Hurricane Katrina forced Leroy Rhodes Jr. and his wife to abandon their home in Pearlington, Miss. in early September. After eight days at the Stanis NASA Space Center in Pearlington, Rhodes and his wife decided to drive 19 hours to their son's home in Woodbridge, Va.
"My son was going to come and get us anyway, so we just drove up," said Rhodes. "What we're doing now is taking care of business ... you know all things pass and you gotta carry on."
It was this attitude that brought Rhodes to last Friday's job fair for those displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Rhodes heard about the event through the Woodbridge Employment Service Center and decided to attend as he and his wife plan to stay in Virginia for now.
"My wife has a mental block about living up here because she doesn't like the cold, but I don't mind it," said Rhodes. "We are comfortable with my son."
The job fair was organized by the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with Fairfax Family Cares and Skill Source, an employment assistance center. The Tysons Corner Marriott, a member of the Chamber of Commerce, donated the space for the event.
"A letter went out to Chamber members to see what positions people have available, and then the businesses responded," said Paul Tyahla, Manager of Government Affairs for the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce. "The response from the evacuees and the businesses was so tremendous, so we decided to have the event."
OVER 23 CHAMBER MEMBERS were present at the fair, which was held last Friday from 10:30-2:30 p.m. However, the number of job seekers was somewhat lower than expected.
"To me, today is a very low turnout," said James Do, a manager with Skill Source. "I do job fairs all the time ... and we usually have about 50-60 people come through. But today, since it's only for Katrina, since there is that restriction, we have had a low turnout. I think we've had 12 people show."
A wide variety of positions were open at each station.
"We have lifeguard positions, front desk positions, various volunteer positions, custodial positions — we have a little variety of everything," said Liz Dooley, an Aquatic Assistant with the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA). "It's been a little quiet but we've had some people come by."
Thalia Simpson-Clement, Virginia State Director for St. John's Community Services, brought several staff members with her and was prepared to conduct interviews on the spot.
"We have community support specialist positions, as well as some administrative desk positions in our Washington office ... we've had a good number of folks come through and they have been interested in a wide variety of things," said Simpson-Clement.
Shannon Cantu, a human resources representative with the Transportation Security Administration, was optimistic about her recruitment efforts.
"I think I've spoken to just about everyone that's come through, and there's definitely been some interest," said Cantu. "I think people have been a little overwhelmed — there have been so many changes for these folks — but the nice thing for those considering returning home at some point is that we offer transfers since we handle over 420 airports nationwide."
Cantu was seeking transportation security screeners and caught the attention of Leroy Rhodes, who filled out an application.
"These are federal jobs with federal benefits which is a real plus for people," said Cantu.
Jakara Richard came to the job fair in the hope of finding a position that pertained to her political science pre-law major. Richard, who is originally from Lafayette, La., was attending school at the University of New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit. She started attending classes at Trinity College two weeks ago.
"It's been crazy but I think it worked out for the best," said Richard, adding that she chose to move to this area because "the opportunities here are so much greater as far as enrolling in school and getting a job."