|
|
L to R – Joseph Badell, Darke DD Community Services
Director; Shelby Emrick, L&M Products Inc.;
Jessica Shaffer,
Greenville City Park Board Member; Julianne Klopfer; Seth Younce; Matt
Harrison;
Lisa Headley, Ohio Means Jobs - EDGE; Jesse Mowen; Michael R.
Beasecker,
Darke DD Superintendent; Cindy Kaufman, L&M Products,
Inc.
|
|
Greenville City Park Roundhouse provides work experience
If you had the opportunity to visit Greenville City Park over the
summer, you may have noticed the City Park Roundhouse was open and
staffed to sell packaged snacks and drinks to park patrons and
visitors. This work opportunity was made available to help people
obtain beneficial work experience over the summer months. This
hands-on opportunity to learn small business operations – including
customer relations, inventory tracking, purchasing, and bookkeeping –
was an ideal match for the nine employees.
The employment opportunity was made possible through a multi-agency
collaborative effort to support people in need of work
experience. The agencies participating included L & M
Products (Eaton, Ohio), Ohio Means Jobs – EDGE, Greenville City Park,
and the Darke County Board of Developmental Disabilities (Darke
DD). Nine employees worked more than 500 hours throughout the
eight-week summer program to help make the Greenville City Park
experience enjoyable by having packaged snacks and drinks available for
purchase. The Roundhouse was generally open from 11 am to 7 pm
daily.
L & M Products provided supervision while scheduling employees to
work each day. L & M Products Executive Director, Cindy
Kaufman, worked with Greenville City Park Manager, Deb Fall, to
identify park events that would be enhanced by the availability of
concessions. Kaufman stated, “The experience was rewarding for
both employees and L & M staff members supporting them.
Seeing each employee discover their potential while increasing
confidence in their ability to work was the highlight of the program.”
EDGE and Darke DD worked to support the employment opportunity through
eligibility determination and financial support. The City Park
Board made the partnership possible by approving the collaborative
concept and making the space available for the summer work experience.
The agencies involved in the project this year hope to see the work
experience at the Greenville City Park Roundhouse continue in
2020.
|
|
|
|
