One of the generally untold stories in Santa Ana is that there are a great many people who work very hard to bring positive change to the city. But they don’t bother with politics. They put their efforts into the non-profit community.
One of them is Sister Eileen McNerney, who over the past 15 years “has trained an estimated 4,000 young people in construction, computers and medical careers,” according to the O.C. Register.
McNerney accomplished all of this at Taller San Jose (Taller means “workshop” in Spanish). “She will retire as the program’s executive director in September, take a few months off, and then return as president emeritus.”
Here is how Taller San Jose’s mission is described on their website: “Taller San Jose is a place where young people come when their lives have been broken and they need help putting the pieces back together. “Brokenness” takes many forms – drug use, involvement with a gang, teen pregnancy, past criminal behavior, the tag of a high school “drop-out”, lack of job skills, time spent in jail, or a family that fell apart. Taller San Jose exists to bring hope to young people whatever their circumstances and to “walk them out of poverty” through education, job-training, and strong, supportive relationships.”
I had no idea that Taller Jose was involved in construction – they started out teaching their students how to make beautiful hand-crafted wooden benches. If indeed they are now involved in teaching construction it would be great to see them add a construction safety program to their menu of training services.
There is a HUGE demand for bilingual safety managers in Orange County. This could be a fantastic career move for young people looking to make a difference and make a great living as well.
Kudos to McNerney for all that she has done for the people of Santa Ana. I look forward to talking to her about adding new courses to her program. Taller Jose is a shining example of what we CAN do to help the people of this city – without resorting to public funding.
“Shawna Smith, currently the associate director of Taller San Jose, will take over as its executive director after McNerney steps down. She has been with the program since 1998.”
You can find out more about Taller San Jose at this link.
good article, I am a huge fan of this organization. I strongly recommend that you tour their construction facility. You will be impressed.
a slight correction, they have received a lot of public funding, but they have done well with it. Sister Eileen will be missed in this community but Shawna will do well too.
I love stories like this! This is what I love most about the Catholic faith. I realize the church has many shortcomings, but people want to forget how many religious and priests dedicate their lives to honorable and charitable endeavors. It hardly ever seems acknowledged any more, so THANKS FOR A GREAT, INSPIRING post!
Given the recent press about for profit training schools producing certificated graduates for jobs that do not exist, or graduates who cannot seem to land such jobs, one has to question most any training program. This story would be more convincing if there was information about what has happened to the trained youth who have gone through the Taller San Jose program. 4,000 trained, yes, but what has been the outcome compared to similar youth who did not go through the program?