More than 200 people turned out for the Windsor Downtown Mission’s first-ever job fair Thursday with one attendee landing a job on the spot. Seven employers took part in the event, which opened to the public at 2 p.m. Mission executive director Rukshini Ponniah-Goulin said the turnout quickly exceeded expectations. “When we first opened the doors there was a full room inside here,” she said. “It was probably about 30 or so individuals lined up at each of the tables waiting to go talk to the employers, plus a line up outside the door.” The fair was organized through the Mission’s Enterprise job training program, with graduates from the past five years invited to attend alongside members of the general public. Ponniah-Goulin said roughly 30 to 40 Enterprise graduates attended, while many others who came through the doors were new to the Mission. “That’s wonderful that we were able to offer them some sort of support as well,” she said. For one attendee, that support led directly to a job. Ron Dunn, a former executive director of the Downtown Mission who now serves as executive director of Victoria Manor Housing with Supports, hired a candidate at the fair. Something he said he wasn’t expecting. “I wasn’t, but I think if you find somebody who is exceptional you should. And I did,” he said. Dunn says the new hire will come into the office on Monday and sign the paperwork to make it official, calling the event a success. “I think credit to the Downtown Mission for putting people who need a job with people that are looking for workers,” he said. “It’s been a great day.” Ponniah-Goulin said the event offered something beyond the Mission’s usual day-to-day services. “What we do at the mission on a daily basis is we’re providing the basics, like food and shelter. But it’s really nice when we get to provide that or give that hope to people.”
