Reclaim Tomorrow, a program to aid Nashville’s unemployed with the job search process, was created in April 2009 by Lipscomb University’s College of Business to help those affected by the recession.
“The purpose is really to support people in career transition,” said Melissa Lowry, director of the program. “Our main objective is to provide networking.”
Reclaim Tomorrow operates the Professional Resource Center, which offers career coaching, resume building and weekly sessions with executives. It also hosts a six-week series to help participants deal with career transition.
Lowry said the first week is “coping and thriving in the job search.” The second week of the program educates participants about how their personalities influence their jobs. Week three is focused on networking, and the fourth week offers insight from job recruiters. Week five culminates in a discussion of interviewing procedures, and finally, week six consists of mock interviews.
“Reclaim Tomorrow is just giving them hope for the next stage of their career transition,” Lowry said.
Lowry said the center also has 15 computers donated by Apple to provide job seekers with resources and a reliable place to spend time developing their career profile. Reclaim Tomorrow offers its services for no cost, so seven companies sponsor the program by donating supplies as an effort to support the community.
“[The program] is not a revenue generator,” Lowry said. “Everything was donated to us when we opened.”
Lowry said the best part of her job is hearing participants talk about their circumstances and then being able to give them hope.
“The people’s faces light up,” she said.
Reclaim Tomorrow meets on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 8:30 in room 181 on the lower level of the Bennett Campus Center.