Aspiring Hands Team Members Fix Up Oakbrook Playground
BY KAREN BERGER — MIRROR REPORTER
The aspiring hands of a group of special needs adults rejuvenated the worn-looking Oakbrook Drive playground in Whitehouse last month.
Members of the group Aspiring Hands, a nonprofit day habilitation program for adults with mental retardation and developmental delays, demonstrated how they can contribute to the community.
On Saturday, participants, family, friends and village council members cut the ribbon on the Oakbrook Drive playground.
“I painted the blue,” said Brandy Foltz, who along with Patrick Goslin, Zach Parsons, Roger Schaefer and Artem Zaurov sanded then applied two coats of bold-colored paint to the swing set and jungle gym on the village-owned strip of land off Waterville Street and Oakbrook.
“It was amazing. They came in at 9:00 a.m. and were finished by 2:00 p.m.,” said council member Michelle Tippie, who organized the project and celebration.
Foltz assisted Mayor Angela Kuhn in cutting the ribbon on the playground, then dozens joined in for hot dogs and snacks.
“This creates a sense of community for them,” said Bryon Schaefer, executive director and co-founder of Aspiring Hands. Schaefer formed the adult day vocation and habilitation program in January 2008 with Jerry Silveous, a 20-year veteran of Bittersweet Farms.
While sheltered workshops provide many opportunities, the co-founders saw that some participants’ motor limitations prevented them from finding a way to give back to the community. Through state funding, Aspiring Hands is able to offer transportation and adult day care while integrating community involvement.
Each morning, Schaefer drives the “big red bus” to pick up those who are signed up for the day.
Schaefer and Silveous line up projects, from boxing food for Feed Your Neighbor to caring for plants at the Blue Creek Conservation Area’s educational gardens. Aspiring Hands prepares mailings for Toledo Area Ministries, fills food orders at Toledo Seagate Food Bank and cooks dinners at the Ronald McDonald House.
Different volunteer opportunities are scheduled each day for a two-week rotation, although on rainy days, the Aspiring Hands crew is always welcome at Toledo Seagate Food Bank or the Ronald McDonald House, Schaefer said.
Even at tasks that are new, the five full-time and five part-time participants learn quickly alongside Silveous and Schaefer.
“They do a fair amount of work on their own. They’re constantly acquiring new skills,” Schaefer said. “We’re not disruptive, and we stay on task.”
While some companies are standoffish about hiring adults with special needs, others see them as a valuable resource.
“We come out and work. We may poke each other and have fun, but we get the job done,” Schafer said. “We don’t just play with the cats at the humane society; we clean litter boxes and cages.”
For Goslin, who retired from Flower Hospital after working in the laundry room for 39 years, Aspiring Hands gives him a chance to stay busy and share stories about his days of baling hay and caring for animals on the farm when he was a youth.
For Foltz, it’s a chance to meet new people, share hugs and volunteer for tasks such as cutting the ribbon.
Participants received a medal and certificate from Whitehouse Village Council for their work.
“This takes a segment of the population that’s not seen as adding much, and gives them a chance to help other people,” Schaefer said.
For more information, visit www.aspiringhandsinc.org or call Schaefer at (419) 290-5788.
Whitehouse Manufacturer To Hire 42, Begins Expansion
BY KAREN BERGER — MIRROR REPORTER
A Whitehouse manufacturer will add 42 full-time jobs and has begun a $10 million expansion to its Industrial Drive complex, thanks to $2.97 million in incentives, state Rep. Barbara Sears announced to Whitehouse Village Council members Tuesday night.
ClappDiCO manufactures super-abrasive tooling for the automotive, telecommunications, electronics and aerospace industries.
While automotive has historically been a large share of its business, the company is steadily diversifying into other industries, which makes for a more steady growth plan, said Mike Wachtel, director of operations.
“We’re a globally footprinted site,” Wachtel said.
ClappDiCO is a subsidiary of Kennametal, which supplies tools, components and materials used in machining and metalworking processes.
The Whitehouse location was one of several, including North Carolina and Pennsylvania, that were being considered for the expansion.
“We wanted it very badly,” said Wachtel, who along with Kennametal’s director, began meeting with Sears in June to negotiate an incentive package from the state.
ClappDiCO acquired a 10,000-square-foot building adjacent to its facility at 6325 Industrial Dr., and renovations have already begun, Wachtel said.
He’s welcoming applications for the 42 new manufacturing positions, which involve highly-skilled precision work. The average hourly rate for the new positions would be $19.00, exclusive of benefits, he said.
The current staff of inside sales, production management and engineers will be able to support the new positions, he said.
The incentive package offered to ClappDiCO includes a $2 million direct loan, $40,000 in a Lucas County Workforce Develop-ment Agency grant, plus state and local tax credits and grants, Sears said.
“This is a wonderful thing for the state to help bring this investment here,” Whitehouse Mayor Angela Kuhn said.
Village administrator Dennis Recker said this is the largest development in the past several years, but that other development opportunities are in the works.
“We’re doing well despite the economic downturn,” Recker said.
For more information on ClappDiCO, go to www.dicocorp.com.
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