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See if St. Joseph the Worker wins another "Be More" award May 7 in person or in June on Channel 8.

Last year, St. Joseph the Worker won a Be More … Knowledgeable award for its educational outreach. Watch a short video of the presentation.

The job service agency near downtown Phoenix helps the homeless, incarcerated and other disadvantaged individuals secure meaningful employment and get back on their feet. The staff works with inmates within 30 days of release to get them thinking about employment and connect them with other agencies on the human resources campus.

Agency staff and volunteers also helps job seekers with job leads, counseling (resumes and interviews), interview and work clothes, transportation, and proper licensing and materials in order to secure or start a job.

I got an e-mail from KAET Channel 8 yesterday announcing St. Joseph the Worker as a finalist for the 2009 Be More … Encouraged award. This judges’ choice category honors community organizations for its overall appeal. It was St. Joseph the Worker’s original and extraordinary approach to its mission that earned the nomination. The privately-funded agency is up against ICAN and Kitchen on the Street, Inc.

The winners in this and seven other categories will be announced May 7 during a luncheon at the Camelback Inn.

Caren Swart fills out a work log at the Lodestar Day Resource Center. She found employment through St. Joseph the Worker.

Regardless of if the agency takes home another award, staff, volunteers and clients at St. Joseph the Worker know they’re making a positive difference in the lives of those who have often lost a lot of hope and self-esteem. Here is what St. Joseph the Worker wrote me after we ran our latest story on the agency:

Already, I got a call this morning from a woman who was recently laid off from an HR position.  She’s confident she’ll find a new job soon, but also believes that God wants her to put her talents to good use and when she saw your article, she went to our website to see how she could get involved.  I’ll meet with her soon and she may become a volunteer.

Catholic Sun readers should know a bit about the agency too. Look back at some of our latest stories about the agency and its clients:

• Annual charity appeal key to helping unemployed, victims of housing crisis
• Securing meaningful work for those in need (profile of agency for its 20th anniversary)
• CDA-supported organizations feeling crush of weakened economy
• Local charities cope with increasing homelessness