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Active member
This story comes from the Friends of BNSF.
Led by Scot Bates and Amberly Mann, members of BNSF’s Customer Integration team from around the country volunteered at Seguin Gardens & Gifts, a retail center that provides employment opportunities for people with developmental disabilities in the Chicago area.
BNSF employees have supported Sequin Services, a not-for-profit agency based in Cicero, Ill., for a number of years. The most recent effort involved the building of compost bins and staining of plant benches in the arbor. Later the team toured the facility to gain a greater understanding of how Seguin’s staff works to empower children and adults with developmental disabilities.
“BNSF volunteers have graced us with their presence for many years, helping to improve our group homes and do much needed equipment construction for our Seguin businesses,” said Jim Haptonstahl, executive vice president of Seguin Services.
Dawneen Suriano, annual fund director for Seguin, said “It was a great pleasure to meet the BNSF team members. They had a great deal of enthusiasm and were genuinely interested in what we are trying to accomplish, and how they might help us achieve our goals. The experience was a great treat for us!”
Seguin Services offers a wide array of help for children and adults with special needs. The staff works to integrate and socialize these children and adults into communities, ultimately to become productive, valued members of society. The organization has multiple facets to accomplish this goal, from providing living arrangements, to education and employment opportunities through SEGUINWORKS.
Seguin Gardens & Gifts plays an integral role in the SEGUINWORKS program. The Seguin organization notes that “for persons with severe disabilities that require specialized training and on-the-job support not possible in community workplace settings, we provide jobs in the social entrepreneurship businesses of our innovative SEGUINWORKS program. These businesses provide Seguin with an earned income opportunity for sustaining our vocational training, community employment, and horticultural therapy programs. One such business is Seguin Gardens & Gifts.”
“One of the biggest worries for a parent of a child with special needs is not knowing who will care for the child as an adult when I pass,” Bates said. “Knowing that organizations like Seguin Services exist, and are supported through the efforts of great companies like BNSF, brings me peace and comfort.”
For more information on how you can become a part of an organization like Seguin in your area, call 708-863-3803 or email info@seguin.org.
Led by Scot Bates and Amberly Mann, members of BNSF’s Customer Integration team from around the country volunteered at Seguin Gardens & Gifts, a retail center that provides employment opportunities for people with developmental disabilities in the Chicago area.
BNSF employees have supported Sequin Services, a not-for-profit agency based in Cicero, Ill., for a number of years. The most recent effort involved the building of compost bins and staining of plant benches in the arbor. Later the team toured the facility to gain a greater understanding of how Seguin’s staff works to empower children and adults with developmental disabilities.
“BNSF volunteers have graced us with their presence for many years, helping to improve our group homes and do much needed equipment construction for our Seguin businesses,” said Jim Haptonstahl, executive vice president of Seguin Services.
Dawneen Suriano, annual fund director for Seguin, said “It was a great pleasure to meet the BNSF team members. They had a great deal of enthusiasm and were genuinely interested in what we are trying to accomplish, and how they might help us achieve our goals. The experience was a great treat for us!”
Seguin Services offers a wide array of help for children and adults with special needs. The staff works to integrate and socialize these children and adults into communities, ultimately to become productive, valued members of society. The organization has multiple facets to accomplish this goal, from providing living arrangements, to education and employment opportunities through SEGUINWORKS.
Seguin Gardens & Gifts plays an integral role in the SEGUINWORKS program. The Seguin organization notes that “for persons with severe disabilities that require specialized training and on-the-job support not possible in community workplace settings, we provide jobs in the social entrepreneurship businesses of our innovative SEGUINWORKS program. These businesses provide Seguin with an earned income opportunity for sustaining our vocational training, community employment, and horticultural therapy programs. One such business is Seguin Gardens & Gifts.”
“One of the biggest worries for a parent of a child with special needs is not knowing who will care for the child as an adult when I pass,” Bates said. “Knowing that organizations like Seguin Services exist, and are supported through the efforts of great companies like BNSF, brings me peace and comfort.”
For more information on how you can become a part of an organization like Seguin in your area, call 708-863-3803 or email info@seguin.org.