NASHVILLE—New Horizons Corporation, a nonprofit organization empowering persons with developmental disabilities with job and life skills, invites the community to an open house Friday, May 9.  Attendees will meet service recipients who will showcase their talents.  Business decision makers, mental health professionals, political leaders and the general public can tour the New Horizons production facility at 5221 Harding Place, Nashville, between 1 and 3 pm.

“New Horizons has served our community since 1971,” said board chair Joyce Watts.  “We were the first organization of our kind. We are proud of our service recipients and the value they add to community life.  It’s wonderful to share this with the community.”

New Horizons is currently partnered with 19 companies to perform simple hand assembly, shrink wrapping, and custom packaging on the production center floor.  All 79 service recipients are individually trained for their tasks and are paid for their output.  Twenty staff members ensure the work is completed on time, on budget and without error.

“We want everyone to meet some of the hardest working, most conscientious and enthusiastic workers in Middle Tennessee,” said New Horizons executive director Marva Dale Greenwood.

Wilson Sporting Goods, for instance, relies on service recipients to prepare products such as balls, clothing, golf clubs, baseball bats and gloves for shipment—and one to three fully loaded semi-trailers leave the New Horizons facility every work day.

“No work force takes greater pride in what they do,” said production manager Tommy Hall.  “And we’re all excited about increasing our responsibilities.”

Among major contractors are Austin Foam Plastics, for whom New Horizons assembles between 42,000 and 160,000 inserts for Dell computer boxes each week, and Wrights Conso, which employs New Horizons service recipients to prepare shipments of ribbons, trimmings and other products for the apparel, craft and home decorating markets.

Other New Horizons service recipients perform janitorial and landscaping services outside the production center for contractors such as the Army National Guard, the Air National Guard, Metro Water Works and TDOT at interstate highway rest areas.  Said Jack Walker, head of the community based services, “Rave reviews are the norm for the work our folks do.”

“We also want everyone to be aware of the full range of opportunities our service recipients have,” Ms. Greenwood said.

An increasing number of service recipients are being integrated into the community through assisted living programs under New Horizons management, while others live in group settings where they receive round the clock care from New Horizons staff.

The open house comes at a critical juncture for New Horizons, which like most public service agencies is coping with increasing challenges.  The organization is seeking additional commercial work to offset reductions in government funding.   Reimbursement from the State of Tennessee Division of Mental Retardation has recently been reduced by more than 6% and has placed an extraordinary strain on New Horizons’ financial stability.

“Our service recipients are our best sales people,” Ms. Greenwood added.  “May 9 is a red letter day for everyone.”

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