Life Learning Center supports clients to ensure success

Covington’s Life Learning Center, which relocated and received a makeover in 2014, is prepped and ready for 2015.
 
In addition to added classrooms, a new computer lab, a kids corner and a cafeteria — all of which were already in use as 2014 neared its end — the center also added a fitness center as part of its renovation. And according to the nonprofit’s president, Karen Ellis, clients are “chomping at the bit” to incorporate the fitness center into their 2015 daily regimens. 
 
“Many of our urban areas don’t have accessible fitness centers, and a lot of our population we service don’t have the available funds to join a fitness center,” Ellis says. “So the physical well being is an area they lack — they just don’t have that extra income to devote to being healthy — so that’s a huge benefit.”
 
The fitness center is state-of-the-art, with treadmills, step machines, an array of training equipment and an entire aerobics area, which Ellis says can be used for “yoga, Pilates and CrossFit-type activities.”
 
The Life Learning Center assists “at risk” clients in virtually all aspects of life, pairing them with a life coach. The curriculum shifts from week-long intensive sessions with a cohort to less time-intensive weeks, intended for things like job searching and interview preparation.
 
And the program is a success. According to Ellis, “87 percent of our candidates are employed, and then at the six-month mark 68 percent of them have maintained that employment (and) at the 12-month mark 63 percent have retained employment, so that’s pretty remarkable.”
 
It’s because of the lifelong support the organization provides, in addition to the added components that promote health and wellness, Ellis says, that the Life Learning Center is able to serve as a unique community organization and ensure success for its clients.
 
“Once you’ve gone through the program, you’re a member for life, so at any point they need support again — job change happens more than one time in your life — if they need help reorganizing a resume, if they need life coaching and come across a crossroads in their life and need help from someone with better guidance or insight, they’re welcome to come back as alumni, welcome to use the fitness center for the rest of their life,” Ellis says. “We want to make sure we’re offering the complete transition, not just the 15 weeks where it was great having you here. We want to be a solution for life.” 

Do Good:

•    The Life Learning Center is always open to referrals for clients in need of assistance. Contact the organization if you know of someone who could benefit from its services. 

•    Contact the center if you're a local business interested in partnering to provide employment opportunities to its clients.

•    If you're interested in being a mentor, contact the Life Learning Center, as the organization is always in need of individuals to serve as helpful and positive role models for clients.