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Mayor White And HoustonWorks USA
To EmP.O.W.E.R. Young Adults
Organizations Team Up To Kick Off Summer Employment Season

  HOUSTON –– Things are heating up in the city as Mayor Bill White joined Houston’s youth community in celebrating the P.O.W.E.R. of summer employment! Along with YO! Houston, the youth division of The WorkSource, H.E.B. Stores and Colgate-Palmolive, Mayor Bill White recently dedicated the Northside YO! (Youth Opportunity) Career Center, located at 1906 Cochran, in a motivational celebration. More than 120 at-risk youth to attended the celebration, as they marked the start of HoustonWorks USA and Colgate-Palmolive’s 2004 P.O.W.E.R. (Preparing Our World through Education and Responsibility) youth employment initiative.
For the past ten years, the Colgate-Palmolive Company has contributed more than $1 million in grants to youth employment programs. This year’s national participants include Houston, East Orange, Atlanta, Chicago, Baltimore, Memphis, Detroit and Los Angeles. In 2004, HoustonWorks USA and its partners will continue its citywide focus on education and career development.

“Colgate P.O.W.E.R. 2004 is a positive way to show young job seekers the benefits of earning an education and receiving actual job training,” said Russell Tomlin, manager of youth initiatives for YO! Houston. “We’re pleased to have Colgate-Palmolive and H.E.B. on our team – helping us introduce Houston’s youth to a brighter future.”
Marking its eleventh year of contributing, Colgate-Palmolive and its retailers will award The WorkSource a grant of $20,000, $10,000 in funds and $10,000 in Colgate products, in support of its summer youth employment program.
“Our goal is to give urban youth a chance to develop strong professional skills, so they can better navigate their future,” said Stacey Harris, manager of African American marketing at Colgate-Palmolive. “To be competitive in today’s job market, it’s necessary to demonstrate the winning combination of skill and motivation. Along with YO! Houston and H.E.B. Stores, we’re dedicated to providing young Houstonians with the professional skills they need to succeed in their job searches.”

YO! Houston is a nonprofit youth organization designed to provide young adults, ages 14-21, access to year-round job skills training, GED testing, job market information, career coaching, retail discounts, job clubs and support services. Since its inception in 2000, YO! Houston has helped more than 5,000 adults gain real-world education and professional job skills.
Colgate-Palmolive is a leading global consumer products company tightly focused on Oral Care, Personal Care, Household Care, Fabric Care and Pet Nutrition. In the U.S., Colgate sells its quality products under such nationally recognized brands as Colgate, Palmolive, Mennen, Ajax, Irish Spring, Softsoap, Murphy Oil Soap, Ultra Brite and Fab, as well as Hill’s Science Diet and Hill’s Prescription Diet pet foods.
For more information about YO! Houston and the Colgate P.O.W.E.R. initiative, please call 713.654.1919.