Rise To Work
The Rise to Work Program re-launched in 2021!
Rise to Work Returns in 2021: The County of Kaua’i re-launched the Rise to Work program, which was first created in 2020 to help Kaua’i residents who lost their job connect to temporary job opportunities with local employers.
The expanded 2021 program, which increases the number of positions available, is made possible through the generous support of Dr. Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg through the Chan Zuckerberg Kaua’i Community Fund of the Hawaii Community Foundation. You can read the full announcement on the County of Kaua’i press release.
Rise to Work – Nonprofit Extension: The County of Kaua’i will be allocating a portion of the American Rescue Plan funds to extend the Rise to Work program for participating nonprofit organizations. Thanks to the support of Mayor Kawakami and the approval of County Council, Rise to Work will be able to continue funding the positions with participating nonprofit organizations until Sept 30, 2021.
Many of our participating nonprofits have taken on new projects or expanded the services they are providing to the community as a result of having additional staff through Rise to Work. By using a portion of the American Rescue Plan funds to continue supporting participating nonprofits, we believe the investment creates a larger impact on our community.
Program Details: The Rise to Work program was created by the County of Kaua’i in partnership with ProService Hawaii to help displaced workers on Kaua’i connect to temporary job opportunities with local employers. Participants in the program receive weekly pay, free health insurance benefits and the opportunity to learn new skills and gain professional connections. Positions are funded by the program for 12 weeks.
In addition to supporting displaced workers, the Rise to Work program also benefits local businesses and nonprofit organizations on Kaua’i by allowing them to bring on new hires to increase their capacity or pivot their business model without taking on additional payroll costs.
The video below shares the impact the Rise to Work program made on four local nonprofit organizations last year. You can learn more about the impact the Rise to Work program had on the community last year and hear about the experiences of prior participants on our Rise to Work 2020 page.
Rise to Work Stories: Approximately 150 employers and 365 employees joined the Rise to Work program in 2021. We will begin sharing their stories on this page in the coming weeks.
Mahalo to our Partners: We are able to offer the Rise to Work program again in 2021 thanks to the generous support of Dr. Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg through the Chan Zuckerberg Kaua’i Community Fund of the Hawaii Community Foundation. We are grateful to our partners, ProService Hawaii and Kaua’i Government Employees Federal Credit Union for your partnership. Mahalo!
