TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — A Tallahassee job fair celebrates every application and interview with an "opportunity bell," helping families find employment and hope.
- The bell celebrates each step toward employment.
- Better Together partnered with Jacob Chapel Baptist Church to put on this fair and support parents.
- Watch the video below to learn how this fair is working to keep children out of foster care.
Tallahassee job fair rings 'opportunity bell' to give families hope and employment support
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A community job fair in Southwest Tallahassee is giving families more than just applications. It is giving them hope.
I am neighborhood reporter Lentheus Chaney at Jacob Chapel Baptist Church, where every step toward employment is celebrated with the ring of an opportunity bell.
The bell rings for every application completed, every interview scheduled, and every job offer made.
Organizers say it is a way to turn a stressful job search into a moment of encouragement.
The job fair is part of a partnership between Better Together and Jacob Chapel Baptist Church, designed to help parents find work and keep their families together.
Better Together is a nonprofit that focuses on prevention, addressing economic hardship before families reach a crisis.
Travis McGilvary with Better Together says employment is one of the strongest tools for family stability.
“This helps parents in these communities find meaningful employment where foster care is never a consideration. It’s a proactive approach of not only tackling the foster care crisis, but also the talent crisis that the employers in this community face,” McGilvary said.
State data show why that support matters.
According to the Florida Department of Health’s FLHealthCharts system, more than 20,000 children were in foster care across Florida in 2024, including more than 360 children in Leon County.
Advocates say unemployment and financial stress are often at the root of family separation.
That is why the Better Jobs program focuses on connection and confidence, not just job listings.
State and federal labor data show Leon County’s unemployment rate remains above 4%, meaning many families are still searching for stability.
Among the job seekers was neighbor Marqui Childes.
He says his family of four just moved to the area and is looking for a fresh start.
“It’s going to be great. It’s going to be a nice little difference for us. I’ll have the opportunity to be able to provide for them,” Childes said.
At the heart of the event is the celebration of job seekers with a bell ring when an application is completed, an interview is scheduled, or a job is offered.
“Even if I don’t get this job, it’s still the emotion of everybody cheering for you, rooting for you to be able to succeed,” Childes said.
Tasha Carter with Jacob Chapel Baptist Church says this kind of direct connection can change a family’s future.
“We are so excited about the opportunity bell because what that does is it tells us that there are life-changing impact that are being made,” Carter said.
McGilvary says more community job fairs and support events are planned in the coming months.
In Southwest Tallahassee, I'm Lentheus Chaney, ABC 27.
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