Through a paid internship program with Urban Ministry, Ramon has been given an opportunity to help impact students from the Birmingham-area through Urban Ministry’s Urban Kids Program. In what can best be described as a “pay-it-forward” investment, Darrius Peace decided to also offer Ramon a job as the Operations Manager in his thriving downtown Birmingham salon help Ramon as Ramon helps others. ” There was something extraordinary about him which stood out to me. I asked his supervisors about the opportunity to hire him as his Operations Manager and they were thrilled,” said Peace.
Urban Ministry’s paid internship program for young men and women from the West End and surrounding communities is one of the many ways its mission of serving poor and low-income persons in the Birmingham area with programs of compassion and wholeness comes to life. The interns receive extensive training, participate in life skills retreats and soft skills enhancements and work for two years either with Urban Ministry’s WE Community Café, WE Community Gardens or Urban Kids, where Ramon has the opportunity to shape the lives of young children through educational enrichment and outreach.
It’s not unusual to see Ramon and the team at Hayah Beauty in the upscale salon as early as 5am in the morning going to great lengths to take care of their blossoming clientele. It’s equally not as surprising to catch Ramon offering that same attention to care for the children he works with each day through Urban Ministry’s Urban Kids program, with each job being viewed as a stepping stone to his future. “Ultimately, I have dreams of owning my own computer repair business. Working at both Urban Ministry and Hayah Beauty has helped me gain skills and create bonds and networks which will not only help me with my career path, but also my life journey,” said Ramon.
Urban Ministry hopes to grow their internship program to continue to provide education, exposure and life-changing career and personal development opportunities for young men and women who need it most. For more information on Urban Ministry’s programs and services visit urban-ministry.org or email angela@urban-ministry.org. Stay connected on Facebook, Instagram or at (205) 781-0517.
