Honoring Stories and Integrating Curriculum®: How to Build and Sustain Communities, Episode 3, Part 1

Listen to "E3:1 Why Employee Advocacy is Important: Lynn Vaden, Account Manager" on Spreaker.

Why Employee Advocacy is Important: Lynn Vaden, Account Manager

Contact and Bio
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.fatherssupportcenter.org
Twitter: @fatherssupport
Facebook: Fathers Support Center
LinkedIn: Fathers Support Center
What are specific requests for St. Louis or others? We are always seeking businesses to partner with in the service of employing our program participants.

​Lynn Vaden, Account Manager for Fathers Families and Support Center graduated with a bachelors in Urban Affairs from St. Louis University. He began his career with ServiceMaster Contract Services, Inc. He served as President of Specialty Cleaning Division and Sales Manager prior to taking the COO position. As Chief Operating Officer for over 18 years, he worked to create a culture of excellence and professionalism throughout the company. For the next 14 years, he became Senior Sales Consultant and created opportunities and developed relationships to sell contract janitorial and specialty cleaning services to facility services buyers in the health care, educational, manufacturing, government, transportation and construction industries. As Account Manager, he now builds relationships with a range of St. Louis companies and shepherds people from FFSC employment training programs into companies. He works closely with companies to learn program participant stories, their assets, and their unique gifts and to support employer advocacy for employees and in creating trauma-informed cultures.

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Episode 3, Part 1: Lynn Vaden, Account Manager, Fathers and Families Support Center

• Introduction to Podcast, Honoring Stories and Integrating Curriculum®: How to Build and Sustain Communities
• Lynn’s story of coming to St. Louis from Arkansas, what drew him to St. Louis and what challenges he sees St. Louis facing  
• Lynn’s experiences of the challenges of creating equitable access to transportation in St. Louis
• The respect people in FFSC programs experience that prepares them for employment
• The kind of advocacy companies have helped provide FFSC to overcome obstacles FFSC is facing to secure employment for program participants
• The kind of daily advocacy Lynn and his employment and social service teams exercise on behalf of program participants
• The reality that many across our region suffer from alcohol and drug addiction or are going through a hard time and the benefits Lynn and FFSC offers program participants as they walk closely with them and with their employers 
• Sweet spot stories that capture when program participant expertise aligns perfectly with company specific talent needs
• The type of asset-based listening Lynn and FFSC engages with program participants to hear all that they have been becoming in the midst of challenges, hardships, and traumas
• How living in justice centers is some of the best preparation for adding value to a company
• Stories of employer advocates who become so invested in program participants and the transportation or other challenges they may face because they are experiencing how much value program participants bring

Honoring Stories and Integrating Curriculum®: How to Build and Sustain Communities
Honoring Stories and Integrating Curriculum® methods this podcast features

• Organizations who are rooted in local history and forging collective action with others in order to do our part together to help people overcome lack of access to sustainable resources. 
  • This episode touches on past and present St. Louis transportation history rooted in deficit perspectives. 
  • Deficit perspectives hinder the access of all of our communities to public transportation that goes from the city to the county.
  • Deficit perspectives also work against regional investment in all our youth and families and against our regional economic growth.
• Organizations who are building relationships across sectors to support one another in Doing Our Part Together. 
  • St. Louis companies who are doing their part to join FFSC in getting to know FFSC employment training program participants. When good matches are found, these companies are reaping the benefits of their investment in program participants as a result.
• Training programs rooted in the stories of employees, and employers who take the time to learn the stories of employees. The result is the retention of diverse multifaceted talent. 
  • The power of listening to and learning the many assets people have and bring, especially people who are overcoming the obstacles associated with living in communities without access to consistent and sustainable resources. This deep listening prepares employers for working more effectively with all of their employees.