Work 1st!

The Work 1st! program is very unique.  The underpinning philosophy of this program is that everybody can participate in valuable work.  Work is valuable when it is necessary and meaningful to the employer and is personally valuable to the worker.  Work is valuable to the worker when it gives the person a feeling of importance and when it produces financial rewards.  With these guiding principles in mind, the jobs and job training that go on in Work 1st! involve real, value-added work experiences.  The individuals working in this program have low to non-productive work histories due to such factors as behavioral issues or severe and/or multiple disabilities.  The exciting news is that many of these people have attained productivity levels that are far beyond previous expectations.  How is this possible?  In many cases, the first step was that they were given the opportunity to do things that they were never expected to do before.  Additionally, the workers receive excellent training/support and are treated with dignity.  The end result is folks who are happpy at what they are doing, feel good about themselves and are taking home a paycheck!

Some of the jobs that people do at Work  1st! include document destruction, stick pen assembly and commercial laundry.