Teamwork contributes to Senior League success Job Corps partners with Mansfield organizers

BANGOR – The Penobscot Job Corps Center was one of numerous community organizations that partnered with organizers at Mansfield Stadium in Bangor to host the 2005 Senior Little League World Series. The international event brought teams from Latin America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Canada as well as teams from New Jersey, Iowa, Hawaii, Florida and Georgia.

The championship game came down to Iowa vs. Hawaii. Iowa won the championship with a final score of 7 to 2.

While the teams played on the field, there was plenty of teamwork behind the scenes that contributed to the success of the event.

“We couldn’t have done it without Job Corps,” said Gloria Owens, volunteer coordinator at Mansfield Stadium.

Penobscot Job Corps played a significant role in making this a successful event for the participating teams, their families, coaches, organizers and staff. Plans began in late June as organizers met with the Job Corps staff. Arrangements were made for Job Corps to join Mansfield Stadium in serving and welcoming the international visitors.

Penobscot Job Corps’ culinary students prepared and served hearty and nutritional lunches all week for the visiting teams, serving approximately 170 people each day. They also prepared and served more than 200 people a lobster feast for the teams, families, coaches and staff. The lobster bake included steamed clams, corn on the cob and homemade blueberry pie and vanilla ice cream.

“A visit to Maine is not complete without an authentic Maine lobster dinner. Our goal was to provide a learning experience for our students while giving the teams and families a meal to remember,” said Eric York, Culinary Works Enterprise manager for Penobscot Job Corps.

The partnership did not stop with the Job Corps Culinary team. Penobscot Job Corps’ diversity committee created displays about each of the visiting countries, including information on the main industries, population, cultural interest and statistics about the competing team, with an image of each country’s flag. The display drew attention from visiting teams and families. They took pride in reading about their own countries, while learning about the other teams’ land of origin.

Organizers at Mansfield Stadium said, in past years, the language barrier was an issue. This year, Job Corps students offered translation services to the Latin American teams throughout the tournament.

“The assistance from Job Corps students really helped visiting teams feel welcome. A few students came down each night to visit with the Latin American team,” Owens said.

“I had a lot of fun, and the players really appreciated having someone here in Bangor to talk to in their own language,” said Cyd Marie Penne, a bilingual student at Job Corps.

Penobscot Job Corps is home-away-from-home to more than 340 students.

“Many of our students come from different backgrounds and love the opportunity to celebrate their diversity,” said Delia Michaud, the diversity coordinator for Job Corps.

“Training and Development Corporation, which operates Penobscot Job Corps, for the Department of Labor emphasizes the importance of youth serving youth,” said Renae Muscatell, business and community liaison for Job Corps. She considered the Senior Little League World Series a great opportunity to put that philosophy in motion as the youth from Penobscot Job Corps served the international youth in a variety of ways.

Penobscot’s Business students assisted with team registration and data entry, and students and staff from Penobscot Job Corps volunteered nightly at the concession stands. Three students from the facilities maintenance vocation worked eight consecutive nights, and into the early morning hours hosing down the stadium, collecting bottles and cans, cleaning the restrooms and emptying trash.

“These young people did whatever they were asked. Cleaning the stadium is no fun task, but they were here every night and worked hard,” said Dave Mansfield, director of Mansfield Stadium.

At the closing awards ceremony, Penobscot Job Corps was recognized for its significant contribution to the Senior Little League World Series.

Talks are already under way about Job Corps’ role for next year.

The National Job Corps Program is in the final quarter of the yearlong 40th anniversary celebration. As the celebration comes to a close in September, Job Corps participation in the Senior Little League World Series reflected the theme for this final quarter, which is character. The key message is that Job Corps builds character in youth for work and for life.

“It couldn’t have gone any better,” said Mansfield.