The journey of a 1,000 miles starts with a single step.
For Lucy Rogers, the journey from a high school cafeteria in East
Carroll Parish, Louisiana, to center stage at “The Faces of Success”
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Lucy Rogers at The Faces of Success
Town Hall Meeting
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Town Hall Meeting at the Workforce Innovations 2005 Conference in
Philadelphia began when she inquired about the Senior Community
Service Employment Program (SCSEP) administered by a subgrantee to
the National Council on Aging, the University of Louisiana at Monroe
(ULM).
Rogers had worked hard since childhood, picking cotton in the fields
before catching her school bus. “My parents raised me to be honest,
independent and hard working,” she states with pride. “I worked for
27 years in the East Carroll Parish High School, rising from cook to
cafeteria manager. Then, when I moved to Monroe, I was ready for bigger
things.” In Monroe, Rogers worked as a field supervisor for several
area high school cafeterias, with a myriad of responsibilities. She
supervised staff, maintained inventory, and checked for compliance with
health and safety regulations.
In 1999, Rogers retired after 38 years of service. “It didn’t take
long for me to become bored,” she notes wryly. “I needed something more
to keep me focused.” That’s when she heard about the older worker program
at ULM.
When Elizabeth Yielding, Director of the Older Worker Programs at ULM met
Rogers, she rolled up her sleeves and got to work. After conducting an
assessment and determining her age and income eligibility, she decided
that Rogers was an excellent prospect for training with the then
experimental private sector employment program.
Rogers was placed in a training assignment at the Bayou Bakery,
and was an immediate hit with the owners. After three weeks,
she became a permanent hire. Her muffins, cinnamon rolls, and
come Mardi Gras time, King Cakes, became “a local legend.”
In November, 2003, the Bayou Bakery’s owners offered her the
opportunity to buy the business. “This was something I’d
always dreamed of,” Rogers says. “I was a little bit afraid,
but I spoke to my children and they encouraged me to realize
that dream. I accepted the offer and became a small business owner.”
And the success story didn’t stop there. With true entrepreneurial
spirit, Rogers “grew the business.” It’s now Bayou Bakery and
Catering, with 5 employees, and an active trade in providing full
meals for business functions and private parties. Not that that’s
stopped Rogers from still rising at 4 a.m. every morning to pitch in
with the day’s baking!
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Pictured from left to right at Bayou Bakery and
Catering are Angela Leak, Lucy Rogers, Lee Rogers,
and ToQuanda Siggal.
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And that’s what led the Employment and Training Administration to select
Rogers as one of “The Faces of Success.” “How proud we were to stand
on that stage with Assistant Secretary DeRocco and to have the
opportunity to demonstrate how successful older workers can be,”
Yielding notes. “And the publicity has been wonderful for her business.
She now needs to figure out how to fit more tables into the shop to
accommodate all her new customers!”
Rogers is what SCSEP is all about: a real life example of the value-added
older workers bring to the workplace and to themselves. “I’d like to
thank SCSEP for changing my life. Working keeps me going, keeps me
productive, and keeps me healthy. The more I work, the more I want
to work! I hope that I can be an inspiration to other older
individuals.”
Bayou Bakery and Catering can be reached at 318-387-8119.
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