Page 46 - The Peorian Vol 3 Issue 1 Winter

46 thePeorian.com
Not For Profit
GETTING IT DONE
Community Workshop and Training
Center serves it consumers and
customers well
By Paul Gordon
T ucked behind a television
station between Univer-
sity Street and Dries Lane,
right next door to a bingo hall, is
one of the busiest and most pro-
ductive manufacturing suppliers
in central Illinois.
Most people have probably
heard of this place, Community
Workshop and Training Cen-
ter, but it’s a sure bet not many
realize the 325-plus who work
here will package for shipping
an average of 500,000 parts for
Caterpillar Inc. each week.
That’s half a million per week,
and only three days after receiv-
ing the order. They’d better be
done correctly.
“We love Caterpillar. It is a
wonderful company for us and
it has done great things for us
since we started in 1960. But
they don’t cut us any slack. We
have to meet their specifications
like any other supplier if we
want to keep the contract. Obvi-
ously, we do pretty darn well,”
said Patti Gratton, executive
director of the center.
The employees of the cen-
ter, referred to by CWTC as
“consumers,” are people with
special needs. The center has
an annual payroll of about $1
million as the goal is to teach
the employees to become self-
sufficient. “This can be the first
step toward becoming inde-
pendent and out into the com-
munity,” said
Rick Stephen-
son, director of
marketing. “That
is the greatest
thing we can do
for them.”
Added Grat-
ton, “We are a
not-for-profit
agency, but
our consumers
are productive
citizens who
give back to the
community.”
CWTC is more than just the
production shop. The organiza-
tion has 22 residential facilities in
the region and has collaborative
work agreements with other com-
panies and agencies.
It also has a job placement
program whereby its consum-
ers can be matched to a job out
in the community that fits their
skills. Through the program, the
consumer is tracked for a year to
ensure they are doing as expected
for their employer and vice versa.
“After a year, 85 percent of those
we’ve placed are still there. That’s
better than a lot of places,” Ste-
phenson said.
What makes CWTC special is
that it is for adults, Gratton said.
“There are a lot of organizations
and services for
children with
disabilities and
special needs.
But those end
when they
become adults.
People need
to understand
that they need
services, too.
It doesn’t stop
when they turn
18. That’s why
we are here,” she
said.
Patti Gratton, center, the executive
director of CWTC in Peoria, talks
with some of the facility’s clients,
which the organization refers to
as consumers. Other photos are of
some of the employees at the CWTC
building on North University Street,
where parts for Caterpillar Inc.
machines are packaged and shipped.