This year, CFO’s Employment Program helped more than 200 people find new jobs.
Two hundred people who woke up on a particular morning without a job and went to bed with a path forward, whose lives shifted in a real, practical way. Two hundred sets of circumstances — different histories, different barriers, different goals — and one team that showed up for all of them.
That team is led by Sara Cotten. And if you’ve met Sara, you already know why this number doesn’t surprise you.
What the Employment Program Actually Does
Getting a job isn’t just about having a resume. For many people, the path to employment includes navigating things like gaps in work history, limited access to references, uncertainty about rights in the workplace, or simply not knowing where to start.
CFO’s Employment Program meets people where they are. That means working with someone’s actual situation — not an ideal version of it — and building a realistic plan from there.
The support looks different for different people. For some, it’s help with job applications and interview preparation. Many others, it’s connecting with employers who are genuinely open to hiring people who’ve faced barriers. For many, it’s having someone in their corner who believes the job is possible before they do.
What 200 New Working People Means
Two hundred is a number. But behind it are stories that don’t fit neatly into a statistic.
It’s the person who hadn’t worked in years and wasn’t sure anyone would hire them. The parent who needed hours that worked around school pickup. It’s the person rebuilding after a really hard chapter, who needed an employer willing to give them a chance — and someone at CFO who knew exactly who to call.
Employment isn’t just about income, though income matters enormously. It’s about meaning. About structure. About the feeling of contributing, of having somewhere to be, of being seen as capable. That’s what 200 jobs represents.
Enough Already Exists
One of the things this work shows us is that enough — enough skill, enough resilience, enough capacity to build a working life — is often already present in the people who walk through our doors. The Employment Program doesn’t create that. It helps people find it and connect it to real opportunities.
That’s the work. And it’s working.
CFO’s virtual support programs and
employment services help people across Northern Virginia
stay connected, supported, and encouraged.
