When a co-worker at Putnam County Adult Probation spoke about a problem one of her clients was facing recently, case manager Kelli Stevens had the seed of an idea.
Probation officer Malachi Taylor was meeting with a client, speaking with her about the need for a job in order to move forward for both the client and her children.
What she found was that the client was unprepared and nervous about interviewing for even a basic foodservice job.
After listening to the story, Stevens reached out to her son, Jonah Jones-Stevens, a sophomore management fellow at DePauw University.
Kelli thought that maybe Jonah could help with some interviewing and resume skills for such clients.
“I sent my son a message asking if he could help somehow with a resume and he said, ‘For sure,’” Stevens said.
As the philanthropy chairman for Beta Theta Pi, Jones-Stevens immediately saw a way for his house to make a difference in the Putnam County community. When he reached out to his fraternity brothers, the response was immediate.
“Within an hour, he had a great response,” Stevens said.
Calling the program Beta Bridge, the Betas are partnering with adult and juvenile probation, both Putnam County courts and the prosecutor’s office to help prepare for the job application and interview process.