about mva

empowering people to live their best lives

About

MVA Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging (DEIB):

MV Advancements’ first core value is We are People, People because we are a company that values All* people. We know how important the sense of belonging is at home, at work, and at play because we see how life-changing real belonging is, every day through our work. We strive to create a culture where everyone can be their authentic self and feel like they belong. Our mission, from the beginning, has been to make MVA and our community a place of true inclusion for those we support, and our staff. Everyone wins when we celebrate our differences and abilities.

*All – All is an important word at MVA. We know the importance of recognizing historically marginalized groups and using the word ALL is our way of not leaving anyone off the list. We truly want people to feel like they are valued and belong at MVA.

Margaret Reavis-Larsen – Our Founder

Founded in 1966 by Margaret Reavis-Larsen as Mid-Valley Workshop, our primary focus was job-training. Under Margaret’s guidance, care and leadership Mid-Valley Workshop expanded its services to include housing and community activity programs. In 1993 the organization was renamed Mid-Valley Rehabilitation to reflect this breadth of services.

Today we are MV Advancements, and we continue to provide innovative services for people with disabilities. Together, we strive to empower people to live their best lives.

I always valued Margaret’s grace and integrity and her willingness to do the right thing.

She was a giver.

Historical timeline

1960s

1967

Mid-Valley Workshop employs five adults with developmental disabilities and a supervisor, Ezra Kilmer. Because the idea that people with disabilities can work and contribute meaningfully to the workplace is a totally new concept at the time, Reavis Larsen has to work hard to secure new contracts for workshop clients. She also transports adults living at Fairview Training Center in Salem to and from the Amity workshop.

Early 1970s

The number of programs and services offered by Mid-Valley Workshop grows for the underserved population in the area. A recreation and activity center opens in McMinnville for clients who work in the workshop. The first residential group homes open in McMinnville as well, partly in order to eliminate commutes from Salem.

1973

Ground is broken for a new Mid-Valley Workshop and Rehabilitation Center building north of Amity, located on 11.5 acres of land donated by Ray and Barbara Kauer. The new workshop offers bigger and better workspace for clients plus offices for administrative staff members. Today, this property is leased to a pallet manufacturing company.

Late 1970s

Mid-Valley Workshop continues to pave the “pathway to employment” with the creation of site-specific crew “enclaves” and Community Employment, which finds individuals work in area businesses according to their interests.

1980

The recreation and activity center in McMinnville is moved to a 7,000-square-foot building adjacent to the new workshop in Amity. The program is renamed the Mid-Valley Training Center, and its physical home eventually will become known as the Reavis Building, after Mid-Valley’s pioneering founder.

Throughout the 1980s

Residential support services are expanding, with help available ranging from individuals living on their own to additional group homes in McMinnville.

1987

The Mid-Valley Charitable Fund, Inc., is created to administer the money from a donated estate. Its purpose is to financially support the activities of Mid-Valley Workshop and Rehabilitation. It has its own board of directors and manages a variety of donated funds.

1991

Mid-Valley Workshop and Rehabilitation Center celebrates its 25th anniversary and faces the challenge of Measure 5, a property-tax law that severely affects state funding for Mid-Valley.

1993

The agency’s corporate name changes to Mid-Valley Rehabilitation, Inc.

1994

The Bench Department of the Training Center was moved to McMinnville Industrial Park.

1994

The Mid-Valley Training Center starts up in the Reavis Building and is renamed Mid-Valley Industrial Services.

1995

Industrial Services purchases a lotion-soap business and began operations with the State of Oregon as its first customer.

1997

The Friends and Recreation program begins for retired Mid-Valley clients. It eventually merges with the Alternatives to Employment Program, as the two groups’ services overlap.

1997

Mid-Valley’s residential and employment program administrative offices open at the location on Fifth Street in McMinnville.

1999

The first celebrity golf tournament, the Mid-Valley Open, raises funds for the Ron Edwards Memorial Scholarship. Its recipients are individuals who are ineligible or waiting for state-funded services.

2000

The old-fashioned parlor Serendipity Ice Cream debuts on Third Street in downtown McMinnville. The goal is to create a business that can employ adults with disabilities and develop work skills for community employment.

A new branch of Mid-Valley Rehabilitation opens in Dallas, its first facility in Polk County. The site provides employment services as well as a “home base” for staff members working in the area. Community-based jobs, packaging and assembly, and alternative to Employment services are offered.

2001

Mid-Valley Rehabilitation wins the State of Oregon Rehabilitation Provider of the Year award, one of many honors the agency has earned throughout the decades for employment opportunities, volunteer work, and community involvement.

2003

A supported living residential program begins in Sherwood in a private home. It remains open until 2011.

Mid-Valley Industrial Services moves into a larger building at the industrial park in McMinnville, and, thanks to generous donations and grants, Mid-Valley Rehabilitation owns the Kauer building debt-free.

2004

The Alternatives to Employment Program, now known as Day Support Activities, adds a McMinnville branch in addition to the Amity site. A year later, another branch opens in Newberg.

The Baker Street Apartments are purchased, offering a much-needed one-story residential option.

2006

A work enclave begins at A-Dec in Newberg, a dental equipment manufacturer. The crew comprises five Mid-Valley Rehabilitation employees and one supervisor. It marks a continuation of the site-specific enclave business model that Mid-Valley had been using for decades.

2007

Mid-Valley Rehabilitation board member Ann Scott initiates a reading program for clients. It is largely staffed by volunteers.

2009

Valley’s Edge opens two group homes in McMinnville.

The Cherry Heights group home is established for three families in Dallas. It is Mid-Valley Rehabilitation’s first group home in that city.

2010

Mid-Valley and the community mourn the loss of pioneer Margaret Reavis Larsen, who shaped not only the company but also the lives she touched.

2011

Funding cuts force Mid-Valley to make significant cuts to services, including the consolidation of some programs and closure of others, mainly in Newberg and Dallas.

2014

Two more group homes open at Johnstone Court in McMinnville thanks to a memorial donation by a longtime board member.

2012-2015

New activities and classes continue to be added in support of Mid-Valley clients such as the Mid-Valley Prom, a basketball tournament, the Healthy Lifestyles Program, and fundraiser “The Biggest Turkey.”

2015

Mid-Valley Rehabilitation is renamed MV Advancements and appoints Kathy Schlotfeldt as executive director.

2018

Mid-Valley Wood Products closes its sheltered workshop. Individuals are employed at minimum wage or higher by employers throughout Yamhill, Marion, and Polk counties.

2019

MVA acquired property from Linfield University to build a corporate headquarters building in McMinnville.

MVA assumed governance of Chehalem Valley Housing Corporation, the sole shareholder of Springbrook Place Apartments in Newberg, a low-income housing project for people with disabilities.

2020

MVA sold its industrial services Kauer building in McMinnville. The proceeds will be used as start-up funds for the corporate headquarters building.

MVA sold Serendipity Ice Cream. MVA no longer sees a need for facility-based jobs for people with disabilities.

The global COVID-19 pandemic forces MVA to pivot its services. This closes facility-based Community Inclusion Services.

2021

MVA consolidates its offices to its new leased location on McDaniel Ln in McMinnville.

2022

MVA rebrands its alternative to work program to Day Support Activities and transitions all services to community locations.

Historical Photos