Community

Flint Strive moving forward despite pandemic

Written by Antonio Sweeney

Marvin Smoot is the assistant executive director of Flint Specialized  Services, better known as Flint Strive. The organization has been in the city of Flint for over 20 years, serving the community with its various employment and health care training programs. Like many businesses around the nation, the organization is facing one of its most deadly threats: the coronavirus pandemic.

Flint Strive offers various employment programs for high school students and adults seeking employment, as well as healthcare training. With a staff of only five employees, Smoot had to think of a game plan quickly on how to operate. 

“We wrote a game plan about how we can  protect each individual that walks in the building- from the staff, to students, to adults,” Smoot said. “We do daily temperature checks, follow the government orders and supply each person with a mask, for their safety and ours.”

Strive’s summer youth employment program has been operating for over 18 years, but this year it is looking different. 

“The staff and I looked at various options of how we can run the program, whether it was virtual or in person,” Smoot said. “We decided in person. So we limited the number of students and job sites to only essential business within the community that needed young adults. Our funders (Ruth Mott Foundation/ Mott Foundation) agreed to our proposal so that we can still put money in the students’ pockets and serve the community.” 

Through all the chaos going on in the world through these unprecedented times, Smoot and his staff have one common goal that keeps them running, adjusting to this new lifestyle.

“Our ultimate goal is to strive to overcome.” 

Flint Strive will be moving forward with its CORE adult employment program in the fall for adults who were incarcerated or seeking employment, which has had an 80% success rate over the years. 

Smoot’s message to the world is simple; something we all should follow.

“Stay prayed up. Fight, and never give up.” 

Photos provided by Flint Strive

 

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