PROGRAMS
Service Opportunities
Yes, doing what people do. Going to work. Being productive. Taking part in the world. That part is easy. The bigger challenge is finding way to compensate our Core Members their involvement, effort and contribution to our society..
Our members have a wide variety of skills and a great range of abilties. We have a few members who work part time at regular jobs. For a number of our Core Members the work they do for SODA is the only job they have ever had. A few have never taken part in commercial activity of any kind. We want to overcome that. Sitting home, doing nothing is not our idea of what life is about.
Here is Sandy Anunson manning our table display at the Crossroads Mall in Bellevue. The good people of Metrovasion who manage the mall provide us a space there for our community service project: Emergency Preparedness. Sandy helped set up the table. She does her best to answer any question a shopper passing by might have. She hands out informational material provided by Bellevue Fire Department. She is doing her neighbors a service. Sandy has never had a job in a community setting. This volunteer project is her first opportunity to be in a position to interact with the public. The Mall Project is a PATHWAY Serivices project
Here is Michele Appell, another of our star perfomers handing out information on our partnership with an small charity in Liberia that operates an orphanage for 40 children. Michele's a go getter, filled with ideas. She is a very talented person with many skills. She had been working full time for a number of years before being laid off in recent months. Doing something for others, while maintaining her motivation and skill comes naturally to Michelle.
David Dinkins knows a whole lot about work. He has held down a job at the Humane Society for 17 years. Still, David has time to lend a hand to a neighbor. Here he is helping put an edge around a row of everygreen bushes in front of a single family residence in North East Bellevue. This was a situation where the homeownder contracted with SODA to deliver the labor. SODA is a certified Community Rehabitation Program. We are authorized to pay a special minimum wage in order to help make our workers competitive.
PEG Workshops
SODA's Pathways Employment Group is looking for individuals with disabilities living in our community, who want to take part in group activities and who want to learn about money, how to earn and to spend it. Our goal is to help our Core Members play a role in the market place.
We are also seeking determined and energetic Sponsors and Supporters for our Core Members (See Statement of Mission and Purposes). We want people who believe it does not make sense to deprive individuals with disabilities access to the world of commerce. We want people committed to taking action to assist in the work of helping those who have a right to become productive members of their community.
The PEG workshops are about small business incubation. They are serious attempts to find ways to put our members to work. Our Non Profit status as a tax exempt charity gives us some leeway in trying new ideas. Are you tired of waiting for the state to find you or someone you love something productive to do? Join SODA as we take on the challenge of creating and launching community based businesses capable of sustaining themselves.
[Please watch this space for further development of our programs.]
If you would like to know more about our Service Projects or The PEG please fill in the blanks below. Also, think about making a contribution to SODA. All donations made through this web site go directly to support our programs.
SODA ¤ Service Opportunities for Disabled Americans ¤ info@SodaMoon.com