What We Do
We empower individuals, improve communities.
Our mission is to provide educational services that lead to better jobs, better lives, and better communities.
Telamon staff members teach customers to access resources in their community, overcome barriers to employment or manage their finances. While not every service we provide will lead directly to better jobs and better lives, what we do often lays the foundation upon which our customers can build a better future.
In 2020, we served nearly 13,000 customers at 124 locations in 11 states through our program areas of focus.
Early Childhood &
Family Support
Workforce &
Career Services
Housing & Financial Empowerment
EARLY CHILDHOOD & FAMILY SUPPORT
We promote early childhood education through our Head Start programs — and encourage parents — with diverse services, from child development education to family support services.
Telamon provides services primarily through Head Start centers in five states:
Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
Success Story: Single Mom Empowered by Education for her Daughters and Herself
Meet Sharmice. In May 2021, we learned of Sharmice’s untimely death. While we are deeply saddened by the loss to Sharmice’s young daughters and her family, we wanted to honor her incredible story of perseverance as inspiration to others.
A young, single mom of three girls, Sharmice had never completed high school. However, she understood the importance of education and she was determined to help her daughters start off on the right track. Like her two school-age daughters, Sharmice made certain that her youngest daughter, Jay’leah, also attended Telamon’s home-based Head Start program. The Head Start program offers comprehensive child development services during weekly home visits to support parenting, child development, health, and nutrition.
WORKFORCE & CAREER SERVICES
We link youth and adults to educational opportunities that lead to better jobs and careers.
Telamon provides workforce training services in ten states:
Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland-Delaware, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.
Success Story: Single Mom Determined to Succeed for Her Family
Meet Brandi. Brandi joined Telamon’s West Virginia National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP) as a single mom. For many years, she supported her family as a line worker at a local poultry plant. Even before the pandemic hit, she was a woman with a core of strength and resilience by way of her personal history. She overcame mental health issues, substance abuse and incarceration.
When Brandi first met with Telamon staff, she had recently moved to West Virginia from Florida, where she had been incarcerated on a felony charge. She was working while attending school, but things were not easy for her emotionally and physically. The physical stress of working on the poultry line led to chronic pain, and she was often too mentally exhausted to focus on her studies. Brandi was barely making ends meet. It was clear that she needed to make a life change.
Brandi’s case manager, Heather, encouraged her to focus her attention on continuing her education. Telamon’s NFJP program was able to assist Brandi with financial support for educational supplies, career counseling, and help with navigating community services to complete her education.
HOUSING & FINANCIAL EMPOWERMENT
We provide support to individuals and families, leading to financial security, stable housing, and homeownership if they choose.
Telamon provides housing & financial empowerment services in eight states:
Georgia, Indiana, Maryland-Delaware, Michigan, Indiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.
Success Story: For Bekah, Persistence Pays Off
Meet Bekah. During the height of the pandemic in 2020, Bekah found herself living in a motel with her adult son who was a recovering addict. They had stayed there for quite some time due to financial hardship. Bekah worked extra hours as an assistant manager at a local gas station, but she struggled to pay for rent and basic living expenses. Even though she qualified for financial assistance, background checks and administration issues delayed her leasing affordable housing. It was a traumatic time.
Then, Bekah met Susan, an Information and Referral Specialist at Telamon in Martinsburg, WV. After working tirelessly with Bekah and her son for five months, they were approved to move into an apartment. Bekah was also referred to community resources to help her get back on her feet. She received donated furnishings for her home as well as business casual outfits for future job interviews.
