The PyramidPartneringWith YouFor TheFuture

Volume 2, Issue 1 Winter 2007

Successes and Opportunities — Dave Flick

The mission of Friendship Industries is to develop and main-tain employment and training opportunities for persons with dis-abilities. In an effort to continuously improve and strengthen our programs, we conduct an annual review of our rehabilitation goals and objectives.

Our Rehabilitation Department evaluates our job training and employment programs, analyzing results ranging from the number of clients served in our programs to the hourly wages paid to cli-ents. Some of our successes in the 2005-2006 fiscal year include:

•  the average hourly wage paid to clients increased by .10/hour

•  the average hours per week worked by clients in Ex-tended Employment rose by 6%

•  94% of our clients feel that they are making progress toward their primary rehabilitation goal

•  the number of people served in Supported Employ-ment jumped by 14%

•  Friendship’s Supported Employment counselors placed 21 clients in competitive jobs in the community

As we are always searching for opportunities to improve our programs and serve more people with disabilities, there are areas we would like to strengthen by:

•  serving more clients in Work Assessment and Work Adjustment

•  increasing the number of clients that move from Work Assessment and Work Adjustment into Extend-ed Employment or Supported Competitive Employment

•  boosting the monthly number of active clients in Extended Employment and Medicaid Waiver

•  placing more clients in better-paying positions in the community

•  increasing hourly wages for clients in Supported Employment

As we strive to strengthen our programs and serve more people with disabilities, we are mindful that our successes would not be possible without the support of the community and the hardwork-ing, dedicated people we serve.

Friendship Client Experiences Success

Ryan Hart went to Turner Ashby High School where he was a manager for the T.A. football team and Homecoming King. He still enjoys attending football and basketball games at T.A.

While at Turner Ashby, Ryan’s teachers helped him participate in a number of work experi-ences at school and with local employers. After high school, Ryan and his family decided that he should come to Friendship Industries to work.

After working at Friendship for several months, Ryan decided that he was interested in trying employment in the community with the help of Friendship’s Supported Employment program. The Depart-ment of Rehabilitative Services and Friendship staff assisted Ryan in obtaining employment with Aramark where he works as a Food Service Worker at P.C. Dukes at James Madi-son University.

Ryan reports that he enjoys work-ing at JMU. He remarked, “I like working here. The people are nice.” He also likes seeing his high school friends who are now JMU students.

Beth Hartman, Aramark’s Facil-ity Manager for P.C. Dukes, noted, “Ryan is a great asset to our com-pany. He has made a lot of friends, including other employees and customers. His singing and words of wisdom put smiles on our faces.”Paul McFarlandRehabilitation Director 540- 434-9586paulmcfarland@friendship-industries.com

Friendship’s Extended Employment ProgramThe Extended Employment program at Friendship Industries is Friendship’s larg-

est program. About 80 clients are currently employed in Extended Employment.

In order to enter Extended Employ-ment, clients must successfully com-plete Friendship’s Assessment and/or Work Adjustment programs. Clients are normally referred and sponsored by the Department of Rehabilitative Services (DRS) or the Community Services Board (CSB) for their Assess-ment, Work Adjustment, and Extended Employment programs. Referral and sponsorship by other sources is also a possibility.

Families and friends are a vital part of each client’s network of support that helps them be a successful Friend-ship employee. Some clients in Ex-tended Employment have worked for

Friendship for a few months and others have worked for Friendship for many years. One client in Extended Employment has worked for Friendship for approximately 40 years.

Clients in Extended Employment work on personal goals and are provided indi-vidualized supports. These supports include:

•  Training in Friendship’s Learning Center if clients are not working •  Assistance arranging transportation to and from work •  A flexible attendance policy that enables clients to request time off for

vacations, family functions and appointments •  Additional supervision and support than would normally be provided

by an employer •  A chance to work with their friends •  Work schedules that may be modified due to medical issues •  Assistance in contacting and referral to other agencies for work and

non-work related assistance •  Assistive technology

Friendship assisted 21 clients in obtaining competitive employment elsewhere in the community last year. Clients in Extended Employment may request Supported Em-ployment services if they would like to try employment elsewhere in the community.Paul McFarlandRehabilitation Director 540- 434-9586paulmcfarland@friendship-industries.com

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Ryan Hart

h o w l   t o l   d o n a t e l   t o l   f r i e n d s h i p l   i n d u s t r i e s

o  Yes, I would like to support Friendship’s mission of providing employment and training opportunities to disabled persons with a gift of:

o $25 o $50 o $100     other.

Name

Address

City State Zip

Phone # Email

Employer Job Title

o  My employer will match my gift!

Pay by Credit Card

Card Number:

Expiration Date in Month/Year:

Security Code (3-4 digit number on back of card):

Amount: $

If you prefer to provide your credit card information over the phone, please call: Missy Stover, Director of Development at 540-434-9137

USPS Update: The Long and The Short of it!Friendship Mail Management Services can help you play the USPS game and win!New Postal Rate Case with BIG changes goes into effect May 2007

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Size Matters Mailpiece design now matters more than ever — Shape, Weight, and Standardization. New postal rates emphasize efficiency. Re-categorizing mail to save money is the way to go. Example: convert flats to letters (save as much as 20¢) and parcels to flats (save as much as 38¢).

Health Matters Mailing list health must be improved and maintained. New rates benefit those who keep their lists clean. Using a “cleansing” process such as NCOA (National Change of Address), Deceased File, “Out of Business” File and more will help you stop losing your target audience, mail at lower postage rates and increase your ROI (Return on Investment), too.

Why print more pieces? Why pay more postage? Especially if a signifi-cant number of your carefully crafted mailpieces will end up in the trash and never reach their destination!?!

What the Future Holds After more than a decade, postal reform legislation finally became law December 2006. For the first time in a generation, laws governing the finance and operations of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will be revised. What does that mean to you? Future rate hikes will be more predictable, especially important to not-for-profits, and we’ll have stability in the nation’s mail system. (NOTE: The current rate changes scheduled for May 2007 will NOT be affected by this legislation.)

The new Postal Regulatory Commis-sion is allowed to increase rates each year, but capped at no more than the annual increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and most rates can change with 45 days notice. The current pro-cess takes as much as a year and has no cap on rate hikes.

The USPS will also be required to de-vise delivery standards for ALL classes of mail,

measure success in meeting standards, and take action when standards aren’t met. This is an important new provi-sion, especially for not-for-profits who have long experienced slow delivery of fundraising mail!

Friendship Mail Management Services (FMMS)Laura Wine@Friendship-Industries.comCustomer Service Representative and USPS-Certified Mail Quality Control SpecialistToll-Free 800-777-9586 OR Direct Dial 540- 442-1866

Laura WineCustomer Service Representative and

USPS-Certified Mail Quality Control Specialist

North Pointe Corporate Center801 Friendship DriveHarrisonburg, VA 22802540-434-9586800-777-9586 Toll FreeContactUs@Friendship-Industries.com

NON-PROFIT ORGUS POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT 161

HARRISONBURG, VA

Friendship Industries develops and maintains employment

and training opportunities for persons with disabilities in inte-

grated work environments.

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Making a Difference at FriendshipFriendship Industries is grateful for the support the local community has demonstrated

over the years. Contributions assist us in providing training and employment opportunities for our clients and help fund the costs of transporting them to and from Friendship every day. Many of the people we serve wouldn’t have these opportunities without your generosity.

There are several ways you can support the work of Friendship Industries:Gifts of Cash — you can invest in our mission with an annual gift. Friendship has

state tax credits available for qualified gifts.Stocks/Bonds/Certificates — to make a gift of stocks or securities, please con-

tact the Development Office for our brokerage account information.Planned Gifts — there are several types of planned giving options available,

including some which will provide you with an income while helping Friendship.Bequests — you can leave a fixed amount or percentage of your estate to

Friendship.

Much of what we accomplish is because of local support. Whether through financial support, providing work for our clients, or hiring people with disabilities, you—the community — make our success possible.

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