ron Knoch: Shares, Inc. director of Sales

Shares
Shares
Your
Issue 86
Volume 29 No. 2
Ron Knoch: Shares, Inc. Director of Sales
President, Knoch & Associates • President, National Association of Diesel Motorsports
In these challenging economic
times, traditional methods of
obtaining subcontract work have
not been as successful as in the
past. Ron Knoch has been hired to
give us fresh ideas and new vision.
Our scope and regional contacts
are ever expanding.
As President of Knoch & Associates, a marketing/advertising
consulting firm of over 23 years,
he has helped many industry leaders with marketing/advertising
plans. Ron has vast experience
in the automotive industry with
many different clients including
Arrow Speed Warehouse, Reliable
Automotive, Keystone Automotive, Flowmaster, plus smaller
manufacturers and rep firms.
Over the years Ron has developed many programs for the distributors/jobbers to produce foot
traffic and visibility in the stores.
Development of product catalogs,
distributor catalogs and web sites
for automotive manufacturers has
made Ron’s clients appreciate his
vision of a bigger picture when
developing programs for marketplace branding.
His experience in distribution
and marketing to the jobbers
In this issue
1�����Shares, Inc. Director of Sales
2�����Executive Director’s Report
2�����President’s Report
3�����Meet Our Staff
4�����Community Employment
Services; Alleta; Special
Olympics
allowed him to pull all parties together to support and understand
the new diesel motosports markets. As President of the National
Association of Diesel Motorsports,
Ron has doubled the size of the
association since its start two
years ago. His responsibilities
have been to market the association’s efforts to pull diesel motor
sports together nationwide so
the sport can grow. This involves
bringing sponsors, publications
and distributors/jobbers together
to help supply the sport with the
products that will make it grow
and be competitive.
Ron’s agency has also done
business in non-automotive fields
such as healthcare, retail, agriculture, fundraising, and e-commerce. Providing marketing plans
and sales training for different
companies such as HCA (Hospital
Corporation of America), Alfa Laval, Sertoma International, CampFire USA, University of Missouri,
University of Florida, University
of Nebraska, Alpha Gamma Rho,
HyVee Food Stores, Jostens, Walsworth Publishing, Con Agra, and
Liberty Hospital.
Offering a wide range of mar5�����Hancock County ADLS; Rush
County ADLS
6�����Shelby County ADLS; Open
House Photo Gallery
7�����Brandywine Open House;
McGraw Center Open House;
Hegal Industries Celebrates
Disability Awareness Month
8�����Transporation Vehicles
keting and advertising services
allows Knoch & Associates to
experience how business is conducted nationwide and which
methods work and are successful.
Ron is now offering those services
to Shares, Inc. for a different approach to sales and marketing
in order to be more efficient and
obtain more sales in a modern
and ever changing business environment.
While still residing in Kansas
City, Ron travels to Shelbyville
two weeks each month and remains in daily contact through the
electronic technologies available
in today’s business.
Ron has implemented assorted tools for the Share’s sales
team including CRM software,
Business Database software and
new marketing materials that
outline Share’s capabilities.
Using SalesForce (CRM software) the sales people can constantly update customer contact
files and report meetings, bids
and jobs on line for the Share’s
management to view. This helps
project workload for the plants
and when Shares, Inc. needs to
fill in schedules with work. It also
offers sales people more efficient
daily time management.
The business database software (Hoovers) allows each
salesperson to look up business
information anywhere in the US.
Hoovers, a subsidiary of Dunn
and Bradstreet, gives the sales
people information such as the
business’ personnel, year started,
sales figures, business description,
competitors, and SIC business
codes. This time saver helps
evaluate whether the business
matches Shares, Inc. existing customer base in order to get work
for the plants.
The marketing material outlines new fulfillment service,
warehousing, packaging, kitting,
and product management. Ron is
looking forward to working with
the sales personnel and moving
forward to expanding the sales
territory for Shares, Inc.
Board of Directors Meeting
Brandywine Center • July 13, 2009
645 S. State Street • 7:30 p.m
Rushville, IN
McGraw Center • Sept. 14, 2009
521 Conrad Harcourt Way • 7:30 p.m
Rushville, IN
Published by Shares, Inc.
Page 2
President’s
Report
I am
sure that
everyone is
glad to see
the warm
spring
weather
Darwin Brewer
and hopefully a better economic outlook. Although the work
has slowed this past winter,
recently the staff has been
successful on getting new
projects and new orders. I
commend all the staff for
their hard work during this
difficult time.
In the past two years we
have had some new board
members join our Shares
organization. At this time I
would like to introduce Steve
Schrumpf and Peg Dovidas
from Shelby County, and
David Oakes, Rex Edwards,
and Linda Grass from Hancock County. I want to thank
them and all board members
for giving of their time and
expertise to help make Shares
the respected organization it
is today.
I also want to thank the
staff in each county for setting
up informational sessions on
Establishing a Trust Fund;
Guardianship; and Medicaid
and Medicaid Waivers. This
information comes from the
ARC of Indiana. I personally
got a lot of great information
out of the session that I had
been looking for about trusts.
If anyone has any issues concerning any of these topics
you should contact the Shares
office and someone will connect you to the person who
can help you.
—Darwin Brewer
President, Board of Directors
Shares
Shares
Reports
From the Executive Director
We would like to thank all
those people that came to our
open house programs in March.
Our consumers of services
always enjoy showing off their
programs to the community
and it is a good way for us to
present awards and certificates
of appreciation to many people
from our programs as well as
the community for helping us
in our efforts.
With the current economic
downturn, our agency, like
most business, is struggling to
find work to employ all of our
consumers with disabilities.
As our work opportunities
have slowed, so has some of
the funding for our programs.
We have not made any cuts in
our programming so far but
we are watching how we can
become more efficient in our
processes.
We are in the process of
moving all the packaging of government glow plugs, our Diesel
Rx glow plugs and after markets
plugs to WAP facility. All of the
packaging will be done by using
consumers to do the work, but
it will be done in conjunction
with our manufacturing lines in
the WAP building. This will allow consumers to have a closer
working relationship with WAP
and allow them to feel more
a part of the system. We have
put a team of our staff together
to study this process and make
sure we remain in compliance
with our ISO certification and
our consumer program needs.
We are also making some
improvements to our overall
sales program direction so that
we can expand our opportunities. Ron Knoch, our consulting
Sales manager from Kansas
us to learn more
City, Missouri, has been
about companies,
working hard at making
their sales type,
improvements to our me- Clifford Strachman key management
dia, our sales presentations,
people, codes that
and our expanded coverage area
can be cross referenced throughfor where we are seeking new
out the country to find similar
business. In the current faltertypes of companies, etc.
ing economy we have needed
Nexpointe Strategies is now
to step up with a better program
being used to further our govto expand our scope to provide
ernment contract opportunities.
services of more variety and in
This Carmel based firm, made
a wider catchment area. I will
up of retired military purchasing
highlight some of the changes
personnel, work off commisand improvements being made
sions in helping business seekin the list below and I have ining government contracts.
cluded a few fact sheets with this
Midwest Structural Steel’s
mailing that are being used (in
3-Year Agreement to be their
full color printed version) to be
distribution center for large
given out to potential customers
size bolts, washers, and nuts
along with our brochures.
has been completed. We began
New areas of growth developeration May 1. We will be
opment are being looked for in
doing lot testing as well, and
central Indiana as well as other
that machine is still a couple
areas of the state and the surof months from completion.
rounding states. We are targetAs this project moves forward
ing some of the larger industrial
we hope to continue to grow
park areas.
the assembly phase of the bolts
We are working on developthat will give us more work for
ing relationships now in Cinconsumers.
cinnati, St. Louis and northern
The Shredding/Recycling
Indiana.
Program is growing to take in
Sales Force.com, record
larger recycling projects for
keeping program, has been put
industrial companies including
in place so all leads, contacts,
publishers. Besides paper we are
and sales information can be
now working with plastics, metbetter tracked and shared by the
als, and other products.
sales team.
Frank Gidcumb, new conHoovers.com has been subtact with Nish, has met with us,
scribed to, which is a research
and with his involvement we
tool that is owned by Dunn
are trying to get back on track
Continued on page 4.
and Bradstreet, and it will allow
Your Shares • Vol. 29 No. 2 • Issue 86
Published by Shares, Inc. Corporate Office
(317) 398-8218 (317) 835-4198 Indpls. line
Committee: Jo Jurgensen, Cliff Strachman • Editor: Mike Wallace
Nondiscrimination on Basis of Handicap
Shares, Inc. is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination as required by civil
rights legislation, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1990 as a result of the
organization’s commitment to equal opportunity. EOE-M/F
Shares
Shares
People
Meet Linda McDaniel
Page 3
Hegel Industries
Meet Esther Mayhew
My name is Linda McDaniel. I am
59 years old. There were ten children in
my family. I am the 9th child. I currently
have 3 sisters and 3 brothers living. My
mother is 95 years old and lives in a nursing home in Shelbyville, IN. I also have a
son who is 39 years old. He lives in North
Vernon, IN. I have worked at Hegel Industries, Division of Shares,
Inc. since November, 1979. It will be 30 years this year. I remember
several of the jobs that I did when I first came to Shares, Inc. Some of
my favorites were packaging the Hawaiian Tea plants, painting sticks
for the railroad, and taking telephones apart, washing them, and then
putting them back together. Today, I do a variety of different jobs too.
I enjoy working on most all the different jobs. I truly like everything
about working at Shares, Inc. I love the work and the opportunity
to socialize with others. I did try working outside of Shares, Inc.
years ago; however, I soon realized that this is where I wanted to be
and quickly returned. I do participate in one living skills outing per
month in which I go shopping and out to eat with a small group of
women. This is something I look forward to because I do not have a
lot of opportunity to go outside of Shelbyville. Some of the things that
I enjoy doing in my spare time include visiting my mother, gardening and yard work, playing bingo, playing computer solitaire, and
baking. I feel that I am a fast learner and catch on to new jobs very
quickly. One of the things that I am saving my money for and that I
am really proud of is that I am prepaying all of my funeral expenses. I
think this is something that is really important for everyone to think
about and plan for. My hopes and dreams for the future are to
continue working for as long as I possibly can.
On January 9, 1984, I entered the Sheltered Industry
program at Shares, Inc. I was involved with Shares, Inc. prior to
that in the training area. I have
5 brothers and 3 sisters. I also
have 14 nieces and nephews.
Aunt Esther is a title I am proud
to have. I currently live with
my mother near the workshop
and recently began the Support
Service Waiver program.
I work full time at Brandywine Center in Greenfield, IN.
I began working in the training
program on Main Street part
time while still in High School.
I then moved to the industry
program on Apple Street. Eventually I moved with Shares,
Inc. into the current building
on State Street. Going through
the building transformations
favorite jobs have been to
collate school assignment
notebooks and assemble
Dairy inspection kits. The
later task involves great
skill and good eye hand
coordination.
Over the years, I have
been involved in Special Olympics swimming and attended
most of the Shares, Inc. educational trips. My favorite trips
include one long ago to New
York City when I saw Annie on
Broadway and the most recent
one at Myrtle Beach, SC. I have
gone on 4 cruises, including
ports to Mexico and Canada. I
have traveled the country more
than my relatives and other
people I knows.
I like to go to movies and
shop, along with attending
Meet Kathryn Murray
McGraw Center
Hello my name is Kathryn
Murray. I have worked for
Shares Inc. since 2001. I have
worked in two counties. The
reason I changed counties is
that a tornado on March 31,
2007 hit the house where I live.
I have worked in Rushville ever
since. I was in the house when
the tornado hit and I was very
scared. We went into a hallway
and put pillows over our heads,
I was not hurt.
The biggest change I have
seen at Shares Inc. has been
the re-models. I saw workers
working on the outside of our
building here in Rushville and
in Shelbyville. I am active on the
Tri-County Community Council and get to travel to all three
counties
a n d
that is
how
I see
changes.
I like all the trips we go on.
I always look forward to our
educational trips each year. I
like to work but I especially like
the heat press. I have a Mom,
Dad, and a brother. My roommate at the CRF group home is
my friend.
I like to work at Shares, Inc.
because it gives me a paycheck
and money to go shopping. I
like to shop!
Brandywine Center
is one thing
I remember
well. Once
moving to
the building
on State,
renovations
continued
until now there are 2 very
large work areas, where only
2 small shops existed in the
beginning.
I really enjoys my work at
Shares, Inc. and with my seniority have seen most of the jobs
ever worked on in Greenfield.
I have never wanted to work at
a community job, since I like
working at Shares, Inc. so well.
Currently I am doing volunteer
work as a greeter at Wal Mart.
This is one of the activities I
enjoy most. At the shop, my
church weekly. I like to spend
my earnings on the trips and
shopping. I enjoy buying CDs.
My favorite singers are The
Captain and Tennille and The
Carpenter’s. When asked if I
have plans for the future, I said,
“Well, I’m not getting married,
I know that. I don’t want no
man.” I do hope to work until I
am 65 and retire.
Staff at Brandywine Center,
Shares, Inc. consider Esther
a valued employee. Her attendance is great, except for
missing for surgeries in the last
few years. She has a good production, great skills for staying
on task and has accomplished
every job she is physically able
to perform. Everyone at Shares,
Inc. also hopes she will stay
until she is 65!
Page 4
Community Employment Services:
Community Employment
Services provides employment
related services to individuals
who are referred by the office
of Vocational Rehabilitation
Services. The individuals served
are the primary consumers
of services as defined by the
Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities
(CARF). CARF is an accreditation organization that promotes
the quality, value and optimal
outcomes of services through a
consultative accreditation process that centers on enhancing
the lives of the person served.
Shares, Inc. was awarded a
3-year accreditation by CARF
for the various services and programs that are available. Also,
Community Employment Services provides support to local
businesses in the community.
We provide employment related
assistance to employers by being
a resource for hiring individuals
with disabilities who participate
in our program. In our last fiscal
year we placed 56 individuals
in competitive jobs in the community from Shelby, Hancock
and Rush counties.
The Open Houses in all
three counties were an excellent opportunity to honor those
consumers and businesses that
made a difference in the communities that we serve. In
Shelby County, we had Caroline
Shaw receive the Employee of
the Year award and Cracker Barrel Old Country Store received
the Employer of the Year award.
In Hancock County, we had Kim
Kanouse receive the Employee
of the Year award and Wendy’s
Old Fashioned Hamburgers
—Brian Montgomery,
received the Employer of the
Year award. In Rush County,
we had Dawn Holzback receive
the Employee of the Year award
and McDonald’s received the
Employer of the Year award. All
of the award winners this year
were an excellent example of
what our program stands for in
providing qualified individuals
who are dedicated to their jobs
and employers that provide the
supports and diverse work opportunities in the community.
It is our job to be an advocate to the consumer as well as
an employment resource to each
employer. We are available to
work with individuals to obtain
their employment goals as well
as meet the staffing needs of the
employers by providing them
with qualified applicants who
have the skills and abilities, as
well as the determination to
succeed.
Director of Employment Services
Aletta
Aletta went on a trip in
February to Las Vegas. She
was accompanied by her house
mate Carol and staff members
Sherri and Linda. While there
she participated in a Special
Olympics International Bowling
Tournament. Aletta and Linda
took a 5th and 6th place finish.
She was very pleased with her
placement. Being shuttled from
the hotel to the bowling alley
was a special memory.
Special Olympics
It's a busy time of year for Shelby County Special Olympics. The 2008-2009 basketball season recently
came to an end with one team becoming state champions! Congratulations Shelby Co. Magic! This was
their first state championship win, though they had played the game many times. Also, congratulations
to the two other Shelby Co. teams, the Rebels and the Bears, who also had a wonderful seasons.
Once basketball season wraps up we immediately begin practicing for the next round of sports. The
sports currently taking place are bowling, bocce, swimming, track and field, and volleyball. Athletes
participating in these sports will all compete at Indiana State University in Terre Haute on June 5-7. This
statewide event is also known as Summer Games and is always a wonderful time for all in attendance.
Anyone interested in participating or volunteering please contact Ashley Hankins at Shares Inc.,
317-398-8218 or [email protected].
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR continued from page2
to find additional set aside projects. If we find work
through Nexpointe we will be able to switch it over
to Nish after the contract is fulfilled, so we can work
this operation from both sides.
We have now signed a written agreement with
Keystone and our displays are set up in their stores.
Our part numbers are being placed in their computer
systems. Our last step to complete before we can begin selling products is to train order fulfillment staff
since a lot of their business is generated by phone
centers. We hope to begin selling product by July.
We have now completed all testing successfully
for our sale of glow plugs to International. We have
been told to order material to begin to start produc-
ing glow plugs by July, although we do not have
a purchase order yet. We will be selling after
market replacement parts along with few original
equipment plugs, for engines that have not been
converted to heated manifolds. If for some reason
the deal falls apart, the same plugs can be put into
Diesel Rx boxes and sold to Keystone.
We have added a toll free number to our
corporate office which is 877-398-8218.
As you can see we are always working on
continuous improvement and we welcome your
support and your comments.
—Clifford Strachman
Aletta at the bowling lanes.
There was plenty of time for
site seeing and they got to see a
water light show at the Planet
Hollywood. They found time to
shop on the strip and play the
slot machines. A clown made
Aletta a special balloon hat
which was a highlight for her.
The airplane ride was another
event she cherished. Each night
Aletta was able to relax in the
hot tub looking at all the lights
of the city. Representing Indiana
and Shares, Inc. in international
bowling was something she
could take pride in!
Page 5
Shares
Shares
ADLS
Hancock County
Living Skills Day Program
February, March and April were exciting months for the Day
Program in Hancock County. We have continued our study of US
presidents that began in January and, so far, we have studied the first
16 presidents. We have also visited many new and exciting places.
In February, we studied James Monroe, John Quincy Adams,
Andrew Jackson, and Martin Van Buren. We found that each of these
presidents’ favorite foods were breakfast foods. Toward the end of
the month we worked together and made Andrew Jackson’s favorite,
turkey hash. It took awhile to make enough for all of us, but it was
delicious! Since all of these presidents enjoyed breakfast food, we
made a trip to the IHOP where we could each pick out our favorite
breakfast foods and enjoy them. Also this month we went to the 2009
Indy Winter Classic Dog Show. Everyone had a lot of fun looking at
all of the different breeds of dogs and even petting some too.
March was a busy month. We studied William Henry Harrison,
John Tyler, James K. Polk and Zachary Taylor. Early in the month
we visited the Murat Shrine Circus and the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
As in previous years, the circus did not disappoint. The favorite
acts seemed to be the trapeze artists and the trained dogs. The St.
Patrick’s Day Parade was a lot of fun as well and it was a very nice
day. Everyone loved the IPS motorcycle team. All that attended came
back with bags full of things that were being passed out during the
parade. After both events, the groups visited Papa Roux for lunch on
the east side of Indianapolis. It is a Cajun/Creole restaurant. Everyone
had huge sandwiches and a side of red beans and rice. The manager
was so happy that we visited he put us on his discount wall and told
us that anytime we visit we can enjoy 10% off our meal. Another
restaurant we visited this month was Maxine’s Chicken and Waffles.
This restaurant is downtown and serves up southern cooking. Several
of us had their signature dish, a huge waffle served with peach butter
and syrup and three gigantic chicken wings.
In April, we went to the Indiana Medical History Museum, the
Artspark at the Indianapolis Art Center, John’s Famous Stews, and
Major Sports Café in Castleton. The Indiana Medical History Museum
was a turn-of-the-century medical science laboratory that was used
to look for physical causes of mental illness. The building houses a
large lecture hall where doctors and medical students would come to
study mental illness. There was a room filled with jars of specimens
(brains, livers, kidneys, etc.) that had different medical conditions
identified. There were also many rooms where chemical experiments,
autopsies, and microscope examinations took place. This building
was a walk back in time, but you could see how many of the things
that they did at the turn-of-the-century led us to current medical
practices. After visiting the museum we went for lunch at Johns
Famous Stews. Everyone ordered a bowl of their famous stew. The
servings were huge and the stew was wonderful. We had a nice day
to visit the Artspark. We spent an hour and a half outside walking the
trails and studying all of the sculptures in the garden. Our favorite
was the “Twisted House” by John McNaughton. We then went for
lunch at Major Sport’s Café. This was a nice restaurant with great
food and we could watch just about any sport on the large screen
TVs. For snack class we made Abe Lincoln’s favorite lemon pie and
Millard Fillmore’s favorite stuffed tomatoes. We had fun making both,
but our favorite was the lemon pie!
The month of May will be full of sports! We will take trips to an
Indianapolis Indians game and to practice at the Indianapolis 500
track. Our presidential study will continue with Jefferson Davis,
Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant, and Rutherford B. Hayes. It
should be a great month!
—Allison Hackman, Living Skills Coordinator
McGraw Center
The Living Skills Classes
in Rushville visited a new
Chocolate Factory in Anderson. Goods Chocolate taught
us how chocolate is made from
the coco bean and the processes
used to turn the bean into
chocolate, the result is delicious. Goods Chocolate also
makes homemade ice cream.
We hope to visit again this summer to learn how to make ice cream
and to taste the results.
We also went to see the Shrine Circus in Indianapolis. We always
have so much fun at the circus. We enjoy the clowns. We also went
bowling at Greenfield for some fun exercise. Open House found us
busy baking healthy snacks for our visitors.
We are gardening again, watering and caring for our sweet peas
in the classroom. It is a lot of fun to watch the plants grow. We have
our seeds ready to plant in the flower beds at the Nature Center in
Rushville. It is a peaceful place to visit. The flowers and plants are
beautiful. Please visit if you have time, the gardens are arranged by
themes. We toured the Minnetrista Center in Muncie to learn about
the animals and nature in Indiana.
Other classes find us busy writing to Richard Simmons and
Rachael Ray. Both people wrote back to us to help encourage us to
stay healthy and keep dreaming.
—Deena Thompson, Living Skills Instructor
Page 6
Consumer Responses
to Shelby ADLS
Open House Photo Gallery
I have fun doing Special Olympics. I
enjoyed the swimming. I won a third and
two first place medals. We had lunch at
Wendy’s restaurant.—Kim Webster
I went to the Children’s Museum. I
saw the Comic book heroes-Batman’s car
called the Tumbler. I found out about all
kinds of comic books and the artists who
created them. I also visited the Lego castle
adventure displays of many different castles
and dragons all made of Legos. I also went
to the flower factory and looked for a craft
project. —Jane Ann Wheatley
Above: Mike Farr speaks at
the Shelby Open House. Top
right: Shelby Open House
crowd. Bottom right: Open
House participants.
I like working at Shares, Inc. I work on
many different jobs. I tear the pages our
of books so that they can be shredded to
be recycled. For glow plugs I package one
per box; I count 10 clamps to a box for
Balkamp; and I package 4 parts for lawn
mower repair kits. I also assist a fellow
consumer as a peer helper-by helping to
make the boxes for glow plugs. I also keep
a yearly calendar of all birthdays for all consumers and staff that work in Shelbyville.
And every afternoon—I let my work area
know when it is 3:00 p.m.—”One more
hour”. —Dianne McNeely
I went to the Children’s Museum. I liked
the Dinosphere exhibit—it is full of sights,
sounds, and smells of dinosaurs of long ago.
The Fireworks of glass is a 43-foot tall tower
built in the middle of the museum. It is very
pretty; it has many different colors of glass.
On the top floor is the Carousel—I enjoyed
my ride. —Kim Lux
I liked going to the Children’s Museum.
I liked helping to prepare refreshments for
our Open House in March 2009. —Elaine
Hansen
I like to go to different types of restaurants. I went to Hardy’s restaurant, Buca
Di Beppo and the NASCAR Sports Grill.
My favorite meal was at Hardy’s. I like to
work at Shares, Inc. My favorite job is glow
plugs. I also enjoyed going on outings to
the NCAA Hall of Champions and the
Children’s Museum. —Tim Hauk
Left: Sharlet Miller hands out certificates
at the Rushville Open House.
Right: Rushville
ADLS food preparers.
Right: Hancock Open House emcee, Tony Hollis. below:
refreshments at Hancock. Bottom: Hancock Open House crowd.
Page 7
Brandywine Open House
McGraw Industries Open House
The 2009 “Disable the Label” Open House at the Brandywine
Shares, Inc. was a roaring success. With over one hundred and fifty
guests, it was standing room only as the crowd flowed out into the
hallways. Our emcee, Anthony Hollis, segued us through the program
with style and flair. Shannon Jarman, our resident songbird, received
many accolades for his version of “Long Black Train”. Since the Open
House, Shannon has been invited to sing at many area churches and
hotspots. Kevin Starks, Community Council President opined on
his view of labeling and how to fight against the labels to see the
whole person. The presentation of longevity awards was a big hit
as everyone with 25+ years received special plaques of gratitude for
their long years of service.
The most heartfelt moment came when our first annual, “Reach
for the Stars” award was presented. This award was started in
memory of Victoria “Vickie” Collins who went to be with the other
angels last March. The award winner needed to exhibit the following
characteristics which embodied Vickie’s spirit: persistence, courage,
determination, self-advocacy, and the ability to dream for the future.
This year’s winner, Leroy Graves, has battled serious health issues, has
unceasingly advocated for his dreams, and made difficult but positive
changes to his life, all the while attending Shares, Inc. showing an
impressive work ethic
Finishing up the program was a display of art skills and work
skills. Victory McCollough, Living Skills Instructor, listed the different artistic endeavors which included beadwork, sewing, painting,
stained glasswork, sketching, and jewelry creation. Many craft and
jewelry items were modeled by their creators for the crowd. The work
skills were shown through a job demonstration exhibiting assembly
line work. After the program, guests were treated to an exquisite
variety of refreshments prepared by the Living Skills department.
The menu included cheeses, fruit, veggies with a parmesan-pesto
dip, cream cheese with apricot and blueberry preserves, Mediterranean six-layer dip, Asian Spiced Nuts, Smokies in Sweet Peanut
BBQ sauce, and ginger-lime punch. Numerous attendees praised the
diverse and tasty array.
We thank our guests for your attendance and support of our
team!
—Jodi Hill
On March 19, with a mixture of public officials, businesses,
friends and families in attendance, consumers were recognized
for their efforts during the past year. Tammy Comer began with a
welcome and introduction of our City Council President, Billy Ray
Goins, proclaimed March as Disabilities Awareness Month. Anna Jo
Richards, Board Member, presided as MC. The first to be recognized
by Mike Farr, General Plant Manager was the consumers for their
achievement awards which were presented by Sharlet Miller, Annette Baker, and Pat Ellis, floor supervisors. Positive emotions ran
high as each name was called for the acknowledgement of jobs well
done. There were smiles, poses for pictures and even a bow. Plus a
lot of hand clapping and hoorays from the crowd. For several weeks
everyone had prepared for Open House from getting the building
ready to food preparation, greeting and giving tours. It was evident
that the efforts were well received.
As a special treat several were recognized for their long association and years of service with Shares. In the 25 year category was
Mike Linville, Carolyn Neeley and Mike Wine. For 25 plus years was
Doug Brewer, Dan Conley, Mary Beth Hughes, Dean Judge, and Steve
Schleup. Larry Jones was recognized for 30 years with Shares. Each
person received a personalized plaque to remind them of the years
that they have strived to reach their fullest potential.
The Community Service Award was presented to Ride Rush, Rush
County’s public transportation, in their partnership with Shares Inc.
in their desire to serve all people of Rush County so that everyone
can have a mixture of life experiences. It was noted that Ride Rush
has assisted some people to get to community jobs and to a variety of
community activities. The service is also used to get people to Shares
and home on a daily basis. Community volunteers were recognized
by Deena Thompson, Living Skills Instructor. They have volunteered
(accompanied by Deena Thompson and Shauna Smith) at the Public
Library, Senior Center, Edelweiss Equine-Assisted Therapy Center,
and the Nature Center at the Elementary School.
Brian Montgomery, Director of Employment Services and Tasha
McNeil, Employment Services Specialist presented the Community
Employment, Employee of the Year Award to Dawn Holzback for
her achievements and successes in her employment at Miller’s Merry
Manor. An award was also presented to McDonald’s Restaurant as
Employer of the Year for their outstanding contribution to individuals
working in the community.
The Shares Inc./McGraw Industries Spirit Award was presented
to Henry Burris by Cliff Strachman, Executive Director. Henry
embodies all the attributes that Shares, Inc. represents. He is hard
working, friendly and helpful. Henry has been a part of the Shares,
Inc. educational trips and has been an example to all in his desire
to do his best.
In Cliff’s closing remarks he noted that Shares, Inc., even in hard
economic times, has a future and will continue to expand our horizons in the growth of our company. Our emcee, Anna Jo ended the
Open House by sharing a story with a message that expressed how
our differences make life interesting. Our Open House was a success
and ended with our guests and employees leaving with a sense of
heightened appreciation for all we do.
—Grace Coulston
Hegel
Industry Celebrates
Disability Awareness Month 2009
Each year during the month of March, Shares, Inc. holds an
Open House and invites the community in order to highlight the accomplishments of persons with disabilities. We also recognize those
agencies and individuals that have contributed to the awareness and
inclusion of people with disabilities. Shelby County held its annual
Open House on Friday, March 13, 2009. This year’s event marked the
fifteenth Open House for Shelby County. Susan Furgeson, Director
of Blue River Community Foundation, served as the Master of Ceremonies. The 2009 Disability Awareness Month theme was “Disable
the Label…See others for who they really are and you’ll learn a lot
about true character.”
Continued on page 8
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HEGEL continued from page 7
The afternoon began with an Awards Ceremony. Mayor Scott
Furgeson read a proclamation designating March as Disabilities
Awareness Month. The following were the 2009 recipients: Customers
of the Year: Multi Packaging Solutions and the National Collegiate
Athletic Association; Quality Award (Top Gun): Jessica Griffey; Employee of the Year: Carol Bledsoe; Employee of the Year Plant 2: Ted
Kukulka; Shares Shredding Award for the Customer of the Year:
F. C. Tucker; Outstanding Progress and Development of Independence: Christopher Waldsmith; Adult Daily Living Skills Consumer
of the Year: Jeff Crouch. Audrey Haehl received the Spirit Award for
her positive attitude. Community Employment Services recognized
Caroline Shaw as the Employee of the Year and Cracker Barrel as the
Employer of the Year. The following participants were recognized
for 25 years or more of employment: Tim Fisher, Steve Gilles, Beth
Hizer, Steve Klapper, Kim Webster, Tina Messmore, Patty Rutledge,
Kathy Sturgeon, Lori Monroe, Judy Eberhart, Ralph Lux, Max Mark,
Linda McDaniel, and Darrell Pritchard. In addition, Shares, Inc. also
recognized Susan Furgeson for her efforts in assisting and providing
services and support for people with disabilities. This year’s event
also included two musical performances presented by staff members,
Miranda Moore and Huston Spence and accompanied by Elaine
Hansen, Melissa VanArsdall, Kim Lux, Darrell Pritchard, Ann Holt,
Cheryl Hood, Pearlie Davidson, and Judy Roberts. It was estimated
that over 200 guest were in attendance. Everyone had a good time,
and the event was once again a big success.
—Anna Buker
Shares, Inc. trucks were recently all assembled together, displaying our transporation capabilities.
1611 S. Miller St.
Shelbyville, IN 46176