Community Employment
Work goes far beyond the walls of ACT’s Columbia facility. It occurs in dozens of locations throughout mid-Missouri. Through the Community Employment Program, ACT links many individuals with a wide variety of employers. But the goal is not job placement. ACT is a people-builder. The goal is to provide work experience that will help clients grow.
This personal care and supervision pays rich rewards for employer and employee alike. Each day dozens of ACT participants leave home for their jobs at hospitals, student cafeterias, hotels and a wide range of business, industry and government facilities. Dedicated to do their best, they return with friendships, financial rewards and satisfaction.
MOBILE CLEANING CREW
ACT’s mobile cleaning crew is one of the best kept secrets in town. The seven-member crew offers some of the best custodial care in the area, yet not many businesses know about the service. The mobile cleaning crew works every day providing complete cleaning service to the ACT facility and two other Columbia locations.
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'Whatever they ask for, we'll try to do it,' says Mobile Cleaning Crew supervisor Grace Ricciotti. |
“They put in hard work,” says Grace Ricciotti, employee training specialist and cleaning crew supervisor. “They work twice as hard as many workers.” The crew does extensive cleaning for its clients.
A few of the services include cleaning bathrooms, washing windows, complete cleaning of kitchen and dining areas, dusting vents, shining chrome and sweeping. “Whatever they ask for, we’ll try to do it,” says Ricciotti. Right now the crew is looking for additional jobs. “We could always work more hours.” The crew is made up of “very hard workers,” she adds. “They’re very observant and take pride in what they do.” One client served is Broadway Physical Therapy—a location that demands the highest quality cleaning, Ricciotti adds. “They’re down on their knees doing very deep cleaning.”
Ray Handy, Community Employment director, organized the mobile crew in 1995 by bringing together several workers doing custodial work independently. Many of today’s crew have been custodians for up to 12 years. By concentrating all the custodians into one crew, a business could get the highest quality service at a very competitive contract rate, he says.
In addition to providing each custodian money, self-satisfaction and direct access to the community are key benefits to each crew member. “It’s been very good for ACT and the individuals that we support on the crew. It gives them the support they need and allows them to work in a community setting.”
For contracted locations there are numerous benefits to hiring the ACT’S MOBILE CLEANING CREW mobile crew, says Handy. Each cleaning job gets a thorough inspection by a job coach and supervisor Ricciotti. The businesses also know they’ll get a quality job because there is little or no turnover among crew members. “You definitely get higher quality” than many competing commercial firms, says Ricciotti.
Hiring the crew “is an opportunity to feel good about your work environment and yourself.” To learn know more about the services of the mobile cleaning crew contact Ray Handy at 474-9446.
-Community Employment is funded by the Missouri Division of Vocational Rehabilitation -
