PPLD Foundation
Sufia immigrated to the United States after meeting her husband, Joshua Davidson. He is a soldier at Fort Carson and met Sufia in her home country of Afghanistan. The two were married in 2009 and in the first six years of their marriage had two beautiful children.
Sufia loved her new home and life but was still missing one thing she really wanted: a job. While attending GED test preparation classes at Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD), she was visited by Lacey Miller, PPLD’s Library Instruction Designer. Lacey told Sufia’s class about a new training opportunity: Food Industry Training. The certification program prepares participants in an intensive four week format to become qualified line and prep cooks.
“Miss Lacey told us that with this class you could learn lots of skills and you could find a job in the restaurant industry,” Sufia said. “I wasn’t sure I could do this, but then I talked to my husband. He told me to go do it because in my home country, I wouldn’t have an opportunity like this because I am a woman.”
Sufia enrolled in the program and began her intensive training during May 2019. Now, she’s a Food Industry Training graduate and working in a prominent Colorado Springs hotel.
The Food Industry Training program is recognized by the Pikes Peak Workforce Center and several other workforce centers in Colorado as an approved training option. Students learn the foundational skills necessary in the food service industry, such as: kitchen safety, knife skills, basic math, recipe reading, and cooking methods. Food safety and sanitation are part of every class. Real world life skills, including dependability, adaptability, memorization, time management, and team work are also of great emphasis. Work readiness skills like resume preparation, job search, and interview practice and preparation are included, too. Food Industry Training graduates have been hired by The Broadmoor, The Mining Exchange Hotel, UC Health hospitals, senior living centers, and others.
In the past, the Food Industry Training program has generously been hosted in kitchens at other organizations throughout the city. But, without a deep freezer, gas line, and necessary appliances, students have been unable to experience the full scope of working in a commercial kitchen and our program offerings have been limited to times when kitchen space was made available to us. This year, and with your support, PPLD is bringing this program in house with the renovation of kitchen space at Library 21C. Turning this space into a state of the art kitchen will help us grow and improve the Food Industry Training program and create new food education programs for our patrons. These programs, when we have been able to offer them, have been wildly popular!
In the time of COVID 19, when millions of Americans are experiencing joblessness and uncertainty, PPLD is proud to offer programs that will help members of our community get back to work. The Food Industry Training program helps not only individuals like Sufia, but area restaurants and businesses that are hurting in the aftermath of this public health crisis.
Will you support PPLD, and programs like Food Industry Training, by donating today? We serve you, your family, friends, and neighbors and exist to provide resources and opportunities that impact individual lives and build community.
Given our stand against racism, along with the continued national and local conversations, we want to highlight and celebrate the Shivers Fund.
Clarence and Peggy Shivers created the Shivers Fund at Pikes Peak Library District, in concert with PPLD, in 1993. They introduced the Shivers African American Historical and Cultural Collection at PPLD, which continues to expand annually thanks to the Shivers Fund and its many supporters. In addition to the collection, the Shivers Fund at PPLD also provides opportunities for our community to celebrate history, culture, and the arts. The Fund hosts concerts and other events, as well as helps expands educational and cultural opportunities for young people to encourage tolerance and diversity.
Our Library District and Foundation applaud the Shivers Fund for its continued investment to create more tolerance, diversity, and community in the Pikes Peak region.
Learn more about the history and work of the Shivers Fund.
Young Adult Services Specialist Philip Krogmeier has been with Pikes Peak Library District for almost 10 years. But he's not just a staff member, he's a library supporter is who is happy to share his time and treasure to help make PPLD an amazing place for our community. We put him on the hot chair to ask him questions about why PPLD is so important to him.
Tell us your name and what you do at PPLD.
My name is Philip Krogmeier, and I am a Young Adult Services Specialist at Library 21c. I assist in preparing and presenting programs for our teen patrons, and I help at all of the public service desks.
What is your favorite part of your job/the patrons you work with?
I love to help my teen patrons find books that speak to them.
What is your favorite thing about PPLD?
My favorite thing about PPLD is the sheer variety of services it provides. PPLD is so much more than a traditional library system.
Why do you choose to give back and support PPLD?
I choose to support PPLD because PPLD has supported me since the first day I walked through the doors of the East Library. I immediately felt welcomed, and that feeling hasn't faded in almost 10 years.
Why do you think it’s important for the community to support PPLD?
Without community support, PPLD wouldn't be able to provide the level of assistance that it does. PPLD serves as an anchor for the Colorado Springs community, allowing everyone to gain access to materials and services.
What is the most memorable question you’ve been asked by a patron?
A patron once asked me if she could take a photo of me so that she could use it as a reference for a painting of Jesus.
Where/when can people come by and say hi to you?
I can usually be found most weekdays at the 21c Teen Desk or upstairs in the Makerspace.