Author: Mark H

VersAbility Resources celebrates another milestone year in 2021 while looking to the new year with renewed optimism in advancing its mission of supporting people with disabilities in leading productive and fulfilling lives.

“During these challenging times, our focus hasn’t changed,” said Kasia Grzelkowski, CEO of the Hampton-based nonprofit that serves more than 1,700 individuals and their families each year. “We’ve continued to fulfill our mission every day and create more expansive, diverse opportunities for people with disabilities of all ages in the 757 and beyond.”

VersAbility’s mission-essential employees have risen to the occasion of these challenging times. They’ve continued to go to work in support of the military and critical commercial customers.

VersAbility’s 19 government contracts include loading food on ships for the Navy, staffing global call center operations 24 hours a day for 13 Air Combat Command bases around the country, manufacturing eyeglasses, and performing custodial services that have become more vital with the increased attention on health and safety protocols.

“People with disabilities continue to shine as one of the most resilient workforces throughout this prolonged pandemic,” Grzelkowski said. “While many people stayed home, people with disabilities went to work each day and night to perform mission-essential work for our federal customers. That includes loading food on Navy vessels from submarines to aircraft carriers at the five major ports on the east and west coasts plus Hawaii and Guam.”

VersAbility was already the prime contractor for provisioning food on Navy ships at seven global locations, but that scope was significantly expanded with the award  in the fallof a new contract totaling $126 million over five years.

Work on that contract will be performed in Norfolk and other ports nationwide, including the recently added Naval Submarine Base at Kings Bay, Georgia. That breaks down to approximately 50 more jobs for people with disabilities at Naval Station Norfolk in addition to the 100 employees already working at this location.

VersAbility also expanded employment opportunities for people with disabilities by securing a new nationwide contract to perform administrative and human resources services for Military Sealift Command and with the acquisition of Hired Hands, a job training and support organization.

The Military Sealift Command contract, VersAbility’s fifth that is nationwide in scope, represents a new line of business that will provide an additional 65 to 70 jobs with titles such as medical records clerk, medical records technician, supply clerk and personnel assistant.

“We are very excited to be diversifying the options for people with disabilities and veterans by adding administrative services and human resources to our job offerings,” Grzelkowski said. “This represents our ongoing efforts to harness the full array of talent of people with all abilities. We are continuing to hire people with qualifying disabilities, including veterans, to perform this administrative work.”

VersAbility expanded its Supported Employment program when Hired Hands came under its umbrella. Integrating Hired Hands with VersAbility increases capacity for job creation and career development with tailored training and support to meet employer needs.

“The talented team from Hired Hands works to match, place and train people with disabilities for a wide of array of employers throughout Hampton Roads,” Grzelkowski said.

The Hired Hands team also specializes in services and support for individuals within the Deaf community.

VersAbility will launch its Future of Work program in spring 2022 thanks to receiving a $200,000 Bank of America Neighborhood Builders Grant. This initiative focuses on preparing people with disabilities for jobs in high-demand industries.

“The goal of the Future of Work program is to support people with disabilities in successfully completing certification and credentialing programs, so they graduate with proven workforce readiness,” Grzelkowski said.

VersAbility’s first welding cohort will begin in January 2022 at New Horizons Regional Education Center.

The Bank of America grant is among several significant gifts awarded to VersAbility in 2021. The others include funding from Newport News Shipbuilding, the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters Foundation, and more.

Five new board members will join VersAbility in 2022, many of whom will be tapped for their workforce development expertise. The new members joining the board are Shawn Avery, CEO, Hampton Roads Workforce Council; Susan Jacobs, Vice President Human Resources and Administration, Newport News Shipbuilding; Aazia Mickens-Dessaso, Executive Director of Ecosystem Development, Techstars; Casey Roberts, Executive Director, New Horizons Regional Education Centers; and Edith White, CEO, Hampton Roads Community Action Program.

Grzelkowski said she is also grateful and inspired by the tireless work of the entire VersAbility team throughout the pandemic.

The residential team provides quality care 24/7/365 in eight homes in Newport News, Hampton and York County that support people with significant disabilities.

VersAbility’s Early Prevention and Intervention for Children program assists infants and toddlers with disabilities by tailoring therapy programs to ensure each child is prepared for success in school, work and life. The program also educates parents on the many ways they can support their child’s development.

VersAbility anticipates the expansion of one of its Air Force contracts in 2022 and looks forward to creating more jobs for people of all abilities.

Renee Rose started at VersAbility Resources as a two-week temp covering the front desk. Thirty-four years later, she’s the Chief Operating Officer and the nonprofit’s longest tenured employee.

All those years ago, Rose wasn’t looking to put down roots. After a semester of college away, she returned home to Hampton seeking temporary jobs while she mapped out her future.

“I worked many jobs during that time, but VersAbility was the one place I felt connected to,” said Rose, who grew up inspired by her great grandmother, legally blind but able to live independently for 14 years after her husband passed.

“She helped me see how capable people with disabilities are,” Rose said.

It wasn’t long before Rose was asked back to transition into another role — managing a custodial contract offsite that called for transporting the employees and establishing the routine needed for them to complete the work. Some needed a checklist as a reminder of tasks; others required almost no guidance. Several team members at VersAbility pitched in to help.

“It was such a great introduction to what we do,” Rose said. “It instilled in me that this is an organization where everybody will jump in, get their feet wet, focus on what the mission is, and work together to get it done.”

Nearly four decades later, that’s the mindset at VersAbility Resources, which services more than 1,700 people with disabilities and their families with programs in early childhood, student services, day and residential, and employment. The priority is unchanged — making sure people with disabilities lead dignified, productive lives of their choosing as fully accepted members in society.

Rose changed hats multiple times over the years, including a three-year stint serving as a Direct Support Professional where she delighted in seeing the joy that a sense of accomplishment brought to those she worked alongside. She also found rewards in managing VersAbility’s Government Contracts program, which provides employment for people with disabilities in jobs that include ship provisioning for the Navy and staffing a call center at Langley Air Force Base.

But Rose’s affinity for numbers and her knack for navigating Excel spreadsheets led her to a longtime position in accounting, where she received guidance from several mentors whom she emulates today.

“I try to make sure my team knows I’m available,” Rose said. “Frankly, I also want to hear what they have to say. I want to be their advocate. If something needs to be changed, I want to know. I want them to know how much I appreciate all that they do.”

As Chief Operating Officer, Rose oversees all VersAbility operations — a mind-boggling number of services expansive in scope.

“On any given day, you could have a Service Coordinator working with a family to establish a plan that could help their child meet developmental milestones while an Employment Specialist is helping someone fill out an application for a job,” Rose said. “If hired, that person would need training to ensure they’re successful in that job. At our corporate location, we have people working on fulfilling a variety of contracts for commercial customers, and their attention to detail and quality is unmatched.”

The “wow” moments motivate Rose as well. She could point to many, but one that remains close to her heart is watching a high school student blossom. The student was extremely introverted and lacked self-confidence. Initially, she worked with an Employment Specialist and accepted a part-time position that required nighttime hours and almost no interaction with peers. Over time, she showed interest in transitioning to a full-time job during regular business hours but was hesitant to jump into something new as she did not like change.

The solution was to offer her a tryout, so she could experience the job before making a final decision.

“She liked the new job enough to take a chance,” Rose said. “That, to me, was a real indicator of growth because she was willing to accept change.”

Within a month, the student bought a new car, and one afternoon, she listened to music and began to dance while working. Everyone around her smiled.

“She came so far outside of that introverted person she was,” Rose said. “She had become confident and comfortable enough to stand at her workstation and dance.”

Rose became Chief Operating Officer in March 2020, when the world changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s been a challenging period that included shutting down the day program briefly and current staff shifting to service many of the contracts VersAbility supports.

“I realized early on that we had to make the best decisions we could to protect the individuals we serve,” she said. “We also had to sustain the work we had to have the employment opportunities available when it was time to bring people back.”

Rose is something of a historian at VersAbility — the go-to for any question and a leader able to bring perspective to most any situation. She touts the terrific team around her that has been flexible and positive throughout.

“It’s nice to work somewhere where you believe in its purpose and I absolutely do,” she said. “It’s a great mission. The services we provide touch a lot more people than the person with the disability. Everyone has different experiences in their lives that help shape them. We don’t provide cookie cutter services here. We provide services that help people enhance their capabilities in ways they’ve indicated they want support. To do that every day is truly amazing.”

Click here to download the FY21 Annual Report.

Jim Schloss joined the Board of Directors at VersAbility Resources six years ago because he was passionate about building an awareness of everything the nonprofit represents for the community members it serves.

People with disabilities should be accepted as productive members of society.

They are not only successful within jobs, but they also thrive in ones that match their skills and passions.

People with disabilities can live a life without limits.

All of these principles resonate with Schloss, who will rotate off the Board this year.

Schloss does not have a disability and his wife, Sarah, wasn’t born with a disability. But 19 years ago, a catastrophic car accident left Sarah wheelchair-bound with no hope of walking again.

“That drew me to people who want to feel like a part of things and really need outlets and stimulation to feel like they’re a useful part of society,” he said.

Schloss joined the Board at the prompting of a colleague, but watching Sarah’s world change fueled him to remain active in the organization over the years. Prior to the accident, Sarah was an accomplished golfer who worked full time in insurance. Girls weekends and shopping were often combined.

“Bright, beautiful, capable, articulate,” Schloss said to describe his wife. “A lot of what she had was taken away from her.”

Jim said he doesn’t think he would have had the strength to go on had the roles been reversed. He watched Sarah’s struggles. Her social relationships evaporated and not being ambulatory affected her not just physically but emotionally.

Prior to COVID, she was a volunteer at VersAbility, teaching others how to bead, a hobby she picked up after the accident and enjoyed sharing. Today she requires round-the-clock care.

Schloss, who has held leadership positions at Smithfield Foods and started his own branding company to support businesses, joined the VersAbility Board to help with marketing efforts to raise awareness about all the organization’s resources and the quality of its programs.

“There’s so much good. I don’t know that anyone has any idea how many clients we have working in the military world, whether it be on ships, at the Langley Air Force Base switchboard or other jobs in the military that are big part of the defense system of the United States, which is very near and dear to this area.”

VersAbility’s four national government contracts generate jobs for hundreds of people with disabilities across the country. The nonprofit is the prime contractor for ship provisioning services for the U.S. Navy at seven locations around the globe and directly employs more than 100 employees to fulfill this work at Naval Station Norfolk, Pearl Harbor, Langley Air Force Base, Tyndall Air Force Base and Seymour-Johnson.

“We have one client who preps fire and EMT kits so they are perfectly ready for the next call,” Schloss said. “That’s a zero-defect deal. When people say disabilities, it’s a category, but it’s an unfair categorization. When this group is challenged, they really want to do good things.”

Schloss, a grandfather of three, is most touched by VersAbility’s EPIC program, which assists families of infants and toddlers who experience developmental delays.

“You lay your eyes on these kids; I can’t take a breath,” he said.

Schloss would like to see more brand awareness about the life-altering resources people with disabilities and their families can find at VersAbility, but he knows more funding is key to that. He’s been instrumental in planning many of VersAbility’s fundraisers, including the Ability Am Golf Tournament and the All Abilities Shine Gala.

Moving forward, Schloss will be less involved with VersAbility given Sarah’s declining health that requires him to be a caregiver 16 hours out of every day. But VersAbility’s mission will remain close to his heart, and he’s moved by the dedication of the staff that feels the same way.

“They’re doers. They’re troopers,” he said. “I have an incredible admiration for the entire team I have been around at VersAbility. They really get it. This is a team of people that doesn’t want the spotlight, but they just dig and grind and scratch and claw. They get it done.”

“Hey, do you all need any help?”

Dayon Cary is standing beside the Buzz Lightyear action figures that are a bargain at $10, on sale at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Williamsburg. The customers signal they are fine but recognize Cary and respond with a thumbs up.

Meanwhile, Nate Garrison continues to unpack boxes of drapery panels to set up a display, making sure each of the packages faces the right direction and is organized correctly.

Cary and Garrison are interns from VersAbility Resources, which works to find employment for people with disabilities. The men are finishing up eight-week internships at the Habitat ReStore in Williamsburg, the bargain hunter’s paradise with inventory ranging from fine china to jetted tubs to furnishings of every shape and size.

VersAbility Employment Specialist Sydney Smith works onsite when Cary and Garrison are scheduled for their shifts.

She offers encouragement and directions when necessary.

“Do you need help,” she asks Garrison as he tackles another box.

“I got it,” he assures.

The interns are part of the nonprofit’s Pre-Employment Transition Services program, which teaches soft and technical skills by partnering with community employers to offer professional work experience.

VersAbility works in tandem with the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, which refers students to the program.

“The goal is to give students stackable skills that they can carry with them so when they graduate from high school, they have some tools under their belt for the workforce, and they also have an idea what they want to do,” said Vickie Greatwood, Director of Supported Employment at VersAbility. “We try to help students determine their interests, explore careers and then have an opportunity to try an internship and earn a paycheck.”

The employer also benefits from the internship.

“Nate and Dayon have definitely been a light here,” said Kelcey Moeller, Volunteer Coordinator for the Habitat Restore in Williamsburg. “They truly work hard stocking, cleaning and helping the customers, who, by the way, adore them! All of the ReStore employees have bragged on them to me on a regular basis, as well as customers on a daily basis. I have personally loved watching them grow in their independence.”

Moeller is excited for the new growing partnership between the two nonprofits that will lead to more VersAbility interns gaining experience there.

Garrison had never held a job before, so it’s been an eye-opening experience for him. He’s become more detailed-oriented, always focusing on the task in front of him with a refreshing eagerness.

“I like all the stuff,” he says when asked about his favorite part of the job.

Cary largely works independently and is rarely idle, flowing from one task to the next. He sweeps. He cleans. He stocks. He’s happy to help customers or a manager in need of an extra hand.

“Whatever they tell me to do here, I do it,” Cary says. “I know how to work on my own. I know how to handle customers. I know how to get them where they need to go for what they need, and then I step away and get back to doing what I need to do.”

The eight-week internship concluded at the end of August and both men will return to the post-graduate program at their alma mater, Jamestown High School.

“I’ve liked it a lot, and I would love to get a job at the ReStore if a spot opens up,” Cary says.

“We find that our hearts are a little fuller having had the opportunity to know them and work side by side with them,” Moeller adds. “I will miss them, and I hope more than anything that they are taking away with them as much as we have received from them.”

Hampton, Virginia – In May, VersAbility Resources was awarded the Military Sealift Command Administrative and Human Resources Support Services Contract. This contract marks VersAbility’s 19^th government contract and their 5^th nationwide contract.

VersAbility Resources is a leader in federal contracting for people with disabilities. They hold the contract for loading food on ships for the U.S. Navy at seven locations around the globe. VersAbility employees also provide around the clock global call center support for the U.S. Air Force; manufacture eyeglasses for the Department of Defense; provide food and custodial services for our nation’s military, and much more.

The Military Sealift Command (MSC) contract is a new line of business that will provide an additional 65-70 jobs for people with disabilities and veterans. Jobs include administrative roles, medical records clerks, medical records technicians, supply clerks, and personnel assistants.

“Two things that distinguish VersAbility are our nationwide footprint and the diversity of jobs we offer people with disabilities and veterans. We are very excited to be adding Human Resources and Administrative services to our job offerings. These jobs provide great pay and benefits and can be life-changing for people with disabilities,” says Kasia Grzelkowski, President and CEO.

The MSC contract has multiple locations including Norfolk Virginia, Ft. Eustis Virginia, Jacksonville Florida, Port Canaveral Florida, and San Diego California. People with disabilities and veterans employed by VersAbility will work at the various sites across the country.

ABOUT VERSABILITY RESOURCES

Since its founding in 1953, VersAbility Resources has grown to serve more than 1,500 people with disabilities and their families each year in early childhood, residential, day and student services, and four diverse employment programs. Services range from coordinating developmental therapies for children to building successful business partnerships that provide staffing solutions for employers and provide jobs for people with disabilities. Learn more about VersAbility Resources today at www.versability.org.

Media Contact

Keltie Bransford

757-896-6473

keltie@versability.org

VersAbility Resources’ Renea Banks understands.

Her title for the Hampton-based nonprofit is Chief Human Resources Officer, but long before accepting that position, she was a parent of a child with a disability.

“I sit at both seats on the table,” Renea says. “I identify a lot with my families. If there are frustrations happening on the parent level, I am able to talk to them with a unique perspective.”

She knows what it’s like to be scared, frustrated, uncertain. She’s cried and she’s turned to Google for answers. Renea’s youngest son, Ehran, was born with White Sutton Syndrome, a condition characterized by autism that is so rare that he was thought to be only one of 25 individuals in the world with that disability when he was diagnosed in 2015.

The information out there about the condition was extremely limited, among the reasons why the Banks family and another started the White Sutton Foundation. They wanted to help others navigate what can feel like an overwhelming and lonely road.

Renea used to fret about the lack of solutions until she nearly lost Ehran when he was 5-months-old. It was a harrowing experience. Her older son, Brey, was allowed into the intensive care unit to say his goodbyes. Renea Banks turned to God in that moment and prayed, “Give him to me any way you see fit. You won’t get a complaint out of me anymore.”

Ehran lived. And today his mother lives those words.

“It took me five months to see that the worst thing was not that my child was disabled,” she says. “ The worst thing in life would be for me to bury my child.”

Prior to VersAbility, Renea didn’t have a good experience the first time she received a referral for a provider. The therapists were negative about Ehran’s future. She then asked for a second referral that directed her to VersAbility. Support from VersAbility’s Early Prevention and Intervention for Children Program (EPIC) made all the difference for Ehran and his family.

VersAbility’s Service Coordinators assess a child’s needs and coordinates tailored therapy programs to ensure children reach their full potential and are ready for school. EPIC is a family-centered approach that provides parents and caregivers with support and training in developmental milestones, parenting techniques and therapy techniques.

“I asked all the same questions and braced myself for the same negativity and I didn’t get any of that,” Renea says. “I got a lot of positives, a lot of, ‘I don’t see why not. It’s up to him.’ ”

Prior to working with VersAblity’s therapists, Ehran never made a sound. He didn’t cry. He rarely moved. He was unresponsive.

Through VersAbility’s EPIC program, Ehran learned to vocalize and communicate — today he’s especially enthusiastic about Bruno Mars music and snagging his mother’s cell phone. He tracks the movement of others with his eyes. He holds his own cup. He’s attended school.

“It was a slow progression, but he progressed,” Renea says. “There were things he wasn’t able to do but he was Superman in other things.”

It was a few years later, in 2019, when Renea spotted the posting from VersAbility seeking a Chief Human Resources Officer.

“I never in a million years thought I’d be working for them,” she says.

Renea loves and embraces the diverse culture at VersAbility. She likes the collaboration. She is part of a leadership team that values inclusion and passion for the advancement of people with disabilities.

She is grateful for the professional culture there that not only encourages her to use her voice but also listen to it.

“VersAbility is the real deal,” she says. “People think we’re a charity or we’re just doing this out of the goodness of our hearts. These are real people doing real work. They’re amazing. We make a difference. If other organizations would open up their hearts and minds, they would not discount people with disabilities.”