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Times-Advocate, 1980-03-26, Page 214, TOUR GROUP— Judy Tedball of Thedford, an employee of ARC Industries leads a group of ladies from the Grand Bend Women's Institute through the woodworking section of ARC. T-A photo CUTTING BLOCKS — Stan Pickering of Dashwood is kept busy at ARC Industries cutting spacer blocks used in the building of slatted floors for chicken barns. Supervisor Harry Stuart estimates that Stan will have cut about 900,000 of the small blocks before the chicken floor contract is, finished. T.A photo Tr, SIZING THINGS UP — Jim Hawke of Thedford and Jim Johnson of Huron Park check ouf the size before nailing together a shipping crate. The men are employees in the woodwork- hg section at ARC Industries. T-A photo CLEAN UP' TIME — George Stubbs of Port Franks sweeps sawdust into a special vacuum system that carries it away. George is employed by ARC Industries in Dashwood.T-A photo CONTRACT WORK — Employees of ARC Industries in Dashwood will do different jobs for other companies. Dianne Pitcher of Thedford is doing some assembly work for Fleck Manufacturing. T-A photo You can afford a NEW HOME! ,,AmtA9 ,., , ,,. . .. . .. ,. .........,:< .. ' ' . .... 1.... ,n',...f. M.4..i.A'14:414.. 433'' ... . .. ..,....... Ask us about Muttart"s affordable manufactured homes and the new Muttart... the DEVON Easy to buy and easy to build Muttart Manufactured Homes offer 38 family pleasing plans, all with energy efficient R-14 wall and R-31 ceiling insulation, Optional 2 x 6 walls and triple glazed windows are alsoi au wvaileabullcie. If you like your Muttart home customized to meet your individ- ual needs, our Home Planning Service allows revisions at reasonable cost or help in the development of your own plan. There's no down payment on a Muttart Mortgage once you own your lot. 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N7T 7L1 name address fe code phone I have my own builo, lot E:IvEs ONO - ........ NO. 4b Aim mu sa so as city Tint19$4404314, March 24, 1980 BY MARY A0E109114 It"8 not a sheltered workshop, nor is it really a rehabilitation centre. In fact, the latter part of the name is More accurate-industry. Indeed, it's big business. The people inside aren't students, or inmates or, heaven forbid, patients. They're employees, They're also mentally or physically handicapped. But they're earning allying and they're doing jobs that more and more people want done, The place is ARC Industries (Adult Rehabilitation Centre) in. Dashwood. Inside men and women are cooking, cleaning, building, typing, working,--busy. But even though ARC appears to be big business it is still a rehabilitation centre in that one of their aims is to prepare the mentally han- dicapped for other jobs. They also retain part of the schooling concept. A teacher is available, as well as life skills instructors. The work at ARC goes On in six other programs. The handicapped women em- ployed by food services prepare meals for the other eniploYees.Next,door at the bakery, freshbreadand other treats are produced daily by, handicapped employees. The maintenance crew keeps the ARC buildings spotless and Contract workers do piece work for other companies, In the office program em- ployees run the typewriters and photo copiers. Anything from ininature baseball bats to floors for chicken barns are made in the wood working section, ARC manager Dave Hemingway says that at present there are 62 em- ployees at ARC. Many live in residences in near-by towns such as Exeter or Thedford. The rest come from Huron Park, Hensall, Kippen, Clinton, Goderich, Lon- desboro, and even as far away as Lucknow. Buses bring them to. Dashwood by 8:30 a.m. and pick them up again at 3:30. ARC is for adults, the employees start at age 18 and, stay as long as they want, or until they are ready to take another job. A staff of 16 supervisors looks after the operation of the various programs, The officers for the South Huron Association for the Mentally Retarded are housed, in a building adjacent to ARC' Industries, ARC and the bakery are under the direction of SHDAMR, As well, the association operates a nursery school for the mentally handicapped in their building. Occasionally some of the ARC employees help out at the nursery. Marg Merner is the special education teacher at ARC. She is hired jointly by the Lambton and Huron county boards of education, Hemingway describes her as very versatile. Sortie of the students she has to teach are at the primary level-she has to go over learning the alphabet, counting, telling, time, and other basics, Other students are learning at a high school occupations level. Her teaching has to range from beginners to grade 10; Classes are held, four days a week, Along with the classroom education, the mentally handicapped have to be taught life skills, Hem- ingway says that the life skills class consists of things that other people would simply take for granted. For example, in the life skills class the employees are taken to a bank, and shown how to look after their earnings, They visit the library and learn how to use it. They go to the post office and learn how to, mail a letter. They are taught Personal hygeine, and how to dress and care for them- selves. Hemingway proudly says that recently the life skills section helped prepare one of the employe,:s to try his exam for a -beginners driver's licence. Reading road signs is taught in this course. Also included in the course are lessons on how to cook and clean and care for one's own home. Mary Vink and Nancy Backx are teachers in the life skills section. Food services is another program where many em- ployees are kept very busy. Paula Sereda is the super- visor in the food services department. Shes a graduate of Centralia College of Agricultural Technology in foods and has been with ARC for four years. The food services program looks after the cafeteria and prepares lunch for the em- ployees daily. They will also do catering or prepare banquets, either at ARC, or elsewhere. Last. week the Grand Bend Women's Institute met at ARC and enjoyed a turkey dinner with all the trimmings prepared by the food services department. A specialty of the food services department is wedding cake. The em, playees will also cut the fruit cake and wrap it in doilies and ribbon if the bride' wishes. They will also make All Canadians deserve full health care regardless of their ability, to pay, and the United Church is trying to see they get it, according to the April issue of the United Church Observer. In a brief of Chief Justice Emmett Hall, who is con- ducting a federal Health Service Review, the United Church recommends that each province establish an ,independent fee schedule In one of the best attended annual meetings in recent years officials of the Hay telephone system admitted that they had no real idea the number of telephone sub- scribers or what constituted a subscriber. The admission came as a result of continued questioning by Karl Haberer and Leary Thiel, both of Zurich. Thiel said he wanted to know whether the purchase of the old Zurich Citizens News building made him a subscriber in the company. Secretary-treasurer Bill Wagner said he didn't know and said the figure of 965 subscribers used in the annual report was a number which he had "inherited." Wagner stated he has begun an examination of the company's old records in an attempt to determine the actual number of sub- scribers. When Thiel stated that he should know, Wagner agreed but said he had received very little co-oneration from the Ontario Telephone System in the matter. "I can't determine who is a subscriber over night," Wagner stated. Wagner told the meeting that the Hay system was not alone in attempting to determine the number of subscribers. Haberer who served for many years on the telephone system, said one gentleman had opined that a subscriber Was tied into a residence and that if a residence was tissue flowers for wedding decorations. The bakery, located behind the ARO building, is also operated by ARC em- ployees, Marily McCallum is the bakeshop supervisor and Joan VanEssen is her assistant.; Unlike ARC Industries which receives government grants, the bakeshop is totally spon- sored by the local association. Hemingway says that it is a protected business operation. The bakeshop can supply huge quantities of doughnuts or cookies for a company party or a group meeting. Or you can simply stop by and pick up a loaf of bread or some squares. Eniployees working en the maintenance crew keep the ARC building spotless. They also look after the grounds, Some former employees now have positions as housekeepers, Hemingway says. The maintenance crew will work outside ARC, too. They have had jobs picking up litter at Pinery Provincial Park, and they look after cleaning in some office buildings. Recently they have donejanitorial work at the Bell Aerospace plant near Grand Bend. In the summer they're kept busy mowing lawns at churches and cemeteries, Frank Moore is the supervisor of the maintenance crew. Secretarial services are available • in the office program. The employees can operate the photocopier or duplicating machine if someone requires some copying work. They have had such jobs as running off fair prize lists. One of their big operations is producing the flyer put out by Merner's Meats in Dash- wood. As well, they will supply a mailing service. They will fold and stamp letters for any organization. The office program also looks after the bookkeeping and payroll for ARC Industries. Debbie Wilbee is the office department supervisor. In the Industrial contracts department, the employees will do light assembly for manufacturing companies, coallating or stuffing. For example, they have had jobs putting together taps for a London campany. Hem- review board that would also study doctors' complaints. The brief also says provinces should print the names of doctors who are in the provincial health plan, that dental and prescription insurance should be in- troduced for people at the low end of the average family income scale, and provinces should finance medicare through tax revenues instead of through premiums. destroyed it had to be replaced within a specified period of time for the sub- scription to be effective. Both Wagner and Haberer referred to the sale of the Wilmot telephone system and the discussions which arose over its dispersal of assets, In that case, the Wilmot telephone com- mission coined a definition for a subscriber but failed to notify the subscribers of their definition. Thiel expressed concern over who would benefit and who would pay if the system was either sold or became bankrupt. Haberer suggested that the present form of com- mission be dropped in favour of a system which would have representatives from the various areas which the company serves. At present, Hay township council acts as the commission. In another matter dealing with subscribers and sub- scriptions Thiel and Haberer expressed concern about the number of people who were under the impression that they not could become sub- scribers, Wagner said he believed the system could still take subscriptions but that he didn't know how or haw much they would cost, thanks to a lack of in- formation from the Ontario Telephone System. Commissioner Lloyd. Mousseau said it should be determined who are sub- scribers before encouraging people to take out sub- scriptions, ingway stresses that ARC does not do work that will take away from private jobs. These jobs are the kind 'that manufacturing companies have difficulty finding people to do. ' Hemingway says proudly that he believes ARC to be the only Canadian supplier of farm drainage flags. These are the tiny bright colourqd flags that are seen along, the roadside when drainage is being put in, The flags are also used by oil companies when they want to mark areas tested for oil. Vicky McLeod and Jane Rooseboom look after the industrial contracts area. The biggest operation at ARC is the woodworking section. Right now, em- ployees are very busy making Slatted floors for chicken barns. Word about their chicken floors has spread among farmers and orders are coming in from as far away as St. Jacobs and Hanover. Recently the employees in the woodworking section went on a bus trip to Seaforth to see some of their chicken floors in use. They also make pallet boxes for farmers, and big shipping crates for moving farm machinery. They are a big supplier of wooden survey stakes. The woodworking section sells its own brand of lawn or deck furniture--Cedarc. The solid cedar lawn chairs and tables have proved popular. They have also had orders for making cedar sun decks to measure, Wooden signs are another product of the wood working section. They have a paint shop, and will finish the product if the customer desires. Last fall, the em- ployees made all the street signs fer the village of Arkona, They can make novelty items, too. ARC is supplying all the small wooden souvenir hockey sticks you get at Maple Leaf Gardens, Soon they'll be making the tiny wooden baseball bats you buy at Bluejay games,. ' Hemingway again says that ARC will not undercut private business. The prices they charge are in line with other woodworking places. Harry Stuart, Larry Skinner, Paul Runnalls, and Brad McBride are all supervisors in the woodworking department. Hemingway says that the aim of ARC Industries is to provide a realistic working experience for the mentally and physically handicapped, And the way business is booming around there, it looks as if they are successful. ALWAYS BUSY — Rick McCann of Dashwood and Jerry Collins of Clinton are working in the contract section of ARC Industries. The men are doing some assembly work for Fleck manufacturing. , T-A photo asis on business :at ARC Call for health review` What's a subscriber? Hay telephone asks . OFFICE PROGRAM — he employees of the office program'of ARC Industries, do typing and copying for several area firms. Marilyn Clifton of Exeter is a typist, Terry Taylor of Thedford does odd jobs, Karen Whitmore of Seaforth looks after atten- dance, Margaret Kehn of Exeter is a tour guide, Doug Deline of Exeter looks after billing, and Colleen Carter of Londesboro is a bookkeeper. T-A photo