Veterans Boot Camp to prepare District 207 Homestead House at Maine West High School to benefit students with special needs

Every year since its inception in 2017, the Back-to-Work Boot Camp has trained veterans and the spouses of active-duty military for transitioning into career positions with long-term employers. The highly successful employment program is administered by the Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce & Industry in an effort to give back to those who have served and sacrificed for the sake of our country.

This year, as a part of the Veterans Back-to-Work Boot Camp the dedicated candidates selected for the vital employment program will be working with District 207 to update the Homestead House on the grounds of Maine West High School, 626 Howard St., in Des Plaines.

"Every year, we do a community service project as a part of the Veterans Back-to-Work Boot Camp because one of the important parts of a career is recognition of your role in the community in which you work," says Andrea Biwer, executive director of the Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

The Homestead House serves many students at Maine West High School. Once an old farmhouse, the building has been converted into a workspace that is used by high school students with special needs as a valuable part of their curriculum.

"District 207 expressed a need for some magic from the community to update the Homestead House. This is the perfect project for our employment candidates to learn about making a difference in the immediate environment," explains Biwer. "The Des Plaines Chamber and the Back-to-Work Boot Camp participants are honored to be a part of this endeavor."

The Boot Camp is an intensive employment program that teaches military-affiliated candidates the tools necessary for transitioning into civilian career positions. Applicants from throughout Illinois and neighboring states who are accepted into the program each year receive training in how to thrive in the workplace - with a focus not on getting just a job, but a long-term career.

"Professionals with real-world expertise teach our candidates resume and interviewing preparation, marketing themselves on social media, communication styles, corporate culture, networking and the keys to turning interviews into job offers," details Biwer.

Each boot camp participant also receives a personal laptop and software package to carry them on to their new career position. It is a program that translates to success.

This is the first year that the Boot Camp has included spouses of active-duty military in addition to veterans. The expansion of the program is paying dividends already.

"Every single one of our boot camp candidates was selected considering their need and also their likelihood to excel and prosper from the program. The military spouses we have in the program this year are real go-getters," says Biwer. "These employment candidates are soaking up the opportunity and should have career positions in the near future. Then we'll welcome a new class next year."

Having the Homestead House on campus is a huge asset to Maine West High School and District 207. Students with special needs who require curriculum and direct instruction with independent living skills, work-based learning experience, and functional academics have benefited from being able to learn and apply those skills within an authentic environment at Homestead.

Veterans Boot Camp participants and their mentors will be volunteering their services on Oct. 6 and 7, giving the Homestead House the magic touch the school district was hoping for. The volunteers will be prepping walls, performing patching and priming and painting the interior of the house. In November they will return to work on the flooring as well.

Since its inception in 2017, the Veterans Back-to-Work Boot Camp has provided the training, equipment, and networking opportunities for over 150 former military members to successfully transition into career positions in civilian employment.

Extra donations, resources, and support for the Homestead House project are being provided Des Plaines Ace Hardware, Rivers Casino and the Garage Store. Rivers Casino has been one of the primary sponsors of the Veterans Back-to-Work Boot Camp since it was first conceived.

Other proud sponsors of the 2023 Veteran's Back-to-Work Boot Camp are American Legion Post 36, Harper College, Oakton College, Daily Herald Media Group, Driven Car Wash, Journal & Topics Media Group, Body & Brain Yoga & Tai Chi, Foxtail on the Lake Restaurant, and the Jessica and Timothy Canning Charitable Fund.

For information on the Des Plaines Chamber of Commerce & Industry and its programs and services, including the Veterans Back-to-Work Boot Camp, visit www.dpchamber.com