WACOSA ThriftWorks! Now Open!
WACOSA ThriftWorks!, our new thrift store, is now open! ThriftWorks! gives you excellent pricing, great customer service, and a warm and welcoming shopping environment. ThriftWorks! is located at 310 Sundial Drive in Waite Park. Hours are Monday through Friday from 10:30am to 6:30pm, Saturday from 9am to 5pm, and Sunday from noon to 5pm. The convenient drive-thru donation drop off is also open these same hours.
We encourage you to follow WACOSA on facebook for updates, sales, and more for ThriftWorks!
We look forward to seeing you there. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at info@wacosa.org or at 320-251-0087.
WACOSA Seniors Give Back
In 2012, WACOSA seniors volunteered nearly 1,972 hours of their time, which is about 1.5 times higher than the hours they volunteered in 2011. Some of the ways the seniors volunteer include making and delivering woodblock sets for disadvantaged children, visiting and playing bingo with retirees, delivering Meals-on-Wheels, helping the Tri-County Humane Society and offering assistance at multiple churches throughout the area with weekly bulletins. The WACOSA seniors also assisted the local Knights of Columbus with their annual Tootsie Roll drive, packaged meals for children overseas at the Kids Against Hunger program, and assisted the Salvation Army last December with kettle ringing. Hats off to the seniors giving back to their community!
WACOSA ThriftWorks! Featured on UTVS News
Recently UTVS came to WACOSA to do a report on our new thrift shop, ThriftWorks! Check out the great feature on youtube by clicking this link!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYpIjSkZ_zg
(If link doesn't work, please copy and paste into your web browser.)
THIFTWORKS! Now Accepting Donations
THRIFTWORKS!, WACOSA's new thrift store will be opening in the spring of 2013. We are in need of your donations, which we are accepting now!
CONVENIENT DRIVE THRU DROP OFF LOCATED AT 310 SUNDIAL DRIVE IN WAITE PARK. (JUST EAST OF CRAFTS DIRECT - IN THE OLD VILO LANES BUILDING) 9AM TO 6PM, MONDAY THRU FRIDAY.
DROP OFF AT 712 LINCOLN LOOP IN SAUK CENTRE BETWEEN 9AM AND 4PM Monday thru Friday
ACCEPTING your gently used:
ACCEPTING your gently used:
- Women's, men's and children's clothing and shoes
- Books, movies, games
- Toys
- Small household appliances
- Jewelry & accessories
- Linen and bedding
- Tools
- Furniture - large furniture must be reviewed and approved
- Much More!
NOT ACCEPTING:
- Hazardous waste - or items containing hazardous waste such as: computers, computer monitors, VCRs, TVs, stereos, turntables, speakers, phones, or answering machines. (WE DO RECYCLE CELL PHONES)
- Microwave ovens
- Mattresses or box springs
- Infant/children equipment: cribs, highchairs, pack n plays, car seats, etc.
- Sleeper sofas
- Food
- Flammable products
- Weapons and explosives
- Construction materials
- Carpeting
- Large furniture - some accepted with review and approval
- Any other non-resalable item
If you have any questions please email Ann at akennedy@wacosa.org or call 320-251-0087
Holiday Lights and Electrical Cord Recycling
WACOSA, in partnership with the Recycling Association of Minnesota and other fine organizations is now accepting holiday lights and electrical cords for recycling, free of charge. Teaming up with businesses and organizations throughout central Minnesota (see current list below) there are multiple drop sites for this exciting opportunity to "go green."
What we accept:
If you're interested in becoming a drop site or would like more information please contact Beth Sueker at 320-257-5182, bsueker@wacosa.org, OR Ann Roesler at 320-257-5191, aroesler@wacosa.org.
What we accept:
- Electrical cords
- Holiday lights - even the lights are recycled!
- Appliance cords
- Electrical wiring
- Telephone cords
- Cords with battery packs
- Cords with adapters
- Cords attached to appliances or the original item (cords only please)
- Cords attached to large holiday decorations (cords only please)
- Ace Hardware in Little Falls, Alexandria, Long Prairie and Sauk Centre
- Albany Senior High School
- Albany Elementary
- Brenny Transportation in St. Joseph
- Denny & Kathy’s Ace Hardware in St. Cloud
- Foley Hardware and Appliance
- Lee’s Ace Hardware in St. Joseph
- Mimbach Fleet Supply in Sauk Rapids
- MinnWest Bank in St. Cloud
- Royalton City Hall
- Royalton Elementary School
- Sentry Bank in St. Cloud and St. Joseph
- Town Square Media
- Tri-County Solid Waste in Waite Park
- WACOSA’s DocuShred Storefront in Waite Park
- Whitney Senior Center
If you're interested in becoming a drop site or would like more information please contact Beth Sueker at 320-257-5182, bsueker@wacosa.org, OR Ann Roesler at 320-257-5191, aroesler@wacosa.org.
Introducing WACOSA THRIFTWORKS! Thrift Store
WACOSA is proud and excited to announce that we will be opening WACOSA THRIFTWORKS! in the spring of 2013. THIRFTWORKS! will be located at 310 Sundial Drive in Waite Park, just east of Crafts Direct, and right next door to our 320 Sundial Drive location. (The old Vilo Lanes building.)
WACOSA’s thrift store is being designed to provide a retail training program for persons with Asperger’s Syndrome (AS), a concern found on the autism spectrum of developmental challenges. Since services for this group of individuals are frequently sparse and are often poorly funded, WACOSA decided to bolster services for this growing segment of our community. WACOSA plans to use the proceeds from this store to fund training, placement and follow along services to help persons with AS live more independent and productive lives in their communities. This great new opportunity will also offer a wide variety of work opportunities for our current cilents as well.
We will keep you up to date as we move closer to our grand opening of THRIFTWORKS!
WACOSA’s thrift store is being designed to provide a retail training program for persons with Asperger’s Syndrome (AS), a concern found on the autism spectrum of developmental challenges. Since services for this group of individuals are frequently sparse and are often poorly funded, WACOSA decided to bolster services for this growing segment of our community. WACOSA plans to use the proceeds from this store to fund training, placement and follow along services to help persons with AS live more independent and productive lives in their communities. This great new opportunity will also offer a wide variety of work opportunities for our current cilents as well.
We will keep you up to date as we move closer to our grand opening of THRIFTWORKS!
WACOSA ENHANCES SERVICES FOR ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES WITH HELP FROM CENTRACARE HEALTH FOUNDATION New Computer System Expected to Boost Curriculum at Whitney Senior Center
WACOSA is the proud recipient of a $12,100 grant from CentraCare Health Foundation in St. Cloud, Minn. The grant will fund an It’s Never 2 Late (iN2L) computer system for use at the organization’s senior program at Whitney Senior Center. The iN2L is an adaptive technology that offers intuitive and user-friendly activities for adults with a range of cognitive and physical abilities.
“The support we received from CentraCare Health Foundation for the iN2L computer system allows WACOSA to address curriculum challenges within a single piece of equipment,” says Pam Baltes, WACOSA Program Director. “We anticipate this system will help to not only enhance group activities, but also provide the opportunity to develop individual programs for cognitive stimulation and physical engagement.”
WACOSA will introduce the system to its program participants in November after staff training is complete. Staff will begin to evaluate the equipment’s potential in programming at that time to determine if it will be integrated into additional programs in the future.
It’s Never 2 Late (iN2L) is based in Centennial, Colo. Founded in 1999, iN2L is dedicated to helping older adults realize the full benefits of adaptive technology.
Nahan Provides Work to 248 WACOSA Clients!
Frequently, work is brought to WACOSA's production and warehouse facilities located in Waite Park, MN. It isn't every day that a single, in-house job at WACOSA employs nearly
250 people. However, when it does, they like to share that with the entire community.
Nahan, a large, custom print and direct mailer in St. Cloud,MN, was established in 1962. In the beginning it employed just 15 individuals. Today, the business employs 350 employees and offers worldwide service. Nahan has collaborated with WACOSA for 8 years and has made a genuine difference in many lives. Most recently they were in need of workers to sort product into boxes, nearly 5 million pieces. To help them get the job done, they picked up the phone and called WACOSA.
That one job, alone, employed 248 adults with disabilities. When WACOSA informed Nahan they had given so many people work, they were thrilled. Nahan has always been a great partner with WACOSA but a job of this type and quantity gave the organization the ability to get people of all ability levels working. Further, this work provided an opportunity for WACOSA workers to earn a paycheck at a time when the threat of legislative budget cuts and challenges presented by the on-going recession loomed large.
"Nahan has always been an important business presence in our community and we are so thankful they continue to choose WACOSA's production facilities to help them with large and small scale projects," states Ann Kennedy, WACOSA's Marketing and Sales Manager. "Their business has really benefited a large number of adults with disabilities. Nahan knows something that we, at WACOSA, work hard to make clear to everyone in our community: WACOSA provides assembly, re-work, and many other in-house services with the highest quality of standards, completed on-time and at a good price. WACOSA workers take great pride in the work they do and their quality and effort reflects this pride."
To learn more about Nahan Printing visit www.nahan.com.
WACOSA Seniors Give to Our Community
WACOSA, a non-profit organization serving adults with disabilities, operates a senior program located at the Whitney Senior Center in St. Cloud. WACOSA seniors believe strongly in giving back to their community by volunteering. Volunteering is good for St. Cloud and surrounding communities. It boosts self-esteem, promotes pride in what they can do to assist others and helps each individual remain active in their community.
In 2011 WACOSA seniors volunteered approximately 1399 hours of their time, virtually doubling their numbers from the preceding year. Some of the activities the seniors partake in include making wood block sets for children in shelters, visiting and playing games with retirees, delivering Meals- on- Wheels, helping the Tri-County Humane Society and offering assistance at multiple churches throughout the area.
Roger, a WACOSA senior, shares what volunteering means to him. “I like to help out. It gives me something to do, it helps out the community and I like to get work done.” Both Ruth and Pauline, also WACOSA seniors, point out that it makes them feel good to volunteer. “It’s doing new things, with new people, and it helps people”. A big crowd favorite is visiting retirement facilities and playing bingo with the folks who live there. This is but one of the many ways that WACOSA seniors extend their hands to those in need.
Steve Howard, WACOSA’s Executive Director, supports the senior’s activities. “It is important that seniors of all ability levels remain active in their communities. We appreciate the many ways our community supports WACOSA’s efforts. This is but one of the many ways that we can give back.”
In 2011 WACOSA seniors volunteered approximately 1399 hours of their time, virtually doubling their numbers from the preceding year. Some of the activities the seniors partake in include making wood block sets for children in shelters, visiting and playing games with retirees, delivering Meals- on- Wheels, helping the Tri-County Humane Society and offering assistance at multiple churches throughout the area.
Roger, a WACOSA senior, shares what volunteering means to him. “I like to help out. It gives me something to do, it helps out the community and I like to get work done.” Both Ruth and Pauline, also WACOSA seniors, point out that it makes them feel good to volunteer. “It’s doing new things, with new people, and it helps people”. A big crowd favorite is visiting retirement facilities and playing bingo with the folks who live there. This is but one of the many ways that WACOSA seniors extend their hands to those in need.
Steve Howard, WACOSA’s Executive Director, supports the senior’s activities. “It is important that seniors of all ability levels remain active in their communities. We appreciate the many ways our community supports WACOSA’s efforts. This is but one of the many ways that we can give back.”
WACOSA Receives MCN Recognition
The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN) announced in October that WACOSA, a nonprofit serving adults with disabilities in Waite Park, has received an honorable mention for the MN Nonprofit Excellence Award, the only of its kind to be given this year. The award committee was highly complimentary of WACOSA’s outstanding commitment to delivering support for persons with barriers to employment and challenges to daily living. The award is based on how well an organization adheres to the MN Best Practices and Policies for Nonprofits. WACOSA accepted a beautiful glass bowl award, hand blown by Robinson Scott, at MCN’s annual award banquet in St. Paul.National Vision Finds Unique Recycling Option
National Vision, located in St. Cloud Minnesota, is the fourth largest optical company in the nation. Part of this success can be attributed to their ability to think innovatively regarding all aspects of their company model, right down to the rubber bands they use. During one part of their manufacturing process product is received that is bound together by rubber bands. As a result, they collect thousands of rubber bands every week. National Vision’s management team could not stand the thought of dumping all of those rubber bands into the local landfill. They were convinced there had to be a more environmentally sound solution that would benefit someone in need.
That’s when Holly Naber of National Vision contacted Ann Kennedy, the Marketing and Development Manager at WACOSA. WACOSA is a nonprofit organization with locations in Waite Park, St. Cloud and Sauk Centre Minnesota, serving adults with a variety of mental and physical challenges. These challenges create barriers to employment that WACOSA helps individuals to overcome. Holly knew that WACOSA does a significant amount of mailing and outsourcing work for area businesses and thought that maybe WACOSA could use the rubber bands. When Ann got the call from Holly she gladly picked up the first round of rubber bands that had been collected.
It didn’t take long for WACOSA staff to determine that National Vision was donating a much greater number of rubber bands than could ever be used by the organization. So Ann started distributing them to other non-profit organizations throughout the area. From there, National Vision’s innovative idea has grown to the point that people now stop by Ann’s office at WACOSA’s Waite Park facility to pick up rubber bands for distribution at area schools and churches. To date, 12 local non-profits have benefited from National Vision’s act of generosity.
“WACOSA loves collaborating with local businesses and non-profits,” says Ann Kennedy. “We will continue to explore new ideas for use of these rubber bands. Currently we are considering the concept of paying the people in our programs to re-package them for distribution at a later time. WACOSA is no stranger to innovative ideas when it comes to the concept of recycling. We received an Innovation Award (“I” Award) in 2009 from the Center for Non-Profit Excellence and Social Innovation for our recycling efforts and ideas. We are always looking for unique approaches to helping our community become more socially responsible so that our world will be a healthier and greener place. At the same time, we are gratified to see jobs created from these efforts for the people that are a part of the WACOSA’s labor force. We and all of the other non-profit organizations who benefited from these rubber bands are grateful for this innovative venture introduced by National Vision. With some seemingly everyday household item, National Vision has truly shown itself to be “visionary”, indeed.”
That’s when Holly Naber of National Vision contacted Ann Kennedy, the Marketing and Development Manager at WACOSA. WACOSA is a nonprofit organization with locations in Waite Park, St. Cloud and Sauk Centre Minnesota, serving adults with a variety of mental and physical challenges. These challenges create barriers to employment that WACOSA helps individuals to overcome. Holly knew that WACOSA does a significant amount of mailing and outsourcing work for area businesses and thought that maybe WACOSA could use the rubber bands. When Ann got the call from Holly she gladly picked up the first round of rubber bands that had been collected.
It didn’t take long for WACOSA staff to determine that National Vision was donating a much greater number of rubber bands than could ever be used by the organization. So Ann started distributing them to other non-profit organizations throughout the area. From there, National Vision’s innovative idea has grown to the point that people now stop by Ann’s office at WACOSA’s Waite Park facility to pick up rubber bands for distribution at area schools and churches. To date, 12 local non-profits have benefited from National Vision’s act of generosity.
“WACOSA loves collaborating with local businesses and non-profits,” says Ann Kennedy. “We will continue to explore new ideas for use of these rubber bands. Currently we are considering the concept of paying the people in our programs to re-package them for distribution at a later time. WACOSA is no stranger to innovative ideas when it comes to the concept of recycling. We received an Innovation Award (“I” Award) in 2009 from the Center for Non-Profit Excellence and Social Innovation for our recycling efforts and ideas. We are always looking for unique approaches to helping our community become more socially responsible so that our world will be a healthier and greener place. At the same time, we are gratified to see jobs created from these efforts for the people that are a part of the WACOSA’s labor force. We and all of the other non-profit organizations who benefited from these rubber bands are grateful for this innovative venture introduced by National Vision. With some seemingly everyday household item, National Vision has truly shown itself to be “visionary”, indeed.”
WACOSA Recieves CARF Accreditation
Waite Park, MN — 9/29/2010 — CARF International (www.carf.org) announced that WACOSA has been re-accredited for a period of three years in 4 areas for Employment Services and 2 areas for Community Services, including Older Adult Services and for the optional Governance Standards attesting to WACOSA’s commitment to strong leadership. Most notably, WACOSA accomplished this accreditation and received no recommendations during the review process. As noted by CARF President/CEO, Brian Boone, Ph.D., “This is an extraordinary accomplishment, as only 3 percent of CARF surveys result in no recommendations”. CARF accredits over 46,000 programs worldwide.
The latest accreditation is the 5th consecutive Three-Year Accreditation that the international accrediting body has awarded to WACOSA. This accreditation decision represents the highest level of accreditation thatcan be awarded to an organization and shows the organization’s substantial conformance to the CARF standards. An organization receiving a Three-YearAccreditation has put itself through a rigorous peer review process and has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit that its programsand services are of the highest quality, are measurable and accountable.
WACOSA is a non-profit organization with offices at 320/321 Sundial Drive in Waite Park, MN, at the Whitney Senior Center, 1527 Northway Drive, St. Cloud, MN and 712 Lincoln Loop, Sauk Centre, MN. It has been providing vocational services to adults with disabilities in Stearns, Benton, and Sherburne counties since 1963.
CARF is an independent, nonprofit accrediting body whose mission is topromote the quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process that centers on enhancing the lives of the persons served. Founded in 1966 as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, and now known as CARF, the accrediting body establishes consumer-focused standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and services.
For additional information, contact Steve Howard at 320-251-0087.
The latest accreditation is the 5th consecutive Three-Year Accreditation that the international accrediting body has awarded to WACOSA. This accreditation decision represents the highest level of accreditation thatcan be awarded to an organization and shows the organization’s substantial conformance to the CARF standards. An organization receiving a Three-YearAccreditation has put itself through a rigorous peer review process and has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit that its programsand services are of the highest quality, are measurable and accountable.
WACOSA is a non-profit organization with offices at 320/321 Sundial Drive in Waite Park, MN, at the Whitney Senior Center, 1527 Northway Drive, St. Cloud, MN and 712 Lincoln Loop, Sauk Centre, MN. It has been providing vocational services to adults with disabilities in Stearns, Benton, and Sherburne counties since 1963.
CARF is an independent, nonprofit accrediting body whose mission is topromote the quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process that centers on enhancing the lives of the persons served. Founded in 1966 as the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, and now known as CARF, the accrediting body establishes consumer-focused standards to help organizations measure and improve the quality of their programs and services.
For additional information, contact Steve Howard at 320-251-0087.