Dozens of candidates hope to find ‘second chance’ at life during job fair in Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A local organization participated in a nationwide effort to help people land jobs who may have difficulty doing so because of their past.

The movement is called Nationwide Days of Second Chances, and Better Together of Northeast Florida held two job fairs to support that mission — to give people second chances.

The first job fair was hosted Tuesday at Northside Church of Christ. The second job fair took place inside Gardenview Baptist Church on Thursday.

News4JAX visited the job fair and talked to Darius Edwards, who landed an on-site job interview on Thursday.

“Finding work has been challenging,” Edwards said.

Edwards is laser-focused on a new opportunity in life. He said he spent two and a half years in prison for financial crimes.

He paid his debt to society and is ready to pursue a possible career as an electrician.

“I want to show that I am persistent. I am willing to show that I want the job,” Edwards said.

Edwards is among plenty of people who attended Gardenview Baptist Church for the job fair — geared toward background-friendly job prospects.

This nationwide campaign helps break down different barriers that may stand in the way of people finding stable employment, including:

• Incarceration

• Homelessness

• Lack of reliable childcare or transportation

Gena Leslie, an 8-year U.S Navy veteran, said bouts with mental health challenges have led to her leaving jobs after short stints.

She said with the treatment she is receiving, she’s ready for a second chance and has a desire to work.

“I don’t want to come to work just to get a paycheck. I want to come to work to work and find that second chance out there,” Leslie said.

Dr. Standralyn Terry is the executive director of Better Together in Northeast Florida, a foster care prevention program that works with families that are going through short-term crisis situations.

“I have a vested interest in seeing this community really thrive. Being able to connect the community that I love to churches who love this area to employers who want to see growth in the area, it is just amazing,” Terry said.

Terry and Jason Reid, the pastor at Gardenview Baptist Church, said this kind of job fair is necessary to give people hope and encouragement.

“Sometimes when people don’t have a job, they sometimes don’t know where to turn. You go from place to place and see discouragement and you hear a “no” enough that you start to believe it,” Jason said.

As far as the people who showed up, they said they were grateful for the opportunity.

“It gives me a sense of completeness coming to a job fair and just getting out there and talking to people. It opens me up more to talk to people,” Leslie said.