News
Tricia Riley
September 16, 2022
In April of 2019, Tricia Riley, a 22-year employee at Verso Paper Mill, Luke MD, along with 699 other workers learned that within 60 days they would be out of work because the mill was closing its doors. “Losing my job after so many years and having to start over at my age was definitely devastating.”
Read MoreZachary Knode
June 27, 2022
Zachary was a 19-year-old high school dropout, who wanted to secure a career and become financially stable to provide a better life for himself.
Read MoreMatt Farris
September 23, 2021
On Tuesday April 30, 2019, Matt Farris began his workday at the Verso Paper Mill located on the banks of the Potomac River in the small village of Luke MD. The news soon spread quickly that morning that the Luke Mill, one of the oldest manufacturing plants in the county for over 131 years, announced that the Luke operation will be ending production
Read MoreDevon King
August 5, 2021
Devon King came to Western Maryland Consortium with a dream. He wanted to drive the big rigs and honk his horn at all the little kids making the arm gesture. Devon came to WMC as a 21-year-old out of school youth.
Read MoreSarah Green
June 11, 2021
Sarah Greene came to the Western Maryland Consortium in Garrett County in February 2021 ready to rebuild her life and find meaningful employment. As someone in recovery from being affected by the opioid epidemic, both Sarah’s parole officer and her substance abuse counselor encouraged her to call WMC to learn about the services and assistance that were available to her.
Read MoreJaice Piper
March 12, 2021
Jaice Piper registered as a client with the Western Maryland Consortium in Garrett County in early 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic devasted the world. She was seeking assistance with funding for a Licensed Practical Nursing training program, and at the time not realizing the need and demand for nurses and other healthcare professionals that would soon be upon us.
Read MoreShadashua Malone
January 12, 2021
Shadashua Malone was an incredibly young teenager when she had her first child; she had dropped out of school to raise her baby and then became pregnant again a few years later. As a single parent of two, Shadashua was forced to live on Temporary Cash Assistance from the Department of Social Services to support her family. She wanted more for her children than what public assistance could provide, so she resolved to turn her situation around. Her children were her strongest motivators to...
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