A Chance to Advance: Annual Event 2023

About the Event

Sponsorship

Event Tickets

Chance to Vegas Raffle

Hometown Hero Award

Volunteer

CAREER PATHWAY PRESENTER

We're committed to giving Clevelanders a chance to advance.

Are you?

Towards Employment has been committed to giving Clevelanders a chance to achieve and maintain self-sufficiency through employment for over 40 years. We provide career planning, coaching and skill-building through work experience and technical training so workers can succeed in their current job and then advance along a career pathway. We also provide critical supports to ensure their success along the way, including transportation, uniforms and legal assistance.

Towards Employment is able to provide career services and chances to advance through the generosity of supporters like you.

View the Digital Invitation

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

Partnership with Dominick Farinacci & Jaymes Poling

Unique magical moment for 2023 featuring a partnership with Dominick Farinacci and Jaymes Poling. Dominick is a world class musician who travels the world but is a true Clevelander, always coming back to support our city, and this year chairing the TricC Jazz festival. Since 2016, Dominick has partnered with U.S. Army veteran Jaymes Poling to create Modern Warrior Live, a unique, moving theatrical experience that mixes first-person narrative with music and multimedia to chronicle the veteran deployment experience and subsequent transition back home. With funding from the Fowler Foundation, Dominick and Jaymes partner with 7 TE alumni and staff to create a storytelling and jazz fusion piece around the reentry experience – the challenges and individual triumphs that members of our community face. The evening will include a segment from the longer performance.

FAA-Modern-Warrior-NEA-2021-announcement

Announcing Micki Byrnes & Shelly Peet as Honorary Co-Chairs

Towards Employment is excited, and honored to welcome Micki Byrnes & Shelly Peet as Honorary Co-Chairs to the 2023 Annual Event Committee.

Meet Micki Byrnes

Micki Byrnes

President & General Manager
WKYC, Cleveland

Micki Byrnes currently serves as President & General Manager of WKYC Media, overseeing all operations of the broadcast station and its digital platforms. She joined Channel 3 in 1997 as Director of Marketing and was named Vice President, Advertising and Promotion in 2000, and Station Manager in 2014.

Byrnes has held broadcast management positions in Boston, San Francisco, Atlanta and Orlando. She is a past Chair and Director of PROMAX, International, the television industry's premiere marketing association. Byrnes has also served on the marketing advisory boards of CBS Television, ABC Television and Fox Broadcasting and is the past Chairperson of the NBC Affiliate Promotion Committee.

Micki was a member of the 2005 class of Leadership Cleveland and continues to serve on their Selection Committee. She was a member of the FBI Citizen’s Academy class of 2012. She currently serves as a board member of the Cuyahoga Community College Foundation, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, In Counsel with Women, the Greater Cleveland Chapter of the American Red Cross, The Cleveland Leadership Center, Destination Cleveland, and Coats for Kids.

Micki has won numerous regional Emmy, Telly and Addy Awards. She was inducted into the Cleveland Association of Broadcasters’ Hall of Fame in 2013 and was named a 2016 YWCA Woman of Achievement and a 2016 Crain’s Woman of Note. She was also named 2016 General Manager of the Year by Broadcasting & Cable magazine. In 2020, she was honored as a “Progressive Woman of the Year” by Smart Business Magazine. Also in 2020, she was named the “Business Executive of the Year” by SME (Sales and Marketing Executives) Cleveland, only the second woman to receive that award in over 50 years. Crain’s Cleveland named Micki one of the 2020 “Power 150” in Northeast Ohio.

Meet Shelly Peet

Shelly Peet

Executive Vice President of Human Resources & Community Relations
Nordson, Cleveland

Shelly Peet recently retired from Nordson as the Executive Vice President of human resources and community relations, overseeing the company’s worldwide operations.

Ms. Peet began her Nordson career in 2003 as director of corporate information service. Prior to being named Executive Vice President in February 2018, Ms. Peet served as Vice President of Human Resources from February 2009 through February 2018 while also overseeing Information Services and Community Relations.

Ms. Peet holds a B.S. in physics from Wittenberg University and M.S. in systems engineering from Case Western Reserve University.

Shelly Peet served on the Towards Employment board from the years 2003 to 2013.

See the full 2023 Annual Event Committee

Entertainment & MC by Sparky B

With over 30 years in the business, Sparky B is no stranger when it comes to hosting the best! Known for his crazy stage show, guests from all over the world have experienced true entertainment by the man himself. Join us at The Agora and see if you can try to count Sparky B's extensive collection of eclectic jackets!

EVENT TICKETS

Please join us for a star-studded evening with world-class musician, Cleveland’s own Dominick Farinacci, live entertainment, good food, and lots of fun, all while giving more Clevelanders a chance to advance.

Event Details:
5:00 PM - 7:00PM
Wednesday, June 7th, 2023
The Agora Theatre
5000 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44103

Get Tickets!

CHANCE TO VEGAS RAFFLE

Your chance to win an amazing, once in a lifetime trip!

Win a 3-night stay in a 4-star Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, with round-trip coach class airfare for 2, and 2 tickets to your choice of an upcoming Las Vegas show! There are few places where you're this spoiled for choice when it comes to A-list entertainers and big-budget stage shows. With seasonal casino residencies by the megastars of the music world, the enthralling Cirque du Soleil shows, mesmerizing Blue Man Group and magician Criss Angel, you've got a lot of choices!

All proceeds go to benefit Towards Employment's services helping connect people to careers all throughout Cleveland.

You do not need to be present at the event to participate. Anyone can win!

Get Raffle Tickets!

SPONSORSHIP

Sponsorship Info

CAREER PATHWAY PRESENTER

EMPLOYMENT CONNECTOR

ADVANCEMENT LEADER

LIFE STABILITY CHEERLEADER

TRAINING ADVOCATE

100% of proceeds support coaching, case management, technical training, career matching, and other supports.

We believe connecting people to careers changes lives, advances businesses and strengthens communities.

All of our programs and services are rooted in a rigorously evaluated, industry-driven career pathway model with proven results. A five-year, national pilot known as WorkAdvance demonstrated that comprehensive and aligned services helped people to advance within two years, with increased earnings of up to 22%. Or simply put, the model provided a chance to put more money in a family’s pockets.

Individuals who come to Towards Employment receive job readiness training, options for technical training, work experience, and assistance with job placement as well as intensive case management, supportive services and post-employment coaching for up to two years. These are all critical to long-term success and increased income, which leads to greater economic mobility.

Since our founding in 1976, more than 200,000 people have benefited, leading to improved economic health for our whole community.

**We invite you to make a difference - give Clevelanders a Chance to Advance & Pay it Forward.**

For more event information, contact Adaora Schmiedl at
(216) 696-7310 or aschmiedl@towardsemployment.org

HOMETOWN HERO AWARD

Towards Employment’s Hometown Hero Award honors an organization, person, or group of people who are making an impact in our community by elevating and addressing issues that impact the individuals we support.

We’ll announce the 2023 Hometown Hero Award recipient during the event on June 7.

2023 Hometown Hero

2022 Hometown Hero

Manufacturing Sector Partnership of Workforce Connect

TE awarded the 2022 Hometown Hero award to highlight the work of the Manufacturing Sector Partnership of Workforce Connect. This sector specific career pathway implementation is at once a true collaborative across many public and private organizations – and it is jointly led by MAGNET and the Greater Cleveland Partnership. Towards Employment is proud to be partner in this effort and is deeply proud of the how MSP and its outcomes shine the spotlight on Cleveland’s positive efforts to connect people to great careers with family sustaining wages.

2021 Hometown Hero

Deborah Vesy

In 2021 Deborah Vesy, former Executive Director of the Deaconess Foundation, was honored for her unwavering commitment and visionary leadership to build up the workforce system and accessible career pathways. Deborah was “a champion for initiatives which didn’t just help job seekers and employers but transformed all the actors in the workforce system and how they worked with each other, in order to increase outcomes.” Jill Rizika, TE CEO, notes that Deborah was that rare partner who is not only – “deeply knowledgeable of the workforce system, and deeply compassionate of Clevelanders who had to navigate and use the system, but also totally committed to challenging and supporting Towards Employment (and other partners) to push to build more effective workforce solutions.”

2019 Hometown Hero

Cleveland Browns

The first Hometown Hero award was given to the Cleveland Browns in 2019 for their ongoing support and investment in their - and our - hometown.

In 2017 Ted Tywang, Vice President, General Counsel with the Cleveland Browns, approached us because a partner in the community told him about our work with returning citizens. One of the areas players identified is helping incarcerated people successfully reintegrate into the community. In 2018 Towards Employment was one of several organizations that received funding from Browns players and administration. This donation also came with commitment from players and administration to get to know the people who need support. The team engaged in a Learning Tour designed to educate players about our local criminal justice system and think through ways they can make a difference. Players visited the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court downtown to watch bail hearings and visited the Bedford Jail. They had a chance to hear from inmates and jail staff and shared their own experiences and offer encouragement.

Because of this commitment, Towards Employment selected the Cleveland Browns to be the first recipient of the TE Hometown Hero Award – as an organization elevating our city by incorporating dedication and respect for the individuals faced with obstacles to building a strong career plan.

2023 EVENT COMMITTEE

Committee Members

Carrie Rosenfelt & Grace Heffernan
Co-Chairs

Dan Arian
Brenda Brown
Ronnie Cannon
Timothy Chai
Joan Crosby
Laura Desmond
Marie Eslick
Brooke Hodge
Karen Jones
Megan Killagallon

Bola Majekodunmi
Melissa Majka
Sara McCarthy
Amanda Pacanovsky
Jill Rizika
Sandi Rosado
Adaora Schmiedl
Robin Smalley
Elizabeth Smith
Erron Toppin

Micki Byrnes & Shelly Peet
Honorary Co-Chairs

Meet our Honorary Co-Chairs

CAREER PATHWAY PRESENTER

We're committed to giving Clevelanders a chance to advance.

Are you?

Towards Employment is able to provide career services and chances to advance through the generosity of supporters like you.

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

Partnership with Dominick Farinacci & Jaymes Poling

Announcing Micki Byrnes & Shelly Peet as Honorary Co-Chairs

Micki Byrnes

President & General Manager
WKYC, Cleveland

Shelly Peet

Executive Vice President of Human Resources & Community Relations
Nordson, Cleveland

Entertainment & MC by Sparky B

EVENT TICKETS

CHANCE TO VEGAS RAFFLE

Your chance to win an amazing, once in a lifetime trip!

SPONSORSHIP

CAREER PATHWAY PRESENTER

EMPLOYMENT CONNECTOR

ADVANCEMENT LEADER

LIFE STABILITY CHEERLEADER

TRAINING ADVOCATE

100% of proceeds support coaching, case management, technical training, career matching, and other supports.

**We invite you to make a difference - give Clevelanders a Chance to Advance & Pay it Forward.**

HOMETOWN HERO AWARD

Manufacturing Sector Partnership of Workforce Connect

Deborah Vesy

Cleveland Browns

2023 EVENT COMMITTEE

Committee Members

Towards Employment

Towards Employment is a proven leader in workforce development that connects people to careers, which changes people’s lives, advances businesses, and strengthens community in Northeast Ohio. Our mission is to empower individuals to achieve and maintain self-sufficiency through employment.

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