EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister presented a $458,358 ceremonial check to Cornerstones of Care for a Brownfields Job Training Grant.
McCollister joined Cornerstones of Care President and CEO Merideth Rose and Build Trybe Director Theo Bunch at the Kansas City, Missouri, ceremony. Two years ago, the Cornerstones of Care received a $200,000 grant from the EPA.
Through its Build Trybe training program, which mentors foster children, Cornerstones of Care plans to train 50 students and place at least 25 in environmental jobs. The term “brownfield” refers to land that has been developed for industrial purposes—potentially polluted, and then abandoned. Such areas can compromise the rivers, streams, and creeks that feed the Missouri River, the main water source for our region.
The training program includes 180 hours of instruction with 40 Hours of Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER), Eco-Community Build Action, Forestry Restoration, Landscape Restoration, Environmental Data Analysis, Eco-Community Build Engagement, Conservation Job Readiness, and General Industry. Students who complete the training will earn up to two federal certifications.
“The Brownfields Job Training Program is a life-changing experience for students, providing the skills, certifications, and experience necessary to gain meaningful employment,” McCollister said. “This program is a win-win for the Kansas City area, as graduates will not only gain employment, but go to work cleaning up their own neighborhoods where they live, work, and raise families.”
“Developing marketable skills is crucial as young people transition into adulthood,” Rose said. “Through this EPA grant, Build Trybe will provide those marketable skills while benefitting our environment.”
“As President Biden continues the important work of revitalizing communities nationwide through his Investing in America Agenda, he isn’t just creating good-paying green jobs, he’s training the next generation of environmental leaders to help fill them,” said U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver II (MO-5). “I’m proud to have supported President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which made this grant funding possible, and I’ll continue working with the Biden Administration to bring these investments back to Missouri’s Fifth District, clean up our communities, and create local jobs in the process!”
Cornerstones of Care partners with children, young adults, and families to improve safety and health through three key service areas: youth and family support, foster care and adoption, and education and training. Cornerstones of Care is dedicated to helping children and families wherever they are. Their team provides in-home and in-community services throughout the region.
The Build Trybe utilizes a mentorship community that builds health and independence and empowers youth with employable skills. It bridges youth who lack a stable support system to opportunity. Their team of trade experts and community partners introduce and connect youth to three skill-based career paths: culinary, construction, and horticulture (includes brownfields job training).
These grants will provide funding to organizations working to create a skilled workforce in communities where assessment, cleanup, and preparation of brownfield sites for reuse activities are taking place. Individuals completing a job training program funded by EPA often overcome various barriers to employment, and many are from historically underserved neighborhoods or reside in areas that are affected by environmental justice issues.
High-quality job training and workforce development are essential to the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to advancing economic opportunities and addressing environmental justice issues in underserved communities. All of the selected FY 2024 Brownfields Job Training Program applications have proposed to work in areas that include disadvantaged communities, as defined by the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, delivering on President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver at least 40% of the benefits of certain government investments to underserved and overburdened communities.
For more information on the selected Brownfields Job Training Grant recipients, including past recipients, check out EPA’s Brownfields Grant Fact Sheet Tool.