Job training program connects generations

Mather’s eMerge introduces students to healthcare careers

By CASEY HE the daily northwestern @caseeey_he

Evanston resident Barbara Hiller moved into The Mather, an Evanston senior living residency, four years ago. A retired math teacher and former Evanston/Skokie School District 65 administrator, Hiller began tutoring middle school and high school students online when the COVID-19 pandemic began.

“I found (online tutoring) very helpful to me as well as to the student,” Hiller said. “I think that not feeling isolated and that you still contribute (to the community) is, for us the elderly, important.” conversation and enjoy snacks.

A recent grant of $58,100 from Evanston’s American Rescue Plan Act funds, matched by an equivalent investment from Mather, will continue and expand fellowship programs like the one Hiller is in. It will also create internships for high school students and award scholarships for students at Oakton College. Together, the three initiatives create Mather’s new eMerge workforce development programs.

Hiller said she appreciates the opportunity to connect with students and continue pursuing her passion in education, remembering one who practiced his science class presentation with the residents.

However, Hiller stressed the fellowship extends beyond tutoring. The program creates a space for students to engage with Mather residents and each other in a supportive environment, she said.

Residential Services, she struggled to take cleaning supplies up multiple flights of stairs and lift heavy boxes. But when she raised concerns to her supervisors, they told her

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When Mather, the nonprofit that manages her residency, reached out to Hiller about participating in a fellowship to partner with mentoring organization Boys Hope Girls Hope, Hiller said she signed up “without hesitation.”

Two days a week, BHGH students come to The Mather to spend time with the residents, Hiller said. Over an hour and a half, the students work on their homework with the residents’ help or simply strike up a

“I’ve never seen kids sit down and work so fast in my life. It is just a delight,” she said. “So we really hope that they feel empowered.”

Yvonne Jung, Mather’s senior vice president of human resources, said the organization hopes to show jobs in the healthcare and hospitality industries to young people in Evanston through the program.

“You may have never thought about working with an older adult or being a nurse or a nursing

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