To the editor:

The impact of the Vicksburg Area Job Fair is easy to measure in some ways, but it can be difficult to determine the long term benefit. What we know is that this year, we attracted 50 diverse employers and had over 750 attendees. There were 191 job offers made that day with a projected 357 hires as a result of this year’s job fair.

What is difficult to determine is the vast amount of experience the attendees got by interacting and interviewing with the employers; the confidence one gains by talking about yourself in a positive way; dressing for success, and getting that affirmation from family, friends and strangers that you have what it takes to display yourself for gainful and meaningful employment. You may not be able to quantify that, but we can all agree that these are positive outcomes.

The goal of the Vicksburg Area Job Fair is to offer employment opportunities to the residents of our area, or if they are employed, improve their employment status.

This event is so successful because of many dedicated volunteers that assist each year. I would like to thank the City of Vicksburg, the WIN Job Center, the Mississippi Department of Employment Security, Hinds Community College, Ameristar Hotel & Casino, The Vicksburg Post, the Vicksburg Area Chapter of AARP, Warren Yazoo Behavioral Health, and Unitech for being sponsors this year.

We are privileged and thankful to work with the Governor’s Job Fair Network in facilitating, recruiting employers, and providing materials to publicize our event.

Finally, I’d like to express appreciation to the Board of Directors and staff of the Vicksburg-Warren Chamber of Commerce. Without their support, this life changing event would not have been possible.

Don Brown

Job Fair Chairman