IRONTON Ƶ Second chances are a form of benevolence, which is why Ironton First Church of the Nazarene is hosting the areaƵs first Better Together job fair on Wednesday, April 30.
Better Together is a Florida-based nonprofit dedicated to helping families by breaking down employment barriers. It hosts a series of background-friendly job fairs in partnership with churches as part of its Nationwide Day of Second Chances.
ƵTheyƵre kind of coaching us through, but as far as getting the employers, the resource agencies, and the volunteers, thatƵs been on the church itself,Ƶ Pastor Chad Stevens said.
Its job fairs are open to anyone but are directed at people who face barriers to employment like past incarceration, homelessness, lack of transportation or child care, or gaps in employment. ItƵs also an opportunity to receive resources like interview coaching, help with paperwork, professional clothing, child care and even record expungement.
ƵThatƵs one of the reasons weƵre excited for the job fair, so we can help people step into their God-given talents and embrace who they were born to be. And I know a lot of times people look at churches and say, theyƵre judgmental or thatƵs just not my thing, but I know that Ironton First and a lot of the churches in the area are becoming more community-minded,Ƶ Stevens said. ƵMost important is sharing the gospel, but to give those people a hand up so theyƵll be more receptive to the gospel.Ƶ
One of the leaders at Ironton First Church of the Nazarene learned about Better Together during a visit to Florida and wanted to bring it to the Tri-State.
ƵWeƵre hoping this becomes, for lack of a better word, a new ministry in our area,Ƶ he said. ƵIf another church or another organization sees this and loves the success that I believe weƵre really gonna have, that itƵs something that comes to this area every year.Ƶ
There are 14 employers and nine resource agencies attending the event. So far, there are 45 attendees registered for the event but Stevens said theyƵre hoping to have 100 to 150 show up.
Veronica Nunley is a member of the church and the chief business development officer at Pathways in Ƶhland, which will have a recruiter at the event.
ƵWe strongly believe in giving individuals in recovery the opportunity to be gainfully employed in order to become a contributing member of society, and we believe thatƵs extremely important to the recovery process,Ƶ Nunley said.
Pathways employs about 120 peer support specialists in a variety of roles. These are individuals with lived experience who can help other individuals coming in for treatment. Nunley says this is just one example of a job they are looking to fill.
Job seekers and employers interested in participating in a Better Together job fair for Nationwide Day of Second Chances can visit for more information on local events and the latest list of participating locations. Job seekers may also text ƵJOBSƵ to 844-987-3949 to register for an area job fair.
The job fair is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 2318 South 4th St., Ironton. Registration at is encouraged.
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