serve adults 25 years of age and older. This represents a total of 5 grants awarded to OICA as an intermediary in the past three years, bringing their U.S. DOL Reentry total awards to $22.2 million dollars and more importantly serving approximately 3000 returning citizens. This award allowed OICA to expand their current program from eleven Affiliates and program partners to twelve, covering six states, which is 32% of their affiliate network, and 27% of their current U.S. state coverage.
Gerald Alston Celebrity Ambassador Promotional Video
Sunday, June 16, 2019
The Opportunities Industrialization Center will honor students who have successfully met the guidelines and goals of its high school equivalency and trades certifications courses and celebrate its 50th anniversary at 6 p.m. on Thursday at the former Booker T. Washington High School auditorium.
“This year’s celebration will be different from most of our graduation ceremonies,” said Charles Washington, OIC’s director of education services. “Because it is our 50th year of bringing enlightenment to generations of eager minds and willing hands, we are going all out to celebrate our students’ success. Creative presentations from students, staff and community are going to be uplifting and exciting. Our graduates are enthused and our families are proud. This one is not to be missed.”
OIC network expands to St. Paul, Minnesota, further strengthening HAP’s technical expertise and investment in workforce development
St. Paul, MN – OIC of America, Inc. announced today that Hmong American Partnership (HAP), based in St. Paul, MN., is joining the OIC network of affiliates. OIC of America, Inc., founded by Reverend Leon H. Sullivan (1922 – 2001) in 1964, serves as the national headquarters for OIC Affiliates. OIC is a nationally recognized organization focused on serving underrepresented people all over the country for more than 50 years, serving millions of participants in the areas of Work Readiness, Education, Reentry, Youth Development and Healthcare.
On Friday, June 7, 2019, OIC of America, is celebrating Reentry Month and the second anniversary of our SOAR reentry program by partnering with Philadelphia OIC and the Philadelphia Reentry Coalition to host our second annual Community Resource & Job Fair. The event is free to the public and partners, and will include music, face painting, games, refreshments, and an abundance of resources for the community.
On April 8th, OIC of America visited the SOAR program in OIC of South Florida. During the visit we conducted a formal review and visited partners.
On April 8th , Michael Jackiewicz, OICA Director of Quality Assurance & Lètitia Crippen, SOAR Program Manager visited OIC of South Florida’s referral partner Here’s Help. Here’s Help is an outpatient and inpatient facility servicing men from 14-24 years old who were formally incarcerated and or have drug & alcohol challenges. Their amazing facility has a full kitchen, music recording studio, gym, and more on site. Once a client completes their program, Here’s Help sends them to SOAR to receive training and job placement services. https://hereshelpinc.com/
