As communities across the nation continue to recover from COVID-19, the need for collaboration remains a crucial one. In North Texas, thousands of residents still lack the resources to maintain steady employment — particularly women in Southern Dallas, where more than one in 10 single mothers are unemployed and lack access to child care. The path to professional success often takes guidance and mentorship from other women, and a helping hand can create lasting change.
In April 2021, Frito-Lay announced the Women’s Workforce Readiness Initiative (WWRI), a partnership with United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, CitySquare and Dallas College, to help build an economic foundation for Southern Dallas women through job training, technical and social support needed to acquire and maintain high-need jobs throughout the metroplex.
PepsiCo employees have been eager to do their part as well. To provide additional support to women in Southern Dallas, Frito-Lay’s Women’s Inclusion Network (WIN) employee resource group came together in fall 2021 to launch a mentoring program to support women in the WWRI and help them further develop their skills for the future.
Enter the Women’s Inclusion Network mentors
In the initial planning stage, PepsiCo employee organizers Kelley Keith, Karen Peters, Jeni Lockhart and Natalija McClelland partnered with CitySquare to develop materials and strategies that complimented the WWRI program. They also worked to recruit other PepsiCo leaders to volunteer as mentors.
Mentees and mentors in the WIN program have been meeting one to two times a month for four to six months on their own time, with 100% virtual options available. The goal: support mentees “where they are at” in their development journey, using support and encouragement to help mentees with resume/interview skills, discussions of work expectations and more.
“The Women’s Workforce Readiness Initiative and WIN mentoring program acknowledges the need we all have: to serve a purpose, feel validated and be rewarded for our efforts,” says Laurie Brown, program manager for CitySquare’s department of workforce and financial empowerment. “In our program, we have an understanding that all people are naturally creative, resourceful and whole. Our mentors, through their gift of time, help mentees recognize their unique talents and validate why those talents bring value. Sometimes someone just needs to hear the words ‘I believe in you’ or ‘Yes, you can.’”
WIN began with a total of 74 women (37 mentee/mentor pairs) participating in the program. A second group of mentors and mentees will be launched in spring 2022, and future plans call for the implementation of three classes each year as more women enroll in the WWRI program.
Success stories
While participating in the WIN mentor program, a young woman named Mary was also enrolled in a Dallas College IT certification program and working 12-hour days to make financial ends meet. With her emotional and physical resources stretched thin, she was on the verge of withdrawing from the certification program. But with the support and encouragement of her mentor, she was able to continue her studies and earn her certification, and now has an excellent job in the IT field.
Mentee Dawn Pennington has also benefitted greatly from her WIN mentorship. Recently, she suffered from a chronic illness, had no primary care physician and was unable to hold her regular job as a waitress because of the stress on her body. She became familiar with the WWRI and WIN mentoring program through her CitySquare caseworker and says the assistance has made a significant difference in her life and work.
Pennington was matched with PepsiCo mentor Lindsey Uhlik, sales district leader for SouthCentral Oklahoma. They held mentoring sessions every other week via Zoom, which Uhlik describes as mutually beneficial experiences.
“We’re both growing together [and] inspiring each other in different ways,” Uhlik says. “I’ve learned a lot about my management style, my leadership style, and ways I can be a friend that I didn’t know before. Dawn has also taught me the importance of prioritizing family while working.”
Pennington expresses very similar satisfaction with the mentoring sessions. She says Uhlik has given her different perspectives — teaching her, for example, not to push herself past her own limits as she organizes her own business. And the best part of the mentoring program?
“I get to meet different women,” Pennington says, “and they give me inspiration, like I can do anything — and that’s a good feeling.”
For more information, visit the Frito-Lay, CitySquare and Southern Dallas Thrives websites.