All in a Day's Work

Having a job is sometimes something we take for granted. A job not only brings us a paycheck, but also those other benefits that we might not always appreciate, such as pride, teamwork and dedication.

People at Bethesda are no different. Everyone who receives services at Bethesda has certain skills that are unique to them, and most are able to use their skills in a specific job that enables them to achieve not only feelings of pride and workmanship, but also help them develop and maintain new skills and complete goals which they have made for themselves - and then earn a paycheck for all their hard work.

The concept of individuals with disabilities taking on jobs is nothing new to Bethesda. Starting in 1904 when Bethesda opened its doors in Watertown, Wis. - the organization has offered jobs as a part of its service to people with developmental disabilities. In the early days of the organization, the jobs consisted of various tasks around the Bethesda-owned farm that were essential in providing food and cash flow for the organization.

When the farm closed in 1978, alternative jobs were needed in an effort to continue the vocational training the people who used Bethesda's services were receiving.

It was from here that a vocational program began, a program which included the production of various ceramics pieces, such as the annual Bethesda Christmas angel, along with Christmas cards and other seasonal pieces.

In recent years, a new trend has developed in Bethesda's vocational program, that being the subcontracting of various jobs to Bethesda by local businesses. It's a trend that has been successful for both Bethesda and the various businesses.

The reasons businesses make subcontract work available to Bethesda are many, according to Pete Schloesser, Bethesda's Watertown, Wis., vocational services coordinator.

"First and foremost, the jobs the individuals at Bethesda perform involve a lot of counting, sorting and assembling different things, and by subcontracting this work to Bethesda, it frees up a lot of time for their workers to concentrate on other tasks," says Schloesser. "It makes it a very cost-effective venture for them, and in the same manner provides them with good public relations, which can help them produce new business."

Some of the businesses that have subcontracted work to Bethesda's Watertown Campus include CM Glo, a packaging company based out of Watertown; Uncle Josh Fish Bait, a producer of fishing tackle and accessories in preserved bait from Fort Atkinson, Wis.; Berres Brothers, a gourmet coffee producer in Watertown; Schneider Printing, a local printing company in Johnson Creek, Wis.; Superior Linen of Cudahy, Wis., a company specializing in linen items for various health care industries; and Bryant Products, a manufacturer of industrial rollers in Ixonia, Wis.

Most of the jobs are outsourced to Bethesda, and the jobs themselves are performed on the Watertown Campus. However, with Bryant Products, six individuals who receive services from Bethesda travel to the Bryant Products factory and work on-site with other employees on the factory floor.

The types of jobs that come to Bethesda are varied, but the way they are introduced to Bethesda has remained the same.

"Basically, I'll send a letter of information to various local businesses, letting them know who I am and who I represent; just providing them with as much information about our organization as possible," says Schloesser. "I'll give them a sense of what the individuals at Bethesda can do for them, and provide them with examples of the jobs we have done for other businesses and how they were completed.

"I've also simply visited various businesses and asked them what we could do, explaining how Bethesda could help them cut down production costs."

The process of landing a subcontract is just like any other negotiation. Schloesser decides the monetary figure that he has determined will be needed to complete the work after pay rate for employees and other expenses are established.

If the company decides to subcontract the work to Bethesda, after the individuals have been paid, the remainder of the amount paid to Bethesda is used to provide other services and supports to people with developmental disabilities. All told, the income raised from these jobs has brought in an additional $40,000 in revenue to Bethesda.

Schloesser states that the most important part of making contacts with new businesses is not necessarily getting work from them.

"It's wonderful to go out and inform people about Bethesda and its mission," states Schloesser. "Most people don't understand what the individuals at Bethesda can do. They have some preconceived notions that the individuals who receive services at Bethesda are helpless and simply sit around all day.

"These jobs we receive, and the contacts we make collectively tell the community 'yes we can'. The community has been so helpful in supporting Bethesda and the individuals with developmental disabilities who receive services here. Now, the people with developmental disabilities can give back and help the community."

And, not only are the individuals at Bethesda giving back to their community, but they are doing so in an outstanding fashion. Schloesser reports that the individuals who work the jobs and staff members who supervise the work have a good reputation among businesses sub-contracting work to Bethesda.

"When it comes to quality control, the work done is never in question," reports Schloesser. "The work is always done very well. So much so, that in many instances, the work done, and the packages produced are sent directly from Bethesda to consumers, without the company even checking on the final product produced by individuals and staff members at Bethesda."

Once a job request comes in to Bethesda, Schloesser takes it to a work area to see how it can be done by individuals. From there, the job coaches and Schloesser decide if the individuals can perform all the tasks necessary to complete the job, or if they can perform only part of the tasks.

As in most jobs, there are many tasks that lead to the completion of a product. Schloesser gives a good example of how one complete job is broken down into separate jobs and completed by individuals at Bethesda.

"In the case of Uncle Josh Fish Bait, one of the jobs is to package artificial bait. To get to the final product, the individuals have many jobs they can perform, including: filling the bag with the precise number of bait; folding the label cards; stapling the label cards to the bag; separating the bags into groups of 12; and then putting each group of 12 into boxes and packaging them for delivery," reports Schloesser.

Schloesser says that the variety of tasks to complete one job is extremely helpful to the individuals because it allows them to learn and work on many different skills, and it keeps things varied and interesting for them on a daily basis.

Currently, there are 190 individuals on the Watertown Campus who are enrolled in the vocational program, and it is Schloesser's goal to have every individual on the Watertown Campus enrolled and working a job, no matter what their limitations may be.

"It's amazing what working a job can do for the individuals," says Schloesser. "Every morning they say 'it's time to go to work' with an excited smile on their face. They take pride in a job well done, and like earning a paycheck as a result. So much so, that they even showcase their paycheck stubs in their rooms for everybody to see."

Each job at Bethesda features a different pay rate, which is determined by the type of job. Some of the jobs pay each person by the hour, most notably those who travel to Bryant Products and work at their factory. Most jobs however, pay the individuals per piece, or how much they get done. The time each individual works at their job varies, but most work a few hours in the morning and then a few more in the afternoon.

For some who are able to move from the Watertown Campus to a group home setting, the skills they learn through their vocational training help them out in the future.

"The jobs and the training skills they receive through the vocational program have a lasting effect on the individuals who participate in the program, and when they move into the community they can use these new skills in other jobs throughout the community," says Schloesser.

For the future of the program, Schloesser would like to work with more companies and inform more people about Bethesda and the capabilities of the individuals with developmental disabilities. Schloesser hopes to continue working with the companies that currently outsource work to Bethesda, and as they grow and get bigger, he hopes the work offered to Bethesda will also increase.

"Overall, we just want to keep the individuals active in a job and learning new job traits," says Schloesser. "It's when individuals are inactive, and when people get bored that issues seem to occur. So, if the vocational program and the jobs they perform can keep the individuals both physically and mentally active, we've really accomplished a lot."