January 2, 2012 by Sandra Rogers.

Dear Readers,

I’m very excited about 2012 because I’ll be going back to school for my doctorate in Education.  This has been a dream of mine for many years.  I’ll continue to work full-time while I’m attending school.   Subsequently, our organization is looking for volunteer or interns.  If you’re interested in blogging for us about the job hunt, please send me an email.  Additionally, we have several social media platforms that will need tending, such as our twitter account, YouTube channel, and weekly e-newspaper.   While these don’t take up much time, they need to be consistently updated with fresh and reliable content.

We had an intern this past year from The University of Alabama, and she was very helpful.  It also made me think the intern tasks through, so if you volunteer, I have explicit instructions and tutorials ready for you.  Social media evangelism is the current job title for the work that you do to promote something you really believe in online.  The job perk is that you can telecommute—that is you can complete the work online from your home or coffee shop.  We can arrange virtual meetings via Skype to plan.  Basically, the rest of the volunteer work would include reading emailed directions and  logging into our social media platforms to tweet or blog about job opportunities and advice.

As you may have read from my past blogs, we focus on the use of social media as a career tool.  We’d love to hear your stories about the use of these tools for landing an interview or job.  Any takers?  I surely hope so.  Also, don’t forget about all the resources we have shared on our 20-page website: http://brokebutnotforlong.org/1.html.  One of our ideas for an outreach project is to host Job Clubs and invite speakers or demonstrate how to use social media for the job hunt.  Would you like to host a Job Club in your area?  You are welcome to use our website’s resources and informational blog to share with job seekers.  Just let us know.

Thanks in advance for your consideration!

Sandra Rogers,

Founder

sandra@brokebutnotforlong.org

Posted in Internships, Volunteer!, Social Media, Philanthropy | Print | No Comments »

November 14, 2011 by Sandra Rogers.

 By Sandra Rogers

11-11-11 was our 2nd anniversary on the Web!  131 blog posts later and I’m still sending out an S.O.S. on behalf of all the unemployed.  On the car ride home this weekend, I heard the Police’s song, “Message in a Bottle” on the radio.  I realized that’s exactly what I’ve been doing on this blog—trying to send you a life-saver of helpful information or at the very least some inspiration.

For the new reader to my blog, I founded BrokeButNotForLong.org to help veterans, persons with disabilities, ex offenders and displaced workers find employment.   Each day I wonder how I can help the jobless.  Nowadays, the messages I send are delivered via tweets, blogs, Facebook, e-newspapers, YouTube, and Foursquare. My message to you: I am here for you! Contact us.

My current initiative is to create how-to videos for the use of social media as a career tool.  I created a YouTube channel, but it only has one video so far: http://youtu.be/ZylKHxq7H4I.  Our website lists the best tools for social networking for the job hunt, and we’ve blogged specifically about it.  However, I think it will be easier to understand if you see a video demonstration, as some of us are visual learners.

Lastly, I want to thank the 70,000 blog readers that visited our site this past year! I sent the first blog post of my career in 2009 not knowing who would respond or how.  Slowly I began to hear back from a few frustrated job seekers.  I’ve been actively mentoring some and passively encouraging others.  Blogging is akin to sending a message in bottle and you, my readers, are those “100 million castaways looking for a home,” as the song lyrics go.

Best of luck in not only securing your next job, but excelling in your career!
Tweet

Posted in Philanthropy, Inspiration | Print | No Comments »

August 21, 2011 by Broke_Intern.

by Linda McIntosh

On Thursday, August 25, the Mobile Chamber of Commerce is hosting the Mobile Business Expo where members can publicize their organizations. This free-to-the-public event will take place from 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. in the Mobile Convention Center Exhibit Hall. More than two hundred exhibitor booths will be set up, and BrokeButNotForLong will be among them in booth #128. In addition, we are very excited that Still Serving Veterans will be joining us.

Per their website, Still Serving Veterans was created in 2005 to help veterans, including wounded warriors, adjust to civilian life after serving their country. Many veterans return home from combat with severe disabilities and/or post-traumatic stress disorder. These veterans and their families may benefit from emotional and vocational counseling, but sometimes finding aid is difficult. Still Serving Veterans, based in Huntsville, Alabama, has stepped up to provide this assistance. Compassionate case workers assist Still Serving Veterans in accomplishing its mission: “To empower Veterans including wounded warriors, and their families, by helping them reintegrate into the workforce and community via counseling, coaching, guiding, job transition, and assistance in obtaining all Veterans Administration (VA) benefits to which they are entitled.” Still Serving Veterans knows what services are available and can show veterans how to apply for them.

BrokeButNotForLong is collaborating with Still Serving Veterans to encourage companies to hire veterans as well as to provide career coaching. Our  mutual goals for this event include:

* Advocate hiring veterans and persons with disabilities
* Inform businesses of tax incentives for hiring
* Educate businesses of the resources of SSV

Please join us at the Mobile Business Expo in booth #128. Remember, admission is free. Also, if you’d like to make a donation to help us assist veterans in their career search, please use the following link to donate at Razoo.com: Online fundraising for BROKEBUTNOTFORLONG INC.

Posted in Hiring Incentives, Disabilities, Veterans, Philanthropy | Print | 3 Comments »

April 28, 2011 by Sandra Rogers.

4-27-11 Tornado Tuscaloosa, Al from Crimson Tide Productions on Vimeo.

On April 27, 2011, Tuscaloosa, Alabama was hit by a mile-wide tornado and caused severe damage to the community with 36 fatalities and 600 injured.  Birmingham and other cities in Alabama were affected, as well.  I wanted to share some of the requests for assistance that I’ve encountered today, April 28th, on social media venues.   Natural disasters can be overwhelming for those effected and for those who want to help but don’t know how.  What can we do?  I’ll start this list and hope that readers provide updates.

1.  Donate time, blood and/or money to the Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org/.  To find a Red Cross blood donation center near you call 1-800-Red-Cross or go online: http://www.redcrossblood.org.

2.  LifeSouth Community Blood Centers, the largest supplier of blood in Alabama, is holding blood drives to address the current shortage.  LifeSouth also has donor centers in Mobile at 967 Hillcrest Road and in Daphne at 6451 Merritt Blvd.  Call toll-free (888) 795-2707 for more information and hours of operation at these locations.

3. A drop point is being set up to collect goods for those affected by the storms. Anything such as clothing, water, toys, diapers, canned food, etc that can be used by those in need can be brought to Flex Digital, 5330 Technology Lane, Birmingham, AL 35217

4.  URGENT REQUEST—Walker County Emergency Services would like to share the following:  Any EXPERIENCED chainsaw operators who have their own saws can meet at the Chattanooga Valley Baptist Church parking lot (90 Nick-A-Jack Lane, off of North Highway 341). There are Deputies on scene to direct volunteers.

5. MagicCitypost.com which is part of the Birmingham News has a detailed list like this one to offer assistance: http://magiccitypost.com/2011/04/27/tornadoes-kill-dozens-across-alabama-now-is-the-time-to-help/

6. Facebook Group: Animals Lost & Found from the Tornadoes in Alabama, http://www.facebook.com/ALTornadoAnimals?sk=wall

7. Natural Disaster Group on TappedIn.org has an online discussion board for specific requests and members of TappedIn (TI) would like to offer assistance, contact BJ Berquist, at their help desk.

8. Convoy of Hope is a religious organization that is providing  food, water, ice chests and other essentials to the affected areas.  They need your donations: http://ht.ly/4J1JT. They are highly organized.  “One of Convoy of Hope’s strengths is responding to disasters in the United States and around the world, because of our logistical expertise, partners and strong relationships with government agencies and local organizations we can get help to those who are suffering.”

9. Salvation Army: Cash donations to The Salvation Army allow disaster responders to immediately meet the specific needs of disaster survivors without incurring many of the costs associated with sorting, packing, transporting and distributing donated goods.  Salvation Army disaster services are funded entirely by donors, and the Salvation Army uses 100 percent of all disaster donations in support of disaster relief operations.

Credit Card Donations: www.salvationarmyALM.org

Phone Donations: 1-800-SAL-ARMY         (1-800-725-2769)

Donations by Mail:  Please make checks payable to “The Salvation Army” and clearly marked “disaster relief” or labeled with the name of the disaster event you are supporting. Mail your gift to your local Salvation Army or to the nearest territorial headquarters:

The Salvation Army

Southern Territory

1424 Northeast Expressway

Atlanta, GA 30329-2088

10. University of Alabama Acts of Kindness Fund: From the UA President, Dr Witt: Many of you have asked for additional ways you can help. Contributions to the UA Acts of Kindness Fund will be used to help UA students, faculty and staff who need assistance as a result of storm damage.
https://www.ua.edu/advancement/giving/donate/?division=2&account=349

11. University of Alabama-Birmingham  has a special tornado relief fund to assist faculty, staff and students with emergency needs. Donate online at www.uab.edu/tornadorelieffund or by check to UAB Benevolent Fund, (specify tornado relief) Administration Building B-84, 1530 3rd Ave. South, Birmingham, AL 35294-0100.

12.  The nonprofit group, Alabama Possible, has an extensive list of ways to assist vicitims: http://alabamapossible.org/2011/04/tornado-relief-how-you-can-help/

13. Facebook page to assist with returning lost photos to tornado victims: http://www.facebook.com/PicturesandDocumentsfoundafterAprilTornadoes

These are but a few, please post comments for other services being provided to those affected.  On tonight’s news I heard about university students who lost their cap and gowns in the storm.  Graduation has been delayed till August.  Perhaps providing graduation caps and gowns might be another way to help.  As an alumnus of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and current resident of the state, I thank you!

Sincerely,

Sandra Rogers

Posted in Disaster Relief, Volunteer!, Philanthropy | Print | 7 Comments »

February 20, 2011 by Sandra Rogers.

Dear Readers,

I’m pleased to announce that we joined the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce this month and became part of a 175-year old tradition.   Now we hope to be listed as part of the workforce development for Mobile County.  Here’s the link: http://www.mobilechamber.com/default.asp.  As you may know, we’re also part of a 150-year old tradition of the federal government by establishing our nonprofit organization as a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) charity.  Even though we have a crazy name, we’re slowly becoming established in society.

Unfortunately, unless you know what your looking for, you won’t be able to find us on the Membership Directory, as it’s set to access the list from search words.   That’s odd that nonmembers can’t see the complete list of members all together.  Fortunately, we’ll be listed in next year’s edition of The Business View, as well as their Membership Directory and Buyer’s Guide.

We never received any funding to pay for this membership, so my husband and I paid for it.   As aforementioned, we want to reach out locally on the Gulf Coast to provide our reliable job-related resources.  We use social media to share employment opportunities, transitional skill training, and career advice.  Additionally, we address the big picture of unemployment by providing mental health and financial resources. Our Web sites receive 5000 visitors a month, but I can tell by the geographical statistics that our neighbors on the Gulf Coast aren’t using our site.

To date, our professional Twitter account has 555 followers: http://twitter.com/Broke4Jobs. I’m excited about some of our latest followers: the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL), Talented Alliance of Part-Time Professionals (TAPP), and MinnesotaJobs.com.  These are just a few of the great resources on Twitter.com.  Visit our resourceful twitter lists @Broke4Jobs: US jobs, international jobs, internships, military, and disabilities.

Our Web site provides 21 pages of reliable resources for unemployed veterans, persons with disabilities, displaced workers, exoffenders, as well as employers:

• Homepage
• Mission Statement
• The Broke Job Board
• Best Job Websites
• Job Hunt Strategies
• Jobs for Veterans
• Resources for Workers with Disabilities
• Adaptive Technology
• Mental Health News
• Hiring Incentives for Employers
• Local Area Employment Crisis
• Social Media as a Career Tool
• Twitter @Broke4Jobs
• Blogging4Broke
• Educational Videos
• Free Online Services
• Financial Education
• FDIC MoneySmart Podcast
• Please Donate!
• Contact Us
• Positive Feedback

Your Blogger,

Sandra Annette Rogers

sandra@brokebutnotforlong.org

Posted in Workforce Development, Philanthropy | Print | No Comments »

May 30, 2010 by Sandra Rogers.

Dear Readers, 

I recently added a new page to our Web site to address the Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico in hopes of using our social media platform to provide assistance to those in need.  Since my family and I have lived in Mobile, Alabama for many years, I felt it was necessary to assist the workers in the Gulf Coast by providing reliable information.  We encourage our readers to share any additional information that might help those living and working on the Gulf Coast.  I will be adding updates and more useful information to this blog post in the coming days.     

 Your blogger,

Sandra Annette Rogers

sandra@brokebutnotforlong.org

How to file a claim: UPDATED on 9-25-2010

1. The Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF) is accepting claims from private individuals and businesses for the Gulf Coast oil spill, and BP accepting claims from government entities.  For more information on submitting a claim, please visit the official website of the US government: http://www.restorethegulf.gov/claims.shtm.

2. Visit the US Coast Guard Web site to see who can submit and the types of claims: http://www.uscg.mil/npfc/claims/

ALABAMA

Alabama Wildlife Federation: www.alabamawildlife.org/oilspill

Please help with the oil spill by calling Mobile Baykeeper at 251-433-4229 or email info@mobilebaykeeper.org.Please help with the oil spill by calling the Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives at 211 within Alabama.

Please help with the oil spill by calling  the Alabama Coastal Foundation at  251-990-6002 or email info@joinacf.org

To report oiled shoreline or request volunteer information call 866-448-5816, regarding the BP oil spill in the Gulf Coast. 

Mobile Bay National Estuary Program:
www.mobilebaynep.com 251-431-6409 mbnep@mobilebaynep.com

Mobile Baykeeper:
www.mobilebaykeeper.org 251-433-4229 callaway@mobilebaykeeper.org

Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau:
Contact the state-organized volunteer bank by dialing 2-1-1 or 888-421-1266

MISSISSIPPI

Pascagoula (MS) River Audubon Society
www.OilSpillVolunteers.com - organized by residents of Ocean Springs

FLORIDA
 

Be Ready Escambia (County) Response
Volunteer Florida

LOUISIANA

Volunteer Louisiana

FACEBOOK LINKS  

Page:Mobile Bay NEP (National Estuary Program) on Facebook
Group: ‘Let’s Save our Gulf Coast’ (from oilspillvolunteers.com)
Group: Oiled Wildlife Rescue volunteers
Group: Mobile Bay NEP: ‘Help Save the Gulf Coast from the Oil Leak’
Page: AL.com & NOLA.com: ‘Save the Gulf of Mexico’
Page: ‘Louisiana Shore Clean-up’
Page: Deepwater Horizon Response 

<

Posted in Workforce Development, Philanthropy | Print | 2 Comments »

May 22, 2010 by Sandra Rogers.

“We are pleased to inform you that upon review of your application for tax exempt status we have determined that you are exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.”  Those words sent me to tears again upon reading them.  I had already cried when my husband called from the Post Office to tell me the good news.  The rest of the day I kept getting teary-eyed just thinking about it.  It’s amazing to have an idea and follow through with it all the way  to have such an acknowledgement from the US government.

The effective date of the exemption is retroactive to April 7, 2009 when we incorporated as a nonprofit!  That means that this whole time, we have been operating as a  legal public charity.  To that I had to say a “yee-haw” because I’m a Texan, a “yippee” because I’m a kid at heart, and a “hallelujah” because I’m a Christian.  Can you tell how happy I am about this?  This is my first  attempt to form a nonprofit, although I have created a for-profit company previously.  I’m sharing this news with you, so that you can trust us, but also to inspire you to go after your ideas even if you don’t have precisely that past experience on your resume.

Moreover, I had never developed a Web site, blogged or tweeted before starting this nonprofit.  Now we have an 19-page Web site, around 100 followers on our blog, and 255 followers on our twitter account.  Last year, I made a career change to focus on online work.  I enrolled in university courses for teaching online classes. I volunteered to design and teach an online course for my professional organization, TESOL.  I participated in several free online training courses that were offered for by Microsoft, the Small Business Administration (SBA), and US Government to name a few.  See our Web page, Free Online Services, to learn how to train yourself: http://brokebutnotforlong.org/4.html.

Now with our tax exempt status, we can apply for federal grants and other private funding.  We are also able to receive “bequests, devises, transfers or gifts under…the Code.”  As mentioned in our blog page, “Please Donate,” our number one priority is to provide persons with disabilities the adaptive technology to access our site.  In our donation letter, we specifically outline that we would like to add closed captioning (cc) to our educational videos.  This entails purchasing the rights to the commercial videos which currently are “unbranded” on  our Web site.  Unbranded means the non-commercial ones available on YouTube.com.

As always, I will keep you posted on our efforts.  Thank you again for your readership.  I have been working on a few other areas but will save that information for a separate blog.  I also hope to get my husband, Mark,  to write another blog.  In addition, I would love to hear more from you.  We received our first fan email. It was a nice surprise!  It was from a teacher who used our Web page, “Resources for Workers with Disabilities,” for a research project.  I was pleased to see my efforts to provide reliable resources on the Web site utilized in such a way.  She also recommended a site to add to the page, and I did so with acknowledgement to her.  It says (reader recommended).  I aim to provide a employment social network, as is our slogan, so I appreciate and will use your input!

Sandra Annette Rogers,

The Broke Blog

sandra@brokebutnotforlong.org

Look for jobs: http://www.indeed.com/p/index.php?pid=7080813311402333

Posted in Philanthropy | Print | 1 Comment »

November 13, 2009 by Sandra Rogers.

Our underlying premise is that as Americans, we’re hard-working individuals, determined to get a good job, and do it well, hence our namesake, BrokeButNotForLong.  Our goal is to provide a reliable Web site for individuals who are eager to work and have adequate skills but are not finding employment on commercial Internet sites.

As founder, it’s my strong conviction to develop this job search engine as part of a way of giving back to the armed services, especially to the veterans with disabilities which is my mother’s only philanthropy.  I grew up hearing her speak in favor of helping the disabled veterans and seeing her moved to tears at their bravery, not just in the battlefield, but in coming home and facing community reintegration with physical challenges.

Our organization will provide hyperlinks to several federal and non-profit career sites for veterans, as well as inform the  private sector of the various incentive programs for hiring veterans.  For example, Troops to Teachers is an organization that provides financial assistance for veterans to achieve teaching certification and financial assistance to the local  educational agencies that hire veterans as teachers.

Every time I research services for veterans, I come across something else exciting.  However, I think it’s important to collect all of these wonderful resources together for the veterans to make them easy to access.  I hope to collaborate with these exciting programs to promote their initiatives on our Web site.  For example, did you know that there’s a Veteran’s University at California State University in Long Beach?  They set up the university alongside the VA Healthcare System, as a “one stop shopping” transitional stage for veterans returning disabled from Iraq and Afghanistan.  (See link to the VU in the sidebar.)

Your blogger,

Sandra Annette Rogers

Posted in Philanthropy | Print | 1 Comment »

November 11, 2009 by Sandra Rogers.

In January of 2009, I was horrified by the number of veterans that had committed suicide after returning to the states.  The American Public Health Association stated, “Suicide remains a serious and expanding public health issue. Recent studies have shown that veterans are twice as likely as non-veterans to complete suicide and more active-duty soldiers are now taking their own lives than are being killed in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. The latest Army report reveals that in one month, January 2009, the number of suicides by deployed soldiers was …six times as many as those [who killed] themselves in January 2008, the year in which the suicide rate surpassed all previous years.”

At the start of the year, I thought about what I could do to help the returning veterans with their transition back to the US.  I had a job where I was providing quality assurance to the educational programs for juvenile offenders; a large aspect of that job dealt with transitioning the juveniles successfully back into the community.  In fact, one of the quality assurance standards was titled, Community Reintegration.  I provided resources and training to the juvenile programs to improve the reentry back to school, work or college.  As I researched resources, I came across a similarity between the juvenile offenders’ transition goals and those of the returning veterans; they both set transitional goal.

At this point, I realized that I could use my knowledge of transitional goal setting and community reintegration to aid the returning veterans.  I discovered several reliable, free resources, as part of my job, so I decided to share these with the veterans and the general public to help out during this economic downturn.  My heart goes out to all of the soldiers, especially the wounded.  Therefore, I started writing a business plan to build our nonprofit, filed for our 501(c)3 status, and created a Web site: www.brokebutnotforlong.org.  I wanted to add the interactive communication of a blog to help veterans and displaced workers have a voice.   I just posted our Web site today, Veteran’s Day!  It’s a work in progress that I hope to build into a useful employment social network.

Your blogger,

Sandra Annette Rogers

Posted in Philanthropy | Print | 1 Comment »