Community Corner

SARAH Workers Help to Build Turbine Jet Engines

The tough economy has affected job stability for everyone and SARAH, Inc. is building partnerships for a new era of job creation for clients with special needs.

Would you believe it if we told you that a group of people with special needs are helping to build jet engines?

Working side by side with the radio cranked, a crew of about six people with intellectual development disabilities from SARAH, Inc., dutifully cut thousands of pieces of tape for Branford-based Alcoa Howmet to be used in the aerospace technology plant’s production of products that are used to build jet engines.

Since March of last year, a partnership between the unlikely groups has worked out perfectly; SARAH’s clients have jobs and Alcoa is able to locally outsource a job that would normally be done by a skilled technician, which saves the company both time and money.

Find out what's happening in Branfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Alcoa Human Resource Manager Sharon Davis explains, “It’s definitely a win-win situation where we utilize the services of SARAH and we also have a cost-savings as a business.”

Right now SARAH workers are cutting about two orders of 5,000 pieces of tape every month and if you were to sit in on a work session, you’d be amazed at the efficiency the group demonstrates.

Find out what's happening in Branfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

James Cole mans the cutting board – a safety-modified cutting board built by Alcoa – and his fellow workers wait as he tosses piece after piece of perfectly cut orange tape.

Sitting closest to him, Laura Greco catches the tape and piles the pieces in groups of 10. Stephen Kuziel and Richard Paine wait nearby to re-count the strips to ensure every bunch has the right number. Lastly, Thomas Juliano or “Tommy” waits with a smile for bunches of tape to come his way and package them into bags with the help of job coach Zulema “Dee Dee” Williams. This methodical task is done with vigor and ease and as the work shift wares on, roll of tape after tape is cut, packed and bundled without a single gripe or complaint.

John Allen, Director Of Enrichment Services at SARAH, Inc. explains, “People with intellectual disabilities are no different than anyone else. They are people who are very productive and dedicated employees, that when placed in a good job match, can become productive long term employees.”

Jim Lamb, Manager Business Development/Employee Services for SARAH Inc. has been looking for unconventional forms of employment for his client base of more than 100 people since he took his position with the company a little more than a year ago. Partnerships with organizations like Alcoa are exactly what he believes will keep his clients working as the economy continues to remain unstable and more and more manufacturing jobs – the typical work that SARAH clients perform well – move out of state.

“The type of work that we are able to do,” said Lamb, “has gone off shore. It has required us to re-think how we do different projects.”

Currently Lamb said he is working with various area businesses to get SARAH clients employed doing tasks the average worker would find menial. One such job exists at Hocon Gas in Guilford, where clients have stuffed thousands of door hangers in a moments notice. Often, said Lamb, the jobs are not full-time but rather on a project basis. Currently, Lamb is waiting to find out if SARAH has secured a Branford-based job of digitizing documents for a business office.

These new partnerships with businesses, explains Lamb, are “not about charity.” He furthers, “It’s about value. It’s got to be a good business situation for them to think about SARAH.”

In addition to forging partnerships with area business, Lamb has been working to create more independent work opportunities for SARAH with ventures like their recycling program where clients collect cans and bottles placed in SARAH bins throughout the shoreline. “We are looking for many ways to help people earn some sort of paycheck,” explains Lamb. Seventeen people receive a steady paycheck thanks to the cans and bottles donated by communities. To find out more about the SARAH recycling program or to locate a Branford bin, click here.

The economy has hit all workers hard and SARAH has not come out unscathed; the only upside, however, is their flexibility to work on a project-basis and the cost saving their employment brings to businesses. The challenge, though, explains Allen, has been the questions employers have about liabilities and unknowns when employing SARAH clients. “Stereotypes,” said Allen, “still persist.”

If you are curious about how SARAH clients work, don’t miss the video with this story. One look at their concentration and enthusiasm for their jobs quickly clears up any misconceptions.

Susan Consolo, Program Coordinator for SARAH, Inc. oversees seven crews of employees throughout the shoreline, including the group who works for Alcoa. She explains that she is thrilled with the current partnership between SARAH and the aerospace company and said that the past year has been difficult for employment because of the economy. “When our crews get down it’s tough. You can see it in their faces. This experience has turned out to be wonderful for all of them. Not only does it make the clients happy because they actually doing something and they feel part of something again – they are happy, we are happy, Howmet [Alcoa] is happy and they came together wonderfully.”

If you are a business owner interested in employing SARAH clients, please contact Jim Lamb at 203-458 4040, ext. 310 or e-mail jlamb@sarah-inc.org.

Check back soon to meet a Branford man and longtime SARAH, Inc client who is looking for a job. Unlike those employed in work crews mentioned above, this guy is capable of a more skilled job and can be employed regularly by a business. See how hard it’s been for him to land a job. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here