Loved ones in the hospital were able to connect with their families thanks to a local business.
Javier Reyes, an owner of Careers Unlimited, LLC, spoke about how they felt the call to give back by supplying patients and their families with much-needed cell phone chargers. The team at Careers Unlimited reached out to the Mission Chamber of Commerce to ask if they needed help with anything in the community.
“The patients in the hospitals were experiencing problems getting in touch with their family members because either they didn’t have a cell phone or didn’t have a means of charging their cell phone,” Reyes said. “And there was no visitation allowed so they could get their hands on those devices.”
Careers Unlimited is a hub for training programs in nursing assistance, medical technicians and network support specialists. Reyes and their team brought CU to Mission in 2012.
“We’re a career and vocational training school,” Reyes said. “We provide various training courses in health care for the most part, and we also offer courses in Information Technology and computer support.”
CU’s goal is to act as a facilitator for students between their personal lives and professional lives. Reyes stated they strive to help the community thrive professionally, academically and financially.
“Mission has been very good to us, so we had to give back to them,” Reyes said. “By supporting health care workers in the community, it shows the area’s resilience and the culture we have. Health care workers need support all the time – not just now – healthcare is stressful, but it’s also very rewarding.”
Careers Unlimited also offers local scholarships to students in Mission.
“We also participate in events and fundraisers,” Reyes said. “We’re always glad to be part of the community.”
Reyes has been a registered nurse for 20 years, and felt the drive to give back and help other people enter the healthcare field.
“I know the healthcare industry is very strong down here,” Reyes said. “Why not provide that kind of training for people who want to get into these careers?”
A center for training in several career spheres, CU has had to make adjustments to regular operations in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’ve made several adjustments, and the state of Texas has also made adjustments to the nursing training services,” Reyes said. “We’ve made adjustments at Careers by making online meetings via Zoom, we have our set up here so we can provide a virtual platform to deliver to the students. We have video recordings of the lectures available to students who are not able to attend at a specific time.”
Some courses do require in-person training, but Reyes said they are able to maintain safe practices for everyone.
“We have a lot of resources so students can feel comfortable,” Reyes said. “For hands-on practices where we do schedule them in a small group so they can stay socially distant, wear a mask and keep hygiene. It’s working for us.”
Delivering chargers for all kinds of phones – iPhone and Android alike, is another way CU aims to support the medical and health care industries.
“That was a contribution we were able to make for the community here,” Reyes said.
Careers Unlimited is located at 1352 E. 1st St. Ste. E in Mission, next to Rocha’s. More information and ways to connect to them can be found at their website, https://mycareersunlimited.com, and on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
