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National Disability Employment Awareness Month
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October 2008
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Dear Friend
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Guido Piccarolo |
It is September 23, 2008, about 9.30am, when the
door of the LAHH opens. A young man, probably in
his twenties enters in the office accompanied by
a relative. He sits at the table, fills out the
job application, stands up and quickly moves
toward us. We are waiting to interview him. We
shake hands and introduce ourselves. We sit and
smile at each other. I am ready to ask him the
questions that I have prepared, but the
unpredictable happens. He looks me straight in
the eye and with a broken voice asks: "Can I
work?"
September signified for Los Angeles Habilitation
House an important stepping stone. We opened our
doors and we have met our future employees.
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Speedy at the National
Disability Event Santa Ana, CA |
All of them posed this question in a different
way and each of them looked at us with hope.
However, even more of what we have been able to
do for them so far, what moves me, is what I
have seen. I have better understood in these
days that I cannot truly live my own work
without asking that question to myself. The
point of departure that motivates us to be
together with them is our efforts to respond to
the needs and urges of life. The possibility to
help the personal and social expression of each
of us starts in the recognition of our
existential search for true happiness.
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Nancy and her friend,
Theresa, at the 9th Annual Accessibility
Expo in Downtown LA |
October is
National Disability Employment Awareness
Month during which Nancy attended two events
that testified to the urgency and need for
employers like LAHH. The success stories of
persons with disabilities underscores that the
only response to the question, "can I work?" is
an affirmative answer.
Sincerely,
Guido Piccarolo
President, LAHH
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Recruiting our Exceptional Talent Pool
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Danielle Heck,
Harbor Regional Center
Employment Specialist, walked into our office with a
white paper bag in her hand and a smile on her face.
It was day two of our interviews with ten clients
from the Harbor Regional Center. From our
conversation over lunch, the day before, Danielle
knew of Guido's preference for homemade Italian
pastries. The white paper bag contained warm,
freshly baked pastry with sweet cheese and
deliciously warm breaded twists lightly dusted with
sugar. The sweetness of the pastries underscored how
well the interviews went!
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Nancy with Danielle Heck, HRC,
and interviewees |
During my first phone call with Danielle, she
estimated that four or five of her clients would be
interested and available for our custodial job
opening. Danielle spent two weeks combing through
her list of clients and meeting and talking with
their job coach or their relatives. When Danielle
phoned to ask who might be interested, ten people
responded positively!
When the first person walked through our door, a
young man, he was professional and courteous.
Throughout our interview with him, we came to
understand his eagerness to work as a janitor, to
work for LAHH, and to learn our cleaning method
(OS1). It was clear to us, by the end of day 2, that
"people who are disabled do not want charity, they
just want a chance," to quote Speedy, who received
an award at the Ability One event in Santa Ana. Our
interviewees, each in their own way, displayed a
great attitude toward our position and a willingness
to learn something new. Many of whom also had
previous janitorial experience. These attributes
coupled with our company's mission is a winning
combination!
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Capital Campaign 2008
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To date, we have
raised $26,000 of our
capital campaign!
We have started to purchase the equipment and supplies
for the Companionship of Work - Janitorial program.
Thank you to each person and each company that has
donated. No donation is too small and we know that you
have many wonderful organizations to choose from, so we
are deeply grateful for the choice you have made, to
fulfill our mission, together. As we finish out the
Capital Campaign 2008, contributions can be made:
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Via PayPal on our website at
www.lahabilitationhouse.org clicking on the
DONATE button.
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By checks in the mail to our satellite office at
7547 W Manchester Ave, Ste 302, Los Angeles, CA
90045. Please make checks payable to LAHH or Los
Angeles Habilitation House.
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Through pledges
by calling Nancy Albin at (310) 927-8891.
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Thank You
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We wanted to take
a moment to thank Francesca Orsi Haspel who is one
of our Advisory Board Members. Francesca is an
accomplished woman who is so talented, creative, and
intelligent. Francesca thinks about how to solve
problems in unique ways. Francesca has really gone
above and beyond for LAHH in fundraising and in
raising awareness about the returning soldiers who
are coming home with Traumatic Brain Injury or Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder. Francesca has a full and
beautiful life, but still finds time to advocate to
her colleagues at one of the top entertainment
companies highlighting the condition that many of
these heroic men and women experience and plan a
fundraising event. We are grateful for Francesca's
attention to detail and availability to LAHH and
fulfilling our mission. Francesca, thank you for all
of your hard work!
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Nancy Albin
Vice President, LAHH |
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Support
LAHH |
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LAHH is a 501(c)(3)
non-profit corporation in need of support to develop the
Companionship of Work program.
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