We’re happy to announce that during the month of July, High 5 Plumbing Cares will be supporting the critical, timely work of Thrive, where unemployed and underemployed individuals are invited to “experience the hope and transformative power of work.”
Thrive was our July 2019 High 5 Plumbing Cares recipient, so we’re especially excited to spotlight them again as a High 5 Plumbing Cares Throwback Nonprofit this month.
What is Thrive, and Who Do They Serve?
Thrive is an employment support program based in Lafayette, Colorado. Thrive serves job seekers all along the Front Range, helping them “overcome barriers and work their way to self-sufficiency and stability through employment.”
Thrive is not a placement agency; it’s a lot more than that. We are especially impressed with Thrive’s holistic approach to “healing brokenness and eliminating poverty through relationships, employment support services, and skills development.”
“Thrive was launched in August of 2014 to help people who have struggled to gain or maintain employment,” says Thrive. “We walk alongside job seekers as they find ways to overcome barriers, go to work, advance and move to economic self-sufficiency. Working closely with a variety of community partners, Flatirons Community Church created Thrive as an individual and a community transformation initiative designed to help break cycles of poverty and restore hope and dignity for people that want a better future. At Thrive, it starts with a job!”
Wondering where they got their inspiration? Thrive was based on a model developed by Cincinnati Works that has proven to be effective for more than 20 years.
“Our services are best suited for motivated job seekers between 18-49 years old; because the journey to self-sufficiency often requires years of work to gain stability. Members do not need to live in a specific county or service area to qualify,” says Thrive.
We especially love Thrive’s commitment to some of our community’s most vulnerable job seekers: “Thrive has a heart for single parents, formerly incarcerated individuals, and those accessing public assistance. Most importantly is the desire and motivation to pursue long-term employment and have the goal of reducing dependence on public assistance. Thrive staff will work with job seekers to determine if Thrive fits their individual needs and goals.”
Thrive offers a host of empowering, individualized services to its members, including:
- A multiple-session workshop to assist job seekers with overcoming barriers, building interview skills, job searching, and more
- One-on-one coaching from trained employment coaches who provide encouragement and ongoing support
- Exploration of available jobs through local partner employers who seek to hire willing, capable workers
High 5 Plumbing Cares co-founder Cassi Torres sat down with Thrive Program Director Elizabeth Johnson and Thrive Program Coordinator Jayneanne Tuttle to learn more. Listen in on their conversation below.
How is Thrive responding to COVID-19?
The numbers are steadily improving, but in April of this year, Colorado’s unemployment rate hit an all-time high of 11.3%. More than ever, unemployed and underemployed Coloradans need support from organizations like Thrive to get back on their feet, regain a sense of security and momentum, and find hope for their futures.
In response to COVID-19, Thrive has pivoted to a host of online operations to serve job seekers along the Front Range. Their robust virtual programming has enabled them to connect with and serve individuals from an even broader geographic area. They also offer virtual office hours every weekday from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.!
The Thrive team continues to deliver life-changing services and support to Colorado job seekers, especially as we navigate this season of economic stress and dizzying unemployment rates. You can learn more about Thrive and how to support their work here.
Thrive Success Stories
Below are a few success stories, as shared by Elizabeth Johnson, Thrive’s Program Director.
Charlie
“After completing Thrive’s employment workshop, Charlie started meeting with his employment coach and got a job at Adam’s Polishes, one of our employer partners. His is an incredible story of resilience and life change while seeing the three key aspects of our program (job seeker/coach/employer) come together.”
—Thrive Program Director, Elizabeth Johnson
Rebecca
“This is a photo of Rebecca at work. After completing the workshop and working with her coach, Rebecca said, ‘The program taught me how to be confident, to conduct my job search, and interviewing skills. Not long after the completion of the workshop, I got a job! The experience with Thrive has been so amazing. The Thrive staff and my coach really did a great job in helping me. I will always be grateful for people at Thrive and the hard work they do to help members find success.’”
—Thrive Program Director, Elizabeth Johnson
Jessica
“Meet Jessica. She came to the Thrive workshop last March because she was unemployed and struggling financially. Using interview skills learned during the workshop, Jessica demonstrated her trustworthiness and determination, earning her a new job two weeks after completing the workshop.”
“There are people in our community, like Jessica, who do not have the routine of work—those who are unemployed or underemployed and are consumed with the self-defeating thoughts of hopelessness. Theirs is a struggle to survive, let alone thrive. Those living on the margins of poverty deserve an opportunity to gain and maintain employment. Thrive is here to help.”
—Thrive Program Director, Elizabeth Johnson
Why Did High 5 Plumbing Cares Choose Thrive as Its July Recipient?
“Thrive began in 2014 as an initiative of our church, Flatirons Community Church,” says High 5 Plumbing Cares co-founder and High 5 Plumbing co-owner Cassi Torres.
“We had the opportunity to spotlight Thrive as our High 5 Plumbing Cares nonprofit back in July of 2019. It only made sense for us to follow up a year later to see how we could continue supporting the relationship we’ve built with them, especially since they need for their services is so immediate right now. We’re excited to have Thrive as our Throwback Nonprofit for the month of July.”
How Is High 5 Plumbing Supporting Thrive?
High 5 Plumbing Cares is excited to spread the word about Thrive—for the second time!—in several ways.
- We’ll provide every High 5 Plumbing client served during the month of July with info on Thrive and our support of their mission, including an employment support services fact sheet.
- We’ll be promoting Thrive right here on our blog and on social media throughout the month.
- Every time you buy a hat or t-shirt from our High 5 Plumbing online shop during July, we’ll donate $4 to Thrive.
- As is the case with all our High 5 Plumbing Cares recipients, we’ll deliver a donation check to Thrive at the end of the month.
- When you purchase a High 5 Plumbing Club Membership during July, we’ll donate $10 in your honor to Thrive.
- We’ll also give back 1% of the revenue generated from the High 5 Plumbing Colorado truck during the month of July. That goes directly to Thrive
- We’re privileged to support Thrive in its mission to empower individuals to break through barriers, find stability and self-sufficiency through employment, and advance at work (and in life).
How Can I Support Thrive?
You can support Thrive in a variety of ways. Here are a few:
- Connect job seekers with Thrive
If you know a job seeker or someone who would be interested in the support Thrive offers, please tell them to reach out to Thrive! - Consider volunteering
Are you inspired by the idea of walking alongside a job seeker? Thrive has an employment coach training program and a community of employment coaches they’d love for you to be a part of! Thrive is always looking for people to volunteer, whether as a coach or in another capacity. - Connect potential employer partners with Thrive
If you’re working with a business owner or are connected to a business that would be interested in employing Thrive member job seekers, they’re always looking for those connections, too! - Become a Donor
You can support Thrive’s work in our community by making a one-time donation or by donating monthly. Learn more about giving here.
Additionally, you can spread the word about the work Thrive is doing by telling family and friends.
And you can follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn!
To learn more about Thrive, visit thrivecolorado.org.
Can I Nominate a Nonprofit I Love for High 5 Plumbing Cares?
If you’d like to nominate a nonprofit you care about, you can submit your nomination right here on the High 5 Plumbing Cares page. Simply scroll down to the bottom of the page and fill out the form that looks like this:
As always, thanks for your support of High 5 Plumbing Cares. We look forward to hearing about the organizations around town that you care about and would like us to spotlight!
