Overcoming Barriers – Babs Sefiane and Life’sWork
By: Meredith Flory
Business growth can come in a variety of ways. An organization can grow larger in number of employees as its client base increases, or it may offer more services or products and expand its mission. Businesses may grow into new territories or simply have the means to invest back into their employees, operations, and community.
Life’sWork of Western PA is a longstanding nonprofit that focuses on helping people overcome barriers to employment, such as physical and mental disabilities, substance abuse, or family crises. Babs Sefiane is their chief development officer, working with clients, businesses, and the community in all aspects of business growth.
Babs has worked at Life’sWork for over five years, but prior to that she had 20 years of employment success in the energy industry. Then she decided she wanted a change in her career. She says, “I knew I wanted to give back, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do; and then when I came in and toured Life’sWork, I was like, this is the perfect fit.”
She has a unique and personal perspective on the work they do. Babs shared how years ago she was in a car wreck, facing major injuries and a long recovery period. She says, “It gave me that personal connection that I realized at any point, I could have been an individual that was receiving services here at Life’sWork.”
Life’sWork has been in operation for over 96 years, starting as The Industrial League, established by the National Council of Jewish Women Pittsburgh Chapter in 1927 to assist women in contributing to the family budget. In 1978, the nonprofit rebranded as the Vocational Rehabilitation Center (VRC), and in 2000, the name was changed and rebranded again to Life’sWork of Western PA. Life’sWork has offered a variety of rehabilitation and job services for different populations, such as women, veterans, and those with disabilities, to increase quality of life for almost a century.
Part of the longevity and growth of Life’sWork lies in the ability to recognize the changing needs of the community. Babs has a firsthand view of how barriers to employment can come in a variety of forms. She shares, “It’s not just a physical disability or mental disability. We have families in crisis that we help. We help individuals suffering from substance use disorder; we don’t provide the treatment, but we pick up and walk alongside the treatment provider to get the individual employed again, providing them that competence and that second chance that everybody deserves.”
Babs recalled an experience where a customer—one of the businesses that hire Life’sWork clients—was excited about the job, but particular in their needs, and the Life’sWork clients were excited about doing the work. Unfortunately, some work was sent back to be redone, and in a time crunch, Babs went to help the clients complete the task. One of the Life’sWork clients shared with her how he had been bullied in high school and since then, even as an adult, did not feel like anyone believed in him. But Life’sWork, he said, had created this work opportunity and Babs had shown him how she believed in his work too by pitching in so that he felt motivated to continue, demonstrating the confidence he had been missing for years.
This emotional moment was one example of the rewarding work Babs sees in her role, and she shares that the growth in clients’ skill sets from when they first come in to “where they are a year later, two years later, five years later, is outstanding . . . Some of them now have progressed to working out in the community [and] they’re no longer here in the facility, or they’re self-transporting, or they’re now having their own apartments, which is exciting.”
Life’sWork clients are not the only beneficiaries of the work they do. The businesses and the community benefit from a more diversified workforce. Work for Life’sWork clients may be at their facility or in staffing opportunities in the community. Babs said, “Employers will tell me especially right now, the way the market is, they can’t find people that want to work, and that’s the big difference between the community and the individuals that we serve. All of our clients want to be given a chance; they want to be seen for their ability and not their disability. Our clients never have a bad day, and it changes the morale and the productivity at the businesses that we staff, by just having our clients integrated in the workforce, with the different small group staffing opportunities.” Both parties experience growth as the public sees what Life’sWork has to offer, expanding staffing opportunities and partnerships.
For both businesses and nonprofits looking to grow, Babs stresses the importance of building relationships and believing in your mission. Her job requires her to be in the community, creating partnerships and sharing her belief in their clients. For her, that might look like finding new business partners to give clients a chance or developing relationships with donors. She shares that when she came to the organization, there were 25 donors, and now there has been a 250% increase in both donors and donations.
That growth stemmed from relationships. Babs advises, “You can’t do it from behind the desk. You have to be out in the community, meeting with your foundations, your business owners, your individual donors, and your major donors to be able to form those relationships because if they don’t know you, they’re not going to support you or your business or provide a donation.” She also explains that as a nonprofit, she does not view other organizations serving the same populations or holding similar missions as competition. She says that if she were applying for a job, she would apply to multiple companies to find the right fit—and that should not be any different for the individuals to whom Life’sWork provides services. They all have the right to choose. Looking ahead, Life’sWork will have its annual gala on October 6, 2023, when they will recognize business partners in the community who have hired and employed individuals with disabilities. You can find more information about Life’sWork at lifesworkwpa.org.
Life’sWork has partnered with Powerhouse Planning for business growth and content creation. Powerhouse has worked alongside Life’sWork on their annual campaign and social media campaigns as well as their website design, helping to raise brand awareness. Content creation and branding awareness may be an area of opportunity for your business or organization. Consider partnering with Powerhouse Planning so we can help you grow too.
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