I am a development coordinator who helps persons with disabilities (of different severities) get jobs in the community. I work in Logansport. Is anyone willing to hire our folks? I would like to do a call out to local area businesses to get them to see that we have a lot of people who are willing to be at work even when those without disabilities won't. Please contact me if you can use someone who is looking to make some money (with as little as 10 hours a week) but more importantly, who wants to gain independence. I am looking for jobs for the people that I serve, not for myself. I want to support them and to help them to get jobs that they can be proud of. This way they have a better sense of self worth. I do not live in Logansport (nor do I even know what state that it is in), but here are sine quick thoughts in helping those you are serving:
First 鈥?maybe think about the idea of turning your paradigm around by 180 degrees! Instead of asked local potential employers who might be hiring, ask if they could use somebody to make certain improvement to their business. Example: If one of the people in your group is an outstanding cleaner 鈥?you could ask the local businesses if they would realize more profit to their company if it could be keep cleaner? Then pair your person with the company.
I do admit that it may take a little more time to find out what the various local businesses may need, but here is where the people in your group could help themselves. Get a couple of them on the phone and start calling all the local companies and try to talk to the highest level person that they can get to. The question that they should ask the top manager is: 鈥淲hat is happening in your business or industry that tends to keep you up at night?鈥?br>
Then get those in your group to brainstorm ideas of how they could help fix, eliminate or at least less the impact of those key issues that have been learned. Have the person with the best skill set for that task then make an appointment with the manager of the company and present how they can help the manager with the issue/problem. Using this technique will bypass the age of query about how might have an opening in a company (as many companies will simple say no). However, if one of your people can show initiative in help an company to improve their bottom line, then opening will be created for your people!!!!
Other ideas:
* Given the type of business that you are in (and I highly respect and thank you for your service to those individuals), you organization may be a not-for-profit organization. If so, then you might want to contact any local print, radio and/or television networks about running free public service announcements for your group. You could even offer a variation of the suggestion above and say in the advertisement that a group of (your) people can come into an organization to assess possibilities for improving the company.
If you or someone else in your organization does not already know how to do this, then I would suggest checking out the 鈥淓ncyclopedia of Associations鈥?(should be able to find this in the reference section of any major library or a version of it online) to see if there are any professional organization who might meet locally the could suggest ideas to your group on doing this (American Management Association, The American Society for Quality, etc).
* Ask each of the participants in your group to look over the Encyclopedia of Associations to identify what might interest them and ask them to contact those organizations. See if local groups are available for person who is interested and help them attend the meetings. Once the local professions get to meet and talk to your people, opening should start becoming available.
* Buy several copies of the book 鈥淩ich Dad Poor Dad鈥?or get them from the library along with others like this). Ask the people at your company to read this book and other like it and then have them sit and talk about what it might mean to them and how they might be able to apply the lessons that are discussed. This technique should be used with any number of book topics to help the individuals learn more about business, themselves and what is need in today鈥檚 economy.
It could also lead into discussions around how some of your people could start their own organizations or part-time businesses that could be enjoyable for them. Example: I do know of one company 鈥?Leelanau Lavender Breezes (http://www.leelanaulavender.com) that is a relatively new start-up company. It is being run by a couple in northern Michigan and they are trying to grow and expand their product line (they actually have the first commercial Lavender Farm in Michigan). However, with only the two of them, they are finding very difficult to get the extra products made that they would like. 鈥?If some of your people would be interested and have the skills, they could work from home to make products for this company. They should contact the couple through the website.
* You might also want to set up weekly meeting with everyone in your group and invite local business leaders (companies, hospitals, schools (any in area including community colleges or universities, government agencies {from fire and police to the mayor and city counsels}) and ask these leaders to talk about how anyone can contribute to the local community. If the people in your organization can get engaged with these leaders in good questioning and talking about the local issues, they may very well find themselves being asked to become more involved {i.e. many local counsels actually pay for someone to participate in activities for the counsel and these are almost always part time efforts).
* Contact the Nightingale Connate organization in the Chicago area (http://www.nightingale.com). Try to talk with Vic Connant (the current President and son of one of the founders) and tell him what your organization is doing. Nightingale Connant is the largest producer of audio/video training program in the world and they have many contacts all over the world in areas of self-help, organization, business, self-esteem and many other topics.
If you do your homework ahead of time on what is being offered, you might request for some samples or free tapes sets to be used at your organization and/or seek contact information of some of the author (especially the long time people who have been doing that stuff for many years) as some of them might be willing to donate time and or other efforts to help train/motive some of your people to improve their skills.
OK 鈥?these are some initial ideas that could assist you and those you work with to find meaningful position that can be fun and enjoyable.
Good Luck Good for you! I did the exact same thing. Helped special children, and I still do. I even do Foster Parenting. But to make money I found working at home were I can be with my family and also help those people out there who want to become finanically Independent.
I now work at home, the hours I want to work. Very small price to pay for this opportunity 4 more. Check out the website! The Next Step Is YOURS! |
