ServiceSource

Congratulations to Mauro Gonzales, an employee working on our AbilityOne contract at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) in Dahlgren, Virginia. Mauro was recognized by the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) as a 2024 Champion of Disability Employment! At yesterday’s award presentation, Mauro shared the challenges he encountered on his journey to finding a meaningful job with good pay and a chance to continue developing in his role. The ServiceSource position at NSWC is exactly what he had searched for. “I’m happy to have managers and a team that supports me,” he said. Mauro, we are equally happy to have you on the ServiceSource team! Keep up the great work!

ServiceSource presented Service Excellence Awards to 11 employees who support our AbilityOne food services contract at U.S. Army Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, Colorado, last Friday. The awards recognize the employees’ dedication and commitment to excellence, as well as their achievements personally and in their communities. Gary Petersen, chair-elect of the ServiceSource board of directors, President and CEO Bruce Patterson, COO Ken Crum, Executive Director Brenda Richardson, and Division Manager Carlos Martinez were on hand to present awards and congratulate the winners. Led by ServiceSource Division Manager Carlos Martinez, the Fort Carson team delivers superior service that advances our mission of building more inclusive communities. We appreciate the outstanding work they do every day.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), a time to celebrate the value and talent individuals with disabilities bring to our workplaces and economy. This year’s official theme “Access to Good Jobs for All” reflects the ServiceSource goal of providing opportunities for people with disabilities to work in meaningful jobs at competitive wages. Josh Hammond, the AbilityOne Employee of the Year at our Utah affiliate, PARC, provides a powerful example of the life-changing impact employment can have for individuals with disabilities and their families. #NDEAM #disabilityemployment

PARC, a ServiceSource affiliate, kicked off our corporate-wide Service Excellence Awards events in Odgen, Utah, with more than 100 people gathered to celebrate the exemplary accomplishments of this year’s 25 awardees! Individuals are selected for Service Excellence Awards based on their outstanding personal achievements and positive contributions to the community. PARC also recognized its Employer Partner of the Year, Clearfield High School, and Community Partner of the Year, Davis School District. These partnerships positively impact the lives of the people PARC serves. Thank you to everyone who attended to celebrate our awardees, including ServiceSource Board Char-Elect Gary Petersen and his wife Carolyn, President and CEO Bruce Patterson, COO Ken Crum, Executive Vice President Dennis Dapolito, PARC Executive Director Ken Naegle, and members of the PARC Advisory Council.

Join us in celebrating the achievements of ServiceSource employees Lonnie Ryan, Nathan Ferendzo, and Theren Gray, who support our #AbiltiyOne Total Facilities Management (TFM) contract in St. Louis, Missouri. Their collective efforts and subject matter expertise were crucial in helping ServiceSource secure a new TFM contract with the Department of Defense. Lonnie, Nathan, and Theren each played a vital role in assessing staffing needs and developing a competitive proposal. To recognize their efforts, ServiceSource President and CEO Bruce Patterson, COO Ken Crum, and Executive Vice President of Contract Operations Don Pincus traveled to Missouri to personally present them with the President's Award. Thank you, Lonnie, Nathan, and Theren, for your unwavering commitment to our mission!

Great news! ServiceSource is one of 27 organizations selected by the U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) to receive a $10.8 million Disability Innovation Fund grant. The 5-year grant will be used to develop demonstration projects aimed at transitioning disconnected youth and adults with disabilities from reliance on government benefits into competitive, integrated employment through holistic family support services. ServiceSource projects will focus on the needs of adults with disabilities eligible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), low-income adults with disabilities who have dependents, and youth with disabilities aged 14-24, including children of TANF recipients, foster care youth, low-income youth, and justice-involved youth. ServiceSource is partnering with Our Ability, Inc., a consulting firm that uses generative AI to connect individuals with disabilities to jobs based on skills, interests, and market trends. RSA launched the Disability Innovation Fund to spur grant recipients to develop new or substantially improved model strategies or programs that can create pathways to some of today’s most in-demand fields. More than 200 organizations – including institutions of higher education, nonprofits, and state agencies – applied for Disability Innovation Fund grants. Learn more about the grant and programs on the ServiceSource Blog: https://ow.ly/WcX050TusGf

Our Building Employment Solutions Together (B.E.S.T.) program closed out the summer with two great community events: A barbeque at the B.E.S.T. Gift Shop in Alexandria, Virginia, and assisting with the annual Joey Pizzano Memorial Fund (JPMF) golf tournament in Chantilly, Virginia. Multiple community members, including the neighborhood mail delivery person, fire department members, and local restaurant owners and managers joined B.E.S.T. participants at our Prince Street location in Old Town for food and networking opportunities. B.E.S.T. participants engaged with community members earlier in the month when they distributed invitations to the event. Members of the local business community learned more about B.E.S.T., including services provided to the community, the participants who receive support, potential community partnership/vocational opportunities, and the new B.E.S.T. Gift Shop location opening on King Street in the fall. A week earlier, individuals in the B.E.S.T. program had networking opportunities at the JPMF golf tournament sponsored by ServiceSource, where they greeted arriving golfers and handed out more than 100 goodie bags they had assembled. In addition, participants rolled silverware to support the awards dinner following the tournament. Through both experiences, B.E.S.T. participants engaged in valuable skill-building opportunities, integrating into the community through volunteerism and engagement with people without diagnosed disabilities. Community members embraced their efforts, presence, and willingness to volunteer in such tangible ways. #inclusivecommunities

ServiceSource affiliate PARC recently wrapped up its Summer Work-Based Learning Experiences program, where three high school students with disabilities received hands-on instruction to prepare for jobs or post-secondary education opportunities. Meeting three times a week, the students received 40 hours of guidance, including resume writing, mock interviews, skill development, field trips to local businesses and college campuses, and more! To conclude the program, several local business representatives visited PARC to share their career insights and present the students with certificates of completion. Coen Evans, a loan officer at Wasatch Peaks Credit Union, and Becky Britton from Lifetime Products discussed their career paths, and Justice from Davis Technical College highlighted on-campus opportunities in fields such as robotics and diesel mechanics and composite classes that matched the students' interests. Thanks to the Department of Workforce Services Pre-ETS Summer Program grant for making this program possible. We look forward to pursuing further opportunities to empower students with disabilities to take their next steps toward meaningful careers and education. Learn more about PARC’s Career Exploration Services at www.parc-ut.com.

Each year ServiceSource and its affiliates meet to discuss our Strategic Plan and goals for the future. As part of the strategic plan presentations, local leadership share updates on progress toward our long-term corporate goals and priorities for the upcoming year. Employees and community partners have the opportunity to ask questions and provide valuable feedback. Thank you to everyone who participated -- we look forward to working with you to reach our ambitious goals for 2025!

Thank you to Rep. Celeste Maloy and Rep. Blake Moore for meeting with Advocate Melanie McDonald, from PARC - A ServiceSource Affiliate in Utah during the SourceAmerica Grassroots Advocacy conference in Washington, D.C. PARC Executive Director Ken Naegle and Director of Operations Chad Miller joined Melanie on the Hill as she explained the challenges people with disabilities face in the job market and how the #AbilityOne Program helped her find meaningful employment and build a rewarding career. The following day, the PARC team met with staff for Senator Mitt Romney and United States Senator Mike Lee to discuss the importance of the AbilityOne Program and strategies to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities. We appreciate your support for #disabilityemployment and look forward to working with you in the future. #disabilityadvocacy #IAmSomebody