Turner Job Corps students, staff engage in vaccination challenge

ALBANY — The friendly “I Got Mine, You Gotta Get Yours Challenge” at Turner Job Corps Center is a competition between TJCC staff and students to get as many Wildcats and community members vaccinated for COVID-19 as possible.

Not only does the vaccination help to keep the center safe and speed along the process of bringing the remainder of the student body back to residential education and training, officials at TJCC said in a news release, it also aids in the effort to resume the center’s presence in the surrounding community through volunteerism, internships, commerce and other partnership opportunities, as well as challenging center partners to do the same.

Helping center staff and students to safely work toward these goals via vaccination drives in the TJCC gymnasium was the center’s community partner, Albany Area Primary Health Care, distributing shots on two occasions on site. Students had their first opportunity to get vaccinations, while many staff were due for and received their second dosage. Currently a total of 67 TJCC staff have disclosed that they are fully vaccinated, 24 with only the second dosage remaining and approximately 15 students having received their first dose of the Moderna vaccine during the on-campus drive.

This challenge is ongoing, and TJCC officials say they hope their efforts set an example for others, as well as getting the students back to living, learning and serving in the community.