Here at the Occupational Development Center we are in the business of providing independence.

We do this by providing vocational training and employment services to Lancaster County adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). When one of our Program Participants learns a new skill, while at the same time earning a paycheck, they get not only a measure of independence in their lives, but a greater sense of self worth. Time and again we see someone come to the ODC with some level of hesitations, fears, and perhaps a lack of confidence. And nearly every time that person begins to grow and flourish.

Ultimately, we would love to see all of our participants out working in the community in an integrated employment situation. But this takes time, and sometimes a level of creativity to help them find the right job for them. Not just any job, but one that they love and matches their unique skill set.

One of the difficulties in this is that getting a job usually requires having a resume: a printed document stating your educational and work background. Many of our Program Participants lack any sort of meaningful work history, at least in terms of what businesses are usually looking for. In order to remedy that, we decided to start preparing a different kind of resume for them: a video resume.

This way, we can SHOW our Participants at work, highlighting their skills, and also talk to them and their supervisors about their work ethic and what they like to do.

To achieve this, we secured a capacity building grant from the Lancaster County Community Foundation which allowed us to purchase the necessary video equipment and software.

And, here is our very first video resume! This resume is for Kristen A. who has been a Program Participant at the ODC since December of 2010.

If you’re interested in having Kristen work for your business, or would like to discuss hiring any of our Participants, please contact us at 717-397-4261, or email us at Hello@odcenter.org

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

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 18^th!

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.”

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.