Job Fair and Hope

There were 10 companies in the construction industry that brought representatives to 4:13 Strong last week as part of a job fair to recruit seven men from the current 40 Day Challenge class to join their companies. Each of the 40 Day Challenge participants was nervous about the possibility of a real job and each tried to impress with their firm handshakes, their newly designed resumes, their charisma, and their interest in meaningful employment. Each company, in turn, presented their job opportunities as attractively as possible for the sake of enticing one of the participants to work with them. It is the kind of event that invites hope . . . and exposes despair.

Following this event, five of the participants from the 40 Day Challenge summarized the thoughts and feelings that characterize so many of the men who have gone through 4:13 Strong’s training program. One man remarked that talking to hiring professionals from different companies made “me feel like somebody important—special”. “I felt wanted.” Another wondered aloud honestly, “what if no one selects me”? Others seemed ready to burst at the possibility that each one of these men in less than a week will don the hat of one of these companies signifying their commitment to a new employer…and a fresh start on life.
4:13 Strong, built on the belief that each one of us are designed by God to be valuable, to be creative, and to cultivate our communities, provides the space for each man to take hold of a second (sometimes third or fourth) chance. Job fairs create the perfect venue for fanning that belief and building hope.