Transcript The Center for Head Injury Services

The Center for Head
Injury Services
Judy Grainger
&
Denise Samuels
The Center for Head Injury Services
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Over 27 years serving the St. Louis community
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19 specialized programs
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$4.3 million annual budget
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Serves over 1000 clients and families a year
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Partner with over 125 area business
The Center for Head Injury Services
Our mission is to help people with brain injury, autism and other
disabilities reach their maximum potential by building skills, creating
opportunities and shaping brighter futures.
Our vision is that The Center will be known for helping clients lead
lives as productive as possible and for its individualized, innovative
solutions. The Missouri-based Center will serve an increasing
number of adults who have neurological disorders that range from
autism to brain injuries.
Our Expertise
Over 100 years combined experience in
Vocational Services & Work Oriented Neuro
Rehabilitation Programs
• Integrated Therapist within our Vocational
Rehabilitation programs
• Successful community based training
program
What’s a Social Enterprise?
While there is no single definition of “social
enterprise” there is agreement regarding the
following principles
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Is socially minded & revenue generating
Sometimes called “the double bottom line” –
providing financial and social returns
Planned and operated as a business
What’s a Social Enterprise?
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Has a business plan
Designed to be self sufficient with a long term
vision
Aims to be both profitable (a financial return), a
social impact and governed by a non-profit
Board of Directors
Business run by managers with specific
business expertise
Introducing Destination Desserts
The Destination Desserts Food Truck and Crew
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF78F6lMyj0
Where did the idea come from?
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When the economy began to decline so did the
chance to get someone with a disability a job
Proactive approach that allows our clients to
build and showcase their skills
An opportunity for training and competitive
employment
Focuses on outcomes, taking responsibility
and ownership to design a enriched work
environment and creating jobs
Why Desserts?
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Mass production creates assembly style steps
to complete a task
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We could create an environment where
individual steps can be taught and learned by
incorporating compensatory strategies
First Steps
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Original concept was a simple cookie bakery and
delivery service
By working with a business consultant, we learned to
not limit our focus and address more market
opportunities
Recruited expert staff designed a kitchen and recipes
that are conducive to assembly style production.
Developed a business plan sought out funding partners
How it all came together
The Destination Desserts project began in
July of 2012
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The Kessler Foundation Signature Grant (1 year) (2 year)
St. Louis County Productive Living Board
St. Louis Office for Developmental Disability Resources
helped fund the cost of a business consultant, a kitchen build out and
equipment, truck renovations, product ingredients, and business
personnel prior to the truck generating revenue.
The beginning of the business
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Building the kitchen was the
first step for the business
startup.
Corporate Holiday gift giving
created over $30,000 in
sales which equals 1,500
dozen cookies and cupcakes
Following successful holiday
sales at the end of 2012, the
process to create our truck
began in January 2013
The beginning of the business
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The truck was purchased, designed and retrofitted as a
food truck and the custom design wrap was completed
on April 19, 2013 and this began the process of
obtaining inspections and licensing for business in
various local communities.
While waiting for the completed truck to be delivered
our crew and Destination Desserts trainees took the
time to train on: customer service skills, making
change and equipment operations.
Once the truck was delivered “practice outings” were
held at the location of various local funding sources.
Our vision
Ready to Roll
The truck officially hit the streets for business on
May 14, 2013
Why a Food Truck?
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It is a rolling billboard for the great work we do at our Center.
It allows us to take our product to the customer instead of waiting
for business to arrive at our door or orders by phone.
It reaches many new customers and donors through the social
media activities.
Besides our commercial kitchen, the truck is an additional source
for training and employment of the people we serve.
Adds non-traditional job opportunities (food truck worker, baker’s
assistant or social media technician)
Eliminated the need for delivery drivers from the concept
What we sell
Our Social Media Plan
With the help of a social media consultant, we completed
a comprehensive market analysis of our competitors
goods, pricing and social media status
Tooled with this knowledge, we refined our summer menu
and developed a social media marketing plan that
included measurable outcomes that will increase our
following and sales
How it works
There are primarily three types of targeted truck business
markets that we pursue.
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Daily corporate and business campuses – Meet the needs of corporations
looking for lunch alternatives instead of employees leaving the campus.
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Local events through the food truck association and
– Food Truck Festivals, Concerts and Community Events, etc.
– Fundraising events - Walk/runs, Parades, mall openings, parks
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Private rentals – for parties, celebrations and corporate appreciation
Business through Social Media
We communicate to our followers through Twitter,
Facebook, and Yelp
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To promote truck menu items, advertising the truck route,
communicating our commitment to supporting people living with
neurological disabilities in our community, build and foster
relationships and communicate the mission of the Center.
To keep up with business we hired a part-time employee with a
disability to help manage our social media, continuing to live our
mission and helping her to gain valuable skills and work
experience.
Program Design
What’s the benefit for the clients we serve?
Destination Desserts engages the Center’s rehabilitation
services in two ways:
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Vocational skills training
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Employment phase – Employment within
Destination Desserts or Placement Assistance at
a similar local business at jobs in food prep or
customer service.
Types of Employment Positions
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Baker’s Assistant
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Food Truck Worker
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(Mixer, scooper, packaging, decorating, order fulfillment,
inventory, order taking)
(customer services, cashiering, order fulfillment, inventory,
order taking)
Social Media Technician
Training Objectives
Through our training program, Trainees are able
to participate for up to 12 weeks or 240 hours
1)
During training, individuals are introduced
to food handling and safety practices, production
of basic recipes, and finishing of products to be
sold via the food truck and corporate sales.
Training Objectives
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Participants are provided the opportunity to work handson in each of the work stations including; measuring, mixing,
baking, glazing, decorating, packaging, cleanup and sanitation.
Training Objectives
3)
In addition, individuals
who express a desire or who
show potential for good customer
service skills are given the
opportunity to further build those
skills by working directly with the
public as trainees on the food
truck itself.
The truck also offered some of
our trainees success that they
could not achieve in the kitchen.
Training Objectives
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Also as part of the training participants
are introduced to work related soft skills and
are expected to adhere to work related
practices such as getting to work on time,
following a dress code, developing work
related problem solving and decision making
skills and building good working relationships.
Training Objectives
5)
Upon employment, individuals will
participate in new-hire orientation, to complete
necessary documentation and payroll forms. A
transition plan is implemented and for
consistence purposes the Skills Instructor who
worked with the individual during the vocational
training program will also provide the continued
support and build natural supports.
Training Objectives
6)
We have been successful in collaborating
with our partnering agencies who also provide
Vocational Rehabilitation Services.
To date, we have partnered with four different St.
Louis agencies to provide employment and/or
training opportunities for clients looking to enter
into the baking or food truck industry.
Unexpected Challenges
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Learning and understanding how to successfully
operate a food truck business in the metro St. Louis
area (new business)
Initial Product
Today’s Product
Additional Barriers
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Overcoming the natural communication
barriers from business to rehab language and
practices (and vice versa)
Business and Rehab awareness regarding the
use of volunteer and donated services
How to transport delicate desserts during
humid Missouri summers
Impact to those we serve
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For a variety of reasons some of the individuals who have been hired at
Destination Desserts have found it difficult to maintain employment in the
past.
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Working at Destination Desserts provides the opportunity for employees
to continue to build or rebuild their work skills at an individualized pace.
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This model allows the person to take on increased responsibility and
additional work tasks as skills emerge.
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With this approach, employees experience the feeling of success. This
feeling of achievement is most often demonstrated through increased
self-confidence and as a result it is frequently the employee themselves
who request to learn new skills and try new tasks.
Impact to those we serve
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While money is important to all of us, when asked, “making money” is
seldom the first response you will hear from these new employees when
asked the question, “what do you like most about working?” Most of the
employees at Destination Desserts will tell you they like the work. The
majority had never considered baking or customer service on a food truck
as a profession and it seems to be this satisfaction from learning new
things that provides the sense of fulfillment.
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In addition there is a sense of excitement and pride at being on the
ground floor of building something new as this social venture expands.
There seems to be a feeling of “I want to be a part of making this work”
that has become a sustaining force for all employees of Destination
Desserts and the Center for Head Injury.
Micro Enterprise
Training and Employment
opportunities
with a smaller scale product
with less complexity
All Natural Dog Treats
Success Story
“it’s like going to a party everyday”! But that’s wasn’t always the case…
Recommended Resource
Disability and Work Research Report
May 2011 edition
A joint publication from the John J. Heldrich Center for
Workforce Development and the Kessler Foundation
“Social Enterprise Businesses: A Strategy for
Creating Good Jobs for People with Disabilities”
Questions?
Judy Grainger, Chief Program Officer
[email protected]
The Center for Head Injury Services
314-983-9230
Denise Samuels, Destination Desserts Director
destinationdesserts.org