Second chances

A job applicant doesn't need much.

"All a person needs for a job interview is one suit," Mark Bartlett said during orientation at Cape Girardeau's first Missouri Re-entry Process ex-offender job fair.

The event, hosted by the Community Caring Council, took place Wednesday at the Salavation Army on Good Hope Street, where 80 participants with prior convictions showed up and were able to speak with 14 resource centers and 12 employers.

"The turnout was a little lighter than we had hoped," said Belinda Ashley, probation officer for the eastern district. A similar job fair held last year in Sikeston had 142 participants.

Ashley added that providing ex-offenders with a job opportunity allows the convicted felons to contribute to the tax base and gives them a better chance to not become repeat offenders.

The ex-offenders took Bartlett's 15-minute orientation before they went to the job fair.

Bartlett, program director for Mission Missouri, an organization that focuses on substance abuse recovery, volunteered to conduct the orientation to help prepare the ex-offenders for employment. He made a point to call the participants former convicts, saying, "That's what you used to be, but it's not who you are today."

He told participants that he was wearing slacks that were $10 from Wal-Mart and he purchased his sports coat for $2 at Goodwill. He made note that multimillionaire musician Lenny Kravitz shops at second-hand shops.

At the end of the session, Bartlett gave out his phone number and e-mail address and offered to write the participants' resumes for them and provide them with a sample cover letter if they wanted.

That help is nothing to Bartlett -- "just some Xerox paper and a little bit of my time," he said. He said he'll drive from Sikeston to their homes to get their information if they can't get it to him. "So many have helped me over the years. Everyone could use a hand here and there."

One of the main things U.S. probation officer Brian Gray said he tried to do for his clients is eliminate barriers, whether it's writing a resume or assembling employers and resources. He said all employers are entitled to know what crime their applicant has committed and with the job fair, employers are fully aware that they're dealing with a convicted felon.

Businesses either represented or that left applications included BioKyowa, Ingram Barges, Drury Lodge, Gilster-Mary Lee Corp, Texas Roadhouse, Popeyes and Ole Hickory Pits.

"Everybody needs a second chance," said T.K. Babers, an assistant foreman of Ole Hickory Pits on North Main Street in Cape Girardeau. He said he had a lot of applicants stop by his table during the job fair.

Employers who hire ex-offenders are entitled to up to a $2,400 tax credit and coverage through the federal bonding program.

According to U.S. probation officer Brian Gray, the majority of the felonies committed by the participants are drug and gun charges.

But not all. Brian Burke of Jackson was put on supervised probation for stealing when he was younger and recently got into an accident driving while intoxicated. He said besides injuring his back, the accident changed a lot for him and he's been sober since Jan. 18.

At the job fair Burke, 19, said he was on a mission to pick up more than one summer job before he goes to Southeast Missouri State University in the fall.

"I've always been a hard worker," said Burke. After the job fair he said he was going to apply for some more positions in Cape Girardeau County and take his ACTs that evening.

Teri Poole, 42, of Cape Girardeau has a police record for drug possession. She picked up two job applications she said she thought she might qualify for at the job fair. "I was hoping to be employed sooner," she said. "These things take time."

Poole read about the job fair and got help writing her resume at the Southeast Missouri Career Center.

The Missouri Re-entry Process is a statewide initiative. The program is sponsored through a grant from the Missouri Community Partnership, which the Community Caring Council is a part of.

tkrakowiak@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137