Disabled may get a jump start on work at new shop

By AMY SATTERWHITE / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

This past weekend at 122 E. Main Street, about 15 workers could be seen scraping old wallpaper and re-tiling flooring for display windows, but what could not be seen as easily was the idea that motivated them.

Along with a fresh coat of paint, volunteers planned to give the place, formerly a sign shop, a new purpose.

With the ink still drying on a newly-signed lease, members of the non-profit Associated Resources for the Challenged (ARC) went to work immediately to help transform the old business into a place where those who are either physically or mentally challenged can be productive members of society.

ARC members are planning to open a craft/thrift shop they call The ARC Shop there, which will employ the disabled. It’s different from a traditional thrift shop in that organizers are hoping to sell high-quality clothing and hope to teach craft skills where products created there can be resold.

The concept is something that has evolved from a brainstorming session of the newly revived ARC, which has roots in Warren County, dating back to Gribble Elementary, but which has not been as active as it once was, chair Pam Pallas said.

For Wade and Carol Grove, who are parents to a 22-year-old, mentally challenged daughter, the reality of the shop can’t come soon enough. It would be more conducive to their schedule than other offerings for the disabled, where only a half-day schedule is available or where there is a waiting list to participate, Carol Grove, also an ARC member, said.

“It will be good,” Wade added. “It will help out the kids and give them work experience where they can find another job.”

That’s the whole point, Pallas said.

“The purpose of the shop is to provide training and employment for individuals with disabilities, so not only will they be making these crafts, we also anticipate them managing the operation,” she said.

“We anticipate having numerous part-time positions for individuals with a wide range of disabilities,” she added of the shop, which is planned to be open initially on Fridays and Saturdays, but which hopes to be open for 4th of July celebrations downtown to elicit clothing and craft donations and volunteers.

Organizers are open to ideas for crafts, but for now, are planning to sell items such as bird houses, stamped T-shirts, decorative yard signs and offer candlemaking. They are actively seeking craft instructors as well. All of it is intended to help those who are disabled get a jump start on employment.

“What we envision is people can come here and maybe learn to fold a T-shirt and then run a cash register and become employed at another business. We don’t see this as an end, but a start where they can train for other opportunities,” Pallas added.

When child advocate Debbie Watlington was asked to join the ARC mission, she knew she couldn’t say no.

“I was busy, but I thought this is really going to benefit a group that is often overlooked,” she said.

The group grew from a few interested parents, some of whom have children with disabilities, to more who eventually came up with the idea of the shop.

“It just kind of evolved out of a lot of brainstorming about the question, ‘How do we best serve our community?’ and at this point, we thought employment,” Pallas added.

Additional goals for the organization include expanding social opportunities and working with the school system to help meet educational needs for children with disabilities.

To help with the shop, contact Pallas at 507-2552. Craft materials such as fabric, paints, yarn, crochet needles and clothing donations can be made on Saturday mornings until the shop opens officially. ARC meets the second Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. at Tennessee Technology Center.

PHOTOS INFO:
Above, Louis Scirica posts a sign of what’s to come at 122 E. Main St., where Associated Resources for the Challenged (ARC) members are planning to open a craft/thrift shop where the disabled can work.
Below, ARC member Carol Grove gives her daughter, Sheila, a hug after clean up at the shop. Grove and her husband Wade, pictured at left, were among several volunteers attempting to transform the shop into a meaningful and productive place. The Groves said due to their working schedules, they aren’t able to participate in other working programs for the disabled or have been on a waiting list. Volunteers plan to work there for a few more Saturday mornings and hope to be open for Fourth of July festivities going on downtown. Organizers hoped volunteers would step forward to manage the operation of the shop as well. (Amy Satterwhite photos)