WARREN Program focuses on life skills

'The Potter's Wheel' offers job training and economic planning for disadvantaged women.
WARREN -- The Ursuline Sisters are making their way to Trumbull County with plans to operate a job training program and transitional housing for women.
The job program, called "The Potter's Wheel," is sponsored by the Ursuline Sisters' Beatitude House, which serves the Mahoning Valley's disadvantaged women and children.
It will be located at First Presbyterian Church, 256 Mahoning Ave. N.W., and is expected to open later this summer.
Sister Patricia McNicholas, executive director of the Beatitude House, said Kathleen Zimmerman has been appointed program director for the Warren program.
Zimmerman has 21 years of experience in nursing, working as a school nurse, a prenatal educator, nursing instructor and a psychiatric nurse for children.
Experience: She has extensive experience in counseling and case management, and has worked for "A House of Blessing," a transitional housing program of the Beatitude House in Mahoning County.
Most recent, she worked as a counselor for Holy Family Parish in Poland.
Zimmerman has a bachelor's degree in nursing from Carlow College and a master's degree in education and a master of pastoral studies degree both from Loyola University of Chicago.
Beatitude House is a nonprofit organization that focuses on counseling to promote self development and education to obtain needed skills.
"The Potter's Wheel" is designed to empower women who are outside the economic and cultural mainstream.
It helps them to develop goals to maintain employment, family stability and economic growth.
Services: The program offers services including counseling, case management, life skills training, computer literacy, basic educational skills, resume writing, parenting programs, financial management and classes for the high school equivalency exam.
There is no fee to attend the program.
"A House of Blessing" is also being planned for Trumbull County, and officials say work has begun to convert a former convent in Warren into seven apartments.
Women may live there for up to two years and would receive counseling and support services while attending post-secondary classes full time.
To help "The Potter's Wheel," call Zimmerman at (330) 393-1524 or McNicholas at (330) 744-3147.