On February 17, Blue Ridge Job Corps received a visit from the office of US Senator Mark Warner.  Facing the unprecedented level of cuts that have been proposed for the national Job Corps budget, Senator Warner sent his District Representative, Drew Lumpkin, to find our more about the Job Corps program and the impact that Blue Ridge Job Corps has on the lives of young people and on the economy of Southwest Virginia and the entire state.  The Senator has always been a supporter of Job Corps program and he has expressed an interest in finding out how he can continue to be of assistance to Blue Ridge and the Job Corps program.
     Mr. Lumpkin toured the center with members of the Student Government Association and heard directly from students what Job Corps has meant in their lives.  He asked how the Senator’s office can assist Blue Ridge and offered immediate support in the form of personalized letters of encouragement and congratulations from the Senator for each Blue Ridge graduate.  The Center Director emphasized to Mr. Lumpkin how much Blue Ridge needs Senator Warner’s  support in upcoming appropriations committee meetings and how devastating the proposed cuts would be to the lives of not only students who need Job Corps services but also the communities surrounding each Job Corps center.
     Mr. Lumpkin’s visit provided the first step towards an ongoing partnership between Senator Warner’s office and Blue Ridge Job Corps.