Value Village and Northwest Center Working Together

The relationship between Value Village and Northwest Center has literally stood the test of time. When the first store in Seattle opened in Renton in 1968, Northwest Center was there to supply it and thirty-six years later, through donation pick-ups and strategically placed bins, Northwest Center now supplies as many as 12 stores daily. The relationship is fundamental - a remunerative agreement of merchandise for Value Village, for proceeds to fuel vital NWC services to children and adults with disabilities - and it's worked well for both companies over the years.

Fast forward to April 2004 and the Value Village stores (Corporate name - Savers) in Lake City and Burien where the formidable relationship with NWC now includes direct labor. In Lake City, after setting-up its new donation station in September '02, the store worked with NWC to fill the attendant position with a person with disabilities. Since his placement, he has functioned well and is now a seasoned, full-time employee. After that success, a larger production service for the Burien store was established in the fall of 2003, for a NWC crew of 5 workers and a full-time supervisor to sweep floors, empty trash and clean the restrooms. For the store, it's a necessary service that supports production staff who sifts through huge inventories that must be moved quickly onto the floor, and for NWC it's an opportunity to give people with developmental disabilities a chance to receive vocational training in the community - a hallmark of the NWC's mission. Known for its large production facility or sheltered workshop, NWC wants instead to provide more work training opportunities in natural business and retail settings through contracts such as these.

Service at the Burien store was initially small due to the crew's limited capabilities, but as they grew more familiar with the store's operation, the size of the production service expanded. The crew now handles the donation station exclusively during certain hours and keeps the store's perimeter clear of debris and large donated but unusable items. Crew members have been received positively for their direct interaction with customers at the very busy drop-off station.

Since the crew began work last September, a true partnership has evolved where they interact directly with Savers management and staff. The NWC crew and Savers staff are totally integrated and work side-by-side, occasionally performing the same tasks. Communication is outstanding; issues and concerns are brought directly to the crew and vice-versa. For the sake of the business, everything is taken seriously but problems are handled with respect and understanding. The NWC supervisor and crew are kept abreast of Savers company news, upcoming events, etc, while store staff and management are very interested in general aspects of vocational training programs including program planning and residential services, and importantly, how they can help the crew become better workers. Already, as a result of working at the Burien store, one crew member will shortly be transferring to her own job in the community - the ultimate vocational program destination.

Coupled with the donation-station attendant at Lake City, the positions are unique for the NWC-Savers relationship. Over the years, the partnership helped fund NWC services, and now Savers itself provides successful employment and training opportunities for people with disabilities. However we've learned recently that this not an isolated occurrence; within their stores and production departments in other states, they're recreating their work environments to benefit workers with and without disabilities - as a result, Savers has been hiring more people with disabilities. Savers is not simply a growing company of thrift department stores, but a company with a human services mission. Kudos to Savers!

Here in King County, thanks go to store manager, Crystal Bareno, who gave us the chance to get started at both stores. Special credit goes to the Burien store staff and its current management team, Julie Chang and Mark Adams, for helping the crew expand to its current duties and making it easy to settle in. Ken Wall, NWC's supervisor at this site deserves accolades for his effort to meet the demands of the contract while making the most of the work opportunities for each of his workers. Ultimately, NWC wishes to thank Savers President, Ken Alterman for the vision that people with disabilities, given the opportunity, can contribute to the workplace.