Board Member Feature: Kevin Mathew

Meet our newest Board Member, Kevin Mathew, a former case manager at JOURNEYS who now works for the State of Illinois. We're so excited to bring Kevin on "Board"! Read below for more on Kevin's history and future with JOURNEYS!









"Social work is a field where you help others empower themselves. It’s such a diverse field. One social worker can help a person with resume-building assistance, while another could be working at a hospital. 

I am currently working as a caseworker at the State of Illinois Department of Human Services. I help individuals who apply for state benefit programs such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), Medical Assistance, and TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families). An interview must be done in order to see if a person is eligible for these benefits. I go through the customer’s application with them to review their information and see if there are any discrepancies. 

It really is an honor to be partnering with JOURNEYS again. I worked at JOURNEYS back in 2017 as a vocational case manager, and I really enjoyed my time here. It was always such a great feeling to hear from a client that they obtained a job opportunity.  

JOURNEYS was also a great place for me to build my skills as a social worker, and I really felt like I was making positive changes in my local community. So now that I am on the board, it feels like a continuation of the work I put in back in 2017, but now I get to bring a new perspective to the table. 

I am glad that JOURNEYS for this opportunity, and it is truly an honor. As a new member, I am trying to soak in all the knowledge I can get from my fellow board members and how we as a team can empower those in our community even further. I think I bring a unique perspective to the board since I had previously worked at JOURNEYS, and I continue to work as a caseworker now. It allows me to share my experiences on the ground level of helping individuals in our local community. I am excited to attend my first board meeting and for the future of JOURNEYS!"

Transcribed and arranged by Roxanne Gentry, Marketing Associate
 

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