On a cold February day, thirteen young people are welcomed into Bone Dry Roofing’s Indianapolis warehouse for a Career Day.
With a shared commitment to strengthening the community, Bone Dry Roofing reached out to our Workforce Readiness team to host a Career Day for young people interested in exploring their career options.
They were given an overview of the company and the construction industry, and toured the office and warehouse. Then it was time to jump in.
Throughout the day, young people had direct experiential learning through stations guided by Bone Dry employees. Side-by-side, they learned how to nail shingles to a roof, install exterior siding, practice masonry, and even shadow their call center.
“It was very interesting to get hands-on experience and do things I have never done before,” said a Foster Success participant.
In the quieter moments, young people had the chance to talk with Bone Dry team members and ask questions. Their inquisitiveness and eager engagement left a lasting impression on the Bone Dry team.
At the hard-earned lunch break, Bone Dry staff gathered something special to hand out to the young people.
In the weeks leading up to the Career Day, Assistant Director of Program Delivery Hannah Swogger mentioned that some of the young people signed up didn’t have winter coats.
She told Bone Dry that they may be deterred from arriving in the early morning. Minutes later she got an email from Bone Dry Roofing’s Talent Acquisition & Retention Manager, Jeff Johnson.
He said Andrew Hanlon, the Assistant General Manager, suggested a coat drive. Jeff told the staff about the coats, and the team collected old and new coats to give to all the young people so everyone could participate. Another staff member provided hand knitted hats as well.
“It was a need and an easy thing to do. We didn’t do it because it was easy. We like to give back to the community—that’s why it was easy,” said Jeff on why it was important for them to close that barrier.
Young people excitedly selected their handknit hats, and those who needed coats left with them on their backs.
Before the day ended, the group reflected on the new skills they’d gained, connections they’d formed, and career possibilities they hadn’t considered before they walked through the warehouse doors.
In the past fiscal year, more than half of Foster Success participants met a work-related goal. Whether it’s exploring their options to creating one-on-one connections to employers, our Workforce Readiness programming ensures young people have multiple pathways to achieve their career goals.
It’s thanks to partnerships like Bone Dry Roofing that allow young people to take those steps and create opportunities where there were once barriers.