Melanie Bergeron, chair of Two Men and a Truck, will share her trade secrets of success at JVS’s 7th annual Trade Secrets fundraiser March 18.
More than 400 people are expected to attend the event at 6 p.m. at Knollwood Country Club in West Bloomfield. Proceeds will benefit the JVS Women to Work Program, which helps women re-invigorate and re-invent themselves through career counseling, computer training and job search strategies.
“We are thrilled to welcome Melanie Bergeron as our honorary chair and keynote speaker,” said event co-chair Cheryl Margolis. “As the chair of Two Men and a Truck, the country’s largest franchise moving company, Melanie will share her ‘trade secrets’ with JVS friends and supporters, making this event the place to be.”
Margolis co-chairs the Trade Secrets planning committee with Liz Elkus and Shayna Silverman. All three women reside in Bloomfield Hills
In her keynote address, Bergeron will relate her family’s story, which mirrors that of many Women to Work participants. Divorce left her mother, Mary Ellen Sheets, scrambling to provide for her family. Sheets launched a small moving business with an old green pickup truck left behind by her husband. As her business steadily grew, she awarded the first franchise to her daughter, Melanie Bergeron, who now serves as chair of the board of directors and has helped build the company into an international corporation with more than 1,900 trucks and 300 locations worldwide.
During the event, Stefanie Steinberg of Waterford, a Women to Work graduate, will be honored with the JVS Women to Work Award for successfully re-tooling herself to re-enter the workforce.
Women to Work helps those who need immediate employment after drastic life changes, such as divorce or the death, disability or unemployment of their spouse or partner. The program includes individual and group support, job search assistance, financial education and other services to help participants overcome challenges, build self-confidence and become successfully employed.
“After completing the program, 85 percent of participants are employed or enrolled in further training or education,” said Judy Richmond, Women to Work coordinator. “The program has changed the lives of thousands of women and their children, making a cross-generational difference for families throughout southeast Michigan.”
For ticket and sponsorship information, visit www.jvshumanservices.org/tradesecrets or contact Fran Victor, chief development officer, at fvictor@jvsdet.org or (248) 233-4290.