Dannon G. Herolaga, Polk/Marion County Employment Consultant

Recently, Dannon G. Herolaga, one of MV Advancements’ rising Employment Consultants, was checking in with Amanda McDonald, an individual he supports who works part-time in Dallas, OR. They met at a Starbucks and chatted, caught up, had a coffee and a bagel, then got up to leave. As the two walked out the door, a man hurried to catch their attention.

His name was Mike, and he had overheard Dannon during the meeting and was impressed by the difference he was making for Amanda. Mike was beyond inspired by what he saw and decided to donate through the website right then and there!

Mike told Dannon that after what he witnessed, MV Advancements had gained a supporter for life.

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In 2018, MV Advancements closed its Wood Products division, the workplace of many people we supported through the years. Then COVID-19 hit, and we closed our Community Inclusion Services (CIS), the facility-based alternative to employment activities program. Finally, in late 2022, as if we were submitting to our own demise, we decided to shut down our janitorial services, which was one of the largest sources of employment path services.

They were all great services in their day, but they were missing something. They were missing community engagement.

Wood Products employed many adults who experienced disabilities, but they were secluded. Off in their own world, interacting with the same people every day and rarely getting the opportunity to meet new people.

At CIS, unless someone new opted into MVA’s services, the same people would come to see the same people every day.

Our janitorial crews were staffed by the same people for years, and the night shift janitorial staff got even less chance to interact with new people. All these services kept people behind closed doors, hidden away from the world.

When the decision was made to cease these services, on the surface it might have seemed like a step backward, but at MVA, we saw it as a leap forward.

Now, many of the Wood Products employees are employed in the community, with jobs where they can make a difference, earn income, and build relationships. The CIS program is now Day Support Activities (DSA). We only provide facility-free services in community-driven activities that include skill building, volunteering and the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships. We have assisted most of the janitorial crew members to find new jobs that they are excited about, using skills they learned while working on the crew.

While we still support many of the same people who made those services what they were back in the day, what has changed is that they have come out from seclusion. The doors have opened and MVA has poured out, filling the community with our mission of assisting people with disabilities to live their best life.

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Just as Mike may have never found MVA if he didn’t see Dannon at Starbucks, hundreds of other supporters may never find us if we don’t put ourselves out there and share our work with the community.

Dannon chose to hold that job check-in meeting in public, rather than in an office. He chose to open the doors and let community members witness the work MVA does firsthand. Seeing how we are making a difference for people will bring us lifetime supporters more than any campaign or strategy could.

There are people out there who share our vision and values and want to support us. All we have to do is open the doors and welcome them in.