Tomorrow is for giving

Nicole paved her path and made it big in the corporate world, working at Dow Jones for many years. But at 45, that popsicle stick and bubble gum car broke down. The unresolved issues from her childhood rose to the surface and made her question whether she wanted to keep living. She knew that she needed to change her life and dedicate herself to “doing a better job than my mom did,” she told me. She detoured her career path and became a behavior therapist for kids with autism. Using Applied Behavior Analysis methodology, a type of therapy almost exclusively used for children on the autism spectrum, Nicole loved to see the fruit of her labor in helping children develop the skills they need to sustain themselves, like language and impulse control, things that neurotypical children don’t have to worry about. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic ended her face-to-face work with the children. She was furloughed during the shutdown, which gave her time to create something that combined her passions for youth, development and education. 

Davis, along with her team, created Fortitude Careers, a nonprofit dedicated to taking underprivileged youth, 18-24 years of age, many of whom do not receive support from home, to learn trade skills and life mastery skills that will guide them to a more fulfilling life and meaningful career. 

Participants will get their pre-apprenticeship hours to enter a union carpentry apprenticeship and, if needed, English as a Second Language, GED completion and substance abuse management. This program is flexible so that it takes into account a student’s individual needs to enter the program then to “get you on the road and get you going,” Davis said. “Their learning program is unique and part of their development. Students learn financial management, communication (speaking to clients, colleagues, supervisors and even spouses), career services (resume writing and interviewing), and then become candidates for apprenticeships after 200 hours of experience and go through an interview process. 

Fortunately for Nicole and her partner Patti Bentley, Webcor, one of California’s top construction firms, is supportive and has committed to developing the curriculum together. You may know of Webcor because they’ve managed huge projects, like the San Francisco International Airport Harvey Milk Terminal 1 or Genesis Marina in Brisbane. Davis mentioned to me that one of Webcor’s VPs said, ‘Webcor is behind you.’ 

Fortitude has created a path for young adults that want to explore careers outside of tech. Fortitude teaches youth to be courageous, ambitious and get out of feeling stuck and living paycheck to paycheck. “Want to elevate your life? Come to Fortitude,” said Davis. “We need funding to reach those kids being left behind and we have a unique opportunity to elevate their lives out of poverty and despair.” Fortitude has struggled to receive grant funding as most grants are currently focused on pandemic relief for organizations that existed pre-pandemic. 

Would you please donate online by going to bit.ly/givefortitude? You can also send a check to Fortitude Careers at 425A Oak St., Redwood City, CA 94061.

Rudy Espinoza Murray is a Redwood City resident and community organizer on housing, gun violence prevention, LGBTQ+, and LatinX issues. He is a co-founder and lead of the San Mateo County Farmworker Affairs Coalition.