Whirlpool and Mosaic CCDA give Benton Harbor High School students hands-on experience
BENTON HARBOR, Mich. -- Inside Benton Harbor High School, students aren’t just volunteering to build their futures, thanks to Whirlpool and Mosaic Christian Community Development Association, they're gaining real-world experience.
Wednesday was not a typical day for the students. Za'Kera Baxter says she found herself in a real-world learning environment while discovering paths she never knew existed.
"I just found out our school had a golf team by going to one of the tables and I had to sign up because like I've been here for four years and I didn’t know we had a golf team, so I feel like that's an opportunity that we didn't really know we had so I really enjoyed tables and all the resources that came out today,” said Baxter.
Whirlpool partners with Jobs for Michigan graduates at Benton Harbor High School with over 120 students successfully going through the program in a one-on-one session or an interactive activity.
Whirlpool mentors and their students learned the entire Mosaic CCDA operation from organizing inventory and learning project management to signing families in at the food pantry.
The students' mentors worked with them to learn the entire operation from organizing inventory to learning project management. They also had the chance to sign families in need into the food pantry.
Angie Seger, Director of Communications of Whirlpool Corporation, agrees that this initiative benefits the community, but it also offers students a chance to gain important skills for life after high school.
"We expose them to different career opportunities that are out there and help them get their plan together for the next step and so this mentorship this year just involves a lot of just different events where we bring the mentees together and just expose them to a bunch of different activities,” said Seger.
Mosaic partnering with Whirlpool allowed them to create a program that brings students through different organizations and work alongside them to gain exposure in retail, merchandising, customer service, and leadership all while giving back to the community.
“Feel Good Fridge Food Pantry” is a community initiative that Mosaic established to allow people to shop for the groceries they need.
In 2024 the food pantry provided food for over 17,000 people and this organization plans to exceed this number every year.
If you or someone you know would benefit from these resources, you can visit the Mosaic CCDC website to browse through the resources both organizations offer to students and those in need.