Author Archives: Ken Mueller

Time to Fix Things – Our Annual Appeal

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Annual Appeal 2022

From the Executive Director

Dear Friends of the ODC,

For the most part, 2022 has been a good year at the ODC. While we are not yet at full capacity, we have been able to welcome back more of our participants and we continue the job of providing them with vocational training and employment. Thanks to your generosity in 2019 & 2020, we were able to raise enough money that, combined with the sale of our two old vans, we were able to purchase THREE new vehicles that we are now using to take our participants, like Elisa, Frank, Glenda, and John (seen above) out to work in the community.

Then last year, you helped us exceed our goal by 75% for a total of nearly $44,000 to help us improve the look and safety of our building. So far, we have been able to replace our old ceilings and are looking forward to getting new, safer flooring in some areas.

As we have served individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities for nearly 75 years, our top priority has always been the health and safety of our Program Participants and staff. We work hard to make sure that the ODC is a very safe workplace environment. And now we have not one, but two different safety issues that need to be addressed.

We were just notified that our hydraulic scissor lift on our loading dock is no longer safe to use. We believe this is the original lift that was installed when our warehouse was built back in 1984. We use this lift daily as we take in heavy pallets of supplies from our customers, as well as ship out the work that has been completed by our participants. Nearly 40 years of usage and weather exposure have taken a toll on the lift, and it can no longer handle typical loads of 3 to 4-thousand pounds. We simply can’t afford to let anyone get hurt, and we can’t function without our regular deliveries of product. It is critical to everything that we do and what allows our participants to be trained while earning a paycheck.

Unfortunately, a new lift isn’t available immediately, so in the meantime we will have to be creative in how we accept deliveries and send out finished work. This will probably involve some mix of heavy lifting and the use of temporary ramps on the part of our staff, none of which is optimal, and comes with some level of safety risk.

But wait…there’s more! We’ve also been notified that our main fire panel needs to be replaced as it is no longer supported by the manufacturer and replacement parts are no longer available. This is the panel that connects our entire system of sensors and smoke detectors that would keep us safe in the event of a fire. We take this seriously as we are required to have quarterly fire drills with our participants. We need to replace this unit with a current model to ensure the safety of everyone in our building.

Unfortunately, these two items are not cheap. It will cost us about $25,000 to replace our hydraulic lift, and an additional $10,000 to replace the fire panel. Taking into account other incidental required building and safety expenses:

This year’s appeal goal is $40,000

You can help us meet this goal by making a donation online or mailing your check to:

ODC Annual Appeal, 640 Martha Avenue, Lancaster, PA 17601

DONATE

You’ve supported us in huge ways in the past, and we know that you will once again help us

On behalf of our program participants, their families, our staff, and the ODC Board of Directors, we thank you for your continued support of our mission. 

Gregg Richards, Executive Director

*Also, don’t forget to join us online at the Extraordinary Give at ExtraGive.com on Friday, November 18th!

ODC Gives out 2022 Stoner Awards

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On Friday, March 25th, Occupational Development Center Executive Director Gregg Richards handed out the 2022 Olivia S. Stoner Awards. Created in 2019, this award is given to individuals and businesses who “embody the spirit and mission of the ODC and Co-Founder Olivia S. Stoner, and her commitment to creating a better life for individuals with developmental disabilities.”

From L to R: Board Member Tonia Witman, board member and award recipient Jon Wile, ODC Executive Director Gregg Richards, board member Terri Turner, board member Samantha Mittman Besnoff, award recipient Vince Wilson (on behalf of his mother Anna Wilson), board member Laura Gallagher, board member Tom Wobber, and award recipient Jennifer Douglas.

In addition to a plaque, each of our awardees was also given an original painting done by one of our participants through the art program at Friendship Heart Gallery & Studio.

This year’s awards (including those that were to be given in 2020 and 2021) went to:

Anna Wilson (posthumously) – Mrs. Wilson and her family have been involved in the ODC for nearly 40 years. Two of her sons have been participants here, including current participant Vince (who accepted the award on her behalf) and the late Rodney Wilson. Mrs. Wilson passed in 2020. The Wilsons were given a painting done by participant/artist Mary Lou.

Jennifer Douglas – The Douglas family has been involved with the ODC since 1990 when their son, Kirk, became a participant (and continues to this day). During that time, Jennifer Douglas has been extremely active in our day to day activities, particularly as part of our Parents Group. In recent years she has headed up the Parents Group and has served on our ODC Board of Directors. Mrs. Douglas was presented with a painting done by participant/artist Vince.

Wile Plumbing – This local, second-generation family owned business has been a part of the ODC family for a number of years, and the connection has grown closer in recent years. Initially, Wile Plumbing, now run by Jon and Becky Wile, helped out with various building related needs. A few years back Jon was invited to become a member of our Board of Directors. Shortly after that he discovered that his Aunt Joanne, who had an intellectual disability, was one of the first four students at the Child Development Center, the predecessor to the ODC. The Wiles were presented with a multimedia painting done by participant/artist Randy.

You can watch the entire award ceremony below.

Previous winners of the Stoner Award were Ben & Mignon Bowman and Kinsey’s Outdoor.

Annual Appeal: Upgrading for Safety and Well-Being

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Annual Appeal 2021

From the Executive Director

Dear Friends of the ODC,

2020 was such an odd year for us, as I’m sure it was for many of you, and 2021 has been just as strange. After two shutdowns we reopened back in March with a much smaller number of participants and have been slowly welcoming back more of our folks as we are able.

But this summer we had to close again for just a week to take care of some major plumbing work. You see, for years we have been having plumbing issues, and have been taking care of them with small fixes, rather than addressing the larger problem. It was like putting Band-aids on a wound that required major surgery. We finally came to the point where we had to deal with the bigger issues, which required digging through 6 feet of concrete, asphalt, and dirt under the floor of one of our rooms. Now we are left with a big concrete slab on one of our floors. Seeing this made us realize how out of date of our building really is.

How old is our building? The ODC was founded in 1948 while the first section of our existing building was built in 1956 (with additions constructed in 1965 and 1984). Yes, the front part of our building (with offices, cafeteria, and one work area) is 65 years old! And not surprisingly, our building is showing its age.

Our participants are noticing! We asked Michael, one of our participants, what he thought of the building. His response? “The ceiling and the floor need…help. They look like they’ve been here a long time.” And he’s right! They DO need help and they HAVE been here a long time.

And it’s not just a matter of appearance and aesthetics, though those are important and can certainly help with morale. It is also a matter of the safety of our participants and staff. As the building has aged, it just isn’t as safe as it once was, and the safety and wellness of the individuals we serve is always our top priority. It’s time for us to stop fixing these issues with Band-aids, and get some major work done.

Here’s how you can help. So, for this year’s annual appeal, we are looking to raise funds to upgrade and replace some of the physical structure of our building, particularly the older front section. With the money we raise we are hoping to replace the current drop ceiling, and then move on to replacing and upgrading the old tile floors. If there is any money left over, we will then get a fresh coat of paint on the hallway and some of our offices. All of this will go a long way toward improving not only the inside “feel” of the building, but also in making it safer and a more pleasant work environment.

This year’s appeal goal is $30,000.

You can help us meet this goal by filling out the envelope you may have received in our annual appeal mailing and sending in your tax-deductible contribution, or by donating online at your convenience on our website. If you prefer, you can call us at 717-397-4269, ext. 16 or email your address to us at hello@odcenter.org, and we can mail you our appeal letter.

On behalf of our program participants, their families, our staff, and the ODC Board of Directors, we thank you for your continued support of our mission.

Gregg Richards, Executive Director

*Also, don’t forget to join us online at the Extraordinary Give at ExtraGive.com on Friday, November 19th!

ODC Gets Grant from Community Foundation for Video Project

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After graduating from High School in 2007, Kristen got a job working in the kitchen at a popular local restaurant. Unfortunately that job only lasted about a year before Kristen felt she had to quit. “I didn’t get treated well and wasn’t properly trained. They would throw jobs at me without explaining how to do them.”

When she wasn’t able to do everything to their liking, Kristen says they yelled at her, and it was not a good work environment.

But it wasn’t that Kristen didn’t have the skills needed, she just needed them to understand how to teach her.

In late 2010, Kristen found her way to the Occupational Development Center and for nearly 11 years she has excelled in all of her work. Once she is trained on how to do a job, she learns quickly and can work independently and at a good pace. She has gained confidence in her abilities and loves what she does. She has even been a key member of our Small Group Employment program with Kinsey’s Outdoor. She is ready to look for more work in the community but is worried about the job application and interview process. You see, a traditional resume doesn’t work well for her or most of our other participants here at the ODC.

That’s where a new $10,000 capacity building grant from the Lancaster County Community Foundation comes into play. We have just received this grant which will help us launch a new video program that will help our participants find work, while at the same time prepare businesses to better work with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).

This grant allows us to purchase video equipment and software which we will use to create video resumes for our individuals. While they don’t have the work experience and other experiences that translate well to a paper resume and application, a video resume opens up new possibilities. A video resume gives our participants a better chance to shine and show off their skill sets, personalities, and employability.

At a time when many businesses seem to be frustrated with the lack of skilled workers needed to fill vacant positions, particularly during the pandemic workforce recovery, the ODC is poised to help fill the gap. The unemployment rate for those with I/DD is greater than 80%. Many of these individuals are ready, willing, and able to fill those vacant jobs. What they need are the tools to help them

In addition to creating video resumes, the ODC also plans on using the grant to create an ongoing series of “employment scenario training” videos for prospective employers. These videos will help local businesses understand what it means to hire an individual with I/DD and prepares those businesses for that reality.

Kristen says she wishes the restaurant “knew how to deal with my disability and my memory. They needed to be more patient and kind, and accepting of people with disabilities.”

While the ODC trains individuals to make them more employable, the scenario training videos will meet prospective employers where they are to help them create and sustain disability-friendly workplaces. Each video will focus on likely situations that could happen in the workplace, while explaining to employers how best to deal with them.

This two-pronged approach tackles the employment equation from both sides and sets both ODC participants and employers up for lasting success.

Here at the ODC we want to help participants like Kristen find the perfect job within a community setting where they can succeed and enjoy what they do. Helping them gain skills, earn a paycheck, and find employment sets them on a path toward greater independence.

So, over the next few months we will be acquiring this equipment, learning how to use it (and even training some of our participants to use it!), and creating all sorts of new videos and content, some of which will make it’s way to this blog and our social media pages. And…it’s going to be a lot of fun!

We are grateful for the Community Foundation and their willingness to entrust us with this grant so that we can help make a difference in Kristen’s life, and the lives of our other participants.

31 Years of the ADA

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Today (July 26) is National Disability Independence Day. That’s because 31 years ago today the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law. This important civil rights law prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else.

It is this law that makes it easier for participants at the Occupational Development Center, and others with intellectual/developmental disabilities, to get jobs in the community.

And yet, this particular segment of the disability population still has an unemployment rate of more than 80%!

All of this is why the ODC exists and why we’ve been working hard at this for nearly 75 years. We know that members of the I/DD community have a lot to offer prospective employers, particularly at a time when there is a shortage of skilled workers. At the ODC, we offer high quality vocational training in order to prepare our participants for community based employment. While here they learn a wide variety of skills that can be used in a multitude of job settings. They are also learning the value of things like teamwork, integrity, patience, punctuality, and how to do a job well and do it properly.

It’s not just about the specific skills needed for a specific job, but also about the “soft” skills that make them valued and well-liked employees and coworkers.

For instance, just today we started a new job, assembling sample notebooks for a flooring company. Supervisor Maria has been working with Frank and Heather to show them how to assemble these kits. And they picked up on the job quickly and will have it completed in a day or two.

  • The ADA gives our participants the right to work.
  • The ODC gives them the skills they need to work.
  • Now all they need is the opportunity to work, and that’s where you come in.

Your business can benefit from hiring one or more of our participants.

Why not consider hiring them for competitive employment in an integrated setting at your business. Your first thought might be that you have no jobs that they can do, but why not give them a chance? Think about how you can make reasonable accommodations so that they can succeed. Some times it takes a level of creativity to find the right job for them, but once you do, you will be greatly rewarded with an incredible worker. We can even work with you to help you find a fit you didn’t even know you had!

Giving them the chance to work provides them with increase self-worth, and it provides them with a paycheck which brings them closer to a life of independence.

Isn’t that what all of us really want? To be independent and to feel needed and useful, and appreciated for what we CAN do?

So give us a shout! We’d love to hear from you.

A Year End Message from the ODC

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Dear Friends of the ODC,

What a long, strange trip it’s been! This year hasn’t gone as planned for any of us. Due to Covid19 and the ensuing restrictions, we closed our doors on March 13th for what we hoped would be only a few weeks. Almost exactly six months later, on September 14th, we reopened our doors to a small number of participants, and we welcomed them back to a more socially distant environment, with many new procedures in place.

We slowly increased the number of participants we were serving, but our primary goal has been to keep everyone safe and healthy, while still giving them the chance to learn necessary vocational skills and earn paychecks, as they work toward fulfilling lives of independence.

Unfortunately, due to a rise in positivity and transmission rates, we once again had to close our doors just before Thanksgiving, and are hoping that perhaps things will settle down and we can reopen early in the new year.

What did we miss during these closures? Well, in addition to losing more than seven months of work and our participants not receiving paychecks, we had to cancel many of our fundraisers. Our 3rd Annual Food Truck Fest was postponed until 2021. All events from our Auxiliary and Parents Group were also canceled. So, not only did we lose out on work revenue, but also much needed donations.

Where does that put us? Last year we asked you to help us raise $20,000 so we could trade in one of our vans and purchase a more efficient, low-mileage mini-van for the purpose of getting our participants out in the community. You came through for us big time, and we exceeded that goal by $1,700.

We still need to get our participants out more, and to do that, we will need more than one new vehicle. So this year we are extending our appeal to include trading in both of our vans for new vehicles, plus looking to replace some of our lost fundraiser income.

This year’s appeal goal is $25,000.

You can help us meet this goal by donating online at your convenience on our website at odcenter.org. Or, if you prefer, you can send a check to:

Occupational Development Center

640 Martha Avenue

Lancaster, PA 17601

Our participants thrive on consistency, and we are encouraged at how well they have adapted to our ever-changing work environment. With all the talk about “essential workers” during the pandemic, we believe that the individuals we serve are truly essential. They are our heroes, and we want nothing more than to see them succeed and flourish in every area of their lives.

On behalf of our program participants, their families, our staff, and the ODC Board of Directors, we thank you for your continued support of our mission. 

It is our hope that you all have a very happy holiday season, and here’s to much brighter 2021!

Gregg Richards, Executive Director

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