04 Apr Business for the good of the community
You may already know that Mill Village Farms develops local youth (ages 14-18) with weekly classes and mentoring. And you probably know that we provide paid job internships for dozens of these teenagers. In 2015 alone, we provided 35 job opportunities for teenagers — among our spring, summer, fall, and winter seasons.
But did you know that we are growing? In the summer of 2014, we hired 8 youth. In 2015, we had 14. And this summer, we plan to hire 18-20 teenagers to grow farm fresh foods and sell them to our community at our Mobile Market.
In order to expand our youth’s training and employment opportunities, we are partnering with local businesses in the greater Greenville community. And you can be a part of these Ally Partnerships.
What Is an Ally Partnership?
Ally Partners are businesses which will provide an internship opportunity for community teenager, while Mill Village Farms will provide training and support. That is, an Ally Partner will benefit from the work of a trained and eager teenager who will work one or more days per week.
We believe that these internships are so crucial for the growth and success of our youth that we are committing providing 15 of these internships in 2016. (Although we hope that many of these internships will turn into regular jobs for the youth.)
We are happy to celebrate with two organizations that have already become Ally Partners: Chick-fil-A (Haywood Rd) and The Warehouse Theatre.
Dylan is a junior at Woodmont High who joined Mill Village Farms first by attending the Powered for Life class in January 2015, and who has worked every season since. He has grown in confidence and in leadership skills, and will further develop these skills as he works for Chick-fil-A.
Tyren is a sophomore at Wade Hampton. An MVF veteran, he first became a Youth Crew member after his 8th grade year. He loves working with his hands, and will learn many new skills as he works for the technical director at The Warehouse Theatre — building sets, operating audio-visual equipment, and more.
Become an Ally Partner
Do you want to support the Mill Village Farms Ally Partner program? You can do so in two ways:
- Do you own or work for a business that can provide an internship for a teenager? You can learn more and contact us on our website.
- You can support this program by making a tax-deductible financial contribution. (Designate your gift for “Elevate Youth”). Your gift will allow this program to be sustained and to grow.
Of course, if you have any questions about Mill Village Farms, or want to ask us about other ways you can become part of our community, you can contact us.
Thank you for your support!
-Joey Espinosa