How nice it was to bump into Nancy Lind, almost literally, as she recently exited a paratransit bus. I was at Work Opportunities in Lynnwood on another mission.
I wrote about Lind in 1998, because the spunky Lynnwood resident, who is blind and has cerebral palsy, had a message about folks with disabilities. She wanted the public to know she wasn’t "different" in any way. She lived life to the fullest, busier than a firecracker salesman on the Fourth of July.
I was tickled to see she still had her job at Work Opportunities.
I was there to meet her co-worker, June Prue, 80, the oldest "participant" at the job program. The place bustled with quiet workers assembling widgets for doodads to build dohickeys.
Work Opportunities offers all sorts of employment help. Its mission is to promote self-determination, self-respect and valued participation in the community for people with disabilities. The private, non-profit organization has provided a variety of vocational services for 40 years.
Executive Director Phil McConnell said the organization receives funding from a variety of sources, including United Way and Snohomish County. On-site workers do assembly work, packaging and mailings.
"Our mission is broader than jobs," McConnell said. "We find out their dreams, then put a plan together to move towards that."
He said having a job gives folks an identity. Some participants arrive from schools, where people with developmental disabilities can attend classes until they are 21. Their peers graduate, but they are stuck on campus, McConnell said.
Work Opportunities offers a range of vocational services, such as assessing skills, getting folks ready for jobs, employment training, placement with follow ups and volunteer opportunities.
Last year, the organization served more than 400 potential workers in businesses and industries throughout Snohomish and north King counties.
Work Opportunities operates two work centers where participants do jobs for companies such as Boeing, Intermec and Fluke.
For more information, call 425-778-2156.
Prue, who works at the Lynnwood plant, let me visit while she assembled parts for a medical machine.
"People are nice here," she said. "I like to come to work."
She said her health is all right, though she walked with a cane. On a good day, she loves shredding paper through an automatic machine. She said she liked cashing her paychecks. She works part time, two days a week, and gets to the job by bus from her Everett assisted-living home.
Program manager Lee Koshman said Prue is an excellent worker.
"She has a strong work ethic and enjoys what she does," Koshman said. "Who would still be working at 80 if they didn’t feel a sense of accomplishment or at least like doing what they were doing?"
Prue has friends at the shop. She also attends a social skills class Tuesdays, goes to the Edmonds Senior Center Thursdays, is involved in Special Olympics gymnastics and attends Open Door Baptist Church in Everett.
She said when she gets down time, she likes to watch "Full House" on television. Two sisters, who live in California, come to visit, she said.
As Prue worked, nimble fingers aptly fastened intricate parts that she placed in tiny plastic sacks. At other work stations, all ages pertained to tasks.
We can’t say Prue had a perfect attendance record. She retired from her job when she was 69. She went back to work less than one month later.
People with disabilities have valuable skills and abilities to offer area employers. If you are interested in hiring folks who really earn their paychecks, give Work Opportunities a call.
Kristi O’Harran’s Column appears Tuesdays and Fridays. If you have an idea for her, call 425-339-3451 or e-mail oharran@heraldnet.com.
MICHAEL O’LEARY / The Herald
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