Our Present

The mission of Launch Pad Job Club is to help people obtain meaningful employment through programs that promote networking, training, and motivation.  We do this through our weekly meetings and the sharing of information regarding job openings, networking and volunteer opportunities, and low-cost ways to have fun and stay motivated.  Looking for a job is way too scary to do alone.  Getting involved with other interesting, intelligent, supportive, fun, and often good-looking people will make your time of unemployment more productive and help you create relationships that will enrich your life throughout your career.

Our Past

Hard times hit Texas in 2001.  In Austin alone, over 35,000 people lost their jobs and needed a hand to get back to work.  Many found help through the Launch Pad Job Club and its innovative programs:  Spotlight, Brain Exchange, Wanna Trade?, Tech Lab, and the yet-to-be-realized Tweak the Geek.  Over the course of the last few years, Launch Pad Job Club, run by Kathy Lansford-Powell, has helped nearly 6,000 members get new skills, find new jobs, and stay motivated, all free of charge. In 2005, LPJC became a federally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, thus eligible for tax-deductible donations from individuals, foundations, and companies.  This small-but-growing funding stream is making it possible for LPJC to create new programs that will meeet the needs of its members, which brings us to . . .

Our Future

Through continued support from its graduates and other sources, Launch Pad Job Club hopes to secure new evening meeting space so that working Job Club members can still be part of the group.  In addition to the regular Friday morning meetings, we plan to host our speaker series and social and networking gatherings at night.  We also intend to sponsor family get-togethers and more interaction between Job Club and recruiters.  The focus for LPJC this year (2007) is on community, creating an environment that will make networking and helping each other totally natural.  Sounds like fun, doncha think?  We do too.