Boltz finds niche in upholstery work
Some might say that Rosewood Services client Charles Bortz has a “cush” job. It’s not because the work he does is easy, but because he reupholsters furniture. Bortz is one of Rosewood’s clients who was recently placed by the revamped Employment Services Program. Since May 2, he has been working about a dozen hours a week for Central Kansas Custom Upholstery, 2200 Main St., Great Bend. He loves the job.
“It’s something different, and I’m learning new skills that I am able to use for employment,” Bortz said. “I’m learning the embroidery machine now; it has about 15 different needles and threads.”
Besides doing upholstery work on chairs, Bortz has upholstered pick-up seats. He’s screen printed T-shirts and he’s carefully placed iron-on embroidery on shirts. He also does carpet binding and answers the telephone, whatever is needed by business owner Nita Reimer and staff.
“I treat Charles like I do any other employee,” said Reimer. “I’m his boss, not his baby-sitter, and he knows what I expect from him. He’s done a good job working here for us.”
Rosewood Services Inc. has taken aggressive steps in the past six months to bolster its Employment Services Program for adults with developmental disabilities, said Vicki Schmitt, senior director. The changes have come on the heels of last year’s passage of the Kansas Employment First Initiative Act.
“We’ve always had employment services; we’ve always assisted our clients with getting jobs; we’ve always done job training, but this is an opportunity for us to revisit and improve our approach,” Schmitt said. “The state has placed an importance on ‘Employment First’ and we strongly agree with that view, so we have placed an importance on it as well.”
Hired in early March, Gwen Caro worked diligently to revamp the Employment Services Program. She was promoted to director of programming for Day Services in early July, but continues to oversee the program while it transitions to Rosewood’s employment services coordinator Melanie Lightfoot.
Besides working to match clients with community employers and performing monthly checks on clients employed in the community, Lightfoot and day coach Melissa Andrulis have begun teaching a series of workplace readiness classes to prepare clients in their respective jobs and job searches. The curriculum comprises four modules.
Currently, the duo is teaching two hour-long classes, two days a week. Each module lasts four weeks with the course ending in mid-November. Clients who successfully complete the coursework receive certification stating that they qualify for community employment.
Modules are: “Getting the job you want,” “Succeeding as an employee,” “Building positive relationships” and “Participating in your community.”
The program teaches clients the expectancy of responsibility, Schmitt said. At the same time, they are building relationships with employers.
The second offering of the course will begin in January.
“We will never achieve community employment for every client every time,” said Caro, “but the important concept here is that they are striving and building toward advancement. By them working the plan, we always have a true measurement of where they are in that process.”
