Exciting Things are Happening in Supported Employment
From the desk of Jackie Garman, Program Director
In this program, Blue Sky Acres provides employment and volunteer opportunities for individuals with special abilities after high school graduation in order to help them build job and life skills.
BSA currently has three fantastic employees who each work six hours a week. We acquired them through B & B Care Services of Springfield, GA. They are a great resource for us, as they seek to partner with employers and “provide assistance and job skills training to a diverse population of people, including those with disabilities.” What sets our program apart is that each employee that comes to us is paired with a skilled volunteer mentor that works one-on-one with them during their job shift.
Blue Sky Acres has been blessed with two locations for work opportunities, both in Guyton, GA. We may not have land to call our own yet, but that hasn’t stopped us from meeting the needs of those in our community who want to work and learn new skills. God continues to provide!
At one location, our employees do horse barn chores and farm maintenance. Horses provide a continual need for clean up and our workers are experts at picking up manure from fields and cleaning out the barn. There are water troughs and buckets to be scrubbed and refilled. Hay bags need to be prepared and fences and gates to be mended occasionally.
Recently one employee, Erin, learned the art of hanging up a water hose properly. If you have ever tried, you may know that it can be a frustrating thing wrangling a kinked-up, dirty commercial hose. After some instruction and guidance, she persevered each week and is now able to do it all by herself. I have never seen such perfect loops of hose! The second week into tackling this particular job, she commented “Ms. Jackie, I can hang the hose up myself… or at least I’ll try.” This is what makes us all smile. That kind of attitude is what we want, for each employee that comes to us to know we have high expectations for them, not desiring perfection, just the “I can do it!” attitude. Sometimes they surprise even themselves!
At our second location, a working produce and goat farm, we have been given the use of part of a metal building to set up a woodworking shop. This was a direct answer to prayer! Two of the young men employed with us, Matthew and Thomas, are learning construction and woodshop skills. They have their own tool belts outfitted with their own tools: a tape measure, hammer, drill and bits, etc. They are SO proud of their belts! In the woodshop, they are learning how to measure, drill pilot holes and then drive the screws into the wood. Matthew is especially good at pulsing the drill and knows just when to stop so the screw is flush with the top of the wood. These young men have amazing adult mentors pouring into them, Mr. Larry, the job foreman, as well as Mike and Bill, two new volunteers who are both an answer to prayer as well. Together, they have created a long workstation or workbench as well as two wooden work tables. Thomas is very strong so he has come in handy when things need to be moved or lifted. He is so eager to get to work on the days he is assigned. He takes great pride in putting on his gloves, safety glasses and especially that tool belt!
The second location is also a working farm so the employees have experienced how to care for goats, how to put up wire fences, fix chicken coops and so much more! Erin has been working in the garden and greenhouse. She has used the hand tiller and prepared the dirt ready for fall planting. She even helped harvest some okra and sweet potatoes one week.
At the horse farm, Matthew is proficient in driving the Ranger UTV used for dumping the manure at the back of the property. He worked up to the privilege of driving it on his own after some training and supervision. I have seen him back it up with precision. He is serious about his job. Mr. Larry was once using one hand to drive and Matthew put the opposite hand back on the steering wheel as he was driving it, gesturing to be safe and use two hands! Thomas is learning how to finish a task completely before moving on to something else. He was told to move some saddle racks, saddles and pads from the garage back to the tack room. He started the job but was called away, probably to help move something with his super strength. A while later I panicked because I could not find Thomas. He was not with Matthew or Erin. After a quick search, I found him back in the tack room. When I asked Thomas what he was doing, he simply said, “I’m finishing my job, Ms. Jackie. I wasn’t done putting this all away.” I had forgotten he was supposed to do that!
Working with these amazing young men and women is such a blessing for all the adults involved. It is so rewarding to see them try new skills that they never thought they could learn and frankly that the world probably thinks they can’t do. They have such potential and the desire to work. They show up for their shifts with smiles and an eagerness that is unmatched. The difference we are seeing is the significance of a patient mentor working alongside them, guiding and teaching them. Two such mentors are our own Ms. Pam and Ms. Karen (who is also employed by B&B as a job coach). They get right in there and do the work with the employees. They are teaching them job skills but also life skills such as how to talk respectfully to a co-worker that is in your way, how to stick with something even when it seems hard and so many more real-life, daily lessons. The laughter over getting manure flung on you or celebrating a birthday together is cultivating a family atmosphere where relationships are built.
The sky is the limit for the employees in the BSA Supported Employment program. Each work shift we are seeing more and more confidence and honing of skills. I can’t wait to report to you all the new things the employees are mastering. Recently, our SE program made beautiful wooden trophies for our Clay Shoot fundraiser. The recipients commented they were so impressed with the quality and how much nicer they were than the normal plastic or metal ones usually seen. Looking ahead, we hope to produce bluebird boxes, possibly custom cornhole boards and maybe even some Christmas decor! Be on the lookout for more information about our handmade wooden products.
Also, keep us in your prayers. We hope to accommodate many more employees so the need for more mentors will follow closely behind. Maybe you are retired and have skills you can teach or you have a little extra time and a desire to supervise and “coach” a young person with special challenges as they work. Contact me at jackie@blueskyacres.org for information on how you can join our team.
If you are interested in sponsoring an employee, you can do so at the link below.