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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1980-06-19, Page 21n-anvnA+-+o ARC Industries By MARY ALDER -SON It's 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 aliving and they're 'doing jobs that more and more people want done: The place is ARC rf 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 stilia 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 employees. Next door at the bakery,freshbreadand other treats are produced daily by • handicapped employees. The maintenance crew keeps the ARC buildings spotlessand contract worker's de piece work for other companies. In the office program em- ployees nm the typewriters and photo copiers. Anything from minature baseball bats to floors for chicken barns are made in the wood working section. e'q AR,C manager Dave Hemingway says that a': present there are 62 em- ployees at ARC. Many live in residences in near -by towns such as Exeter or Thedford. The e rest come from Huron. Park, frensall, 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 tc, take another job. A staff of 11 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 unde the direction of SHD R. As well, the ssociation operates a sery school for the me ly handicapped in thei •uilding. Occasionally e of the ARC employees help oat 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. Some of of Industries leads a group the students she has to•teach the woodworking section of 'are at the primary level --she T -A photo 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 TOUR GROUP— Judy Tedball.of Thedford, an employee of ladies from the Grand Bend Women's Institute thro ARC. 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 the empl.oye9s 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 bow 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 ASC for.jour years. ! The food serttices 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- ployees will -alsoscut the, fruit cake and wrap it in'doilies and ribbon if .the bride wishes. They will also make tissue flowers for wedding cient business decorations, Industries. Debbie Wilbee is The bakery, located behind the ARC 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 span- 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. Employees working on the maintenance crew keep the ARC -building spotless. They also look after the grounds. Some former employes 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 'som'e office buildings. Recently they have done janitorial 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:nperaaiions44 ,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 the .office , department supervisor. In the Industrial contracts department, the employees will do light assembly for manufacturing companies, eoallating-- or-stuffingg-For _.. example, they have had jobs putting together taps' for' a London campany. Hem- ingway stresses that ARC does not do work that will take away from private jobs. These jobs are the kind that manufacturing eompaniezi have difficulty finding people to do. Hemi'ngway says proudly that he believes ARC to be the only Canadian supplier of farm drainage flags. These are the tiny bright coloured flags that are seen along the roadside when drainage is being put in. The flags are also used by oil companies when they want'teb mark i real 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 Tanners and - orders orders are coming in from as far away as St. Jacobs and 1-lanl$ver. 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,4'apd will finish the product `i the customer desires. Last.'fall, the em- ployees made 'all the street signs for the village of Arkona. They can make nd v It items, too. ARC isPPsu supply' g all , the small woodd;n`., 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. ° 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 CUTTING BLOCK'S -- 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 SIZING THINGS UP — Jim Hawke of Thedford and Jim Johnson of Huron Park check out the size before nailing together a shipping crate. The men are employees in the woodwork- ing section at ARC Industries. T -A photo CLEAN UP TIME --- George Stubbs of Port Franks sweeps sawdust into a special vacuum system thaf,drries it away. George is employed by ARC Industries in Dashwood. T -A photo ALWAYS BUSY -•- Rick McCann of Dashwood and Jerry Collins of Clinton are 'orking in the contract section of ARC. Industries. The men are doing some assembly work for Fleck manufacturing. T -A photo Every Sunday night OFFICE PROGRAM -- The 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 Popular concerts return to Harbour Park The very popular Sunday evening Harbour Park Concerts will commence their 12th consecutive season on June 22 at 7 p.m. with music provided by the Goderich District Collegiate Concert Band, Stage Band and Sing Out Choir. A very pleasant sur- prise awaits those who have not recently been exposed to GDCI's music. Music teachers'Al Mullin and Hugh McGregor are to be congratulated on the calibre of music the students are producing. Their efforts will be very evident in the presen- „tations of the Concert Band and the Stage Band. The latter group will r€'kindlefond memories of the big band era when the young people danced to the music of Glen Miller, The Dorseys, Benny Goodman, etc. The Sing Out Choir, under the direction of Eleanor Robinson, will be a special treat to those who enjoy fine four-part choral harmony. The June 29 concert, to be held in Court House Square at 7 p,rn, in conjunction with the Heritage Day .weekend celebrations, will feature the music of the Knights of Jazz from the Kin- cardine District Collegiate. A special feature concerning this concert will appear in next week's Signal -Star. In case of inclement weather, the June 22 and 26 concerts will be held in the Christian Education Hall of North Street United Church. .The i Laketown Band J will be introducing to the audiences three new groups, in"addition to the Knights of Jazz, ,all of whom will be par- ticipating in the concerts for the first time. The Ayr Kinsmen Band is scheduled for July 6, Forest Excelsior Concert Band on July 20 and, the North Street Church Male Quartet will share the August 3 program with the Laketown • Band. Returning are the always popular and welcome Norwich Musical Society Band, Goderich Teen Tones, CTaigellen Singers, Mount Forest Pipe Band, Mary Lynne Telford 1-tighland Dan- cers, the Scotland bound Paris Citizens' Band, Mitchell Legion Brass Band and the Forest Legion Pipe Band. Visiting bandsmen Note, over the years, commented on the wonderful support the tourists and the residents of Goderich and area give to the concerts and for this the Laketown Band personnel are ,most grateful. The summer of '80 promises to be another enjoyable season of relaxed, pleasant Sunday evenings in Harbour Park. The Bay Arts Council of Goderich's sister city, Bay City, Michigan is promoting a summer - long series of semi- weekly concerts in the beautiful renovated Wenonah Park on the riverfront. The Goderich Laketown Band, under the direction of Hugh McGregor will be honored to play the concert of August 16 and may possibly be ac- companied by Mrs. Irla Stewart's Teen Tones. The executive of the Laketown Band is presently endeavouring to arrange a reciprocal concert by the Bay City Concert Band in Harbour Park. The Laketown Band's personnel hope to make a contribution to the continuance of existing goodwill between thn't vh municipalities. itchell UFO sighted MITCHELL - No one's quite sure what was seen flying over Mitchell on June 8. An eyewitness reported seeing a shiny object ' "With very short wings and square like an ashtray" hovering over the town about 7 pm on Sunday, June 8. He said it came in at cloud level• from the northeastand heading in a weste ly direction before starting to .veer southwest about SA pm. Similar sightings were reported across south- western Ontario Sunday night. A London radio station reported than an object seen over Dash- wood later turned out to be a weather balloon. A8 to the one over Mitchell, who knoWs7