|
|
Board Members
President
Phil Combest currently serves on the All Purpose Lifeskills board as a founding member. He has a B.A. Degree from the University of Florida and a M.A.degree from the University of Southern California. For twenty five years, he wrote and produced episodic, prime time television in Los Angeles, California. For the last six to eight years, he has owned and operated a small, private stable of thoroughbred racehorses. He sits on the Board of Directors of three other organizations, acting as Vice President of the Florida Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association.
Secretary
Richard Wigzell currently serves on the All Purpose Lifeskills board as a founding member. His long term volunteer commitment to adult literacy made the mission of All Purpose Lifeskills a natural next step. He is currently finishing out his second term as President of the Board of Directors of Literacy New York. Prior to this he served as Board Chairman of Literacy Volunteers of Saratoga County in New York and was involved in the Keep America Beautiful organization as a board member in Texas. Wigzell is a risk managment consultant for JI Services, Inc. in Austin, Texas. He is married and has two grown children. He is a graduate of the University of Texas. His hobbies include story telling, hunting, skiing and sailing.
Treasurer
Rob Gross currently serves on All Purpose Lifeskills board. He has a B.S. Degree from the University of Vermont. He spent six years as a sailboat captain before turning to an aviation career. He was part owner and chief pilot for a charter company, which flew from S. Florida to the Bahamas. Recently retired from that company, he stills flies and manages an airplane for a few families. He enjoys racquetball, tennis, skiing, kiteboarding, and adventure travelling.
Partnership Council
Letter From Founder
 As I begin to write this letter, words momentarily escape me as emotions blur my thought process. The path that life has lead me turned in many unexpected ways, sometimes full of major challenges while other directions were very rewarding. One of the most satisfying directions lead me to found All Purpose Lifeskills.
The benefit participants are going to receive from the information in the forums will be life changing. There were numerous times I came across information that I really wish I had knowledge of before I made some decisions in my own life. The gift of sharing knowledge that will greatly benefit someone is empowering for everyone involved.
The response All Purpose Lifeskills is receiving from the community is remarkable. I cannot find the words to express my gratitude to the community. The support has come in so many forms. It humbles me.
On behalf of AllPurpose Lifeskills, all the participants, the cooperating agencies, and the presenting businesses, I thank you for your interest and dedication which make All Purpose Lifeskills a success.
Genuinely appreciative,
Ellen Loebelenz
Founder of All Purpose Lifeskills
Our History:
All Purpose Lifeskills is a non-profit organization committed to bringing about systemic change within its community by mobilizing a collaborative effort to help Domestic Violence Survivors, Foster Youth, the Homeless, Low Income Families, and Youth at Risk to become self-sufficient. Specifically, All Purpose Lifeskills provides knowledge, resources, and tools that will enable participants to establish control over their circumstances, improve the quality of their lives, and launch a more secure future.
In its first year of providing services, All Purpose Lifeskills has evolved from an intriguing idea in the mind of founder and CEO, Ellen Loebelenz, into a well-functioning charitable organization which provides proven curriculum of vital life skills to the members of an ever widening group of community organizations. The importance of financial literacy to a successful life was clarified to Ellen through her own life experiences. These experiences led her to encourage the business community to share their expertise with vulnerable populations. All Purpose Lifeskills offers comprehensive training modules ranging from Self-Esteem to Career Development to Financial Literacy in an effort to move participants towards life and financial stability.
All Purpose Lifeskills experienced tremendous growth in 2008, from the early days of acquiring 501(c)3 status to receiving requests for services from various nonprofits. The first module presentation by Mr. Stan Bostic on “How To Buy A Car” received excellent reviews from the Homeless to Homeowners' Club, a nonprofit that assists with home ownership to low income clients. All Purpose Lifeskills was invited to participate in the Broward County Main Library’s Housing Expo to present their Mortgage Scam modules. From there, a close affiliation was developed with Children’s Harbor, a collaborating nonprofit organization that provides therapeutic services to children and families in crisis. All Purpose Lifeskills presented various modules on handling money, banking, grocery shopping and other life skills have proven invaluable to the youth of this organization. All Purpose Lifeskills growth was strengthened by formation of the Partnership Council. This team of business leaders is a powerful addition to the mission.
Thus far, 2009 is a year of solidification and expansion. Even in these difficult economic times, All Purpose Lifeskills has found that there are many generous people out there willing to volunteer to help those in need. Our plans are to expand our outreach even further to “at risk” groups in Broward County, given the downturn in our economy and growing unemployment rate in South Florida. Our desire is to make available to participants the knowledge and skills needed to break the cycle of helplessness and hopelessness.
As we grow, we hope to have even more success stories to present in our future reports. We want to thank all the volunteers, donors, Partnership Council members, Board members, and others who have helped us through the always difficult first year. Be assured that All Purpose Lifeskills will continue to work toward a goal of providing as many as possible with the financial training and other life skills needed to be a success in today’s complex world.
|
About Us
