Rotary at Work .
Posted by Tove Bowman
on Feb 15, 2012
Kerry Thomas and Mike Knapp presented 'Rotary at Work' for our group Wednesday, Feb. 15th. Kerry, who is president elect for Rotary of Welland, has worked with people with disabilities since 1997, where he was employed by the Community Living, Welland/Pelham for ten years. He visited Serbia in 2010, where he took part in a Rotary International project bringing awareness to the plight of the disabled. Mike Knapp, owner of Mike Knapp Ford, Welland, has experience with hiring a person with a disability, and emphazised his pleasure of being able to provide a job for a disabled person.
The main goal for 'Rotary at Work' is to help find jobs for Ontarians with a disability. The statistics are astounding... In Ontario, 16% of the population are on disability pensions, costing the province 3.2 billion annually, because 49 % of the disabled are unemployed.
A study done by Dupont showed that over 50% of disabled people performed above average, when given a chance to work. When hired, they are 2-5 times more likely to stay at their job. Giving a disabled person a job has many benefits beyond income and independence - it gives them self respect, and a chance to make friends.
Kerry would be happy to partner any prospective employer with a person with a disability. Kerry can be reached at kerrythomas@rogers.blackberry.net
Thank you for the presentation and for the heartwarming work you do, helping the less fortunate among us.
The main goal for 'Rotary at Work' is to help find jobs for Ontarians with a disability. The statistics are astounding... In Ontario, 16% of the population are on disability pensions, costing the province 3.2 billion annually, because 49 % of the disabled are unemployed.
A study done by Dupont showed that over 50% of disabled people performed above average, when given a chance to work. When hired, they are 2-5 times more likely to stay at their job. Giving a disabled person a job has many benefits beyond income and independence - it gives them self respect, and a chance to make friends.
Kerry would be happy to partner any prospective employer with a person with a disability. Kerry can be reached at kerrythomas@rogers.blackberry.net
Thank you for the presentation and for the heartwarming work you do, helping the less fortunate among us.
