It was with great regret that our Job Corps family learned the news yesterday that the founder of Job Corps and one of our biggest champions, Robert Sargent Shriver, passed away. As many of you know, Sargent Shriver spearheaded President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty, and in that role, he was instrumental in the founding of Job Corps in 1964.
Sargent Shriver’s commitment to our country predated his work with Job Corps. He was the first director of the Peace Corps under President John F. Kennedy. Under President Johnson, he led the Office of Economic Opportunity, the agency responsible for the creation and success of many social programs that are still thriving today, including Job Corps.
His contributions and belief in the program have helped more than 2.6 million young people throughout Job Corps’ 46-year history. In 1999 when Job Corps dedicated the Shriver Job Corps Center in Devens, Mass., Sargent Shriver spoke of his faith in the program to help at-risk young people, saying, “Our Job Corps graduates are proof that our original dream, our vision, was realistic. We proved that all of us could work together, successfully, to provide the necessary skills to thousands of young Americans who had neither jobs nor skills … Our combined efforts succeeded! The Job Corps has survived and prospered. It has served our nation well.”
He later went on to serve in many roles, including ambassador to France. He was active in the Special Olympics, serving as that organization’s president and eventually being named chairman emeritus. In 1994, President Bill Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, our nation’s top civilian honor.
Sargent Shriver never shied away from serving his country, and I hope that at Job Corps, we are inspired by the sense of honor and gratitude that led him to found our program. He believed that every young person in this country deserves the chance to see a brighter future. He believed that our society must teach young people the skills they need to succeed, both in life and at work. And he believed that the public and the private sectors can work together to accomplish this. These beliefs drive what we do every day at Job Corps, from the National Office in Washington, D.C., to Job Corps centers from coast to coast.
Ed. Note: Edna Primrose is the National Director of Job Corps.
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This is a sad day. Job Corp was instrumental in taking me from the streets to being a high level professional. The work the Job Corp is doing to train and in a sense rehabilitate youth is so important. Rest in peace Sargent, you have served all of us well.
Johnnie Burns
Much respect and condolences goes out to Sargent Shriver’s family and friends. We respect and honor the work that Sargent Shriver did for this organization and his country.
I would like to take this time to thank Mr. Sargent Shriver, because of him I had somewhere to go, something to do and achieve excellent training skills. I am a graduated of Keystone Job Corps in PA.
At the time I attended Job Corps people believe that Job Corps was a place were the courts sent young man and women that had/have problems or to get there GED. I am a high school graduated class of Dunbar High School 1978 in Washington, DC and attend college right after high school. Do to money my mother could not to pay to keep me there. I left after completing one semester with no were to go and no skills to get a job. I needed to do something with myself. The Army, but I did not pass the test. I visit the DC unemployment office to seek out a job and found out about Job Corps. It was the best thing that could have happen for me. I wanted to take this time to say thank you to Mr. Sargent Shriver. I hope and pray one day that I can land a job or detail with DOL Job Corps it would be a great opportunity for me to give back. THANKS Mr. Sargent Shriver.
I am a successful person because of the chance I was given to make changes in my life when I entered Job Corps in 1989. I flew through a the trade I chose, went into the ACT program and then left to go home to work in my chosen field. Later I went back to college and end ended up working at the same center I graduated from. It has been an honor to be a part of Job Corps both as a student and as a staff.
Thank You Mr. Shriver for giving me the chance of a lifetime.
The late Shriver was certainly a great visionary who has left an indelible inprint on the youth of this country.May his soul ever rest in eternal peace.We can only continue with a good thing he left behind.
Thanks, to the family may God continue to hold you and keep The Sargent’s dream alive.
God Bless.
As a Career Counselor at The Atlanta Job Corps Center, I inform students during CPP of the magnificent job that President Lyndon B. Johnson and Sargent Shriver did in founding Job Corps. I know it’s important for them to know the history of this great organization that has helped millions…students and staff. Mr. Shriver rest in peace and bless his family.
We remain inspired by those who chose the servant leader position. As Mr. Shriver said we need to continue to be inventive. What a wonderful opportunity I have been given that I may assist others in finding their potential and reaching their goals. Thank you Mr. Shriver.
I am a westover job corps graduate. I learned alot from the program as well as took availible of all the program had ofter . At first I was like job corp, not the place for me its for dropout. But learned that it was for everyone. I came with my GED, so I took up Facility Maintenance, recive my drivers license and Center Directors Choice Award from Kelly King the director at that time. After completing the vocation I then took avantage of the college program, which led to recieving my Associate in Science in Civil Engineering. Now I work at Westover Job Corp as a Residential Advisor. I am where i am because of the program you created for me and other. Thank you for your hard working Sargent Shriver r.i.p.
As a 3 year employee with DOL Job Corps, I have had the pleasure in assisting young adolescent youth on both ends. I began at the Atlanta Center as an CTS provider and later recieved the opportunity to become an Outreach and Admissions Counselor in Ohio. I greatly appreciate Sargent Shriver for leaving a legacy and allowing me to partake in such a gratifying movement. Any and every position within the Job Corps organization is truly a calling and everyone employed should pat themselves on the back for continuing to teach, uplift, and encourage current and future Job Corps students. Thank you again Sargent Shriver for paving the way for many individuals, young, old, students, and employees.
I would hope that others will continue to pick up the purpose and intent of this program and realize that it has helped many to succeed where they may have failed. Sargent Shriver had a vision and pursued making it a reality. The Bible is true in it’s statement, “Where there is no vision the people perish”.
It’s amazing to hear the history behind the many people who have made such a large impact on so many lives. Job Corps continues to change those lives who are a part of the Job Corps family. It has for me as an employee of a contractor for DOL for more than 15 years, its a honor to continue helping young people who desire to succeed.
To Sargent Shriver thanks for the accomplishment that you have achieved at Job Corps. You will always be remembered on a day to day basis for the achievements that you have brought to job corps, and the communities also. We will strive to do our best on an everday strive as we achieve to be successful. God Bless
Job Corps. works! I have seen with my own eyes the progress our children have made with
the opportunity they have had being a part of Cincinnati Job Corp. We have had a few of our
kids go to Washington D.C. to meet with Congress and tell their success stories.
Thank you Mr. Sargent Shriver & everyone else involved in this great program.
I would like to thank Mr. Shiver for giving All Students a chance to become successful and employable. He has done a great justice in giving our students the opportunity to become successful. He has given them a chance to feel like they are somebody and they belong. For this he will always be greatly remember. Thanks
OLD DOMINION JOB CORPS CENTER
I was saddened by Sargent Shriver’s passing. I am grateful, however, that he accepted the job President Lyndon Johnson asked him to do. Because of Sargent Shriver, I don’t have to imagine what our country would be like without his leadership and dedication to public service. He helped to make better citizens out of hundreds of thousands of Americans served by Job Corps. For that, and so much more, thank you Mr. Shriver!
My prayers are with you, and may God continue to bless the faimly.
Love Ms. Boga
What a wonderful tribute to a man and a program that gives so many hope for the future!
On the Behalf of Formal Job Corps Student’s We Want to thank the Family of Robert Shriver for a job well Done.
We give thanks to the years of service and dedication Mr. Shriver has given to Job Corps. May your legacy forever be carried out. You will be forever missed.
R.I.P. Mr. Robert Sargent Shriver, Job Corps Founder.
Love Always,
The PJCLSI Family
To: The Shriver family,
I am so thankful and blessed for Sargent Shriver’s dream. For over 20 years I have been living proof of the success of his dream. After I graduated from High School I went to college, and dropped out to enlist in the Navy.
My mother was not happy with my plans for the Navy. I asked a friend to go with me. She needed a HSD/GED before enrolling. So I referred her to Job Corps. When I told my mother. She talked about me enrolling into the program.
I enrolled in the Charleston Job Corps in WV in 1982. After completing my Nursing trade I worked as a Nurse for 5 years. In 1987 I went back to work at the Charleston Center. At this time I am working for the Woodstock Job Corps in Maryland as an Career Transition staff. My time as a student in the program and a staff for over 23 years has been very rewarding.
I remember Robert Sargent Shriver who, I know was appointed by Jack Kennedy to begin Peace Corps. Job Corps was heavily on President Kennedy’s mind too, but due to the assasination, did not live to see it implemented. As a result Lyndon B. Johnson enjoyed the legacy. I was a 16 year old youth in NYC. in 1970 and enrolled in Job Corps. They sent me to Clearfield, Utah which at that time was like telling me I was going to the moon. I needed to learn a skill and get a high school diploma. When I first arrived there I thought I wasn’t going to stay and wanted to go back to my concrete jungle as soon as possible. So, after the first 6 months I acquired my GED and decided I was not going back after I get home on leave. When I got home, all my old friends were doing the same things in the street and I felt that if I had stayed there I would be dead or in jail so I decided to go back and finish learning my trade. I graduated 6 months later with a certification as an auto body tech. After returning home, I worked in that trade unbtil I was 22 and joined the Navy. I learned some new skills in the Navy and it made me proficient in office skills. So, now I could potentially work as a tech or as an office person. My trade in the Navy was Radioman. After returning home from the Navy I went back to work at the shop I previously worked and quickly became the foreman and then the manager. I then moved to MD where I foulnd myself managing a large shop in Baltimore and found myself actually teaching many of the employees to do repair work. So, I started taking Vocational Education in college to help me to become a vocational instructor. I then took a job at Chesapeake Job Corps as an Auto Body Repair Instructor. I worked there for 8 years. I developed that trade into a top notch program at Chesapeake. I then took a job as a counselor in Baltimore after Chesapeake closed in 1990. I worked at Family Advocacy Services as a counselor and had several promotions during the years to senior counselor then to Coordinator of Career Services where I was responsible for developing a pre-employment program for the foster care youth enrolled in the program. I developed the program, wrote the curriculum and recruited businesses in the community to become Mentors to teach teh youth skills. Recently due to other demands, I left that agency and cvame back to Job Corps to become a Career Transition Specialist. I now work in Hyattsville and am amazed every day how success lasts a lifetime and how much my experience in Job Corps has influenced my career paths and where I ended up. I am now a professional photographer, editor of a local magazine (Name It! Magazine), and a computer technician. If nothing else, what I learned at Job Corps that has been everlasting, was learn skills- the more you learn the better. The more you learn the more in demand you’ll always be. Job Corps has reshaped my life and continues to add to my success every day. Thank you Mr. Shriver.
It is with sadness that your eyes did not see these words of gratitude.Your stay here was a blessing for millions of youth . Your giving them an opportunity to fulfill their dreams. Thank you for your precious gift. Quote ” It’s not what you get out of life ,It’s what you leave behind”
My God bless you and your family
An inspiration to all Job Corps staff who have given their time and energy for the program and it’s students.
I met Sargent Shriver in 2002 on a visit to DC with the Policy Forum, he was a true professional and dedicated to serving the youth of America. A Champion that will be missed for his vision in helping our youth.
Thanks
Gary Job Corps Center, San Marcos, Texas
I came to the Atlanta Job Corps on June 11, 1974, when it was known as the Atlanta Residential Manpower Center. I was 21 years-old, looking for a change in my life. I always want to work in a office, because of Sargent Shriver I was hired at the Atlanta Job Corps Center. I graduate on December 11, 1975, begin working at the center May 3, 1976. This year I will be employed for 35 years at AJCC thank to a young man that care about young adults. I am presently the Secretay for the Career Technical Training Department for 27 years. My prayer to the family that God comfort and keep you. Sargent Shriver has done a great service to youths.
I enrolled in the Charleston Job Corps in WV in 1982. After completing my Nursing trade I worked as a Nurse for 5 years. In 1987 I went back to work at the Charleston Center. At this time I am working for the Woodstock Job Corps in Maryland as an Career Transition staff. My time as a student in the program and a staff for over 23 years has been very rewarding.
What a man, we need more people like this in the world today. R.I.P. Mr. Robert Sargent Shriver. God Bless.
Thats a very interesting article. Good to hear all these thing as they make us think differently.