|
Business Name |
|
Your business tag line here. |
|
New Leaf was incorporated in 1969 in Skagit County by the parents of a few developmentally developed adults in order to provide their sons and daughters with employment. They provided jobs and services in everything from growing plants in a greenhouse and mowing lawns to digging graves.
Everything changed in 1972. Our grounds maintenance contract was a pilot project at NAS Whidbey Island in that year, and we are still considered the pioneer in our field and recognized internationally as the holder of the oldest active Federal Service Contract. New Leaf moved to Oak Harbor.
In 2009, New Leaf celebrates its 40th anniversary of service to people with disabilities and our community. Throughout the past forty years, New Leaf has survived changes in politics and in programs, and has evolved to where we are today. We are a not-for-profit and affirmative industry. That is, we pay for our mission with quality competitive contract services, not relying solely on public resources or grants for funding our programs.
We now are members of the Puget Sound Navy Region Alliance; a consortium of four Community Rehabilitation Programs (CRPs) in the Puget Sound who, at the Navy’s request, are generating an amalgamated contract for grounds maintenance and janitorial services on six Navy bases. New Leaf was in charge of the construction of the contract and is a lead on the negotiation team.
New Leaf currently has 120 employees who administer and work on four Federal Service contracts; at NAS Whidbey on Whidbey Island – base-wide grounds maintenance of over 500 acres, base-wide janitorial services in ninety-five buildings, and shelf stocking and custodial services at NAS Whidbey Island and Smokey Point Naval Support Services commissaries. We will be adding a fifth contract at the beginning of 2010; the Food Attendant Services Contract at the Galley at NAS Whidbey Island. When we activate that contract, we will employ 150 people. Our Federal contracts are procured through the Javits-Wagner O’Day (JWOD) Act of 1971 (now called AbilityOne), and we comply with the basic tenet of that program, that is, at least 75% of all direct labor hours are performed by people with severe disabilities. New Leaf is proud to report that in 2007 our cumulative ratio of disabled labor hours to non-disabled labor hours averaged above 80%. We are authorized by law to pay commensurate wages to employees with disabilities, which are regulated by the Department of Labor. Our employees also receive Health and Welfare benefits as mandated by our Federal contracts and enjoy medical, dental, life, retirement and other benefits. People with disabilities hold administrative, supervisorial and Board positions.
Our Vocational Services Department actively supports the success of all New Leaf employees and participants in recruiting, hiring, retaining employment, independence, self-sufficiency, and enhancing employment or transitioning to new employment when indicated or desired. These participants and employees receive a variety of services to affect successful vocational outcomes, including job placement and retention assistance, work assessments and employability evaluations, job coaching, vocational exploration, extended support services, on-the-job training, and independent living evaluations and support services. Additionally, we have provided job retention support to DSHS clients, with or without disabilities, who exited welfare.
Other vocational and independent living services have been provided for people with disabilities who were not active clients, including former participants, current or former New Leaf employees with or without disabilities, and others in the community. Some of the services have included job placement/job retention; job transition; wage progression; Social Security, DSHS, ADA, and Employment Security advocacy; computer and Internet exposure; and various independent living services. We are a vendor for vocational services for the Department of Labor and Independent Living Services for the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation of the State of Washington.
We offer the “Windmills” disability awareness program and ADA compliance training to employers, civic groups, etc., at no charge, to help our community embrace the beauty of diversity.
For the purpose of diversification, New Leaf is expanding services into the community. We contracted with the City of Oak Harbor to maintain the grounds at our local swimming facility and softball fields. Commercial contracts include landscaping and janitorial services and commercial janitorial contracts for local businesses.
New Leaf is in complete compliance with the approximately forty-one agencies by which we can be audited. We were awarded full compliance, with no discrepancies, during our most recent audit by NISH (formerly National Industries for the Severely Handicapped). We were randomly audited (by zip code) by Employment Security and passed with flying colors.
New Leaf has been awarded eighteen Certificates of Achievement from NISH (formerly National Industries for the Severely Handicapped) “in recognition of the high standards of performance [you] have maintained…” We have received letters of commendation from the Department of the Navy and from the Department of Public Works at NAS Whidbey Island, and are proud to have received the Contractor Contribution Award and be considered a member of “Team Whidbey” by the United States Navy. We also have been awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by the Department of Defense; Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) for outstanding performance by our shelf stocking crew at the NAS Whidbey Island commissary. The Smokey Point Commissary was chosen as “Best Commissary” in the entire commissary system.
We represent nine northwestern states, “from Alaska to Nebraska”, on the NISH Board of Directors. We are annual participants in the Grassroots Advocacy Conference in which we educate our legislators in Washington, DC on current disability issues and the status of our program. We were instrumental in enlisting both of our senators and our congressman to be AbilityOne Champions; protecting our programs and the interests of our employees with severe disabilities. We are partners in the Local Area Planning Group for WorkFirst and Welfare to Work; sit on the Board of the WorkForce Development Council (formerly the Private Industry Council) representing Community Based Organizations for four counties and implementing One Stop employment services at local Career Centers, an Island County Commissioners appointment; are charter members of the Island County Advisory Council to the Opportunity Council, our local community action agency; and are members of the Community Resource Network. Two administrative staff members have been appointed by the Governor to sit on the Governor’s Committee for Disability Awareness and Employment and chair sub-committees on that Committee. We participate as members in the Continuum of Care Planning of the Housing Authority of Island County and are members of the Island County Affordable Housing Advisory Board, also a County Commissioners appointment. We are Community Affiliates of the Navy League. We are on the Personnel Committee and a member of the Board of Directors of Island Thrift. A member of the administrative staff is a member of the Red Cross Board of Directors. A member of the administrative staff is treasurer of both United Way and Soroptimists International of Oak Harbor. We are members and attend the Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce, and were nominated by our peers and awarded Non-Profit of the Year and nominated as Quality Business of the Year. We enjoy membership and participation in many other community groups and service organizations.
Our vision is to prepare our community to welcome people with disabilities and people exiting public assistance as assets to the work force, enabling their rightful place in society. To do this we must continue to educate ourselves, educate our community and look to new resources to fund our projects and provide new jobs. We continue to seek new knowledge, technology and concepts to enhance our mission.
New Leaf’s mission is to promote independence And quality of life through employment.
|
|
Who are we? |
