Senator James Sanders Jr. Host Successful Job & Career Fair in the Rockaways

Senator James Sanders Jr. hosted a successful job and career fair at the Hammels Houses in the Rockaways on Monday, October 11, 2021 from 10 am. to 3 p.m. which provided a wide array of employment opportunities to community members of all ages, education levels and interests.

"We have been flooded with calls seeking unemployment help since the start of the pandemic," Sanders said. "As a Marine Corps Veteran and the State Representative for this community, I believe in leading from the front, so I am bringing the employers here, practically to the doorstep of the people who need work the most."

As of September 5, 2021, several federal unemployment benefit programs, including PUA, PEUC, EB, and FPUC, have expired, per federal law, leaving jobless New Yorkers with more modest state unemployment benefits, or no aid at all. About 10 percent of the city’s population or about 800,000 people have fallen into that category. That is an incredible amount of lives that have been turned upside down and families left struggling.

There were a multitude of different employers from various professions seeking to hire people from the community. These were good paying jobs with opportunities for stability and advancement. Senkhet Frazier, a resident of Far Rockaway and a volunteer with Fathers Alive in the Hood (F.A.I.T.H.), was hired on-the-spot as an outreach coordinator with the Police Athletic League.

Employers at the event included: Rockaway Development & Revitalization Corporation (RDRC), 100 Suits, St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, Parks Department, Seagirt Adult Day Care Center, Goldie Maple Academy Beacon After-School Program, Police Athletic League (PAL), FedCap, Flying 3Sixty, Inc., EliteHHC, Vantage Medical, JASA, YMCA, PSEG (Public Service Enterprise Group), Tri-Med Home Care Services, Inc., AdvancedCare, Greater NY Nursing Services, N.E.W., Helmets to Hardhats, Black Health, and The Edward J. Malloy Initiative For Construction Skills.

"It was a great day for the community," Sanders said. "It was a pleasure to bring resources to the very neighborhood where I was born, grew up and now represent in state government. I was pleased at how receptive people were as I just handed them flyers. I plan to continue to help people with employment as the economy struggles to bounce back from the coronavirus pandemic."

Special thanks to Ali B’s Country Kitchen who provided a complimentary soul food meal.