The Mississippi Community Education Center (MCEC) has expanded the Families First program to Scott County to offer free services to local residents. The program will have a community meeting at the Scott County Courthouse on October 29 at 7:00 p.m. and the public is invited to learn about the benefits this new program will offer.
The community meeting will bring together the public and local leaders to give a detailed explanation of the Families First program. This will include all the programs that will be offered in Scott County. The program office is located at 521 Airport Road in Forest and the office hours are Thursdays and Fridays 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
During the past 20 years the Families First for Mississippi has served numerous counties in the state by providing a wide array of services. The program works with local community leaders to support the family system, to create successful employees, provide academic and social opportunities for local students and provide stability for families to flourish.
Jon and Tomeka Weeks will head up the Families First program here and are excited about the opportunities the program brings to all of Scott County. “The free services we offer are intended to assist families, students and workers in the local area,” Jon said. “We have numerous opportunities to assist people here in Scott County on a wide range of needs, and we want to make sure the public is aware that we are here to help every Thursday and Friday. We are also available to come out in the community and give classes and seminars on location. We are willing to do whatever it takes to help here in Scott County.”
The MCEC Families First program offers education programs for students to earn a full diploma, Workforce and Job Rediness program for workers, Youth Development classes, Literacy classes, Parenting classes and Anger Management classes. Even if an individual is looking for help in other areas Jon and Tomeka are willing to assist in anyway they can.
“Even if a person’s needs don’t fall under one of the classes, we offer we will do everything we can to assist them and get them to the right person who can assist them,” Tomeka said. “We are here to help people here be successful and we will do everything we can to assist them.”
Help for the whole family is the target of the Families First program. The program utilizes partnerships with numerous Mississippi agencies and community organizations to fill the gaps and eliminate duplication between services.
Families First stimulates employment, family financial stability, promotes literacy, increases graduation rates, supports youth development and developing parenting skills. “We are available to help, but we need the word to spread to anyone in Scott County that is looking for assistance to move forward with their lives,” Jon said. “Community leaders can contact us and we will be happy to come to them and help with their community. We really need the word to spread that we are here in Scott County and ready to help.”
The MCEC Families First program was funded by the Mississippi Legislature as part of Govenor Phil Byrant’s Healthy Teens for a Better Mississippi. The program was originally funded for work in Rankin County, but with the help of State Representative Tom Miles the program was granted a pilot status here in Scott County.
“The pilot program is really to test the need of this program here in Scott County,” Miles said. “If this program is utilized by our citizens this program could become a permanent addition to help Scott Countians. But if the program is under utilized the funds for the expansion to Scott County may not be available in the years to come. We are really trying to spread the word so that people here in Scott County will utilize this program.”
The meeting to formally announce the Families First program in Scott County will include information about the program as well as have a question and answer time for citizens to find out more about the benefits of this program.
“We have invited elected officials, community leaders, healthcare members and church leaders to this meeting in the hopes that this will help spread the word that the program is here in Scott County and can help our local families,” Miles added.
“We want everyone here to know that we are here to help in any way we can,” Jon Weeks said. “We are in the office every Thursday and Friday, but we are available to travel out in to the county and are happy to do so. If there is a way we can provide help to people here in Scott County we are willing to try it.”
The public is invited to learn more about the services offered at no cost to them at the MCEC Families First meeting on Monday, October 29, at 7:00 p.m. at the Scott County Courthouse.
