Local Staffing Company Partners with GRBB to Launch a Groundbreaking Job Fair for Unhoused Individuals

Donna Castillo-Garcia

Executive Director GRBB

May 10, 2025

GRBB x Syndeo Staffing | A New Vision for Opportunity

After months of thoughtful planning and collaboration, Grassroots Bridge Builders (GRBB) is proud to announce a transformative partnership with Syndeo Staffing of Hutchinson, Kansas. This innovative collaboration—led by Syndeo CEO Joe Parrot and co-owner Anna—has been focused on a shared mission: to create meaningful, trauma-informed employment pathways for individuals experiencing homelessness in Wichita.

Together, GRBB and Syndeo are launching a low-barrier job fair specifically designed for unhoused community members, with a special focus on removing systemic obstacles that often prevent them from accessing employment.

The Event: A Job Fair Built for the Unhoused

Throughout May, GRBB and a coalition of local homelessness service providers are working hard to organize this first-of-its-kind job fair. On May 30th, we will transport selected participants to Hutchinson, KS—using our soon-to-launch mobile services unit—to attend on-site interviews and explore immediate hiring opportunities for the 2025 Kansas State Fair.

These are real jobs that require no initial documentation—GRBB will walk with each individual throughout the summer to secure any necessary paperwork. While the work is physically demanding and seasonal, it includes supportive services, transportation, and access to the fair itself. It’s more than a paycheck—it’s a launchpad toward long-term stability.

What Makes This Different?

• Peer-to-peer support: GRBB ambassadors will remain on-site throughout the week of the fair to offer consistent, one-on-one support.

• Trauma-informed hiring: Syndeo's staff are trained to understand the unique barriers faced by people who’ve experienced poverty, incarceration, or housing instability.

• Job matching: Each applicant will be matched to a role that suits their capabilities and goals.

• Support beyond employment: GRBB will assist with transportation, obtaining onboarding documents, and follow-up support.

There are 70 job opportunities available, and we are actively seeking candidates!

If you are unhoused and want to participate—or if you’re a supporter who would like to volunteer to help with transportation, resume building, or outreach—please contact the GRBB team today.

Why This Matters

This collaboration marks the first field trial of the GRBB Peer-to-Peer Support Model integrated directly into workforce development. It is a bold example of what becomes possible when we start looking at people differently—not as problems to be managed, but as community members in need of real opportunity and human-centered support.

We extend our deepest thanks to the Syndeo Staffing team, whose vision and compassion are helping to reimagine what's possible for individuals living at the margins. Together, we are proving that with the right support and a trauma-informed approach, people can move from surviving to thriving.

📅 Event Date: May 30, 2025

📍 Location: Hutchinson, KS – Transportation provided

🎟️ Compensation + Free Fair Access

💼 70 Positions Available – Apply Now!

📞 Contact us at: grassrootsbridgebuilders@gmail.com | 316-889-9143

🌐 Learn more at buildbridgesict.org

Help Reunite a Survivor with Safety—Support Her Journey Home

Donna Castillo-Garcia RN, BSN

FNP-DNP(c)

Executive Director GRBB

May 5, 2025

At Grassroots Bridge Builders ICT (GRBB), we believe every person deserves dignity, safety, and a chance to start over. We're urgently raising $300 to purchase a bus ticket to help one of our clients return home to Colorado after surviving weeks of trauma, homelessness, and barriers to care here in Wichita.

Our client came to us after sleeping outside for over a month. She had fled domestic violence, been abandoned by her partner, robbed, and repeatedly turned away from services—largely due to having a service animal.

One of our peer ambassadors met her and her loyal puppy outside and immediately connected her to our mobile medical outreach. From there, GRBB sprang into action:

• Our founder, an RN and nurse practitioner in training, conducted an urgent health assessment and coordinated ER care for a serious foot wound.

• We successfully negotiated access to the ER with her service animal.

• We secured temporary foster care for her dog, so she could finally sleep indoors at a shelter.

• We gained her day shelter access, offered consistent peer support, and coordinated across local providers and out-of-state support systems.

Our executive director was a big hit with the foster pup.

On Day 2, she began experiencing seizures. GRBB got her immediate medical attention, helped advocate for accommodations at the shelter, and ensured she received her seizure medications. Unfortunately, the shelter could not provide the medical respite care she needed.

On Day 3, our team returned to check on her—but she was missing. Shelter staff were overwhelmed and unaware of her situation. Within 15 minutes, our team located her in a hospital ICU. Our RN and CNA ambassadors gave her medical history to hospital staff, visited her bedside, and brought her hope and reassurance.

Now, we need your help. Although a police-sponsored ticket program was in place, it fell through due to pending legal matters, leaving no funding to get her home. $300 is all we need to complete this journey.

Please consider donating today—help us get her back home, to safety, support, and stability.

🧡 Every dollar counts. Every bridge we build together matters. https://gofund.me/00cb9128

Igniting Change: How Our Mobile Outreach Unit Empowers Grassroots Bridge Builders in ICT

Grassroots Bridge Builders ICT (GRBB) is excited to announce the upcoming launch of our Mobile Outreach Unit — a fully renovated 35-foot RV that will serve as a mobile office, peer support hub, and trauma-informed service center for individuals experiencing homelessness across Wichita and surrounding areas.

As we approach our targeted launch date of June 1st, we are seeking community support to help us raise $7,500 and collect essential supplies to ensure our unit is fully equipped and operational. Your contributions will allow us to provide critical, dignity-centered care directly where it is needed most.

Our Immediate Funding Needs:

• RV Renovations and Repairs: Safety and operational upgrades, including plumbing, electrical upgrades generator replacement, and structural improvements.

• Operational Costs: Insurance, fuel, routine maintenance, and mobile internet services to allow for secure communication and client coordination on the road.

• Outreach Supplies: First aid supplies, hygiene supplies, clothing essentials, non-perishable food, and resource materials for those we serve.

• Program Materials: Trauma-informed care resources, intake materials, self-care kits for clients, and volunteer support tools.

Total Immediate Funding Goal: $7,500

How You Can Help

1. Make a Financial Contribution

Every donation helps bring this vision to life. Your support directly funds materials and services critical to our launch.

✅ Donate here:  https://www.buildbridgesict.org/donate]

2. Donate Needed Items from Our Amazon Wish Lists

We have created curated Amazon Wish Lists with high-priority items needed for our mobile outreach services.

• Mobile Unit Supplies Wish List ➡️ https://a.co/8VznzyJ

Every item purchased ships directly to GRBB, helping us stay on schedule for our June launch.

3. Share Our Mission

Help us spread the word! Share this page with friends, colleagues, and community groups who may want to support innovative solutions to homelessness and community wellness.

Why a Mobile Outreach Unit?

Our Mobile Outreach Unit represents a transformative approach to service delivery. By taking peer support, housing navigation, and trauma-informed services on the road, we break down barriers that prevent access to care. The Mobile Unit allows GRBB to:

• Meet individuals where they are — physically, emotionally, and socially.

• Provide a safe, welcoming environment for connection and support.

• Deliver critical services flexibly across Wichita and neighboring areas.

• Empower individuals toward stability, recovery, and self-sufficiency.

This project embodies our commitment to building bridges, not walls — ensuring that no one is left behind.

Thank You for Being Part of the Change

At GRBB, we believe that change is built one connection at a time. Your partnership helps us turn this vision into a moving force for hope, healing, and community transformation.

💬 Questions or want to get involved? Contact us at grassrootsnursingict@gmail.com

📅 Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572963878702 for real-time updates as we get ready to hit the road!

Together, we are building bridges to brighter futures. 🚐✨

Meet the Team the Bridge Builder Team!

[Our Founding Members Pictured Right to Left]: Sara (aka Fenix) Outreach Program Director, Unhoused community member. Donna Castillo-Garcia, RN/BSN, FNP-DNP(c), Executive director, Shawnia, Peer Program Director, Unhoused community member.