Special for the Birmingham Times
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School’s work-study model depends on companies willing to invest in the lives of young people.
Birmingham-based law firm Christian & Small is doing just that this fall by covering the cost of a full year internship for Holy Family Cristo Rey junior Alexandria Thomas at Childcare Resources, a downtown Birmingham nonprofit.
Myra Davis, financial assistance coordinator who supervises Alexandria at Childcare Resources, said she plays a vital role for the agency that assists families needing information on financial assistance through the Supplemental Child Care Program and other needs. Five days a month, Alexandria restocks forms and prepares folders for clients, including pamphlets on free tax preparation seminars, Childcare Resources Guide to Choosing Child Care, and forms with the number clients can call for assistance. She also does computer data entry on providers and other work to assist Ms. Davis around the office.
“What Alexandria does is so important,” Ms. Davis said. It is time-consuming. She frees me up to do other things. Alexandria always has a smile on her face and is well-groomed and polite. She is an example of the great students being produced at Holy Family.”
Alexandria, who Ms. Davis says during three years at Childcare Resources has progressed from a shy teenager to a confident junior, said she gets a joy out of working there. “I love the fact that I am helping people in need,” she said.
The future pediatrician, who plans to attend college at UAB, Alabama State or the University of Alabama and medical school at UAB, said the lessons she is learning at Childcare Resources have helped her excel better in the classroom and prepared her for life in and after college. “Being at Holy Family has made me a better student,” Alexandria said.
Joan Wright, executive director at Childcare Resources, said Christian & Small is to be commended for investing in student’s lives at Holy Family Cristo Rey by sponsoring Alexandria’s internship this year.
“We want children to get the best life possible, and college is a big part of that,” Ms. Wright said. “Christian & Small by supporting Alexandria is showing that they care about the community.”
Christian & Small Managing Partner Deborah Alley Smith said the firm believes education is at the heart of economic and community development.
“It is rewarding for us to sponsor a student like Alexandria because we see the impact she is having in the workplace and the professional experience she is gaining,” Ms. Smith said. “With the education Alexandria is receiving at Holy Family, and the practical experience she is gaining at Childcare Resources, Alexandria is on target to accomplish her academic and professional goals.”
Childcare Resources, founded in 1984 as a United Way initiative to help the community, serves clients in Blount, Jefferson, Shelby, and Walker counties. Ms. Wright said Alexandria takes a lot of pride in her work and it shows . “She is very responsible, we don’t have to babysit her,” Ms. Wright said. “Alexandria is getting exposed to a professional work environment at a young age.”
Since 2007, Holy Family Cristo Rey has been a part of the Chicago-based Cristo Rey Network, a group of 25 private college preparatory high schools across the country that have a unique work-study model. Students work one day a week at 80 plus corporate partners across metro Birmingham, offsetting 70 percent of the cost of their tuition.
Businesses interested in hiring a student intern or sponsoring a nonprofit should call Corporate Internship Program Director Kirk Mitchell at 205-253-0139 or email him at kmitchell@hfcristorey.org. For information on Holy Family Cristo Rey, go to www.hfcristorey.org.
