HIRE Enterprises held a Labor Day cookout on Wednesday, September 1st.
HIRE held the cookout as a Labor Day celebration and to take the time to
thank their employees and local businesses for their continued support
and contributions over the past year.
In addition to great food and musical entertainment, HIRE recognized
companies by presenting Appreciation Awards for their ongoing support,
continued use of HIRE’s production workshop for sub-contract work and
their efforts to employ individuals with disabilities. The companies who
received awards were Atlantic Poly of Norwood, Bayer Healthcare of
Walpole, Savogran of Norwood, Island Oasis of Walpole, S.M. Lorusso’s of
Walpole and Printworks of Walpole. In addition, HIRE selected and
presented an Award for Employee of the Year. That Award went to Danny
Chin.
HIRE Enterprises, a vocational rehabilitation program that relies
heavily on state funds, has been providing solutions to labor needs for
over fifty businesses in and around Walpole. The work performed on a
daily basis includes packaging, hand assembly, mail services and other
services as needed by local businesses. If you would like to become more
involved with working with HIRE for production needs or would like more
information about our services, please call Tara Kelly at 508-668-4592
x11.
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Community Vocational Rehabilitation Program Offers Opportunity for Local
Businesses
ByChris Brooks
The concept of “sheltered workshops” or vocational rehabilitation goes
back to the early 1960’s. Many individuals with special needs were given
an opportunity to enter the workplace and once again feel productive.
Due to constriction and many changes in the healthcare system, one
doesn’t see as many of these programs as were evident years ago.
If you travel on West Street about a quarter mile out of Walpole Center,
you will come upon a program called Hire Enterprises. HIRE is a remnant
of the sixties and still thriving in the year 2004. Hire Enterprises is
a Carf-accredited program of the May Institute with corporate
headquarters in Norwood, MA.
A typical day at HIRE begins around 8:00 a.m. More than twenty-five
individuals arrive at 8:00 a.m. and are ready, willing and able to work
in an environment that offers a friendly, supportive and structured
environment for a good day of work.
The vocational rehabilitation program, which relies heavily on state
funds, provides solutions to labor needs for over fifty businesses in
and around Walpole. The work performed by these individuals on a daily
basis includes packaging, hand assembly, mail services and other
services as needed by local businesses.
As I toured the program, it was easy to see that the individuals took
pride in their work. The factory-like setting has a full-service loading
dock, assembly line and a state-of-the art shrink-wrap machine. The
Production Supervisors were friendly, approachable, and available taking
great pride in the quality of the work that is completed each day. Tara
Kelly, the Program Director said, “We have excellent workers who are
qualified to do many different tasks and jobs. They have a great variety
of skills, desire and energy. One of our jobs is to secure sub-contract
work and bring work in-house. We enjoy variety and enjoy being creative
to serve our customers needs.”
As I spent time having lunch with the staff and individuals at the
program I was impressed with the feedback they have received over the
past few years. Mike Geoghegan, Director of Operations, has been
involved with the program for over 19 years. He mentioned that “we have
helped out many local businesses; our quality control insures that the
work is done to meet the expectations of the companies who utilize our
services, our prices are competitive and we can actually deliver the
completed product to companies if requested. We have a real team
approach to getting the job done and done right!”
If you are interested in learning more about Hire Enterprises, please
call Chris Brooks at
(508) 930-2770.
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