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Online Gift Shop - Behind the Scenes

All of the gifts sold in our Online Gift Shop are created by people who live and receive supports at Bethesda. Creating these items gives them a chance not only to achieve feelings of pride and workmanship, but to develop and maintain new skills, reach goals and earn a paycheck, all at the same time!

The Ceramics Department - Crafting Collectibles

All of the collectible items sold in the Online Gift Shop are hand-crafted by artisans working in the ceramics department on Bethesda's Watertown, Wis. Campus.

The ceramics department, which was started in the late 1980s by Marion Kukla, produces a wide variety of high-quality collectible items, both seasonal and non-seasonal, including yearly Christmas angels, which are designed by Kukla.

While Bethesda staff does the initial pouring of the molds for safety reasons, the resident artisans who work in the ceramics department complete the items by performing the antiquing and finishing processes for each piece. Together, the artisans, with the help of Bethesda staff, complete approximately 8,000 pieces per year. Each artisan works approximately 15 hours a week – about three hours each day, with two one-and-a-half hour shifts, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon.

"Our workers take great pride in their work," says Jane Verfuerth, a day programming aide. "It is their job, but it's also something they love to do. They take great stock in what they do and are always asking where a specific product will be sold and to whom it will be going."

And to whom it will be going is you - the supporters of Bethesda. In addition to being sold in the Online Gift Shop, the items are also sold at Bethesda's resale shops nationwide.

"The Gift Shop began as a way for the products that are produced by the people who receive services at Bethesda to be offered to the community, as well as to the nation and the world with our Web site capabilities," says Pete Schloesser, Bethesda's vocational services coordinator. "The sense of accomplishment on the workers' faces and their sense of pride when something they made is sold is unbelievable. The Gift Shop, whether it is at local resale shops or via the Web, provides them with a bigger window of opportunity where their products can be sold. This will lead to a bigger market for their products and a demand for greater variety, which will also enable them to learn new skills as they go along."

Recycled Paper Lights Fires

The Online Gift Shop also offers other Bethesda products. These items that are made by people who receive services from Bethesda as well.

Fire starters are versatile items that help start a fire or grill quickly without a lot of hassle. Individuals who live at Bethesda recycle shredded paper by putting it into plastic cups and filling the cups with wax to provide a clean and controlled burn when lighted. They are the perfect items for campfires, fireplaces and even for your grill at home, and can replace both paper, kindling and lighter fluid.

The best thing about the fire starters is that all the work done to produce these versatile helpers is completed by people who receive services from Bethesda. From paper shredding to packaging, individuals at Bethesda do all the work under proper supervision.

Greetings from Day Services

Bethesda's day services workers also create items sold in the Online Gift Shop. Day services workers live in the community and travel to Bethesda for skills training and work. They are responsible for the festive greeting cards which are decorated and designed for various holidays, such as birthdays and anniversaries. As with the fire starters, the dedicated workers in day services do all the work needed to complete these cards as well.

Whether it's through the purchase of the yearly Bethesda angel or a package of fire starters for a camping trip, every purchase from the Online Gift Shop benefits the people who receive services from Bethesda.