Source Force Advocates on Capitol Hill (June 10, 2010)
(Left): AbilityOne employees meet with Congressman Jim Moran (Center). Also pictured L to R: Byron Cole, Cindy Toth, Lori Thieberger, Kevin Ogletree and Jack Busby. (Middle): AbilityOne advocates meet on the steps of Capitol Hill.(Right): The 2010 Source Force Advocacy Team
Twenty-one advocates from across the ServiceSource Network participated in the NISH-sponsored Grassroots Advocacy Training in Washington, DC on June 7-10, 2010. Following a day of training on issues relevant to AbilityOne and learning how to be self-advocates, seven individuals with disabilities who are employed on AbilityOne contracts had the opportunity to speak with Members of Congress and their staff. In total, the Source Force advocacy teams met with 12 Congressional offices to tell their story of how the AbilityOne Program has a positive impact on their lives.
The 2010 Source Force advocacy team included representatives from three ServiceSource Network affiliates, including OCI, headquartered in Wilmington, DE; Employment Source, headquartered in Fayetteville, NC and ServiceSource, headquartered in Alexandria, VA. The following teams made visits to the Congressional offices:
OCI: Brian Cornell, AbilityOne employee at Dover Air Force Base and Josh Latshaw, OCI staff member, visited staff from the offices of Senators Tom Carper, Ted Kaufman and House Member Michael Castle.
Employment Source: Mitch Kater, AbilityOne employee at the Fort Bragg Soldier Reception Center and Charles Crowell, Employment Source staff member, visited staff from Senators Richard Burr and Kay Hagan’s offices, as well as Congressmen Bob Etheridge and Mike McIntyre’s offices. Congressman McIntyre visited with Mitch and Charles personally.
ServiceSource: AbilityOne employees representing ServiceSource included Jack Busby, from 8th and I US Marine Corps Barracks food service, Byron Cole and Cindy Toth from Department of Commerce mail services, Kevin Ogletree from Environmental Protection Agency mail services and Lori Thieberger, who works on the Corpsman Assault Pack production at ServiceSource. Other advocates participating were Mary Beth Busby, Paul Cole, Steve Toth, Bill Ogletree and Paul and Courtney Thieberger. The ServiceSource team visited staff from the offices of Senators Mark Warner, Jim Webb and Congressman Gerry Connolly, Jim Moran and Frank Wolf. Congressman Moran personally met with the AbilityOne employees while they were on Capitol Hill.
During their visits with Congressional Members, the Source Force advocacy teams spoke of proposed legislation that will modernize and improve the AbilityOne Program. The legislative language is currently being reviewed by House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. All of the AbilityOne employees shared how much their jobs meant to them and how much they appreciated having a job to go to everyday, particularly in light of the high unemployment rate. Participants asked that Members of Congress support efforts to increase the number of people employed on AbilityOne contracts.
May 3rd, 2010
ServiceSource Expands Day Support Program Services
ServiceSource has provided community-based day support services since the early 1990’s. These programs have steadily grown over the years, and now serve more than 100 individuals in the communities of Fairfax, Prince William and Arlington Counties in Virginia. ServiceSource’s day support programs are a terrific opportunity for individuals with severe disabilities who might not otherwise be able to access the community, to explore and work in a community-based setting.
The day support programs provide a community-integrated setting where individuals with disabilities learn daily living skills such as shopping in local retail stores, cooking, cleaning and minor home maintenance. Additionally, the program offers a home base in which individuals receive music and art therapy, recreational and horticultural programs, paid work experiences and sensory stimulation activities.
Many of the innovative services provided in our day support programs have been supported and enhanced by the ServiceSource Foundation; a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering people with disabilities to participate fully in community life. The Foundation accomplishes this by developing and providing resources that increase opportunity and foster sensitivity and support for individuals with disabilities in the community.
Purchase of The Prince William Neighborhood Place and renovations to both the Annandale and Prince William locations were made possible by grants totaling more than 1 million dollars from the ServiceSource Foundation. Since its inception in 2004, the ServiceSource Foundation has raised approximately 1.2 million dollars for programs supporting individuals with disabilities in the community through individual gifts and contributions from private and public foundation. These contributions, including a recent unrestricted gift of $10,000 from the Zimmerman-Heimbach family foundation, allow the organization to prioritize its needs to provide both critical and unique services for community-members with disabilities.
“Hundreds of individuals with disabilities have benefited enormously from the generosity of the ServiceSource Foundation and our Trustees. The Foundation is truly committed to raising money that goes in direct support of the individuals we serve,” commented Janet Samuelson, President and CEO of the ServiceSource Network.
Recently, the Foundation funded dance and music therapy programs for ServiceSource Day Support programs. As part of these programs, trained therapists visit ServiceSource Day Support Programs at Prince William Neighborhood Place, Alexandria, Woodmont Community Integration Center and the Employment Center at Edsall Road. The dance and music classes are not only a great social activity; they also serve to enhance motor skills and memory, and allow individuals to express thoughts and emotions in a creative and fun way. Another exciting Foundation-sponsored program currently underway will allow day support program participants to participate in weekly therapeutic horseback riding lessons at the Northern Virginia Center for Therapeutic Riding in Clifton, VA.
