The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

| | | i | CRA "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, January 7, 1992 - 13 \ Central Seven placement program works for businesses and clients This is the second part of a two-part series on the Central Seven Association for Commu- nity Living. By Julia Dempsey Six days a week, Cindy McKinley puts on her spotless white uniform and walks half a mile to herjob. Nothing unusual about that; except for the fact that a year and a half ago, the opportunity of community-based employ- ment was not available to Miss McKinley. For years Miss McKinley, a client of Central Seven Associa- tion for Community Living, worked at Central Seven Indus- tries, the association's in-house workshop. Although the program provid- ed activity and a small training allowance, Miss McKinley ex- pressed the desire to work with- in the community. The association's work place- ment officer Amy Smalley saw a Help wanted advertisement in the newspaper and inquired about the job on Miss McKin- ley's behalf. She got the job and started working for Dr. Jim Brown at the Scugog Animal Hospital in Oct. 1990. Dr. Brown says it was his wife Nancy who encouraged him to try the association's com- munity work placement pro- gram. "She (Nancy) had been in- volved in similar programs in the States" and found them to be very successful, he added. Miss McKinley has a routine .- NN TRA WN N 8 --_- 3 LE Ni BN LF Cindy of general cleaning and laundry duties she follows each day, says Dr. Brown. "She manages quite well," he says, adding, "She's always agreeable to do extra work. She doesn't spend too much time re- laxing when she's here. Cindy is alwaysbusy." Dr. Brown admits the animal hospital is not always an easy place to work for someone like Miss McKinley who loves pets. The temptation to pet the ani- mals is sometimes very strong. And the "blood and gore" that goes hand in hand with any hos- pital can be unsettling for her. But Dr. Brown is aware of the effect it has on his employee and will change Miss McKinley's routine slightly in an effort to avoid any uncomfort for her. "I think it's worked very well for us," Dr. Brown says. "There's no difference in the way we treat her (in comparison with other employees)." He admits "she needs encour- agement from time to time, but that's just like any other em- ployee." Miss McKinley is like other employees in another sense as well. When Dr. Brown asked her "What's today?" the Star ex- pected her to say Thursday. In- stead, Miss McKinley, smiling ear to ear, responded "Pay day." Warren McNeil is another client who said he would like to work within the community. In April, 1991, his wish became a reality when Robert Van Camp hired him to work at Brook's Feed Store. Mr. McNeil does a variety of McKinley works at the Scugog Animal Hospital six days a week. Her job Includes cleaning the offices and exami- nation rooms, doing the laundry, and other tasks. She's pic- tured above with her boss Dr. Jim Brown. jobs, including cleaning and stocking shelves, carrying feed to customers' cars, painting, and bagging feed. "There were a lot of adjust- ments for both Warren and us," Mr. Van Camp admits. "We're a small business and (the employees often) tease each other. Warren didn't know how to take it at first," Mr. Van Camp says, adding Mr. McNeil 1s now quick to kid around with the other employees. Mr. McNeil has also realized that "heavy work isn't all strength," Mr. Van Camp states. Mr. McNeil is learning the mechanics necessary for lift- ing heavy tags and he admits it's easierifhe bends his knees. "Warren can do any job he's asked to do," Mr. Van Camp says, adding some jobs he does better than the rest of the staff. One of his tasks includes making up bags of bird feed and using a heat sealer to close the bag. "When Warren does small packaging, no one (customers) complains," Mr. Van Camp says, adding "The rest of us rush too much (and the end product is not as good)." Mr. McNeil also operates a bag stitcher, and although he needs to improve his speed on the machine, Mr. Van Camp says he operates it properly. The company is also incorpo- rating a few minor changes to help Mr. McNeil, such as color coding the feed bags so he can distinguish between them. Mr. Van Camp says Mr. . Clients enjoy communi 2 McNeil is a big help to the com- pany, adding he helps to ease up the rest of the staff's workload. "I painted that wall," Mr. McNeil told this reporter while pointing to the forest green col- ored east wall. "I wanted to paint it yellow. Yellow is my fa- vorite color." Even though he's not keen on the color, Mr. McNeil is able to see his accomplishment every- day and can be proud of it. In total, eight Central Seven Association for Community Liv- ing clients are employed full time (25 hours or more a week). Other employers include Hau- gen's Chicken Barbecue, the Medical Associates of Port Perry, Crandell's Riverboat, and a few local residents. But the clients don't go direct- ly from Central Seven Indus- tries to the full-time workforce. When a client expresses a de- sire to work in the community, the association accompanies them to a variety of different work experience sites. Valu- Mart, Port Perry Feeds, Scugog Memorial Public Library, Video Image, Stonemoor Day Care, Port Perry Printing, Dixie Lee Chicken and Perfect Portions participate in the work experi- ence program. "This gives the client an op- portunity to try things out," ex- plains vocational supervisor Kathy Taylor. "It also gives us an idea of what the client can and cannot do," she says. "It assesses their strengths in a variety of areas." After working several unpaid two-week periods at different businesses, the chent and the association have a good idea of -based jobs - RARE ] & § SS -- IN -- W \ \ N N WH Ta ead NE SSS aes a warren McNeil enjoys working at Brook's F Store in Port SUES Perry. He does a variety of tasks including carrying bags of feed to customers' cars, painting, cleaning, and packaging small bags of feed. whether community employ- ment is an option and, if so, what sector of employment would be best, Mrs. Taylor says. The association then matches a client with a business. Em- ployment consultant Pat Bou- man accompanies the client to the job and provides on the job training. "If a client starts at 6 a.m., a staff member is there to do the shift with them," says Mrs. Tay- lor. "We stay with them as long asittakes." Ms. Bouman will continue to go to work with the client. When both the employer and employ- ee begin to feel confident about the arrangement, the employee consultant starts to gradually fade out of the picture. If a client is having some diffi- culties or his job is modified, the employee consultant returns to help retrain the client, says Mrs. Taylor. The transition from the work- shop environment to communi- ty-based employment can be dif- ficult for the clients. The association has set up an employee support group for cli- ents workingin the community. The group meets one to two times a month. It helps them maintain friendships they had with other clients at the work- shop, and gives them a chance to discuss their jobs, Mrs. Tay- lorexplains. The clients are encouraged to participate in employment role play where they can act out an aspect of their job they like or dislike. The group also goes on social outings, such as a night at the movies. "The clients really enjoy it and it helps them become stable in their jobs," Mrs. Taylor says. S50 The community work place- ment program benefits both the clients and the employers. At first, the clients don't think they will be able to do the job, Mrs. Taylor explains, add- - ing they are excited when they realize what they can accom- *plish. The job helps them develop self-esteem, social skills and friendships. Since the association pro- vides direct supervision and on the job training, the employer saves time and money, Mrs. Taylor says. Employers may also qualify for government funding to help defray the cost of wages, while clients can apply for a job start- up grant to help cover the cost of uniforms and other special equipment needed for the job. Although the association has been implementing the commu- nity work placement program for a few years, the provincial government, in a bid to down- size in-house workshops, began to push the programin 1991. And although the association feels community-based employ- ment is the right direction for many of its clients, finding jobs during these recessionary times has been difficult. "We have about 11-12 people who want a full-time job," Mrs. Taylor says. "We're trying to get our people out there and em- ployers are laying off." Even though the recession has made finding employment for the clients difficult, the asso- ciation is working hard to find jobs for those still on the waiting list. "Everybody should have the opportunity to go out and work in the community," Mrs. Taylor says. adi a Air SREY