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Works Initiative News
Missouri Apprentice Ready Program, News, Success Stories

Serena’s Story: Missouri Works Initiative

Serena Green needed a fresh start after spending two years in prison and struggling with addiction. “I never had a working life before,” Green stated. She learned about the Missouri Works Initiative through her employment specialist and made a connection that changed her life. After speaking with Rudy Chavez, Construction Coordinator in Kansas City, and Jordan Baker who works with local contractor JE Dunn, Serena joined the Apprenticeship Ready in Construction Program for “a fresh start.”

Missouri Works Initiative is proud to provide students like Serena with work and safety gear, assistance with transportation, mentoring, and more. Serena brought a strong work ethic, a willingness to learn, and a can-do attitude towards coursework and training that carried her through graduation to employment. From the classroom to on-site visits at training centers and job sites, Serena and her class got hands-on experience with a variety of construction trades and skills. Serena took a special interest in grading, cement finishing, and electrical insulators. These are just a few of the skills her group had an opportunity to work on and learn about.

The Missouri Works Initiative program taught Serena more than hands-on skills; she spent time learning about soft skills like “time management for sure, eye contact, preparation,” as she stated in her interview. The interviews are an important part of the curriculum. Serena stated to “never go into an interview blind, do your research on (the job) you’re interviewing for and the company.” Part of the apprenticeship program is helping graduates find a career after completing the program, but it’s up to the students to research, prepare, and interview with a potential employer on their own and showcase the skills they have learned in their coursework.

After graduation, Serena secured a job as a union laborer with LiUNA Local 264 doing everything from cleaning up job sites to moving furniture with general contractor JE Dunn Construction, “great company by the way,” adds Serena. This job was life-changing for Serena, “I now have a car, looking for my own place, and I now have security knowing I’ve started my career as a (union) laborer.”

Serena wanted to thank Rudy Chavez, Jordan Baker, and the whole Missouri Works Initiative family for their help in getting her on her feet and into a rewarding career, “Thank you Missouri Works Initiative for giving me a fresh start in life…this program gave me a second chance and I’ll forever be grateful for the opportunity.”

Start your journey here.

November 6, 2025/by Missouri Works Initiative
https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png 0 0 Missouri Works Initiative https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Missouri Works Initiative2025-11-06 00:11:072025-11-06 00:11:07Serena’s Story: Missouri Works Initiative
Work life balance
Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights November 3rd

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of November 3, 2025

 

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog provides us a look at the proliferation of dangerous products being sold to teen-agers at Gas Stations and Smoke Shops—to a recent study suggesting that modeling vulnerability can help address Mental Health issues in the construction industry—to what sleep doctors want us to know about the impact of time changes on our bodies and minds.

 

This week I would like to discuss the importance of what we say and how we say it. In the first article, Weil insists, “When someone is grieving, just say something.”[1] Her advice is based on the experience of losing a child. While she acknowledges that most of us do not know what to say in the midst of a tragic loss, there are some lessons she learned thereafter worth sharing and a few not so much.

 

The second article is mostly focused on reducing tensions during tense conversations but nevertheless offers tips applicable to the difficult situation mentioned above. A few are listed below:[2]

1) I hear you: When grief and trauma are involved, people do not need fixing…they need someone to listen. (Active listening requires one to step outside of their problem-solving mode and into a mode that many of us are not familiar/comfortable with. Hint: Remember the acronym WAIT: Why am I talking?)

2) Let’s find a way through this together: While most parents never get over the death of a child, they do find paths to ‘walk alongside’ their loss. In this time of need, they need support. (Helping with everyday tasks (i.e., grass cutting, grocery shopping, cooking meals, walking the dog, etc.) gives those in distress time and space. Hint: If you offer to do something…show up and do it!)

3) I appreciate you bringing this up: Gratitude builds trusts and, in turn, long term relationships. (When someone in need shares intimate details, it is incumbent upon us to use that info in a helping or healing manner. Hint: The ONLY time one should break that trust is when the person in need is thinking about hurting her/himself and/or others.)

 

Please check out the rest of this week’s blog: https://moworksinitiative.org/category/worker-wellness-news/

 

Sources: [1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2024/01/18/death-mourning-baby-grief-support/

[2] https://geediting.com/gen-10-phrases-that-instantly-lower-tension-in-difficult-conversations-according-to-psychology/

 

WARNING: Gas Station/Smoke Shop (7-OH) Kratom

 

Construction / MH / Vulnerability

 

Mourning & Greif: What to say?

 

Tension: Language Matters

 

Trump’s CDC Cuts Compromise Public Health & Safety

 

White House Demo & Asbestos Concerns

 

2025: Workers’ MH Decline

 

Women / Menopause / Silence

 

Cancer Avoidance?

 

Corn Belt: Rise of Cancer

 

Exercise: The Right Amount?

 

What Sleep Drs Wany You to Know

 

Full Moon & Sleep

 

Toilets / Tech / Science

 

Quiz: Microplastics

 

Negotiating: Monthly Bills

 

Boeing Workers Reject Latest Offer

 

Defense Workers’ Strikes & National Security

 

SOB: Employers do well when…

 

2028: Third Term?

 

Newsom & Prop 50…

 

DEI: No Scaling Back Now

 

US Surgeon General: Qualified?

 

China: Africa’s Mining Disaster

 

Good Employee Leave = Good Retention

 

More Applications = Less Quality?

 

Micro-shifting?

 

Lunch Guilt?

 

Undervaluing Employees?

 

More on Employee Burnout

 

Lousy Economy for Kids

 

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

Brain Injury Family Seminar (11/8)

 

Vets: Talk Saves Lives (11/12 or 11/18)

 

Cannabis & Health (11/14)

 

Understanding Depression & Trauma (11/18)

 

Can Suicide be Prevented?

 

Antagonist: Sidelined Wonder Drug (Coming Soon)

 

Cannabis: Risks & Trends

 

Tackling Tobacco

 

Brain Injury Scholarships

 

FREE Meals

 

NOTE: The links provided above are for informational purposes only. None of these serve as a substitute for medical advice one should obtain from his/her own primary care physician and/or mental health professional. Please contact jgaal@moworks.org with related questions or comments.

November 3, 2025/by Dr. John Gaal
https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/iStock-697895326.jpg 779 1345 Dr. John Gaal https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Dr. John Gaal2025-11-03 16:20:392025-11-03 16:20:39Wellness & Well-being Highlights November 3rd
Work life balance
Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights October 27th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of October 27, 2025

 

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog provides us a look at advances with Parkinson’s disease—to an examination of football player safety: NFL v High School—to how tariffs have caused shortages and raised the price of firetrucks in communities.

 

This week I would like to discuss—what I believe to be—our nation’s next Mental Health crisis: Sports Gambling Addiction. In fact, I will go as far as saying that this issue potentially has the makings of doing worse damage than our current decades-long Opioids crisis! So, unless you have not turned on a TV or radio or live streamed news in the past week, you have heard that the FBI made several arrests connecting former and current NBA players and Underworld figures with sports-related betting schemes.[1]

 

Let’s face it…this is NOT rocket science! We have been here before, and, yet, NOT learned from our mistakes. This is not merely an issue of unintended consequences. It is pure and simple GREED. History reveals that when you open the flood gates crime follows. Just consider how many college sports teams and/or games are supported via alcohol advertising by A-B, Miller, etc. Meanwhile telling its audiences to drink responsibly fully knowing that many of those viewers are underage!

 

One month ago, I addressed the dangers of this topic in our WW blog and, in fact, our industry recently held a seminar focusing on those threats. Just yesterday, Jason Gay’s (WSJ) brutally honest piece struck right at the heart of the Sports Gambling debacle briefly captured below[2]:

Shocking? Hardly. I couldn’t have been the only person watching that highly dramatic press conference, thinking of the gambling trade’s daily assault on our senses—ads, ads, and more ads—saying: Well, what did anyone expect?

 

And, just last night, as I was watching a college football game the NCAA ran an ad called “Draw the line.”[3] This campaign is directed towards gamblers who lose bets and then turn their anger towards college athletes. I found it necessary to share a quote from their website below:

Sports betting is everywhere – your friends, family and classmates are placing bets, ads are impossible to miss, and the prevalence of harassment from angry fans who lost a bet continues to increase. 

 

Seriously? The NCAA opened Pandora’s Box by cutting deals with these Sports Betting firms, making a king’s ransom on the deals, and then blames the people they need to help fuel this dystopian machine. As with the alcohol ads of yesteryear, Sports Gambling smacks its viewers with never-ending promos. The incredible amounts of money changing hands throughout the ecosystem seems to blind good, ‘second-order consequences’ type of thinking. When it comes to GREED, Gay said it best, this is “The surest of sure things.”

 

Please check out the rest of this week’s blog: https://moworksinitiative.org/category/worker-wellness-news/

 

Source [1] https://www.npr.org/2025/10/23/nx-s1-5583614/nba-gambling-arrests-terry-rozier-chauncey-billups

[2] https://www.wsj.com/sports/basketball/the-most-inevitable-scandal-in-sports-history-b9d2c5c7?st=Va72n8&reflink=article_gmail_share

[3] www.ncaa.org/drawtheline

 

 

AI & Teen Suicide

 

FBI / NBA / Arrests

 

NBA & Gambling: What could go wrong?

 

Parkinson’s Deep Brain Stim Surgery

 

More on Parkinson’s

 

Babies & Peanuts

 

40% Workers Dealing w/ MH Issues

 

Workplace Wellness Champs

 

Route to Happiness

 

Mental Exercise & Aging

 

Marijuana & Sleep

 

Is the NFL Safer (than HS)?

 

USW: First Women President

 

Starbucks Strike Vote

 

Shoe Strike

 

OSHA’s New Look?

 

Fed Union Workers Pushing Back

 

New US Citizenship Test

 

Another DC / Cross Border Trip-up

 

Whitehouse Teardown

 

DC Betrayal

 

DOJ Whistleblower

 

Widening Gender Pay Gap

 

60% of Gen Z Pursuing Blue-Collar Work

 

US Workers: Not Wired for Instability

 

Gen Z & (Non)Workplace Emergencies

 

AWS Glitch Hamstrings Businesses

 

Amazon: Robots over Workers?

 

25% Workers Did NOT Take Vacation!

 

Min Wage & Rents

 

Jobs / Ghosting / Mistrust

 

Shortages & Firetrucks

 

 

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

Free MHFA Training (10/29)

 

Free Narcan Training (11/13)

 

Free CALM Training (11/17)

 

Sexual Addiction (11/19)

 

Healing the Workplace

 

CPWR: MATES & Suicide Prevention Research

 

Youth Depression & Suicide

 

Understanding Traumatic Grief (Part 1)

 

Resilience: BH Workers

 

Motivational Interviewing (PZR2b+@5)

 

MHA: Supporting Young Minds

 

Employers: Understanding TBIs

 

NOTE: The links provided above are for informational purposes only. None of these serve as a substitute for medical advice one should obtain from his/her own primary care physician and/or mental health professional. Please contact jgaal@moworks.org with related questions or comments.

October 27, 2025/by Missouri Works Initiative
https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/iStock-697895326.jpg 779 1345 Missouri Works Initiative https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Missouri Works Initiative2025-10-27 13:41:022025-10-27 13:44:58Wellness & Well-being Highlights October 27th
Missouri Apprentice Ready Program, News, Success Stories

Alina’s Story: Missouri Works Initiative

Before joining Missouri Works Initiative, Alina’s life felt scattered. She had once worked as an executive chef at a country club, but in 2024 she was let go, and the loss shook her confidence.

“My life was all over the place,” Alina said. “I was in between a lot of jobs trying to find myself because I had lost who I was and I felt like I was worthless. It was a very hard time for me to start all over.”

She picked up work in other kitchens, but it never felt the same starting from the bottom again. She even tried an office job, but quickly realized that sitting at a desk wasn’t for her. “I like to work with my hands and move,” she explained.

Alina first discovered Missouri Works Initiative through Facebook. Wanting a new path that would be both steady and rewarding, she reached out and connected with Russ from the MWI team. That decision turned out to be life-changing.

She enrolled in the Apprenticeship Ready Program, where she especially enjoyed the hands-on experiences and opportunities to learn about the different trades. “It was fun,” she said. “I really liked the field trips and getting to learn about all the different trades.”

During her time in the program, Alina learned practical skills like drywall and framing—skills she now uses on the job every day. Today, she’s proud to be working with TJ Wies, doing framing and drywall at the Mizzou Stadium. Her chosen trade is carpentry with Carpenters Mid-America, and she is excited to be building a future she feels connected to. 

For Alina, Missouri Works Initiative provided not only skills but also confidence. “It’s a great program for people that are on the fence about joining a new career,” she said. “It shows you all the ins and outs, the information you need to know about all the trades.”

She credits Russ for helping her take the leap and guiding her through the program. “Definitely Russ,” she said when asked who she wanted to thank.

Alina’s story is proof that even when life feels like it’s starting over, there’s always a path forward, and sometimes, it begins with simply taking that first step.

Start your journey here.

October 22, 2025/by Missouri Works Initiative
https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png 0 0 Missouri Works Initiative https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Missouri Works Initiative2025-10-22 18:01:072025-10-22 18:01:07Alina’s Story: Missouri Works Initiative
Work life balance
Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights October 20th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of October 20, 2025

 This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog provides us look at the latest warnings regarding alcohol and dementia—to how the human mind functions past midnight—to how cuts in DC are negatively impacting vulnerable populations (i.e., special needs students, Women Vets, etc.).

This week I would like to share with you a highlight from the national LOSS conference I attended in Omaha, NE this past Mon thru Wed. This conference was held for suicide loss survivors. It focused on what I refer to as the 3rd leg of the suicide triangle: Suicide Postvention (the other 2 legs being Prevention and Intervention). The keynote speaker was Dr Frank Campbell. I consider him a friend and mentor. He is one of the foremost researchers in the field of suicide postvention. How/Why? Frank lost a childhood friend to suicide when he was 12 yo. Like many of us who have lost a loved one to suicide, in the aftermath, he felt there was a dearth of resources and support during his grieving process. It was via his service and research that he discovered it took ~4.5 years for loss survivors to reach out for assistance. Meanwhile, during this time many survivors are left behind to suffer in silence. In 1997, he developed an active postvention model and coined the term LOSS: Local Outreach for Suicide Survivors. In Baton Rouge, he launched the first LOSS Team in 1998.[1] Since then, research reveals that a program like LOSS can bring the time a survivor reaches out for help down to <2 months. In my opinion, this is key when it comes to preventing additional suicides due to generational impact on families and friends. Thus, the saying: Postvention is Prevention.

 

As I have noted in the past, Postvention does not receive the funding and/or attention that Prevention or Intervention have garnered on the international and national stages. Despite that, we cannot and will not impact the rise of suicides in this country unless and until we connect the 3 legs of the Suicide Triangle. To do so would mean making an effort to, at the very least, consider how to establish a LOSS Team in Missouri. Just 2 months ago, our construction industry experienced at least 2 suicide deaths that I know of. In both cases, I received calls asking “What to do next?” We need to step back and plan for these incidents so that when the next one happens we are not scrambling for resources in the midst of a full-blown crisis! In the famous words of Hillel, “If not now, when?”

 

Please check out the rest of this week’s blog: https://moworksinitiative.org/category/worker-wellness-news/

 

Source [1] https://www.lossteam.com/founder-dr-frank-campbell

 

US Mental Health Map: Best vs Worst

 

Counselor’s OUD Recovery Story

 

Risks: AI for MH

 

Cannabis Addiction?

 

Why are Youth Unhappy?

 

Dementia: No Amount of Alcohol

 

India: Kids & Cough Syrup

 

Rise of Autism?

 

Update: More Gun Violence

 

Human Mind Past Midnight

 

MH & LBGTQ+

 

Workplace Wellness & Flexibility

 

Flexibility & Longevity

 

Roll Your Shoulders

 

Update: Microplastics

 

NFL / Concussion / Fine

 

IAM / Boeing / ULP

 

VW / UAW / Final Offer

 

AFL-CIO vs AI

 

Paralyzed NLRB: CA Takes action

 

CDC’s Union Blasts HHS Layoffs

 

CDC: DC’s Yo-Yo

 

Greece’s Labor Protest

 

Trump / Unions / Media Surveillance

 

Media Rejecting Pentagon’s Rules

 

Update: No Kings

 

VA Cuts Damage Women Vets

 

Shutdown Targets Vulnerable Populations

 

DC Cuts Impact Special Ed

 

Construction: Dismantling DEI

 

UK Construction Worker Health Claims Up

 

Walmart: Workers’ Pay

 

Gen Z / Finances / Fear

 

Canadian Employees Refuse US Travel

 

Women / Pay Cuts  / RTO

 

PA: Rise of Skilled Trades

 

End of College; Rise of Skills

 

Free Knowledge vs College

 

One College’s Response: Homeless Students

 

Job Search in Tough Times

 

Job Hugging

 

Medical Costs: 80% in US Unprepared

 

Unretirement

 

 

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

Rural MH Solutions (10/21)

 

SUD & MH Resilience Strategies (10/22)

 

2025 Gun Policy Survey (11/11)

 

Suicide Postvention for MH Pros

 

Truman’s Peacemaker

 

Caring Contacts for Suicide Prevention

 

Caring Letters: Kevin Hines

 

MHA: 2025 State of MH

 

Apply: BIA-MO Student Scholarships

 

NOTE: The links provided above are for informational purposes only. None of these serve as a substitute for medical advice one should obtain from his/her own primary care physician and/or mental health professional. Please contact jgaal@moworks.org with related questions or comments.

October 20, 2025/by Missouri Works Initiative
https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/iStock-697895326.jpg 779 1345 Missouri Works Initiative https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Missouri Works Initiative2025-10-20 15:48:062025-10-20 15:48:06Wellness & Well-being Highlights October 20th
Work life balance
Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights October 13th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of October 13, 2025

 

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog provides us look at how drug overdose deaths in Missouri have declined over the past 2 years—to the impact of PTSD (then, often, referred to as ‘shell shock’) on our servicepeople who returned from WWII—to how recent actions by US-DOT is rolling back Construction’s DEI efforts.

 

This week I would like to take a closer look at 2 recently released studies on youth, sports, and brain damage. The first study (Nature) looked at mostly amateur American football players under 50 yo. It noted that while not all subjects had signs of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) most had signs of brain cell damage. The author went on to say:

What’s more, while some of the athletes had a history of a traumatic brain injury, or T.B.I., some did not. Instead, the scientists think the changes in their brains were largely caused by multiple small hits to the head.[1]

In essence, when players run into each other upwards of 100 times per game, the results can be debilitating!

 

The second study (Neurology), via MRI brain scans, observed >300 amateur soccer players in their twenties. These researchers focused on where gray matter intersects with white matter (an area vulnerable to head impacts). To this end, “the more frequently a player headed the ball, the more damage they had, and the worse they performed on cognitive tests.”[1]

 

In both studies, the greatest damage occurred in the frontal cortex, a region important for planning, working memory and decision making.[1] These 2 studies lay the groundwork for developing tests that one day may identify possible early warning signs of CTE. Two important notes:

  • That this research represents a small pool of players; and
  • “All of the football players died young, many by suicide or from accidents or illnesses, and their brains were donated for research.”[1]

 

So, why does this matter? 1) Mainly, because some of us have children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, etc. playing collision sports. 2) In last week’s blog, I included an article called Safety Helmets Saves Lives.[2] As I have written in the past, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) accounted for 25% of all construction worker deaths in the U.S. between 2003 and 2010. This made TBIs the third most common cause of death in the construction industry during that period. Our industry needs to shift from hard hats to safety helmets if we truly cherish our workers!

 

Please check out the rest of this week’s blog: https://moworksinitiative.org/category/worker-wellness-news/

 

Sources [1] https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/well/mind/brain-damage-sports.html?searchResultPosition=8

[2] https://news.vt.edu/articles/2025/09/Research-helmet-lab-construction-safety-helmet-ratings.html

 

Construction: Addressing Mental Health Stigma

 

Decline of OD Deaths in MO

 

HEAT: Workplace Injuries Increase

 

STL’s Open-air Drug Market

 

Youth & Cannabis

 

Employers / Employees / Food Insecurity

 

Rankings: Worker Well-being

 

Rape Survivor Care Advocate

 

The Wounded Generation

 

Vaccine Court

 

You & Your Phone

 

Preventing Dementia

 

Motivation & Exercise

 

Happiness: Going It Alone?

 

PBS: Born Poor

 

Coping w/ Invisible Illness

 

Multiple Minor Hits Damaging Youth’s Brains

 

Minds Matter: Concussion Care

 

Mizzou / Unions / Protection

 

Broadway Musicians Strike

 

KP & 23 Unions

 

Harvard Undergrads / Union / First Contract

 

VT: Dairy Workers Strike

 

Rise of White-Collar Unions

 

New Head of OSHA?

 

Shutdown: Who to blame?

 

Trump / ATC / Shutdown

 

Fed Workers & Back Pay

 

RFK Jr / Surgeons General / America’s Health

 

Are You a Hypocrite?

 

Cost of Employee Burnout

 

Technostress

 

Tracking Employee MH Efficacy

 

Gen Z: Redesigning the Workplace

 

Construction: DEI Efforts

 

Construction: DOT Guts DEI

 

Construction Recruiting: Leader v Laborer

 

Bad Bunny / NFL / MAGA

 

Mistrusting AI

 

Delaying SS Benefits?

 

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

CONVERSATIONS: Suicide Postvention (10/17)

 

TRAINING: Caring Communities – Suicide Postvention (10/17)

 

Suicide Risks & AI (10/17)

 

Transforming SUD Treatment (10/30)

 

Brain Injury Seminar (11/8)

 

Supervisor’s Guide to Workplace Suicide Postvention

 

The Healing Power of Pets

 

Hard Hats & Heavy Burdens

 

FREE Diapers

 

FREE Meals

NOTE: The links provided above are for informational purposes only. None of these serve as a substitute for medical advice one should obtain from his/her own primary care physician and/or mental health professional. Please contact jgaal@moworks.org with related questions or comments.

October 13, 2025/by Missouri Works Initiative
https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/iStock-697895326.jpg 779 1345 Missouri Works Initiative https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Missouri Works Initiative2025-10-13 15:43:052025-10-13 15:43:05Wellness & Well-being Highlights October 13th
Missouri Apprentice Ready Program, News, Success Stories

Trent’s Story: Missouri Works Initiative

Before connecting with Missouri Works Initiative, 27-year-old Trent Krantz was working full-time but knew something wasn’t right.

“I had no path forward in that career,” Trent said. “Healthcare was minimal or not offered at all, my wages couldn’t support my growing family, and it felt like I needed to make a change for the sake of my own and my family’s future.”

That change came by chance. One day, while searching online for career opportunities, Trent stumbled across Missouri Works Initiative.

“I found MWI seemingly by accident, just by searching the internet for anything to point me in the right direction towards a more fulfilling career. It seemed like a perfect fit at the perfect time.”

He hadn’t spoken to anyone at MWI before applying. Instead, he read through the website and articles to learn as much as he could. When his interview came around, Trent was eager to ask questions and left impressed by the people behind the program. “All of my questions were answered, and then some, by the awesome crew there at MWI.”

Trent said one of the things he valued most about the program was the sense of community. “It felt like I was in community with everyone there, all the time. I left every conversation with something to think about, and I was encouraged to bring something to the table myself every day. Great things can be done when we’re all working towards the same thing.”

Along with encouragement, Trent gained both technical and life skills. He learned how to apply math and problem-solving to real world challenges, read blueprints, and use the tools of the trade to get the job done. Just as important, he learned to advocate for himself.

“A big thing they stressed at MWI is that you have to advocate for yourself. If you have questions, ask them. If you need help, ask for it. People are willing to help you and the trade doesn’t move forward without that passing of knowledge. As soon as I understood that, it felt like a huge piece of the puzzle slid into place. Most importantly, as cliché as it sounds, don’t underestimate how important it is to listen, and show up.”

Today, Trent is proud to be working at Dema Engineering as a CNC machinist, represented by Machinists District 9. “I feel like I finally have a clear vision of where I want to put my time, energy and passion. To have a career that I genuinely enjoy and have a passion for feels great. Most importantly, I’m confident in my ability to support my family.”

Trent is quick to credit the people at MWI who helped him get here. “Everyone who makes the wheels turn and keeps the operation going are amazing. I had an amazing time with Maggie, Mike and Jim of the manufacturing program. Everything they do is in service to their students and I could always tell they were truly passionate about what they do.”

And when asked for one last piece of advice, his answer was simple. “Join a Union.”

If you’re ready for a change like Trent, Missouri Works Initiative can help you find your path forward.

Start your journey here.

October 10, 2025/by Missouri Works Initiative
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Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights October 6th

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of October 6, 2025

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog provides us look at how AI is being utilized to detect breast cancer—to the impact of heat on a worker’s internal organs—to a new study that confirms the attributes of safety helmets. This week I would like to take a closer look at voluntary vs forced Mental Health care.

 

It is no secret that the US lacks the infrastructure to handle each and every MH crisis. Readers of this blog know my sentiments on the positive impact that peer supporters can have on assisting filling this gap as para-professionals (not as counselors or therapists but as resource navigators… Think: Traffic Cops). In fact, studies have shown that <25% of the people with Substance Use Disorder (SUD) receive care.[1]

 

Sadly, DC has once again plowed ahead with programs (i.e., involuntary interventions like forced medications and hospitalizations) based on emotions vs facts. To this end…

In July, the federal government issued the executive order “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets.” The order specifically targets people  experiencing homelessness and serious mental illness. This policy shift intensifies debates over how to balance public safety, individual rights and effective, evidence-based care.[1]

 

Meanwhile, results from a Q1-2025 survey indicate the following:

Nearly three-quarters of respondents (73%) supported expanding access to community-based services, with similar levels across party lines: 78% among Democrats, 72% among Republicans and 71% among Independents. Similarly, most respondents across party lines supported expanding peer-led services.

In contrast, support dropped for policies that would allow treatment to be forced on someone against their will. Just 40% favored forced psychiatric medication, 45% supported short-term involuntary hospitalization and 42% supported long-term hospitalization. Mandated substance-use treatment drew slightly more support, at 53%.[1]

 

The lead author, Morgan Shields, suggests that, when it comes to population health, community-based services can improve access to care and tend to be more effective when compared to the high cost of institutionalizing people—many against their will!

 

Please check out the rest of this week’s blog: https://moworksinitiative.org/category/worker-wellness-news/

 

Source: [1] https://source.washu.edu/2025/09/americans-favor-voluntary-mental-health-care-amid-federal-push-for-forced-treatment/?utm_source=MarketingCloud&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=FY26_October_%40WashU&contactid=003PH000007TZxbYAG&utm_content=https%3a%2f%2fsource.washu.edu%2f2025%2f09%2famericans-favor-voluntary-mental-health-care-amid-federal-push-for-forced-treatment%2f

 

Run for Mental Health

 

A Dad’s Love and Suicide

 

AI & Breast Cancer

 

Big Pharma / Opioid Settlement / Victims

 

OUD: Post-pandemic Jump

 

Rise in Fentanyl: Job Drug Screens

 

Heat’s Internal Impact

 

Voluntary vs Forced MH Care

 

More on Forced MH Care

 

US Aid Cuts & Young Women

 

Young Men & Internet Darkness

 

School Phone Ban’s Impact

 

Dog for a Day

 

Vets & Beekeeping

 

Digital Eye Strain

 

Safety Helmets Saves Lives

 

NFL’s Big Helmets

 

NFL / CTE / Death & Forgiveness

 

More on CTE

 

Boeing / IAM / Strike Replacements

 

RI: Transit Strike

 

CA: HC Workers Strike

 

TX: Firefighters’ New Deal

 

BOP Cancels Union Contracts

 

Greece Train Strike

 

Construction’s Worker Shortages

 

VA Cuts = Harm Vets?

 

Hegseth’s Insulting Address

 

Rubio / Aid / Lies & Deaths

 

Trump: Another Conflict of Interest?

 

US Colleges: Blind Loyalty vs Merit

 

Waning Trust in Higher Ed

 

When Wives Outearn Husbands

 

RR Church: 1st Black Millionaire

 

MSU: New Construction Facility

 

AI’s Impact: White-collar vs Blue-collar Jobs

 

Update: Student Debt Forgiveness

 

Upcoming webinars, etc.:

Workplace Wellness (10/9)

 

QPR for Ag (10/10)

 

MSPN: Community Conversations Postvention (10/17)

 

Cannabis Use Guidelines (10/23)

 

Gun Violence in the USA

 

NOTE: The links provided above are for informational purposes only. None of these serve as a substitute for medical advice one should obtain from his/her own primary care physician and/or mental health professional. Please contact jgaal@moworks.org with related questions or comments.

October 6, 2025/by Missouri Works Initiative
https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/iStock-697895326.jpg 779 1345 Missouri Works Initiative https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Missouri Works Initiative2025-10-06 15:24:562025-10-06 15:24:56Wellness & Well-being Highlights October 6th
In the News, Partner Spotlight

Partner Spotlight: Tim Clavin

Building pathways and partnerships for a stronger workforce.
Tim Clavin, Director of Financial Wellness at St. Louis Community Credit Union (SLCCU), shares his not-for-profit employer’s mission of “raising the communities we serve.” For Tim, investing in communities means investing in people. In his role, he works directly with individuals to provide the financial tools, resources, and knowledge they need to achieve stability and long-term success.

With nine years at SLCCU, Tim has seen firsthand the challenges that millions of hardworking Americans face every day. Flat wages, rising costs, limited training opportunities, and what he calls “bureaucracy that keeps the underserved down without the ability to raise their earning power” make it difficult for many to build a solid financial foundation. Through financial coaching and mentoring, Tim uses his expertise to help people overcome these barriers and gain a path forward.

For the past three years, Tim and SLCCU have partnered with Missouri Works Initiative to extend that mission to program participants. As students prepare to begin new careers in the trades, Tim provides financial wellness sessions, presentations, and access to services that many would not otherwise know about. His guidance helps ensure participants are not only job-ready but also financially prepared to succeed outside of the classroom and on the job.

“Missouri Works Initiative is doing a good job,” Tim said. “Just like us, trying to be better every day.”

Missouri Works Initiative is proud to partner with organizations like St. Louis Community Credit Union and people like Tim Clavin, who share our commitment to changing lives. Together, we provide the resources and education needed to support Missouri’s skilled workforce both personally and professionally.

If you want to be part of this mission and invest in Missouri’s future workforce, we’d love to partner with you. Contact Megan Price at mprice@moworks.org.

October 5, 2025/by Missouri Works Initiative
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In the News, News

“Success in the Making” Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis’ Internship Program

Big shoutout to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis! We’re proud to team up on the St. Louis Internship Program, where teens get hands-on experience in construction and manufacturing. They are learning real skills that can lead to solid careers.

These inspiring students are rolling up their sleeves, trying new things, and proving that the future of our workforce is in good hands. We couldn’t be more excited to be part of their journey.

Click here to read their story!

October 3, 2025/by Missouri Works Initiative
https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png 0 0 Missouri Works Initiative https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Missouri Works Initiative2025-10-03 19:44:362025-10-03 19:44:36“Success in the Making” Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis’ Internship Program
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