OPARC gives those with disabilities a chance at work, friendship

Thuy Phan/Nguoi Viet Daily News

 MONTCLAIR, Calif. – Michael Negrette takes a lot of pride in the work that he does washing and detailing cars at OPARC.

“I’m really fast,” said Negrette, 31. “It’s my job to make the insides shine, and I’m really good at it.”

And the opportunity to work at OPARC – Ontario Pomona Association for Retarded Citizens – has created a shinier future for Negrette and others.

Michael Negrette, 31, washes cars at OPARC as part of their Work Activity Program. (Photo: Thuy Phan/Nguoi Viet)

The goals for OPARC are to give people with disabilities a way to earn a wage and also provide them a sense of purpose through the skills they acquire in the nonprofit’s Work Activity Program.

A worker with Down syndrome displays a product she has put together. (Photo: Thuy Phan/Nguoi Viet)

“I think it does for them exactly what it does for us,” said Andrea Erickson, 62, the CEO and president of OPARC. “I think we all need a sense of purpose and a reason to get up in the mornings, and I think our program certainly does that.”

“It is a win-win for everyone involved,” Erickson said.

It’s certainly a win for Negrette, who has a learning disability. To him, working and making money is a big deal. “When I get a paycheck, I save it. I’m saving for a car or maybe a vacation,” said Negrette, who makes between $200 and $300 each week through his washing and detailing duties. “I like to earn money. It makes me feel good.”

Disabled workers sit at the assembly line to fill bags with screws for vendors that have contracted with OPARC. (Photo: Thuy Phan/Nguoi Viet)

On any given day, there are between 200 and 240 “clients,” as Erickson calls those enrolled in the program, and each has a specific job within the 24,000-square-foot facility. In one corner, clients heat seal bottles of Sriracha for a vendor who wants them packaged into twos. In another corner, clients inspect emergency kits that eventually will go into Nissan vehicles. And in another corner, clients count bolts into tens and package them. OPARC staff members make sure everyone is on task and understands the responsibilities.

“Regardless of your abilities, you can do something,” Erickson said. “I also think there is a huge social component. They get to see other people, earn money, eat lunch together – all things that we need to be happy and healthy.”

OPARC works with nearly 60 vendors per year, doing things such as labeling packages, filling plastic Easter eggs with candy – they filled 2.5 million this year – and other manual jobs that are more cost effective to do by hand than machine. Vendor customers include Toyota and Ross Dress for Less stores. The pay for work done for the vendors is based on the worker’s ability.

The Montclair facility has 24,000 square feet to accommodate 200 to 240 workers daily. (Photo: Thuy Phan/Nguoi Viet)

“When we get a job, we get our staff to time study it,” Erickson said. “They take every single step in the process, and they run it through several times with different people.”

From there, they will determine how much work they can perform within an hour, then consider how much a full-time assembly worker would get paid for that job. If the staff members determine that 10 pieces can be put together in an hour, for which an assembly worker would be paid $10 an hour, $1 per piece becomes the base pay. So, if an OPARC client can make two an hour, that would bring a pay rate of $2 per hour, according to Erickson. OPARC meets all Department of Labor regulations, according to staff members.

OPARC has 8 facilities to help people with disabilities earn a wage. (Photo: Thuy Phan/Nguoi Viet)

“I’m probably slow, but everyone is different,” Negrette said. “It might take me longer, but I can still do what everyone else does.”

He has worked at OPARC for four years, and when he gets his paycheck, he will deposit it in the bank or maybe buy a CD or video game, Negrette said.

A worker puts labels on items as part of the Work Activity Program. (Photo: Thuy Phan/Nguoi Viet)

The clients are very appreciative of their jobs, as well.

“The people who are here really want to be here,” said Henry Rodriguez, 24, a line supervisor. “They work really hard, and we are helping them learn skills to enable them to integrate into society.”

OPARC’s Work Activity Program, 9029 Vernon Ave., Montclair, Calif., is one of eight facilities that helps people with disabilities. (Photo: Thuy Phan/Nguoi Viet)

While the option to work in the community comes up for clients, many choose to stay at OPARC because it is a safe and familiar environment where they have friends and feel accepted.

Some clients have been with OPARC for more than a decade, such as Danny, who has Down syndrome and greeted a visitor with a fist bump and a “Hi, I’m Danny, and I’ve been working here for 13 years. Welcome to OPARC!”

Henry Rodriguez leads a team meeting. (Photo: Thuy Phan/Nguoi Viet)

For Erickson, who said she has been working with people with disabilities since the 1980s, every day is a learning lesson.

“They are so happy to be here,” she said. “They don’t take anything for granted, and they’ve taught me to be more patient and to not be so quick to judge.”

 Steven L. works the heat seal machine to package Sriracha bottles into twos. (Photo: Thuy Phan/Nguoi Viet)

“There is a young man at one of our other facilities who has cerebral palsy, and he is severely handicapped physically. His job is to shred paper,” she added. “He does it, but very slowly. And when he gets enough money together, do you know what he does? He likes to take his parents out.”

She paused for a moment. “How does it make you feel to be able to do something for someone you love? What is the value of that?” She smiled and added, “I think it’s pretty large.”

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