Nonprofits : A shot of energy for Safetyville
All of the young professionals interviewed for this story have been involved with Metro EDGE , the Sacramento Metro Chamber ’ s 40-and-under program that helps to prepare young business leaders . One of them is Jenny Mensch , who didn ’ t have a job lined up when she was preparing to move to Sacramento from the Lansing , Michigan area in early 2020 to be with her partner who ’ d secured a postdoctoral research position at UC Davis . But the 33-year-old , who ’ d been program manager for a nonprofit nature center in Lansing , had an idea of what she wanted for her next career job .
“ I am definitely looking for where I can make an impact and what can I do that ’ s meaningful work ,” Mensch says . “ So it ’ s really important to me to be at a company whose mission I really believe in .”
It led her to a place former schoolchildren in the Sacramento area might know well : Safetyville USA , land of miniature buildings situated on Bradshaw Road near Highway 50 where kids learn safety lessons about such things as how to look both ways before crossing the street .
The miniature city is operated by the nonprofit Safety Center , which has been educating children about safety skills since 1934 . When Mensch applied for a job with the nonprofit , Safety Center had been looking for ways to update . “ We realized that some of the things that we have are not as interactive as a lot of the childrens ’ experience sites are now ,” says Gail Kelly , senior vice president of programs at Safety Center . “ We ’ re really looking at how can we create each one of our displays as more of an experience rather than just a tour .”
“ I really was excited about Safetyville as a venue , and this concept of being able to create education opportunities for the community is really what I ’ m about ,” Mensch says . This conviction helped her stand out in the interview process .
“ I really thought that Jenny was very well prepared for her interview ,” says Kelly , who was part of Mensch ’ s hiring process . “ She knew a lot about our organization . She asked a lot of great questions in regards to where we were going with Safetyville .”
Since Mensch began working for Safety Center in November 2020 as a community programs manager , things have gone well with her and Kelly , who takes more of a mentorship approach to management . “ I have a lot of autonomy and flexibility as far as what I ’ m doing and how I ’ m doing it ,” Mensch says . “ But she ’ s always there to provide backup , support , feedback and then also ensuring I know a lot of the history .”
It ’ s part of a deliberate approach by Kelly , a 15-year veteran of Safety Center , who notes that young workers have many great ideas , though it ’ s also key
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July 2022 | comstocksmag . com 77