by Josh Carpenter



DENVER – Amy Gordon’s passion has been – and always will be – helping out other women.

Gordon moved to Denver from Camden, N.Y., where she worked with the New Ventures organization. The non-profit helped women find jobs.

“I really loved that job and felt like it was a great program and a lot of women found success in it,” Gordon said. “When I was looking to do something meaningful, that’s where I went to in my mind.”

Gordon wanted to continue helping women when she moved to the Lake Norman area, but soon found out it wouldn’t be as easy as she originally thought.

“I had envisioned just volunteering for a program that was already established,” Gordon said. “I quickly found that there wasn’t anything similar to it. But there was a big need for it in the community.”

With that need, Gordon started the Lincoln Ready to Work program.

She’s now the executive director.

Lincoln Ready to Work’s job readiness program assists unemployed women in areas such as resume writing, interviewing skills and financial management.

The nonprofit’s first session takes place Sept. 10-24 at the Mentaur Learning Center, 3130 N.C. 16 N., Denver. Sessions are Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m.

“This is very important,” Ruth Baker, director of admissions, said. “We want to teach the participants how to make their own decisions and have confidence about them.”

The free program is offered to women 18 years and older with a high school diploma or equivalent, Baker said. They’ll go through practice interview sessions and also be paired with mentors for the duration of the two-week session.

“We’re looking for somebody (mentors) who can help the participants during and after the program,” Baker said. “We want to help them with life skills.”

Another key to the program, Baker said, is Lincoln Ready to Work’s efforts to work with local businesses to identify entry-level jobs in Lincoln County.

Dave Smith’s background in business management helped him land a place on the board of directors, where he’s now the vice chairman.

“I thought it was important to help people improve their situations as well as help them live through it,” Smith said.

Gordon’s experiences with New Ventures led her to start the Lincoln Ready to Work program, which she thinks could accomplish many of the same goals.

“It was amazing, these women would find jobs where they were making more than I was,” Gordon said. “I can’t even explain how rewarding it was to see them make it there.”

Interested applicants to the program can register by calling 704-530-1369 or emailing lincolnreadytowork@gmail.com.

“Even with a college degree many jobs are out of reach,” Gordon said. “I believe that participants will have the support they need not only to find a job, but also to feel good enough about themselves to keep a job and make good choices for themselves and their families.”