Loring Jobs Corps grateful to Caribou Center lavishes praise on city, medical center, employees for supporting students

LIMESTONE – The Loring Job Corps Center recognized the city of Caribou, several of its employees and Cary Medical Center on Wednesday for the assistance they have given the center during its five years at the Loring Commerce Centre.

The Job Corps center, which serves students from all of New England and New York, has 360 students studying in 14 different career offerings. It operates on a $7.5 million annual budget.

“Caribou has been the most influential city in the County,” said Reginald Reed, business and community liaison officer for the center. “Their support for our students has been outstanding.”

Reed praised Richard Mattila, retiring city manager at Caribou, for his assistance.

The Caribou Recreation Center was also in the limelight at the ceremonies held at the center and attended by approximately 50 people.

“Kathy Mazzuchelli [director of the Caribou Recreation Department] has taken kids from our center under her wing,” he said. “She has involved them in recreation programs, and become a model for our youngsters to emulate.”

Bill Flagg, community relations director at the Cary Medical Center, and the hospital itself were praised for their efforts.

“Bill has brought us many ideas,” Reed said. “He has researched vocations for our students, especially assisting young women students with careers.”

One of the guests at the meeting was Susan Larson, youth services director for Job Corps from the regional office in Boston.

She said the community support the Loring center has received is great and helps in the center’s overall success. She said the kind of support the northern Maine center has been receiving is very positive.

Of the 360 students at the center, which has a capacity of 380 students, 23 percent are from Maine. The 48-acre campus has new programs coming on, including a commercial driver’s license course. The center offers vocations different from any center in the region, according to Eunice Johnson, director of the Loring center.

The careers open to students are in culinary arts, recreation work, business and clerical areas, technology, automotive and construction.

The center attempts to give students real world and work experiences. Along with vocational education, the center offers general equivalency diploma courses for a high school diploma, and college and job placement.