Last week (September 10-16, 2017) was Direct Support Professionals Recognition Week, as declared by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolfe.

Direct Support Professionals are exactly what it sounds like; they are the individuals at the ODC and other places that work most directly with those with disabilities. In the case of the ODC, they are the ones who work directly with our participants with developmental disabilities day in and day out. They work hard and play an important role in the success of those we serve. 

With that in mind, our Executive Director, Gregg Richards, wrote this as an appreciation:

Read this with your best Super Friends  “Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice…” voice:

Direct Support Professionals are heroes.  They are real life heroes.  This is a fact.

They aren’t like comic book super heroes with super powers, but… for this blog post…

Let’s just pretend they are.

Armed with incredible amounts of patience and empathy, they quietly go about their business of making the world a better place.

Constantly asked to do more, with less, they persevere.

They listen.  They care.  They do what others cannot.

Able to alter the preconceived notions of others…

Able to shatter stereotypes…

Able to see opportunity where others do not…

Able to take the time…no matter how much time it may take…to empower people to be independent.

Vigilant…

Kind…

Caring…

Direct Support Professionals help people become the best version of themselves.

The Week of September 10-16 has been named, Direct Support Professional Recognition Week.

Please take the time to thank one of these heroes that help individuals with developmental disabilities to lead everyday lives.

We would particularly like to thank our Direct Support Professionals, who you can read about on our staff page: Rosa, Kathy, Jason, Becky, Maria, Daryl, Kera, Jessica, Tina, and Jennifer. Thank you, for all you do!

The Occupational Development Center is not a political organization.

We serve individuals with developmental disabilities.

It doesn’t matter what color they are.

It doesn’t matter what religion they are.

It doesn’t matter what language they speak or if they can speak at all.

It doesn’t matter if they are rich or poor.

It doesn’t matter if they can learn quickly or if they require extra time and support to be successful.

It doesn’t matter if they are old or young.

It doesn’t matter if they are blind or deaf.

It doesn’t matter if they use a wheelchair, or a walker, or crutches, or a cane.

Their sexuality doesn’t matter.

Their gender doesn’t matter.

Their disability…doesn’t matter.

What does matter is this:

Their ability to show kindness to everyone.

Their ability to do their part.

Their ability to empathize.

Their perseverance.

Their ability to work together.

Their ability to learn new skills and be productive members of the community.

Their ability to console each other in times of sadness.

Their ability to celebrate their accomplishments and the accomplishments of others.

Their ability to try, even when they are scared that they might fail.

Their ability to communicate their ideas and feelings.

Their ability to break down walls and stereotypes.

Their ability to love and be loved.

The ODC will continue to provide an environment where the things that matter can occur. 

We have recently been the recipient of some excellent news…

The Occupational Development Center has partnered with Kinsey’s Outdoors in Mount Joy, PA to provide a new service called, Small Group Employment.

Three days a week, the ODC will be sending a crew of program participants and a program supervisor to work in their warehouse alongside the other employees at Kinsey’s Outdoors.  The program participants will be performing a variety of tasks such as: making boxes, packaging, assembly, and quality assurance.

Their starting rate of pay will be… Minimum Wage!

Now, while that may not sound like a big deal to most people, it is a VERY big deal to our program participants.

Historically, the ODC has provided the bulk of our work opportunities to individuals with disabilities at our facility at 640 Martha Avenue in Lancaster, PA.  Most of the jobs that we complete “in house” for various businesses are performed at what is called, “Piece Rate.”  The idea behind piece rate work is that it allows different individuals having varying skill levels and abilities to “succeed at their own pace.”

Many of our community based jobs were either volunteer opportunities or transitional work meant to give people work experience and to develop the social skill required to be successful in achieving competitive employment.

The Occupational Development Center has always and will always try to develop the skills of our individuals to achieve their maximum levels of independence and inclusion in their community.  Many of our program participants have absolutely achieved the skill level to be successful in competitive and integrated work settings but just require the opportunity to show what they can do.

We applaud Kinsey’s Outdoors for recognizing the ability of our individuals and providing the opportunity for them to succeed.  We are confident that this pairing will be the first of many successful relationships between the ODC and local businesses, but we wanted to take the opportunity to say,

Thank you Kinsey’s Outdoors.

Thank you for providing a life changing opportunity to our program participants.

Thank you for participating in the cultural shift that will allow individuals with developmental disabilities not only to get out “in the community,” but to be “OF the community.”

A part of everyone’s everyday lives.  As it should be.

As we celebrate our freedoms during this Independence Day weekend, we should take some time to think about what freedom and independence mean for the people we serve at the ODC.

For nearly 70 years the Occupational Development Center has been working hard to help those with developmental and intellectual disabilities experience true freedom and independence.

It wasn’t that long ago that their parents were told that they were “uneducable” or would never be able to work. For many, their fate was staying at home, or even being put in an

We do this by working with them as individuals and providing them with the skills they want, and need, to gain meaningful employment. This includes vocational skills they need for a variety of tasks, as well as the “soft skills” necessary for succeeding in the workplace alongside their fellow employees.

We believe that every one of our participants deserves to be employed in their least restrictive environment, allowing them to flourish and succeed while earning an income. This might be in some form of customized, community employment.

Our individuals are adults, just like you and me, who can make their own decisions. They are capable of working in the community.

So on this Independence Day, think about those who are still seeking independence in their daily lives. Consider coming alongside them and helping them.

First and foremost, you can do this by helping us identify those area businesses that would be willing to talk to us about hiring one or more of our participants. We know they are out there, but would love you to introduce us to them.

And, of course, you can always give to the ODC and help us as we continue to work with our participants to prepare them for employment.

Have a wonderful 4th of July!

This week we got to spend some celebrating with two groups of folks who are our longest running supporters: the ODC Parents Group and the ODC Auxiliary. Each year in June we meet with them at their annual meeting (and potluck supper!) to receive donations from them.

These two groups date from our earliest days, all the way back into the very early 1950’s, when we were the Child Development Center. At the time, the Parent’s Group was more of a PTA, but for nearly 70 years these two groups have supported the work that we do.

In fact, we recently discovered that the ODC Auxiliary actually raised the money for a part of the land we are now sitting on, when we built the first portion of our building in 1956. The land they helped us purchase allowed us to expand our building in 1965, and again in 1984.

Throughout the year, both of these groups hold events solely for the purpose of raising money for the work we do. From nut, plant, and wreath sales to fashion shows, banquets, and our annual chicken BBQ, these events have become a part of the culture of the ODC.

As part of the annual meeting, these two groups, along with the Hempfield Women’s Club, presented us with checks that together total more than $9,000.00!

We are so grateful and appreciative of the hard work these groups do all year.

Thank you!

But what about you?

If you’d like to find ways of supporting the ODC, we have plenty of opportunities. If you are a family member of one of our participants, our Parents Group is open to you. Or, if you just want to help, consider joining our ODC Auxiliary. Just contact us and we’ll connect you with the right people.

And at least stay connected to our event calendar and Facebook as we’ll be regularly updating you on the fundraising events hosted by these two groups.

Again, thank you!

What exactly do we do here at the Occupational Development Center?

From the perspective of our participants and their families, we offer them job and vocational skills training, and also help them with employment.

But from the perspective of area businesses, we make it our business to do their business.

That’s right, we can do your work for you. What could be better than that?

And we do this in three different ways:

• You give us a job to do, and we’ll do it here at our facility.
• You give us a job to do, and we’ll do it at your facility with one of our mobile work crews.
• You give one of our participants a job and they become your employee. Period.

It’s a win-win situation, because our participants are hard workers who are trained to do a wide variety of tasks.

Take, for instance, Kinsey’s Outdoors in Mount Joy. We’ve been sending our mobile work crews out there several times a week since September of 2016. Deb Russell is the Inventory Control Manager there, and works with our crews. She had this to say:

“The team from ODC has been such a great support in our daily operations at Kinsey’s, and we’re proud to be working with such a wonderful organization. The ODC Mobile Work Crew arrives with a positive attitude that is contagious throughout our company. The way they support one another to accomplish the goals we’ve laid out for them is inspiring! The ODC employees are always happy to assist with any tasks we need, such as assembling boxes, packaging a variety of different products, applying labels, etc. and they take great pride in a job well done.

Kinsey’s would highly recommend ODC to any local companies that want to help their business while also helping the community!”

And recently Deb singled out one of our participants, Kristen.

Positive, Helpful and Encouraging are the words I would use to describe Kristen A.!

Kristen is part of the ODC Mobile Work Crew and as you can tell by her picture she’s always smiling when she’s working at Kinsey’s! She not only makes boxes but can package everything from Shooting Gloves to Brands items – bagging, labeling and attaching header cards. She’s always willing to learn new things by volunteering to try jobs she hasn’t done before.

When Kristen is working beside someone who is maybe struggling with getting items in bags she’s quick to give them an encouraging word…”You can do it” or “You got this Buddy”! And if one of her co-workers doesn’t like the job they were assigned to do, she is happy to switch places with them.

Kinsey’s is not alone. All of the companies we work with love our participants and the work they do.

So what do you have for us? If you own a business, what job can we do for you?

Also, what area businesses do you know that would be interested in hiring one of our participants?

We’d love to hear from you!