Welcome Walmart Associates

We are so happy to be able to establish this page to thank you for making Foundation for an Independent Tomorrow (FIT) one of six possible designees for the Walmart Associates Choice Award. We invite you to browse through these pages and learn about FIT's special connection to Walmart and its Associates and to see what makes us different. We also invite you to learn the stories of some of our real clients and their successes.

We hope the information included here will help you make an informed choice and encourage you to participate by voting.

Four Ways the Foundation for an Independent Tomorrow (FIT) Touches Walmart

1) FIT clients are people just like you - in fact, some of our clients are now Walmart Associates. Read Linda's Story.

2) FIT clients' families are your families, friends and neighbors. You may know someone who was or is a FIT client. FIT clients and FIT program graduates are local Nevadans, and many of our clients have spouses or other family members employed at Walmart. Read Jim's Story.

3) FIT services involve Walmart stores. Through FIT, clients obtain job requirements such as work clothes, uniforms, and tools - often FIT turns to Walmart to buy for clients the things they need to be successful at their new job. Read Amy's Story.

4) FIT clients are Walmart customers. Through Walmart credit cards and low prices, FIT clients can afford to buy food, clothes, and life necessities while they are in vocational training or while they are just beginning at their new job. This helps our clients to meet basic needs while they work toward their first paycheck. Read Gabriel's Story.

Why FIT? Three Ways FIT is Different From Other Nonprofits

1) FIT serves a broad population. We help men and women, 18 years old up to senior citizens; we help people from diverse backgrounds and life situations, people with disabilities, those recovering from abuse, and people of every ethnic group. We help those facing long term unemployment, separating from the Armed Services, or those who simply want to qualify for a better-paying position. Read Evelyn's Story.

2) FIT provides clients with multiple resources. FIT doesn't offer only one form of assistance. We provide, or assist the client to get, whatever they need. This may be transportation vouchers, food vouchers, rental assistance, childcare assistance or access to community resources to help clients succeed in school, obtain and keep a job, and finally achieve their goal of economic self-sufficiency. Read Kim's Story.

3) FIT helps clients overcome various barriers to employment. Clients who come to FIT may be facing domestic crisis, homelessness, a lack of transportation, inadequate education, a disrupted work history, physical disability, medical or psychological issues, an impending layoff or long term unemployment. Whatever the issue, FIT Case Managers have the experience and the resources available to help clients overcome their barriers to employment and make their goals possible. Read Joshua's Story.

You can participate in voting in the Walmart Associates Choice Program by accessing the voting page through your account at mywalmart.com. 

We wanted to keep this short and sweet, so we have included only very basic information.  If you would like any more information about FIT, please feel free to email us directly at our personal email addresses:

Janet Frasier Blumen, Founder & CEO,  JanetB@lasvegasfit.org

Jake McClelland, Program Director, JakeM@lasvegasfit.org

We also invite you to visit our office. For a map of our location and further contact information, please click here.

Thank you for this opportunity to tell you about FIT and our clients.

Linda's Story*
Linda, a young single mother, faced multiple barriers: no prior work experience, no transportation, and lack of money for costs related to job placement (work card, TAM, Health card, etc.). She placed her faith in FIT to assist her in finding a reliable place within the workforce. FIT helped Linda prepare interview and complete job applications.  FIT provided the bus passes Linda needed to get to and from interviews, paid for her work card and TAM.  Soon afterward, Linda was employed by Walmart.  She has maintained this job and with her income she is now able to support herself and her children.  (back to top)

Jim's Story*
After being laid off from his job as a carpenter, Jim and his wife, a Walmart employee, barely scraped by on his Unemployment Insurance benefits and her salary.  However, they realized that Unemployment Insurance benefits are only good for so long and Jim sought another career field.  He found Information Technology as a possible new area.  With FIT’s help to pay his tuition, Jim is completing his training.  When he graduates, between his salary and that of his wife, the family will become financially secure. (back to top)

Amy's Story*
Las Vegas native, Amy, found herself being laid off from job after job as her employers downsized or went out of business.  Things only got worse as the economy declined.  Finally, she was receiving Unemployment Insurance benefits following her latest layoff as an Administrative Assistant.  Amy decided to try to get a job in the hotel industry.  However, she needed additional computer training to qualify.  Amy simply did not have the money to pay for that education.  She turned to FIT.  FIT paid Amy’s tuition and bought her the books that she needed to complete school.  FIT helped Amy write her resume and get a job interview.  When Amy got a job in the hospitality field, the hotel required her to purchase black shoes and black slacks for her first day of work.  FIT provided Amy with a Walmart gift card, and she was able to obtain the clothing she needed for her new job.  Today Amy is a front desk clerk at one of the hotels. (back to top)

Gabriel's Story*
Gabriel is a 47-year-old father of two, who has been separated from his wife for over 10 years. Currently working at a low-paying job, Gabriel came to FIT to explore a better-paying opportunity. He identified a vocational goal to become trained as an HVAC Technician. FIT was able to quickly approve funding for Gabriel's vocational training, but Gabriel still needed help making ends meet in between pay periods. In the short term, he is able to use a credit card from Walmart to buy basic necessities like groceries, clothing and toiletries. (back to top)

Evelyn's Story*
Evelyn is the mother of four young children who finally decided that for their good, as well as hers, she had to escape her alcoholic husband.  She knew that the abuse that he dealt to her was doing her young children no good.  Evelyn was terrified when she escaped the house, but a friend had referred her directly to FIT.  Evelyn had actually already met with her Case Manager before she fled her home.  FIT was able to refer her to community organizations that provided immediate assistance.  FIT provided temporary rental assistance and helped her identify becoming a medical technician as the goal to which she would strive.  FIT provided the tuition for Evelyn’s education and helped her support her young family during the time that she was in school.  Through FIT, Evelyn even found a part-time job that would help her support herself during the time of her schooling.  Evelyn completed her education and got a job at a clinic earning $11 an hour.  Now Evelyn is not only able to support her family by herself, she is planning to purchase her own home for the first time in her life. (back to top)

Kim's Story*
Kim is a woman with a learning disability who recently recovered from major surgery.  Kim needs to find a career where she could succeed while overcoming her barriers to employment.  FIT’s Case Manager at FIT helped her explore various goals and performed aptitude ability and interest testing with Kim to find a field where she would have a good chance to succeed.  The career field they found was in cosmetology training.  As soon as her Case Manager put together her vocational plan, Kim would need tuition to attend training, the tools to start working in the cosmetology field, and start-up products.  She also would have to find some way to get transportation to and from school and then to and from work.  Because FIT is not limited to only be able to offer one sort of assistance, FIT was able to pay for tuition, job requirements, and transportation to and from her interview.  To help meet her needs while she was in school, FIT was also able to provide Kim with food vouchers.  Because of this multiple assistance in so many areas, Kim is now working as a hair stylist at a national salon.  She earns an hourly wage, plus tips and is finally self-sufficient. (back to top)

Joshua's Story*
When Joshua separated from the Armed Forces, he simply couldn’t find any civilian jobs to utilize the skills he had learned in the service.  He drifted from job to job, eventually ending up homeless, living in a local shelter for veterans and without any prospects of finding a job.  His Case Manager at the veterans shelter referred Joshua to FIT to help him change his life to a new course.  Joshua worked with his Case Manager, first participating in free job readiness classes particularly geared toward veterans and finally identifying a job that Joshua might be able to land and get him out of the shelter. After getting help with his job search and with bus passes provided by FIT, Joshua got a custodial job and, within a few months, has saved enough to move into his own apartment.  He is well on his way to saving enough funds to buy his own vehicle and feels very proud of the turnaround in his life that he has managed. (back to top)

*To preserve our clients’ confidentiality, the names in these stories have been changed, and, in some cases, the stories are composites.  However, all of the facts are from real FIT clients.