HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1980-02-28, Page 75Sixteen: yeax'S ago lbw. .doll& ng.,. at . Queen For .tato. ftro.t ,ears , . three clients.: 44104
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Adult Rehabilitation Elizabeth awl had no the .Tfnsmext Clob of package 204 dozen eno l
Centre 'Workshop- (ARC)
opened, in .the -G.Aderieh
Kinsmen club house,..
Three .• youngg mentally
-handieapped: women,
under the Supervision pf
Evelyn Carroll,: kept busy
at . -the . Centre ' for three
hours a day making
saleable crafts:
Today ' the Centre.. is
open 7',4 hours a day, five.
days a week for 12
months of the year.
'Twenty-one mentally
-liaadiea ped-- du1ts- :(
clients as they are
called), still under the
supervision •of - Mrs.
Carroll, not only make
S afire cr�c ft6 Wi fill lir
contract work for several
different corppanies as
well.
Mrs. Carroll says the
workshop was started
largely . through the ef-
forts of .Mrs. Bonnie
Graham.. principal of the
Queen Elizabeth School
for mentally handicapped
children. Three students
had reached the age of 18,
were finished their
,:place to go, The need for
A' workshop was then
perceived.'
Itepresentati' es fretn
s-everal different
Organizations . in town
were assembled ;.into a
committee in the hopes of
starting a 'workshop. The
committee advertised for
a workshop manager for
several months. but to no
avail,
Mrs. Carroll, who was
representing the Ladies'
or
Legion-Auxiliary-en-
workshop
e:g n -Aux liar -y e
workshop : committee,
then , volunteered to try.
the manager's position
herself. -
"I vol titeered t1) get t -
(the workshop) off the
ground for three months
'providing they (the
committee) keep ad-
vertising for a manager. I•
thought anybody could do
it with patience and a few
craft ideas," she says.
Sixteen years later,
Mrs. Carroll can look
back and say that it has
all been "really rewar-
ding„
`0oderieb supplied 'their
club 'house on Keays
' : Street for' the workshop
rent-free ..Then • three
years. ;:ago a pew addition
was built onto the club
house .(known .: as 'the
Kinsn en Centre)- and
two years ago, the
program was extended
and • two more staff
members were hired tq
teach the clients wood-
working, ceramics and
life skills such as cooking,'
ra - o -g; ----
The workshop was
sponsored by the Rotary
Club of Goderich for one
year. But when the Board
of ")Education took over
the : Queen Elizabeth
School from the Goderich
Association for the
Mentally Retarded, the
Association asked to take
over sponsorship of the
workshop so it could
remain active.
The Sheaffer Pan
Company provided work
for the workshop's clients
right from the beginning,
says Mrs. Carroll. At first
i.., &?5 I,V1P283'SEA„iF,wYpiSE w?w:'vs-,...d.a emr�%ion.
leads per month for the
company and now four
.clients can package 100
dozen . pencil • leads per
day, They ,alSo• Make . up •
gift boxes and . package
ink -cartridges and
erasers for the company
now:•
Four . clients are
responsible for a contract
involving the making of
drainflags for . drain
contractors. They, make
400 flags.a day alon with -
-theft-Ot ger w —
The clients also fold
and staple the Legion
Ladies' Auxiliary
bulletiz►s
Sof----they- are -
ready for mailing. They
have done some
cataloguing work in the
past too.
They look after . the
grounds at the Kinsmen
Centre, shovelling snow
in winter and raking
leaves and cutting the
lawn in the other months,
They are quite willing to
do yard work' for other
people too ` (phone 524-
4664). coffee break at 1.0 a -m
They do ceramics and
make WQ0den toys under
the supervision of Mrs.
Barb Lennon. Their
prodticts are for sale but
it is often a problem
finding a market, says
Mrs. Carroll. They are
given space at the
Metropolitan Store in the
S.uncoast Mall about once
a month in which to sell
their products and people
can also go directly to the
Centre to make pur-
chases.
The clients at the
--Ceutre wurkshop`atarr
eaoh day off with rhyth-
mic exercises at 8:50
a.m. to wake themselves
up. Jane _ N,etzke of the
Goderi Recreation
Office supervises supervises this
part of the day.
Local clients walk to
the Centre (seven of them
simply have to walk
across the street from the
Group Home where they
live) and those from the
surrounding townships
and Clinton are driven
there in a van.
Work begins after the
exercisesfollowed by a
The official opening of the new Kinsmen Centre April 25, 1977
CONGRATU LATIONS
We're proud of what Kinsmen has done for Canada and for
what the Goderich dub has done for their community and
all those involved in the club.
Past President Ken McGee
Past President and Past Deputy Governor Doug Cruickshank
Director Craig Davidson
McGrEE--Pontioc Buick
SERVING MOTORISTS FOR OVER 50 YEARS
and theniat.prkt agate until
noon.
4t noon ;the ?Gand
staff ali.eatluncclienix at'thes
Centre. With a ,,:bit of
csulipenertsvpangi,th. tewxorens. ter,-
the week, makeMit
grocery lists/ go shopping
and prepare peals
each Monday to Friday
for all, 23 people! -
It's back to work again
after lunch. Mrs. Carroll.
says they all used to go
sk.ting and bowling
during the week once in
avrlule--but'-- grow --"it's
strictly work".
A- lot of the work is
repetitious but it doesn't
seem to • bother the
clients, says Mrs.
Carroll.
"They don't like to be
idle. It's amazing how
once they get their work
stations set up in the
mornings, they just go
ahead on their own and
start working."
Mrs. Carroll says it
doesn't take long for new
clients to learn their jobs
and she's never yet had
onewho couldn't learn.
They adjust well to the
work situation and learn
from each other as well
as herself, she says.
. Since she started
working at the ARC
workshop, Mrs. Carroll
has taken many short
courses, seminars and
summer courses on
management in con-
junction with the men-
tally handicapped. She. -
says there is a lot to be
learned from other
workshop managers too.
There are ARC
workshops as close as
Wingham and Dashwood.
In • working with the
mentally handicapped,
Mrs. Carroll has -found
that patience and un- -•
derstanding are the most -
important assets. She has
also found the clients to
be affectionate, willing
workers.
Mrs. Carroll explains
that the . workshop is
funded by the Ministry of.
Community and Social
Services_ d.j on':`'a real—_
strict budget".
She herself is paid for
her work at the Centre.
Her first three months
there were voluntary
though. She helped to get
the whole thing started as
"a service to the com-
munity." -
And_ .what. a •-s.ervice.
The ARC workshop is a
real credit to the Town of
Goderich, to all of the
people who have helped
support it over the years
and to all those clients
who work there so
diligently and happily.
Congratulations to the Kinsmen Club
on your 60th Anniversary. My
past relationship will arrays be remembered
Former Kin.
1A[_,If Denomme