by David Ball
Staff Writer
The trio of Sidney Minott, Angela Blandino and Tonii Harris were all smiles as they bounded from a white van in the economy parking lot at Jacksonville International Airport. It was 3 p.m., and a short rain shower had turned the lot into a sauna in the August sun.
Armed with 5-gallon buckets and squeeze-trigger mechanical “grabbers,” they fanned out to different corners and began collecting trash. A cigarette butt, a lighter, a can of soda, a nearly microscopic tear of paper – nothing went unnoticed, and within minutes the buckets were nearly overflowing.
The group hardly had time to gather in front of the terminal for a photo as they continued to pick up any debris they passed.
“They are always working,” smiled supervisor Tamara Bostick. “They never complain and they never miss a day. They truly love their job.”
It’s hard to believe the most enthusiastic and eager employees in Jacksonville may be making minimum wage cleaning up airport parking lots, but this crew makes a strong case.
All three have mental disabilities, and all three have become gainfully employed through The Arc Jacksonville’s employment program. The non-profit group Arc, which used to stand for Association of Retarded Citizens but has been renamed simply Arc, is a clearing house of resources for people with all kinds of disabilities and their families.
In all, 50 disabled residents who otherwise would likely not have steady jobs are now employed at more than 30 businesses, and another 200 work at the Arc facility on contracts with local companies. The employers get quality labor and acknowledge they are helping an underprivileged segment of the population, while the employees get something even more important – a sense of self worth.
“When they have a job, they can really feel like they are a valuable person to our society,” said Susan Hamilton, Arc director of employment services. “It’s amazing what having a job will do for people. That’s why this program is so successful, and why we want to do more.”
The program has grown in strides since beginning modestly some 20 years ago, and Hamilton said she hopes the building success stories will encourage even more employers to participate in the program.
“We have many more people we can help,” she said.
Most members of the employment program work in a division Arc calls Triumph Industries, where they construct shipping boxes, assemble kits, mail letters or perform other services for businesses like Armor Holdings, Fulton Paper, Keefe Supply, Packaging Company of America and Vystar.
Some employees with higher skills work in work groups like the one at JIA, where 12 employees rotate shifts of three throughout the week. Local taxi companies arrange to take the employees to work and back home, although the employees seemed like they would rather be at work than at home.
“Yeah, I like to move around,” said Blandino, 38, followed by smiles and laughs from her crew mates. “I like the paycheck. I buy stuff for my room.”
Although they don’t communicate much with language, the employees do create a definite sense that they understand the politics of the modern workplace.
“Sidney is the leader. He makes sure the girls are taken care of and doing their jobs,” said Bostick, who’s never had an employee wander off the job site, threaten a coworker or supervisor or otherwise disturb any airline passengers or personnel. “Sometimes there’ll be competition, like who works the fastest, who does it better or who gets more attention. They are just like any group of coworkers.”
The crew works for Republic Parking, which is contracted by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority. Republic Manager Jennifer Carroll said they have been model employees and hopes to continue employing the crew if JAA renews Republic’s contract in October.
“They are wonderful, dependable and courteous,” said Carroll. “I really don’t think of them as anything but an extension of our team. They represent us like all of our employees do. I would encourage any business to look at this program.”
Some employees graduate beyond group work and find individual jobs with companies. One such person is Hamilton’s son, Jason, who began as a grocery bagger at Publix, a longtime employer of the disabled, and then got a job as a mail room clerk for Everbank. He’s now been there six years.
“We are really about choices, about what the individual wants to do, whether they want to stay in a large group or go out on their own,” said Hamilton. “Our goal is to help them reach their highest potential.”
For more information on the Arc Jacksonville and the employment program, visit www.arcjacksonville.org or call 573-2805.