In April, one of our Paths to Empowerment (P2E) program facilitators, Kevin B., passed away. There is nothing more confusing to navigate than the tragic loss of someone who made an impact in the way Kevin did. We wanted to take some time to honor Kevin’s work with P2E and ATR. You may have seen this video in one of our previous newsletters where Kevin and ATR Fidelity Manager, Erin Allain, held a mock interview to address a participant’s questions about CORIs. ATR Job Developer, Miranda Faris, is one of our staff who had the opportunity to learn directly from Kevin during her time at MassHire Downtown Boston.
Please read below for her tribute to dear friend and colleague, Kevin Beltrami. Thank you to Erin Allain and Tasha Goss, Lead Career Navigator at MassHire Downtown Boston, for their contributions to this piece.
Kevin’s dedication to the ATR participants and the Paths to Empowerment program was unparalleled. He helped to develop the P2E curriculum at its inception and was the primary facilitator at the MassHire Downtown Boston location for the first decade that it has been offered. He brought unwavering dedication to his work and made certain that all classes ran smoothly to ensure P2E participants received the help they needed.
In 2021, he graciously welcomed a team of three additional staff to help with the expansion of programs. He mentored, trained, and passed along his wisdom on supporting the ATR program and created a fantastic team who can now continue with this important work.
Kevin’s relaxed approach was filled with a sprinkling of his own brand of gentle and observant humor; he was a wise coach who encouraged participants to discover their own strengths and talents. He had strong faith in each of them. He helped people rebuild their confidence to go successfully back into the workforce, while making everyone laugh along the way. The gratitude of having known him is shared by so many.
He was a fierce protector of everyone he worked with, whether advocating for the participants in the program, his colleagues, or sharing his foresight on best practices for the ATR program to ensure its continued success. It is hard to imagine ATR without Kevin’s presence, and yet I believe his presence is gently woven into the program, like an “underwater basket weaver” (one of Kevin’s famous quotes) might have carefully crafted, and his essence will live on in the fabric of P2E as ATR helps even more people achieve success. Kevin’s work, humor, and passion will not be forgotten!