WorkForce Center In Woodbury Gives To Local Families

The county’s in Woodbury helps people find jobs.

This week, they were helping make the season bright for a few of their clients.

Workers there “adopted” four local families who utilize the WorkForce Center, and they will deliver presents just in time for Christmas.

“It feels great to be able to help some specific families that are in need and make sure a child has a toy at Christmas,” said Carrie Gatzke, a youth employment counselor at the WorkForce Center who was wrapping gifts along with several coworkers on Tuesday. “And I got to go out and purchase a lot of them. That was fun for me.”

She said the effort started slowly, but as Christmas drew near, gifts “were stacking up in my cube.”

The WorkForce Center has delivered gifts to some of its clients for the past several years, and about 75 gifts were wrapped on Tuesday. Lynn Dahn, an employment counselor, was among those getting the items ready this week.

“Giving locally to people who are in need—you’ve got to do something good in life to get good things out of life,” she said. “People really pulled together and did a great job.”

The clients made wish lists for their families, and the presents include everything from books and games to socks and gas cards. “People were asking for really down-to-earth things,” Dahn said.

Robert Crawford, who heads up the WorkForce Center, said 23,000 to 29,000 people use the facility’s resource room each year. Officials provide workshops on interviewing, résumé writing and other skills for job seekers, and also help with job matches and career exploration, he said. The WorkForce Center also has a job-displacement program, which last winter.

“Our job is to help people find work and do whatever it takes to help people do that—it’s our overall goal,” Crawford said.

On the gift-giving effort this week, he said: “This time of year, it’s always nice to help families in need. This has been a phenomenal year for that.”

Editor's note: Check out a story about in Woodbury.