Thank you to everyone who attended or donated in support of our annual breakfast, held on March 28! Together we raised just over $100,000 to support the employment goals of people with disabilities served by AtWork!.

More than 250 friends joined us in our new location at the Hyatt Regency in Bellevue. We welcomed back our long-time emcee Dennis Bounds from King5 News, who as usual delivered a great program full of AtWork! successes.  Other speakers included AtWork!’s Board Treasurer Bob Strayhan, Community Enterprises of Issaquah founder John Williams, and Bellevue School District transition student Mai Ly.

Congratulations to our 2013 Supporter of the Year, Genie! Genie is a brand of Terex Arial Work Platforms, a diversified global manufacturer of a broad range of equipment that is focused on delivering reliable, customer-driven solutions for many applications, including the construction, infrastructure, quarrying, mining, shipping, transportation, refining, energy, utility and manufacturing industries. Genie manufactures products such as man-lifts, stick booms, articulated booms, light towers, and telehandlers, all in the distinctive “Genie blue.”  Genie currently employs two AtWork! clients full time on the production line at its manufacturing facility in Redmond, and is looking to hire number three!

Genie HR Manager Michele Gillis, accepting the award on behalf of Genie, gave a powerful speech on the business case for accommodations for people with disabilities and the positive effect a diverse workforce and an improved work environment has on the bottom line.  The 2013 Genie video is now available for viewing on our YouTube page.

Special thanks also goes to our sponsors Costco Wholesale, Coinstar Inc, PSAV Presentation Services, Genie, Lindley Properties, and Steve Sirich, plus all of our wonderful table sponsors, benefactor sponsors, and table captains. For a full list, please visit our annual breakfast page.

Like many others, the changing of the new year at AtWork! is a time to reflect, and make plans and goals for the coming year.. When tackling a huge goal like Changing the Face of Employment™ for people with disabilities, we have to really aim high to achieve the kind of impact our clients deserve, so we thought we would share some of our new year’s resolutions with you, because we cannot achieve them without your belief and support.

• 44 Placements in Integrated Employment! In 2011, we broke records when we placed 33 clients in community jobs, more than double any previous year. In 2012 we turned around and broke our own record, placing 39. We want to keep this trend going, so in 2013, our Employment Services team is going to place 44!

• Snohomish County, Here We Come! Beginning in May, we plan to offer AtWork!’s employment services to residents of Snohomish County.

• Transformation Complete! On September 30, 2013 AtWork! plans to complete our six-year transformation and officially cease to offer “Prevocational Services.” This is the last, lingering bit of our sheltered workshop era. By this time, our goal is to have every single client currently receiving “PreVoc” services engaged in meaningful activity in the community. The production work performed by the shop will continue as a stand-alone social enterprise, Packaging & Assembly Powered by AtWork!

• Self-Sustaining Social Enterprise! One of our most challenging goals for 2013 is to nurture our four social enterprises into viable and self-sustaining, even profit-making, businesses. Through a mixture of new sales, revenue capture, cost control and service efficiencies, our social enterprises will fulfill the promise of mission support through both client training opportunities AND revenue.

• Graduation to Employment! In 2012, AtWork! rated among the most successful vendors in the School-to-Work program, successfully placing 100% of our graduating transition students in 2012, as well as already securing placements for several of our 2013 graduates. Here’s to doing it again in 2013!

How about you? Do you have any great new year’s resolutions to share? Comment on our blog or share your resolution with us on Facebook, and we’ll enter you into a drawing for five free movie rentals from our awesome 2012 Supporter of the Year, Coinstar/Redbox!

Wendy Randall, AtWork!’s Director of Quality and Community Access received a Legacy Award from the Arc of King County and was recognized as an “Employment Hero” by Dennis Bounds, emcee of the event. Wendy has made a difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities for more than 25 years. She has been a catalyst for community inclusion, building the framework and pathway for over 100 people with disabilities to find their dream job. Her influence helped AtWork! move from a sheltered workshop to a community based service model. Wendy believed people with disabilities could do it before anyone else believed it could be done. When AtWork! was poised to make the strategic decision to move forward with community inclusion and a community job for all, Wendy was the believer who inspired others.

Aimee Sharp will receive the Alliance of Eastside Agencies Nonprofit Staff Member of the Year award on June 13. Aimee is an Employment Consultant with AtWork!; her primary role is to help people with disabilities find and keep good jobs. She is also passionate about public policy. Aimee joined the Community Employment Alliance to help people with disabilities advocate for themselves and for the services and funding they need to succeed. She launched the Employment for All Facebook page to keep people informed and organized dynamic grassroots advocacy. With her help, our State Legislature unanimously adopted SB6384, a law ensuring that people with disabilities have access to jobs, and the state budget for employment services remained intact. Aimee is a leader in best practices service delivery and public policy/ advocacy that together bring equal opportunity to people with disabilities. She is changing lives and how society includes its citizens with disabilities.

“AtWork! is very proud to have staff members like Wendy and Aimee, who are so committed to providing excellent services, and furthering the cause of employment for all people with disabilities,” said Chris Brandt, AtWork!’s CEO. “These highly successful professionals go above and beyond to make a difference in the lives of people with disabilities, and I am happy to see them receive this recognition.”

Parlette, R-Wenatchee, received her award at the Community Employment Alliance luncheon today in Spokane, where she addressed members of the organization.

“The law we passed this year puts the focus on securing meaningful employment for disabled individuals, which makes a real difference to them and their families,” said Parlette. “It will also have a positive impact on their communities and the employers that hire them. It was a pleasure to work closely with individuals, employers and advocacy groups all across Washington to get this important legislation passed.”

AtWork!’s CEO, Chris Brandt, is President of the CEA and took the opportunity to personally thank the Senator for her efforts at the Spokane Awards Luncheon.

Parlette’s measure reinforces Washington’s employment-first policy for people with disabilities by:

• Directing the state to work with counties and stakeholders to strengthen and expand existing community-access programs that integrate disabled people into their communities, as well as support independent living and skills.
• Requiring that individuals 21 years of age and older be enrolled in supported employment for nine months, at which point they would be offered the choice of transitioning to community access programs. The House of Representatives amended the bill slightly to allow an exemption to this practice in some circumstances – a change Parlette believes improved upon the original bill, and one that was accepted by the Senate before it moved on to the governor to be signed into law.

The Community Employment Alliance is a non-profit advocacy organization with a membership network of 50 businesses and employment service providers located across Washington. Its members provide services to more than 10,000 people with disabilities. The alliance’s mission is to advocate, educate and partner for employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Employment programs in Washington help people with developmental disabilities earn $40 million in wages each year. For every dollar invested there is a return to taxpayers of $1.46. To maintain federal matching dollars for these programs, Washington must continue in the same direction as the federal government, which is employment-focused. Parlette’s legislation takes the state in that direction.

“It was a tremendous honor to be recognized today with this award,” Parlette said. “This is one of the most meaningful and impactful pieces of legislation I’ve had the opportunity to sponsor during my time as a legislator. It’s partnerships like this that make doing this job such an honor!”

Proposed by Sen. Linda Evans Parlette, SB 6384 would reinforce Washington’s employment-first policy for people with disabilities. The bill requires that individuals be enrolled in supported employment for nine months, at which point they will be offered the choice of transitioning to community access programs. The measure that passed the Senate also directs the state to work with counties and stakeholders to strengthen and expand existing community access programs that integrate disabled people into their communities, as well as support independent living and skills.

“Washington has been a leader in pursuing a policy direction focused on giving individuals with disabilities the opportunity to work,” said Parlette, R-Wenatchee. “We have supported this policy in the state budget for eight years. With this bill, it will be put formally into state law.”

Employment programs in Washington help people with developmental disabilities earn $40 million in wages each year. This type of supported employment is a primary and vital service for people with developmental disabilities and their families. It is also self-sustaining; for every dollar invested there is a return to taxpayers of $1.46. To maintain federal matching dollars for these programs Washington must continue in the same direction as the federal government, which is employment-focused.

“This is one of the most important pieces of legislation I’ve sponsored during my time as a legislator,” Parlette said. “The impact on the lives of these individuals and their families will be tremendous, and it’s been a privilege to help.”

AtWork! staff and self-advocates (people with disabilities supported by AtWork!) were in Olympia as part of a state-wide rally for Employment for All Day. Chris Brandt AtWork! CEO and President of the Community Employment Alliance, a state-wide advocacy organization of supported employment providers, introduced Senator Parlette to over 100 advocates and their supporters on the steps of the south portico in the Capital Building. Senator Parlette joined the rally as Andi Smith, Executive Policy Advisor to the Governor read a proclamation from Governor Gregiore declaring the day, Employment for All Day.

The people supported by AtWork!, the staff who support them and our fellow advocates and supporters across this great state were overwhelmed with the recognition they received. For people with disabilities who have to struggle to help others see their value as citizens, employees, and integral members of our communities…yesterday was a transformative event. We watched with tears of joy and pride as we heard Senator Parlette’s testimony and that of her colleagues, heard aye after aye as the employment first bill pass unanimously, and then received recognition as the Senator’s special guests.

Jobs bring status, respect, and dignity. Senator Parlette and the Senate gave all of this and more yesterday.

SB 6384 is now before the House of Representatives for consideration.

Also interviewed were Bob Hargadon, Vice President of Human Resources for Drugstore.com and Guy Silver, Director of Employee Communications for Costco Wholesale, Inc.