The following article was posted on PC Recycler, Inc.’s website to publicize the organization’s new partnership with MVLE. To learn more about PC Recycler, Inc. check out their website at www.PCRecycler.net

MVLE and PC Recycler Team Up for the Community

MVLE was an organization founded in 1971 by concerned parents of adult individuals with disabilities. These parents were seeking to create opportunities for their children beyond the special education they had completed in their high schools. Now, its purpose to create opportunities for people with disabilities to successfully participate in community life has not changed. Growth and change has occurred because of the improvement of their methods and environments through which MVLE has created such opportunities.

Among these opportunities is the ability to receive training and experience in a real-life work environment. These individuals are now working in different work climates according to their skills and interests. MVLE’s growth has expanded their focus from center-based services into community businesses, where training and support take place on the job, in the context of small, supported employment groups.

Within the last month, a team of individuals from MVLE have been added to PC Recycler’s workforce. It has been PC Recycler’s effort to encourage community work programs in order to boost involvement and reach out to the community.

This experience allows them to gauge the levels of expectations for their work and productivity. PC Recycler gladly facilitates opportunities for those in MVLE to expand their horizons for the future.

Below is a letter from the desk of MVLE, Inc. President April Pinch Keeler:

PC Recycler and MVLE have teamed up to bring a community together, with a common goal in mind…recycle and keep the world “GREEN.”

PC Recycler has stepped outside the box to explore a new demographic of employees. They are people like you and me, who happen to have disabilities, which in most cases would have kept them from being employed. By joining forces with MVLE, PC Recycler has put opportunity into the hands of the intellectually challenged and has gained a Motivated, Valuable, Loyal group of Employees. Together, we have found that skill and productivity are the front runners of a well-oiled machine as found within the PC Recycler warehouse. We are able to meet both parties’ needs by:

providing productive employees;

keeping the planet Green;

meeting PC Recyclers outreach and commitment to the community; and

employing people with disabilities.

MVLE is a not-for-profit organization that works to “Create Futures, one Person at a Time” for people with disabilities through employment and support services. Companies like PC Recycler allow these employment opportunities to happen. MVLE works with each company to find employees needed to get the job done and get it done right! I would like to take this opportunity to thank PC Recycler for looking beyond the disability and seeing a person who wants to be employed.

Please visit www.MVLE.org to learn more about our organization.

Sincerely,

April Pinch Keeler

President, MVLE, Inc.

One of MVLE’s newest faces, Jonathan Wright, began working in the Production Department on Fullerton Road in November. He is a graduate of West Springfield High School and an incredibly smart young man whose reading and math skills impress his supervisors. The world of work is new and exciting to Jonathan, who expressed his preference for the mailroom environment over his finished years at school. Jonathan is a thorough worker, and his favorite task is labeling envelopes. He said that although at times he feels tense when he doesn’t know how to complete a new task, his supervisors have been very helpful.
Beyond his daily work, Jonathan enjoys many hobbies and activities at home, such as watching TV and playing video games. He is also an avid sports fan, specifically basketball and college football. He represented his support for Virginia Tech’s college football team by sporting a Hokies’ T-shirt. Jonathan also loves basketball and shared his dream to play professionally. Jonathan is truly a young man with great talents and goals; he has become a treasure to the Production Department and friend to the peers and staff with whom he works.

Carlos has been involved in the PSSG program since this past summer, when he transitioned from Community Employment Services to Center-Based support. Carlos is commended for the great progress he has made since coming to PSSG. He holds a sense of responsibility for attendance and understands that he needs to tell his mom when he does not want to be at work. He has emerged as a phenomenal leader in PSSG by helping to initiate and coordinate several events. He planned a Spanish fiesta, for which he led several Spanish dances. In celebration of his birthday on January 1st, Carlos presented a teaching on plants, including edible plants like carrots and artichokes. Carlos is very proactive and involved in his service plan, as he regularly asks for feedback on his progress and has expressed the desire to return to his previous job. However, he also enjoys being a part of the PSSG program and helping his new-found friends, such as Bobby, Susan, Jennifer, Brian, and Alison. His favorite daily activities are reading and using the computer, and he likes walking to the park during his free time outside of work. Carlos said, “my time at MVLE has been great; I am nice to people and people are nice to me.”

Scott is one of the most dedicated workers in Springfield’s Community Access program. He is also one of the most amiable workers, as he arrives at MVLE every morning enthusiastically greeting staff and peers. Scott is a member of a group that cleans Mt. Vernon Presbyterian Church in Alexandria. He contributes to his crew’s work by disposing trash, dusting, mopping, cleaning the restroom, and wiping tables. His multi-cleaning capabilities keep the church well-sanitized for toddlers who attend the day care program. Scott excels at his job responsibilities. His positive and cheerful disposition makes him an invaluable team member. He is always excited about getting his work done and is helpful to the staff and peers with whom he works. Scott’s dedication to working in the community and outgoing personality are especially important when considering the challenges he faced when he first came to MVLE five years ago. At that time, Scott had a one-on-one supervisor in the Community Access program and was afraid of men who had beards. These struggles inhibited him from community-based group work. However, staff saw potential in Scott and worked with him to increase his independence and exposure to the community. Today, Scott has successfully overcome these past challenges and continues to shine as an integral member of his work crew and a prominent leader in Community Access.

“I’m the man with the plan!” John O’Leary is often heard repeating these words with pride, knowing that his personal growth is something about which to brag. John entered Production in the Chantilly center nearly a year ago, in February of 2007. At this time, he had never before worked in a facility-based Day Program. He came to MVLE with much fear and anxiety, of which staff was warned. However, he blew all of staff’s pre-formed perceptions and expectations out of the water! John quickly learned to self-regulate when feeling anxious and now allows staff to assist him in these instances. He adjusted easily to his new work environment and enjoys completing mailing tasks. He exudes an outgoing and friendly personality and gets along well with peers. He has made many friends, such as Mike, Jack, and Rachel. Supervising staff Rosemary Morris boasted of John’s progress: “He has come a long way. He has been awesome!”

Upon entering PSSG in Chantilly on a Friday afternoon, strands of booming, up-tempo music can be heard from down the hall. Sitting among his peers and staff, Scott Downing is seen swaying to the rhythm of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” while grinning in delight. It is apparent that Scott is a lover of music, and staff confirms that sensory stimulation and music appreciation are some of Scott’s favorite aspects of the PSSG program. Recently, Scott has become more responsive to re-direction and more patient and easy-going. He excels at remaining on task and enjoys completing task trainings. He is also very smart and is renowned for browsing magazines and removing the pages that most interest him. In addition, Scott models independence, self-advocacy and personal choice. He gets along well with staff and will let his supervisors know when he needs assistance. He understands the importance of sharing his thoughts, needs, and desires, and he excels at communicating via his communication board. Scott is an example to his peers and staff of the quality of life that a determined individual with the MVLE difference can enjoy.

When Casey Roller began working at MVLE last July, the Chantilly Community Access program was infused with fresh energy, spunk, and smiles. Casey is renowned for her pleasant and bubbly temperament and considerate and cooperative personality. Upon intake into Community Access, Casey adjusted well and developed beautiful relationships with her peers and supervisors. She also became infamous for her willingness to work; Casey is currently employed at all three of the community sites available through the program! At two of the sites she helps clean area grounds and wipes windows. For the remaining site, she rolls and delivers newspapers once a week. Casey not only completes her own work with zeal and excellence, but she offers help to her peers and staff as well. When asked to do something, she never says no and is always the first to volunteer to assist with setting up activities. When Casey arrives at MVLE each morning, she proclaims with arms uplifted, “I’m here! I made it!” When she returns to the Center after work each day, she announces, “I’m back!” Her enthusiasm for work, friends, and life is contagious and a true treasure at the Chantilly Center.

            On Monday, April 21, 2008, at 10:00a.m., MVLE, Inc. and APTS will kick off their Fifth Annual Project Discover Charity Golf Tournament at Old Hickory Golf Club in
Woodbridge, VA.  Project Discover stands for Developing Integrated Skills through Community Outreach and Vocational and Educational Resources and epitomizes MVLE’s and APTS’s missions to enhance the lives of individuals with disabilities, their families, and their communities.  Through this outreach event, MVLE and APTS hope to raise awareness of and resources for their services to individuals with disabilities.            Last year, MVLE and APTS raised over $50,000 at the 2007 Project Discover Charity Golf Tournament.  This year, the goal is to raise $75,000.  There are many ways to support Project Discover; MVLE and APTS need the help of dedicated individuals, families, and businesses like you in order for this outreach event to be a success!  Please contact Alexandra Koury at alex@mvle.org or call 703-569-3900.  Continue to check “Upcoming Events” on the MVLE website for more information.

On January 11^th, MVLE jubilantly submitted the final application for the United States Senate Productivity and Quality Award for Virginia (also known as the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award at the national level).  The application process was initiated over a year ago, when the Evaluation and Planning Department conducted an agency self-assessment to determine which facets of MVLE’s underlying systems and processes needed improvement.  Since then, MVLE has focused on major quality initiatives to not only make itself SPQA-worthy, but to improve overall organizational performance and productivity.  The actual application-writing process began in the spring of 2007, when seven employee teams collaborated to gather information regarding SPQA’s focus categories: leadership; strategic planning; customer focus; measurement, analysis, and knowledge management; workforce focus; process management; and results.  As the category teams diligently answered the SPQA application questions, it became apparent that many strong foundational systems exist within MVLE and uphold a standard of excellence and a platform for sustainable organizational growth.  The information-gathering, question-answering, and category-writing process continued through the fall, when the final picture of MVLE’s productivity and quality was depicted through the 55-page application document.  In several months MVLE will be notified of its application status.  At this point, the agency may move into the second phase of the application process and receive a site visit from several SPQA examiners.  Regardless of whether or not MVLE receives a site visit and/or is then awarded the SPQA, a Feedback Report will be sent to management.  The Feedback Report is created by a team of examiners and lists specific agency strengths and opportunities for improvement; this document will provide management with a wealth of knowledge on how to improve existing strategies to increase organizational excellence.  Check back periodically for regular updates on the SPQA process.

Over the next few weeks, MVLE will be developing this blog to keep stakeholders notified of everything happening in and around MVLE. Come back often to see the latest updates!