IALR December 2024 Newsletter

Growing up, Mychal Carter lived in Section 8 housing and frequently visited food pantries with his mom.

After spending 10 years in the hospitality industry and then working as a deckhand on bulk carriers in the Great Lakes, Carter recently completed the welding track of the Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM) program. During his time enrolled in ATDM, Carter volunteered his time at food pantries and other service opportunities, giving back to Danville and Southern Virginia.

“It’s coming full circle. Being on the other side of it and being able to help people has been incredible,” he said.

A four-month program based at and instructed by the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR), the ATDM program prepares adult learners for manufacturing careers that support the defense industrial base and maritime industrial base – the system of companies that produce parts and equipment for the U.S. military.

The ATDM staff is working hard to provide quality instruction and a variety of career and support services and to give students opportunities to contribute to the success of Southern Virginia.

“We’re trying to meet the needs of our students and meet the needs of the people in Danville and Southern Virginia at the same time. Many of these organizations help our students, so we are contributing to them as well.” – Sherlina Thomas, Ph.D., Assistant Director, ATDM Community Engagement and Support, IALR

• Students have logged more than 80 volunteer hours
• Students have worked with four community-focused organizations
• These students have served approximately 7,900 Southern Virginians

ATDM Students from All Walks of Life

ATDM is a prototype training platform for rapidly training skilled workers for the defense industry. It is a public-private consortium, in consultation with the defense industry, between the Department of Defense, IALR, Danville Community College (DCC), Phillips Corporation and The SPECTRUM Group. ATDM is one of several training programs offered by IALR’s Manufacturing Advancement division. 

Thanks to federal funding from the U.S. Department of Defense and Navy, ATDM students receive tuition scholarships and access wrap-around support services such as housing, career preparation and transportation at no cost.

These services are designed to make the ATDM program more accessible to students from all different career, socioeconomic and geographic backgrounds. To date, students have come from 46 states and range in age from 18 to 50.

The ATDM team at IALR also helps connect students with needs to relevant resources and organizations for food insecurity, medical care and more.

“Many students come to the ATDM program looking for a new career and a completely fresh start, and many leave everything behind,” Thomas said. “Our goal is to support those students who are facing food insecurity and need additional resources.”

Many of those same students – as well as those who aren’t utilizing the services from area nonprofits – are now contributing to the success of those programs.

“I was expecting to come here and focus on welding,” Carter said. “We’re provided housing and training at no cost, so I just thought it was the right thing to do to give back to the community providing for us.”

Contributing to the Community

The ATDM team places significant emphasis on community outreach and engagement. The goal is to connect the students with the community and its resources and encourage them to invest back into the community.

Students have spent time helping Habitat for Humanity with the construction of homes, supporting food pantries and community distribution/outreach efforts, and cleaning up community spaces. In November, they are scheduled to participate in a suicide prevention walk.

Students have volunteered with:

• God’s Final Call and Warning
• Habitat for Humanity
• God’s Storehouse
• Abundant Life Outreach
• Vance Street Baptist Church
• Changing Lives Outreach Center
• Feeding Southwest Virginia
• Right Touch Christian Center
• Danville Parks and Recreation

In many cases, Thomas can gather 20-30 students to help with a given activity, allowing them to make a significant impact in a relatively short time.

God’s Final Call and Warning—a local nonprofit that provides resources to those in poverty and holds monthly giveaway events—is one of the organizations that ATDM students have supported the most. While ATDM students utilize the food and clothes provided, they also volunteer during the giveaway events for the community.

“For the last several months, we would not have been able to do what we did without these students. They really help us get a lot done and serve a lot of people. When you have massive numbers of people, you need lots of people to organize the process. Otherwise, things become chaotic.” – Ralph Rhyne, God’s Final Call and Warning

During these events, the ATDM students manage different stations and ensure that everyone coming through receives an appropriate amount of supplies.

“The ATDM students have been an immeasurable help,” Rhyne said. “They help us organize and serve the crowd. We depend on them.”

A More Meaningful Experience

Allowing students to contribute and volunteer does not just benefit the organizations and people they serve. These experiences also help the students themselves.

“If you feel like you have stake and ownership, if you’re giving back and investing, you will be more successful and have a better chance of completion,” Thomas said.

Recent welding graduate Hanna Williamson participated in almost all the volunteer activities offered during her four-month experience.

“It’s a nice feeling. I would be out in the community and see students from the ATDM program, but then I would see people from the community that I volunteered with and people who came to get services.” – Hanna Williamson, ATDM Welding Graduate

Carter plans to take his volunteer experience to his new career and home.

“It kept me humble throughout this process and made me want to volunteer more down the road wherever I end up,” he said.

Community organizations and nonprofits interested in supporting ATDM students or having ATDM students support them should contact Sherlina Thomas.