If you are a member of the media and are interested in learning more about Arapahoe/Douglas Works! or arranging a visit to any one of our locations, please contact:
Arapahoe County Communication Services
Anders Nelson
303.795.5467
ANelson2@arapahoegov.com
Awards
2022 Mark Sanders Award for Exceptional Veteran Services
2021 EDCC’s Partner of the Year
2020 Northwest Douglas County Chamber & EDC Large Sized Business of the Year
2017 C2ER Excellence in Economic Development Research Award
2017 Colorado Department of Labor & Employment Distinguished Accomplishment Award: Improving Veterans Services
2016 When Work Works Award
2015 NAWB 2015 WIB Excellence Award
2014 2014 Metropolitan Cooperation Award
2013 Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility
2012 EOPR Taskforce Promising Practices to Reduce Poverty
2012 Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility
2011 Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility
2010 Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility
2010 Colorado Department of Labor & Employment’s Best Practices Award, Outcomes Using Occupational Saturation Rates
Customer Success Stories
- Amanda completed orientation in September 2020. She came to the Employment First Program uncertain of her career projection. Amanda is a caregiver for her mother, who has multiple health limitations, so she would need to find something that would work with her familial obligations. She was also working part-time with Instacart, trying to make ends meet. In December 2020, Amanda found employment in the retail industry selling natural health products and is now earning higher wages with benefits. Amanda is very passionate about the products she sells and is thrilled to bring her love of gardening together with her passion for natural health and self-care. Amanda has also increased her hours with Instacart. As of February 2021, Amanda is self-sufficient and off SNAP benefits!
- Feliz joined the program after going through a tough separation. She wanted to obtain skills making her more marketable and employable and no longer dependent on the child support from her children’s father. The customer was taking care of her two children and providing for them, but she just wasn’t making ends meet. She understood that she couldn’t do the work that she was used to doing because COVID-19 had caused her to lose her job. Feliz and her Workforce Specialist devised a plan of getting her certified as a forklift driver and to find her a job with those new skills. Feliz was made aware that FedEx was holding a hiring event and that the forklift certification would benefit her if she applied for the job. Feliz was also searching for work-from-home jobs so that she could be there to care for her children. With the confidence from the accomplishment of gaining her forklift certification, Feliz began to apply for jobs in the warehouse and looked into jobs where she could work from home as well. She started to receive positive reactions on her applications and was going to interview with Amazon when she was called by a temporary service with a better opportunity, which was to work from home with Arapahoe County. Feliz was hired by Arapahoe County, earning a wage of $14.83 per hour and can now afford to take care of her daughters. This is an example of the 2-Gen approach at Arapahoe County where we work to pull the entire family out of poverty by working with the custodial party (as well as the non-custodial parties). Feliz is well on her way to success, including a six-month retention bonus, and graduating from the program!