The BelFlex Junior Mentoring Program to Take Off in 2017

Making good on our promise to serve our communities

At BelFlex, words like “building communities” and “charitable giving” aren’t just for show. We aren’t your typical corporation that checks the social responsibility box each year with the minimum amount of care and attention. Instead, it’s part of our DNA and a foundation for the way we do business.

We believe in succeeding together and there is no better way to do that than to help young people prepare to enter the workforce. The BelFlex Junior Mentoring Program (BJMP) is a great example of what’s possible if you have a strong organizational focus on giving back.

Did you know that the program began by coincidence? A BelFlex employee was watching an ESPN report about Central High School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Outside of the school’s football team, the graduation rate among the rest of the students was dangerously low.

At BelFlex, we know how to help people be successful in finding employment. We thought we were just the company who could help these students, and with that, the program was unveiled in March 2015.

The goal of the BJMP is to connect local high school students with several area businesses to help prepare students to be confident, poised and ready for employment. During the seven-week program, a select group of juniors and seniors learn a range of skills including how to write a resume, hunt for a job and dress professionally. Additionally, each student has the opportunity to participate in mock interviews with business leaders and job shadow employees at an area company.

At the end of our inaugural program at Central High School, three students had secured jobs and one of them was able to purchase his first car as a result! Principal Dr. Clarence Sutton was very supportive of the BJMP and explained why.

“One of our major issues in our community and nation is poverty. The way to battle poverty for the next generation is to prepare them to be ready for the workforce. The BJMP not only prepares students for the workforce, it also gives the opportunity to enter the workforce by offering a variety of career options.”

The BJMP expanded to a second school, Marshall High School in Middletown, Ohio, in 2016. Marshall’s principal, Dr. Hall, said this about the program:

“The students that participated in the BJMP have reported they loved the program. It provided them with a sense of hope, pride, and a path for the future. The participants’ school attendance improved, and their attitude towards their future was enhanced positively. The BJMP has provided Marshall students the motivation to move forward towards graduating and becoming productive members of society.”

Of the students who participated in the BJMP programs in 2016, four have secured jobs, two have entered college and one entered the military.

We’re aggressively growing the program this year, with plans to add five new communities. The BelFlex Junior Mentoring Program is a great way to fulfill our mission to give back to each community where we work and live.