[nfbmi-talk] peckham impact spring 2012

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Peckam Impact Spring 2012 Converted From PDF

 

Growing Season at Peckham Farms 

impact 

S T ORIES THA T IMP A C T OUR C OMMUNIT y SPRING 2012 

vegetables include a variety of tomatoes, peppers and herbs. 

In June, the farm will begin selling a larger variety of vegetables, 

strawberries and raspberries, grown at the farm. 

The Peckham Farm Market is open Wednesdays from Noon to 6 

p.m. and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to Noon. The farm is located 

at 5408 W. Grand River Avenue, Lansing, MI. Look for the big red 

barn. In April, Peckham installed three Honey Bee hives at the farm 

to assist in pollination. Keeping bees not only helps the growth 

of crops, but also reduces Colony Collapse Disorder, a growing 

concern that has caused a significant disappearance of honey 

bees around the world. 

Peckham Farm bees will be managed and treated from common 

insect diseases using all-natural organic methods to help keep 

them strong. 

Peckham clients prepare for the second annual Pumpkin 

Growing Contest, and have been busy preparing pumpkin seeds 

and soil in individual pots to see who will harvest the largest/ 

most pumpkins during early Fall. 

The contest is provided as a life-enhancing activity for some of 

Peckham’s most significantly disabled clients, and is an avenue 

for them to gain experience in farming and planting. 

Don’t miss the first year of Peckham Baskets and Planters, 

available now! Peckham’s own designer takes his vast 

experience and expertise, and combines it with a love of art 

to create incredible, one of a kind, baskets and planters. 

These lush and colorful baskets and planters are in simple but 

elegant containers, including biodegradable coconut husks. 

Many can be returned at the end of the season for a credit 

on next season’s purchases. Peckham Farms is committed to 

practices that will maintain baskets the entire season. 

Using sustainable growing practices, high quality potting 

soil with moisture granuals to reduce watering up to 50%, 

and time release fertilizer, plants can stay beautiful all season 

long. 

In addition to hanging flower baskets and planters, the farm 

is selling vegetables and plants for your own gardens. Current 

View More Photos on 

Peckham Inc.’s Facebook Page 

Meijer & Peckham receive NISH Awards

Renowned athlete and New york Times bestselling author, 

Kyle Maynard became the first quadruple amputee to climb 

the 19,341 foot summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, 

Africa. Maynard was a part of a team of nine people, 

including two veterans with disabilities who went on the 

mission in efforts to raise awareness of the abilities of 

veterans and children with disabilities. 

Peckham, in support of Maynard’s efforts, provided cold-weather clothing for the 

team, and customized garments for Kyle, to outfit and prepare them for the sub-zero 

climb. 

“It’s absolutely incredible what Peckham did for our team…incredible. I tried on 

the items you had altered for me, and it fit great. The fleece was a great length on 

my arms and an awesome material. I can’t thank everyone at Peckham enough for 

the help to me and the team. Your ongoing commitment means a great deal,” said 

Maynard via email. 

Maynard plans to return to Peckham to share his experiences on October 11 & 12, 

2012 Peckham Community Partnership Foundation Speaker Series event. RSVP at 

events at peckham.org to reserve your free space. 

Letters 

On Wednesday, May 2, Dr. Steve Robbins presented a thought-provoking yet 

humorous speech on diversity and inclusion. More than 600 clients, staff and 

community representatives, attended his speech as a part of the Spring Speaker Series, 

supported by the Peckham Community Partnership Foundation. 

Robbins unique definition of diversity more than one person in a room, and a 

term he has coined “Unintentional Intolerance, challenged the audience to take an 

approach that does not blame or point fingers, but leads them to be more open-

minded, mindful and intentional about inclusion and valuing people for their unique 

gifts, abilities and experiences. 

“Steve s ability to take what can sometimes be an uncomfortable and heavy topic to 

discuss, and make it lighthearted yet meaningful is unmatched, ” said Scott Derthick, 

Vice President of Human Resources and speaker series founder. “ He has a great way 

of connecting our human behaviors and interactions with each other to help us 

understand how much more we are alike than different. 

The Peckham Community Foundation Speaker Series hosts these free community 

events to increase its own understanding and enhance the awareness of issues 

important to the disability community. (See photos below). 

Speaker Series Presents Dr. Robbins 

Meijer, a Peckham community partner, is the 

recipient of the NISH National Commercial 

Business Partnership Award. Meijer was 

nominated by Peckham for its exceptional 

example of an organization committed to 

improving the lives of persons with disabilities, 

through its Fresh Assembly business venture. 

When the company moved its fresh food 

assembly department in-house, it turned to 

Peckham, to help recruit qualified employees 

with the goal of creating new jobs for people 

with disabilities. In the process, it discovered 

that matching a person’s abilities to the job 

was a successful hiring model for both persons 

with and without disabilities. By focusing 

on what a person can do and building 

on individual strengths, the retailer now 

benefits from a happier and more productive 

workforce. 

“This measurable success is for the company 

as a whole and not only for people with 

disabilities,” Lisa Haywood-Kertchaval, former 

human resources manager for Meijer said. “The 

bottom-line for our business is reduced costs 

associated with recruitment and retention and 

increased profits for the company,” Haywood-

Kertchaval added. “Improved morale and job 

satisfaction for the employees is simply good 

business.” 

Meijer has committed to filling 40 percent of 

its positions in the fresh assembly department 

(L to R) Peckham Staff: B.J. Behnke & Calley Green, Mitch 

Tomlinson, CEO; Jenny Coon, Fresh Assembly Manuf. Manager; 

Terry Shamblin, Dir. of Manufacturing, Meijer; Chris Stream, Ex. 

Dir. North Central NISH; Rick Keyes, EVP Supply Chain Op. & 

Man., Meijer; Michael Gamble, Sr. Dir. of HR, Meijer 

with people with disabilities. NISH 

presented the prestigious award to Meijer 

representatives at a small reception on April 

20. (see photo) Peckham received two NISH National Awards 

of its own, the Performance Excellence in 

Government Contracts and Performance 

Excellence in Quality Work Environment. 

The Performance Excellence in Government 

Contracts recognizes AbilityOne programs, 

who distinguish world-class level business 

performance across its businesses, services 

and products with its federal customers. 

“We were delighted and gratified when we 

learned we won this award,” said Jo Sinha, 

Peckham corporate vice president. “We are 

really proud of our ability to deliver quality 

products and services to our customers. The 

NISH awards program is an important way to 

recognize the hard work and efforts of our 

staff.” 

The Performance Excellence in Quality Work 

Environment recognizes agencies that provide 

employees with disabilities with enhanced 

employment opportunities, improved 

wages and upward mobility. Peckham was 

recognized for making extraordinary gains 

in employee and client satisfaction, and 

adhering to quality standards including CARF, 

ISO and QWE. 

impact 

SPRING 2012S T ORIES THA T IMP A C T OUR C OMMUNIT y 

OCIE Project Brings New Jobs for Clients 

Peckham s Supply Chain Solutions division aims to launch a new project, National Level 

Organizational Clothing and Individual Equipment Repair and Warehousing Program 

(OCIE) in mid-June 2012. The project is a five year venture, and will fulfill multiple needs 

for organizational clothing for the Army. 

Peckham will launder, restore and repair gently used clothing and equipment and 

operate as a shipping and storing facility for the army s Central Issue Facilities(CIF) 

throughout the nation. Over the next twelve months, the project is expected to bring 

55 full time jobs for persons with disabilities and other barriers to employment, with 

positions ranging from $10 to $16 an hour, in addition to a more than $3 an hour health 

and welfare benefit. 

This is an exciting time of growth for the Supply Chain Division at Peckham. The OCIE 

project allows us to provide high-wage, competitive job opportunities for those we 

serve, said Tom Minich, Logistics Operations Manager of Supply Chain Solutions. 

Being able to provide clients with the resources, training and ultimately an upward 

mobility opportunity is rewarding. 

Peckham has made a committed effort to training clients already working in one of 

its paid job programs to be prepared for the new jobs the OCIE project will bring. 

Through the Warehouse Basic Skills Training, mini-grant clients can learn the basic 

skills required to be viable warehouse candidates. The program gives a competitive 

advantage to clients who make it through completion. Seventeen clients have 

successfully completed the training, and two clients have already been hired for the 

OCIE project. 

“I have always wanted to learn to drive a fork lift truck and Peckham gave me 

the chance to do that. It was awesome to learn new job tasks, said William Ward, 

Environmental Services Client. 

IN THIS ISSUE: 

NISH ANNUAL AWARDS Peckham receives two awards at 

NISH National Conference 

FARM MARKET OPEN 

Hanging baskets, veggie, flower 

plants and more 

www.peckham.org 

3510 Capital City Blvd. 

Lansing, MI 48906-2102 

Non Profit Org. 

US Postage 

PAID 

Lansing, MI 

Permit #991 

Peckham Client in Need 

In February, Peckham client and refugee from Burundi, East Africa, Erasto Nsegiyumva’s 

family was in a tragic car accident following a church choir performance. The accident 

killed his son, severely injured two of his daughters, and several other passengers. 

Unable to afford the funeral expenses, and growing medical expenses, his local church, 

Epicenter of Worship, the City of Lansing, and his Peckham family rallied around Erasto 

to provide support with monetary donations, legal assistance, furniture and home 

items, and much more. 

The family is in need of additional help, as they now have to move into a different home 

due to mold growing inside of their house. The new home, secured through the city of 

Lansing will provide much needed space for Erasto and his wife’s nine children. 

If you would like to donate gently used home furnishings, furniture, or other items, 

please contact Jacqueline Humphries, at 517.482.8910. 

Epicenter of Worship is located at 102 W. Grand River Avenue, Lansing, MI (Old Town, 

corner of W. Grand River Avenue and Washington). 

Table with 2 columns and 4 rowsUPCOMING EVENTS: June 12, 2012 July 21, 2012 Peckham Community Partnership Fourth Annual Ability Tour Foundation 18th Annual Golf Outing Register at www.abilitytour.org Table endMISSION Peckham, Inc., a nonprofit vocational rehabilitation organization, is a unique business and human services agency that values quality, diversity and 

performance. Our mission is to provide a wide range of opportunities to maximize human potential for persons striving for greater independence and 

self-sufficiency. We embrace collaboration, effective resource management and innovative approaches to achieve world-class excellence. 

IMPACT available electronically! If you would like to receive upcoming editions of the IMPACT newsletter 

electronically, please send your email address to ssingleton at peckham.org. 

Outcomes for the 

Quarter 

A total of 4,648 individuals were 

served during the first quarter 

through Peckham’s 24 programs. 

All programs combined obtained 

an average of 98.04% of goals for 

the quarter using a client driven 

outcome measurement system. 

A total of 530 client satisfaction 

surveys earned an average rating 

of 4.45 on a scale of 1 to 5. Surveys 

provide an additional measurement 

tool for satisfaction and input. 

During the quarter, 103 competitive 

community placements were 

obtained. 

“I am employed and treated with respect.” 

Focusing on the Peckham Mission

Peckham is a vocational rehabilitation agency that provides 

paid job training for clients in our rehabilitation programs. 

Our businesses are tools we use to help create meaningful job 

training opportunities for our clients. 

Our clients are referred to Peckham to receive vocational 

evaluation and rehabilitation services. Each client has a 

vocational services specialist working with them to help identify 

a career track and create a path to achieving their vocational 

goals. 

Peckham helps clients develop the skills needed to secure work 

in the community or at Peckham. We have a wide variety of paid 

job training programs. Some jobs are low skill, with lower pay, 

like apparel manufacturing and environmental services. Other 

jobs offer higher skills, and correspondingly higher pay, such as 

distribution and logistics, call center or help desk jobs. 

While there have been reductions in our Apparel Division, 

we look forward to the growth in Supply Chain Solutions and 

Business Services. These new jobs offer higher wages and 

benefits for our clients. Each job offers the opportunity to 

develop skills and the chance to advance to new levels within 

Peckham or in the community. 

Peckham remains committed to serving persons with 

disabilities and other barriers to employment with the 

utmost respect and dignity, and dedicated to providing work 

opportunities for those individuals to gain increased self 

confidence and independence. 

We sincerely thank the local community, partnering 

organizations, our amazing staff and inspiring clients for their 

tremendous support over the past 35 years. 

“I can work alone, yet as part of a team. They 

(Peckham) offer opportunities for people like me 

that the rest of the world (the working world) sees 

as useless and unable to work, a job.” 

“I like Peckham’s work environment, 

its employees and the benefits it offers 

such as medical insurance. I am very 

happy being its valued employee.” 

ISO/TS 16949:2009 

ISO 9001:2008