By Brittany Bennett, on June 7, 2013

This was a very busy week of meetings and more visits to County departments, in addition to the projects I’m currently working on. Yesterday, I visited Person Industries and the recycling center it runs, as well as Person County Animal Services, making recycling and kittens the highlights of my week.

Person Industries is a rehabilitation program that trains adults with disabilities for work in the community. They have partnerships with various community businesses for jobs from embroidery and screen printing to confidential shredding. The people employed by Person Industries have varying degrees of ability and, with individualized help from staff, are able to advance to more complex jobs over time. Person Industries has an embroidery and screen printing store, Bee-Line Designs, where the public can purchase items to be personalized with embroidery or screen print designs. In addition to Bee-Line, Person Industries relies heavily on contracts with area businesses to place their employees into appropriate jobs. After losing a contract to outsourcing, they filled a need for the County by assuming operation of the Person County Recycling Center. The flexibility of this department not only helps the County collect, sort, and sell recyclables at a lower cost, but it also provides stable work for Person Industries employees. I was really impressed by the efficiency of the recycling center and by Person Industries as a whole. The staff clearly cares about the employees and works hard to help them succeed. Without programs like Person Industries, people with disabilities would not be able to have appropriate employment or any level of financial independence.

Person County Animal Services had a busy morning, yesterday, dealing with a deer that ran into and shattered the front doors of the library. Luckily, I was able to visit in the afternoon after everything had calmed down. On the drive there, I had to mentally prepare myself so that I would not leave with a dog. I stayed strong, but it was definitely a struggle. If you’re looking for a kitten there’s currently an abundance at Animal Services looking for a good home. As a dog person, I’m really excited about a new area for puppies that the Girl Scouts are sponsoring, called Puppy Land, where puppies will be able to play. I will definitely have to visit once it’s complete.…who doesn’t love puppies?

Happy Friday! My adventures in Person will be continued next week.