2019 Chapter Initiatives and Successes
Yakima, WA - January 16th, 2020 - Another year is officially in the books as we ring in the new decade. 2019 was no different compared to previous years in that it was full of opportunity and great efforts put forth by our community of amazing professionals. Here is a recap of our accomplishments for the past year.
As we kick off 2020, planning for the next year is underway. We welcome all input and ideas from our chapter and community. Should you have any ideas on how we can help you, or our community please contact us asap!
Initiative 1: YV Tech- Job Aquisition Training
As some of you may have experienced, the incoming generation of workers has a knowledge gap when it comes to Job Aquisition strategies. This translates to terrible resumes, cover letters, and interview skills. Businesses and companies can not select top talent when the top talent can't adequately present themselves. This year we have created presentation materials and have had Yakima SHRM representatives teach students how to create a resume and cover letter. This has been widely successful and will continue into the 2020 year. While the fall was focused more on resumes and cover letters, this Spring will focus more on interview and networking skills and will include a mock interview session that students can participate in. Please stay tuned as volunteers will be needed to continue providing this great service.
The development of the curriculum has created a template that can be rolled out to other programs with ease. In addition to YV-Tech students, additional workshops have been held with Selah School District's Big Picture Learning program in teaching students about Job Aquisition etiquette.
A sincere thank you goes to Michelle Smith and Regina Garcia for heading this initiative.
Initiative 2: SHRM-CP Certification Scholarship
To promote certification we provided a scholarship for an eligible chapter member to take the SHRM-CP exam. We are happy to report that the winner of this scholarship took and passed their exam!
A sincere thank you goes to Chelsea Kennedy for spearheading this initiative.
Initiative 3: Life after High School Resource Fair
Yakima SHRM partnered with Selah High School to bring together various organizations from the valley that specialize in Transition services for disabled youth. This resulted in a Spring and Fall fair being held where students and parents could come in and network with the organizations that can help. Yakima SHRM held a table at each event and spoke with students and families about the employer's perspective on ADA and what reasonable accommodation means, as well as how to navigate the interview/application process.
A sincere thank you to Chris Miller, Jesse Rodriguez, Jon Smith, and Tina Powers for volunteering at this event.
Initiative 4: Fundraiser for the SHRM Foundation
This year we held two events to promote membership and raise money for the SHRM Foundation via a silent auction and raffle. Combines we raised over $1100 for this organization!
A sincere thank you to Chelsea Kennedy, Malynda Nystrom, the Board, and our generous chapter and community members for helping this cause.
Initiative 5: Student Chapter Support
This year the Yakima SHRM chapter wanted to take a more active role in supporting our local student chapter at CWU. With a donation from Yakima SHRM, as well as other chapters, the student chapter was able to purchase a set of study materials for the SHRM-CP exam. 4 CWU Human Resources students were able to take the exam and pass!
A sincere thank you to Kathy Johnson for spearheading this initiative.
Initiative 6: Internship Education
To further promote and foster the transfer of knowledge and skills to the incoming generation, Yakima SHRM embarked on a mission to educate the community on the value of internships. This resulted in partnering with the Yakima Chamber of Commerce to host a panel discussion comprised of past interns, and college faculty representatives on the process. This turned out to be a very engaging discussion with a lot of myths surrounding internships debunked. Following up with this event, Chelsea Kennedy, Michelle Smith, and Chris Miller partnered with the South Central Workforce counsel's podcast, discussing internships and their value even further.
A sincere thank you to Michelle Smith, Chelsea Kennedy, and Chris Miller for contributing to this initiative.
Initiative 7: YesVets
Jesse Rodriguez, our Diversity chair had the pleasure to guest speak at an event about hiring veterans. SHRM took on an active partnership with YesVets to promote and educate the value of our servicemen and women can bring to an organization. SHRM, and by extension Yakima SHRM remains solid supporters of this initiative and it's impacted it will have on the veteran community.
A sincere thank you and congratulations to Jesse Rodriguez for your work as the Diversity Chair in 2019.
Initiative 8: Increase our Membership
We are excited to announce that our chapter has grown! We started 2019 with around 140 designated chapter members and ended just over 170 members! To all of our new members welcome!
A sincere thank you to Santiago Alejo for your dedication to membership.