by Ileana Martinez | Mar 1, 2023 | News & Updates
SER Jobs for Progress National and the SER Network of Affiliates proudly celebrate March as America’s Women’s History Month. This is a special time to build awareness and acknowledge the many contributions women have made to our nation and their vital daily role in the success of the United States and Puerto Rico.
“This month is very special to SER Jobs for Progress National and the SER Network of Affiliates because, throughout our entire family of organizations, women are a very critical part of our story, our present, and what the future promises to bring,” says Ignacio Salazar, SER National President, and Chief Executive Officer. “At every level and in all aspects of carrying our mission, women have a presence, a voice, and the power to influence and direct our daily work. What is most exciting, to the point that we can share with great zeal, is the exhilaration we feel when we witness the lives women impact through their example and serving as amazing role models. Their strength, dedication, compassion, and the business and organizational insight they bring to the table are impressive. They make us a more successful and effective agency,” adds Salazar.
Women’s History Month began in 1982 as a weeklong observance, and through continuing resolutions in Congress, the observance grew until 1995. This is when by presidential proclamation, March began serving as a period set aside to recognize women’s many contributions to our country. This includes developing educational presentations and exhibits and creating academic-based studies that intentionally focused on how women impacted every industry, business category, and profession in the United States.
“That it took us until the 1980s to even begin acknowledging women in this way seems incredible today,” says Salazar. “Indeed, we can be glad that our society has evolved in understanding and appreciation for the essence and benefits of embracing collaboration, irrespective of gender. Today, women occupy the C-suites of some of the most successful enterprises and have mastered the art of building coalitions to achieve progress for all. There is no doubt that in the future, women will look back and wonder why we need just one month to acknowledge women when their tenacity, talent, and teamwork are present 365 days a year. We salute them!” said Salazar.
by Ileana Martinez | Feb 17, 2023 | News & Updates
SER National is marking Presidents’ Day 2023 as a time when Americans are reported to be increasingly focused on what our country needs today to enhance our quality of life. Equally significant is how the men and women polled nationally say we each can contribute to the solutions addressing these needs beginning with where we live, work, and spend our leisure time.
“The service-centered life of President Washington is being echoed this holiday in a recent Gallup poll,” says Ignacio Salazar, SER National Chief Executive Officer. “The survey asked people across the country about their goals for America in 2023. Interestingly, their answers mirrored some of the things President Washington cared about as our first leader more than 234 years ago. The majority who responded listed our government’s health as their top priority. Also, we care deeply about the state of our economy and how to improve it for everyone’s benefit. Of course, this includes good jobs, what President Washington called ‘useful and noble employment,’ especially in service to others,” says Salazar.
The poll measured public sentiments over three weeks at the start of 2023 (January 2-22). Other issues among this year’s top priorities include unifying our country and tackling poverty, hunger, and homelessness, addressing immigration, crime, race relations, morals, ethics, and family shifts. Gallup researchers report a marked difference in proposed solutions depending on the political party affiliation of the Americans they interviewed.
“President Washington shouldered many of these social burdens without the benefit of the modern-day resources we enjoy,” says Salazar. “Communication took days or weeks. Also, national infrastructure was still being developed to establish agencies, programs, and policies to carry out the needed work. Today, SER Jobs for Progress National and our SER Network of Affiliates are empowering Americans with much of what they require regarding information, capacity building, and program execution skills, all available at their fingertips. Our training is now expanding into virtual digital networks and artificial intelligence. We are teaching men and women daily at the level it took a generation ago for space exploration. Indeed, we are limited only by our imagination. Just like President Washington, we can envision our country now and into the future being better by what each of us does today,” said Salazar.
by Ileana Martinez | Jan 31, 2023 | News & Updates
February is National Black History Month in the United States, a month set aside to honor the lives of those African Americans who have fought the struggle for the right to enjoy the privileges of citizenship fully as guaranteed by our U.S. Constitution.
Ignacio Salazar, SER National President and Chief Executive Officer, states, “At this time, we recommit to our mission of lifting the lives of African Americans, along with all the other men and women we serve daily. Black History Month reminds us that the struggle for just and equal opportunity is generational. Each of us is dedicated to lending our voice, skills, and resources daily to move our communities forward through job training and services. Also, this is a chance to be intentional about learning and sharing the achievements of African American men and women. Doing so empowers us all and strengthens our appreciation for America’s beauty.”
Black History Month’s roots date back to 1925, and an African American historian, educated at Harvard. Carter G. Woodson wanted to create a way to teach others about Black men and women’s contributions and dispel discrimination. The first observance was known as Negro History Week and was celebrated the last week of February. This date coincided with the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas, a man who escaped slavery in Maryland and became a renowned social reformer and abolitionist. President Gerald Ford expanded the celebration in 1976 to a month-long observance.
“This year, the theme of Black History Month is Black Resistance,” says Salazar. “This teaching reminds us of our collective duty as a society to be in solidarity with African Americans. They continue to seek full acceptance, which they have earned since their forced arrival in America as enslaved people. Today, they seek the nation’s respect and acknowledgment, not as victims, but as triumphant Americans who have overcome historical adversity, injustice, and exclusion. SER Jobs for Progress National and our Network of Affiliates, join with them in this quest and applaud their many important victories,” said Salazar.
by Ileana Martinez | Jan 13, 2023 | News & Updates
SER Jobs for Progress National, Inc. (SER National) marks the observance of MLK Day 2023 and issued the following statement on this historic occasion:
“Dr. King reminded Americans that as persons of spiritual faith, we are instructed to love others as ourselves and to do so without reservation,” says Ignacio Salazar, President and Chief Executive Officer of SER National. “The message is powerful because, in its simplicity, we are called upon to confront one of the greatest challenges in our daily lives, the beloved community mindset, or love of all. This is the theme that the King Foundation celebrates this year. Indeed, Dr. King personified a life of love activated through actions and did so with all he met, even his opposers. Today, fifty-five years following his death, our nation pauses to remember and honor that legacy of love through service to the community of which we are all a part. SER National, together with the SER Network of Affiliates, is proud of living the beloved community mindset through our array of services, programs, and resources to more than a million people every year across the United States and Puerto Rico,” said Salazar.
Events in observance of MLK Day 2023 are scheduled to be held in communities large and small across the country. The shared themes include diversity, equality, and opportunity for all men, women, and children, regardless of race, color, or creed. Millions of Americans will spend the day as one of service in their local communities. Many residents in the Greater Washington, DC region and leaders from throughout the United States will travel to the nation’s capital. They will participate in a celebratory MLK Peace Walk and Parade, which organizers describe as an event to “recapture the dream and lift every voice ’til victory is won.” Still others will observe MLK Day alone in their homes, in quiet, somber reflection, mindful that the day Dr. King foresaw from the mountaintop has not yet arrived when all people are judged, not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
“SER National is proud to report that many of our team members, program participants, corporate sponsors, and community allies are among the nearly 80 million Americans practicing service through volunteerism in the philosophy of Dr. King,” said Salazar. “We are engaged in social transformation daily through what the King Center calls Nonviolence365, and we are touching lives as did Dr. King, through peaceful educational outreach, teaching job skills, repurposing talent into new careers, trades, and professions. Yes, one person at a time, one neighborhood, city, and state at a time, we are still on the journey towards that promised land when all Americans shall see themselves in the fulfillment of the civil rights movement Dr. King began and which continues even today. Happy MLK Day!” he added.
by Ileana Martinez | Dec 30, 2022 | News & Updates
Ignacio Salazar, SER National President and Chief Executive Officer, issued the following statement closing out 2022 with landmark accomplishments and the sights set on 2023.
“On behalf of SER National and the SER Network of Affiliates, we salute the more than 1 million program participants we have reached and served this year. They entered our doors in more than 200 locations across the country and Puerto Rico with high hopes and expectations to uplift and transform their lives. I proudly announce that we met their needs through our numerous training, education, and assistance services.
The reports show that our program graduates are more robust, better equipped, and eager to progress or return to our nation’s workforce to sustain themselves and their families. From the country’s eastern shores to the Pacific and La Isla del Encanto, we have witnessed the most incredible reward people can experience. Their dignity and self-confidence soared when they received their certificate, diploma, or license and the recognition they earned from family, friends, and employers. This experience was priceless.
Our work touched and changed lives from major urban centers to rural pueblos. These include a second-generation farmworker who became a commercial truck driver, a single mother of three children who started her salon and spa business, and a senior who went to work as a part-time security guard at a high-rise office building. His work ethic impressed tenants, among them the Walt Disney Company, and he was invited to join the family of Mickey and Minnie Mouse as a full-time employee! These are just three of the victories of SER participants. We see many more like these each day, too numerous to list all of them.
SER National and the SER Network of Affiliates will continue in 2023 to remain focused on the mission of service within America’s local communities. We pledge to keep venturing out into neighborhood centers, churches, and civic associations to share our passion for reaching the historically underserved. Count on us to be on watch with our one-on-one attentiveness and caring for every individual we meet. These principles have stood us apart for 58 years, and with God’s blessing, we will prevail with servant hearts even in the face of challenging times. May 2023 bring peace and prosperity to you, and may God continue to bless this great nation we call our home.”
by Ileana Martinez | Dec 23, 2022 | News & Updates
Nation’s Service-Employment-Redevelopment Network Invites All Its Program Participants, Sponsors, and Network of Affiliates to Pause for Peace and Goodwill
SER National shared the following holiday message as millions of people begin to gather to celebrate the season with family and friends.
“SER National respects that this is the time of year when we each observe the profound beauty of our individual faith and freedoms,” said Ignacio Salazar, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Yet, in our hurried modern lives, pausing to gift ourselves the time to reflect is challenging. Indeed, the virtue theology scholars say Americans seek most and often have least is time for gratitude. There are greater and more meaningful truths worthy of our time this holiday season. Among them are our individual God-given talents and how we can share these with others,” says Salazar.
Across the United States, trends show distinct regional differences in aptitudes and skill sets. For 58 years, SER National and its SER Network of Affiliates have celebrated the diversity of America’s workforce and tailored its programs to meet participants where they are. Interestingly, new data detailed within the 2022 Global Skills Report is emerging that affirms the SER model. For example, training programs on an online platform with 100 million users found that participants along the Pacific Coast, the Northeast, or the Upper Midwest score higher in business skills. Yet, the perfect scores in mobile development technology skills were by Mountain region learners.
“Today, America invites all persons to partake in the opportunity of self-improvement through education, not simply a privileged few,” says Salazar. So, while some metrics may show other countries leading in digital performance, supply chain systems, or mobile development, the USA is the one place on earth where we each contribute to the larger whole without losing our individuality or the rewards of our personal striving. This is the beauty of our remarkable experiment called democracy, now enduring nearly 250 years. I am honored to lead a dedicated team that is part of the larger SER family devoted to the power of life-changing transformation through training and workforce development. This is our greatest gift to share this holiday season, and we are blessed to do so with the full knowledge of our faith that our most significant rewards are still ahead,” says Salazar.
