The Nextep Charitable Foundation is excited to donate $10,000 to The Education and Employment Ministry, TEEM. TEEM uses job training, education, mentorship, and social services to help individuals who are or have been incarcerated get back on their feet.
This donation is part of a larger initiative to give back to the Black community. Earlier this summer, Nextep’s Founder and CEO Brian Fayak announced Nextep Charitable Foundation would be donating $50,000 to local organizations supporting the Black community — read more about this initiative on our earlier blog.
“The Education and Employment Ministry, also known as TEEM, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to breaking cycles of incarceration and poverty through education, personal development and work readiness training.”
— TEEM
TEEM helps individuals from the pretrial process to re-entering life and work after incarceration.
With TEEM’s pretrial services, a participant has access to an attorney, courtroom advocacy, resources for housing and sober living homes, transportation, education, and cognitive behavioral classes.
This organization also serves individuals once they’re no longer incarcerated. Once a participant joins the reentry program, they will attend an empower class for two to three weeks. At this class, they’ll build a resume, practice interviewing, learn skills for entering the workforce, and make a plan moving forward. TEEM also helps participants with housing, transportation, social skills, mentoring, and job placement. Case managers follow up with participants up to a year after release.
“Oklahoma incarcerates more women and more people of color per capita than any other state in the nation,” says Brittney Berling, Development Coordinator at TEEM. “Right now, we rank third in overall incarceration rates.” TEEM focuses their efforts on helping individuals re-enter life and work after incarceration to break the cycle of incarceration and poverty.
You can support TEEM by donating to and following the work they’re doing in Oklahoma (Instagram: @okcteem). The Nextep Charitable Foundation is proud to have the opportunity to support this incredible organization!
Check out our past blogs about Grand Gentlemen, Knowing Your Worth, and Progress OKC to learn more about the other amazing organizations we’ve donated to through this initiative. Stay tuned to see which organization we choose next!
About Nextep
As a Professional Employer Organization (PEO), Nextep works with companies to provide outsourced services, including payroll, benefits, HR, compliance, and more. Since its beginnings, Nextep and its employees have had a heart for giving back. So, Nextep formed the Nextep Charitable Foundation to create an even stronger platform to donate, volunteer, and give back. In partnership with the Pledge 1% movement, Nextep donates money, offers free services to nonprofits, and the employees volunteer their time, both in and outside of work.
