February 4, 2004
Family Focus eyes new programs
Goodwill seeks input on services available for developmentally disabled adults
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Behind the thrift store is a whole different world and last Wednesday evening a dozen community members got a peek into the programs, offices and vocational training areas of Goodwill Industries of Northwest Michigan.
After moving into their new building in October of 2003 and consolidating all their thrift stores into one location, Goodwill is now turning to the community with two missions. First, they want to get the word out about the programs and services they offer to both the community at large and to developmentally disabled adults.
Second, staff members ask for input about what else they could offer. From this, a focus group is forming, the Goodwill Family Focus Group. This group will guide the organization as it considers new or expanded services to the developmentally disabled community.
"We are here to find out what the gaps in services are," said Marcia Wittig, director workforce development for Goodwill Industries. "We want to know how we can fill some of the gaps that are occurring."
Following the nationwide organization's motto of 'A hand up not a hand out,' the organization is best known locally for its homeless shelter and its thrift stores. Less well known is that the organization also provides 18 developmentally disabled adults with employment, recreation and social opportunities.
Known as the PAVE program, for Personal and Vocational Enrichment, the Goodwill building includes a woodshop that keeps up to four developmentally disabled people working every day. In addition to woodworking and other contracts, the organization is looking to expand the vocational offerings of this 30-year-old program. The program is funded by Community Mental Health.
"We're not that busy but we're looking to be busier," noted David Abeel, director of fund development for Goodwill Industries. "One of the fun projects recently we had was lighted snowflakes, they came wired and we put light bulbs into them. The whole place was filled with large plastic snowflakes for a while."
Connie, a Traverse City resident, attended the tour and meeting with her husband. As the mother of an adult with developmental disabilities, Connie is a fan of the PAVE program offered by Goodwill for adults like her daughter.
"My daughter has been working there for five years and she really enjoys it," she said. "She worked with them over at the Aero Park Drive facility, too; she's very happy here."
Connie and other parents spent an hour after the tour completing a survey and brainstorming ideas about programs or resources that could benefit their families. Attendees noted there needed to be a simple way for parents of developmentally disabled people to stay abreast of organizations and services available. These parents agreed that a comprehensive contact list of services and service providers would be useful.
Other issues raised that Wednesday's meeting included challenges transitioning the developmentally disabled to independent living and the possibility of a parent support group.
The goal of the Goodwill Family Focus Group is to be a think tank that provides ideas and leadership from the community. Wittig said that Goodwill hosted a focus group about six months before their move and plans to continue holding meetings periodically. They sent out 400 invitations for Wednesday night's event but the weather kept all but a handful of attendees away.
"What we're hoping to do is to get together a growing group of individuals and family members who can come together on a regular basis to begin to look at what we can provide," Wittig said. "What we're finding out is that there are a lot of folks in the community who aren't aware of what we do now with folks with developmental disabilities."
For more information about the Goodwill Family Focus Group or to inquire about future meetings, call Ann at 995-7723.