ELKINS – YouthBuild students, alumni, directors, staff and community leaders gathered Thursday to honor Loren Fortney, and thank him for his 12 years of dedicated service. Fortney helped young adults age 16 to 24 as education coordinator.
Michelle Phares, YouthBuild Program Manager, said Fortney is patient and kind, and that he is a great teacher.
“He has been with us 12 of the 20 years we have had the YouthBuild program,” Phares said. “He has been here most of the time. He has been an asset and the students really enjoy working with him.”
Fortney said he was hired on about 12 years ago, saying it is the best job he has ever had.
“I started out working at Kelly Foundry and then worked on the railroad,” Fortney said. “After that I worked for the state and then worked here at YouthBuild. I have been around the horn a few times.”
He said there were millions of good things that happened during his tenure.
“There was a young lady who came into the program, and I truly did not think she could talk,” Fortney said. “She came in to register with her Aunt and her Aunt answered all of the questions for her. She sat at a table for a month and did not speak or ask any questions. Finally one day, she started talking, and really communicating with me. She graduated from the program with honors.”
Fortney said he encourages folks who are thinking of joining YouthBuild to come and see what the program is like.
“Don’t judge the program until you get here,” Fortney said. “Stay here long enough to understand the program. It is not like anything you have seen before. It’s not high school, it’s not kindergarten, and it’s not alternative school – come and see the program and participate long enough to understand.”
Fortney said he really enjoyed working with the students in YouthBuild.
“I am really happy be here,” he said. “I have been really happy to help out all of the students, and thankful for all those who helped make YouthBuild successful. It is going to be a big change for me.”
While working at YouthBuild, Fortney taught high school equivalency classes to help students complete their GED and TASC. During this time, 73 percent of the students obtained their GED or TASC.
YouthBuild graduate Nicholas Fast, of Elkins, said he earned a PACT certification.
“Loren helped me get my high school diploma and has helped me since 2011,” Fast said. “Even when the doors shut down, Loren helped me with my education. He is a phenomenal teacher. He works with the students one-on-one and he is a great teacher.”
Elkins resident Travis Sines is also a YouthBuild graduate.
“Loren is really, quite simply, the man,” Sines said. “His door is always open for anyone who needs assistant. Math was not my strong suit, and within 4-5 weeks, he had me understanding math. I got a 500 on my GED. He was always open for discussion and helped us succeed.”
Haden Raese, another YouthBuild graduate from Elkins, said Loren helped him get his GED.
“He helped us do everything, include put together our portfolios and get organized,” Raese said. “I got my GED pretty quick, and he helped so many of us learn math. One friend said he could never do math, and after working with Loren, he got almost perfect scores on his GED in math.”
Karen Jacobson, director of the Randolph County Housing Authority who sponsors the program, said Fortney will be gone, but he is not really going to be gone.
“They say once in YouthBuild, always in YouthBuild,” Jacobson said.
She said 30 to 35 students complete the program each year where they earn the TASC and learn valuable skills. YouthBuild serves young adults in Tucker, Randolph, Barbour and Upshur counties. “Each class has at least one to three students from Tucker County.”
Phares said YouthBuild has a very new class and their first day of being hired was Tuesday.
“They started Jan. 5 with mental toughness, which is an unpaid time for them to figure out if they want to participate in the program and figure out if they like to be challenged or not,” Phares said. “They decide if they can show up at 7 a.m. each day. Out of 24 that started, 16 will continue with the program.”
Phares said the program lasts about eight months. “If people are interested in participating in the program, they should give us a call.”
According to the YouthBuild website, the program is aimed at low-income youth age 16 to 24, who work full-time for six to 24 months while earning their high school diploma or TASC. Students learn job skills by building affordable housing for the homeless or low-income in their communities. Emphasis is placed on leadership development, community service and the creation of a positive mini-community of adults and youth committed to one another’s success. Students may earn AmeriCorps education awards through their homebuilding and other community service. At exit, they are placed in college, jobs or both.
Today, there are more than 250 YouthBuild programs in 45 states, Washington, D.C. and the Virgin Islands engaging approximately 10,000 adults per year. Additional information about the program is available by calling 304-636-6495 or online at www.rchawv.org/youthbuild.
