March 2018


Contents

 

Monthly calendar
March calendar on Page 6

Page 3 of 6

Life Enrichment: Not Just for Hermitage Enterprises Clients

by Kara Williams, Training Specialist, WISA


Kara Williams working with Rauna, one of her clients.
For most people, a job training opportunity might not sound like the most exciting way to spend your day, but if nothing else, it can be a welcome break from the regular routine. I was asked in a training class recently how my absence from work that day impacted my clients and colleagues. As I thought about all of my clients back at the STEP(Skills Training for Employment Program) Program at Hermitage Enterprises, it was easy to imagine the twenty adults I serve asking my coworkers where I was. Repeatedly. I knew when I walked back into work later that day, countless smiling faces awaited me.

As a Training Specialist, I’m incredibly fortunate to be important to so many people. The individuals we serve are remarkable, genuine, generous, and capable people who simply need us, and need our help because of their developmental disabilities.

In my previous life, before visiting Hermitage Enterprises, I had no idea it even existed. After graduating with a degree in Psychology from VCU, I was anxious to move on from waiting tables so I took a part-time position as relief staff and, I’m happy to say, life has never been the same.

Located in a nondescript office building off of Hermitage Road, housing five programs exclusively for adults in Henrico County with developmental and intellectual disabilities, Hermitage Enterprises is busy everyday providing services and support for the varying and challenging needs of our clients. Many individuals we serve transition to working in the community with help from our talented job coaches and training specialists. A Life Enrichment Program (LEP) serves individuals who are aging and interested in spending time doing leisure and recreational tasks. A Vocational Unit devotes a lot of time and attention to help those interested in working in their communities to develop the skills needed to be successful.

And in my corner of the world, STEP does a little bit of everything, from partnering with the community, to volunteering with Meals on Wheels and the Central Virginia Food Bank, to holding classes at a local yoga studio, and even skill-building with opportunities for clients to develop their social, vocational, interpersonal and computer skills. Every single day, along with my amazing coworkers, I get to help people who need me and appreciate me. I can’t think of anything more important, or any better way to spend the last sixteen years of a working life.