Center for Educational Advancement & Spring Run School

Gary H., Extended Employee at Center for Educational Advancement recently graduated from Partners In Policymaking, Class of 2009. ‘Partners in Policymaking’ is a leadership-training program for people with developmental disabilities and their family members. It is a scholarship program sponsored by The New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities. The goal of this program is to partner with lawmakers in New Jersey to assist in systemic change for people with developmental disabilities.
Each year approximately 20 to 25 candidates are selected for this 8-month program, attending one weekend each month. A specific topic is covered each month that has been reviewed by leading experts to prepare for the legislative portion of the program. Topics include: The History of Developmental Disabilities, Community Organizing, and Transitioning, just to name a few. Program participants make contact with their local legislators to provide resource information regarding developmental disability issues.
Gary was one of 24 participants to graduate in the 2009 class. He was selected through Hunterdon County’s ARC program. Gary plans to continue to be a voice for those who have been historically unheard. He will be focusing on ‘The R Word Campaign’, supported by Special Olympics International and Best Buddies International. He has been in touch with his legislator regarding this campaign to “Spread The Word To End The Word” and hopes to see a bill eventually passed for the ‘R’ word.
Gary is an Extended Employee with Center for Education in Flemington. He works in the packaging department doing general assembly tasks. In an interview with Gary he explained how the Partners in Policymaking class went to Trenton and were able to talk to their legislators at the State House. He described them as “friendly” and said they really seemed to be “listening”. He told his local legislators how important it was for “people to work, and not sit around like a bump on a log.” Gary is certainly no bump-on-a-log as represented by his over 20 years of service with CEA Packaging. For most of those years he worked on the ‘juice line’ where, as he explained, he would “run packages of boxed juices into a machine that would wrap them, and bring them to the other side to be packed, stacked on the skid (pallet), and shrink wrapped”. He expressed how much he enjoyed keeping busy with that work, but with CEA’s recent loss of that major account, he now finds himself too often waiting for some work. Gary’s interests outside of work are gardening. Prior to coming to CEA he worked with his father in a greenhouse. He especially enjoys growing pansies and vegetables like cucumbers, eggplant and peppers. He is anxiously waiting for springtime to have his gardening skills put to use again, while also awaiting the arrival of new work at CEA.
For more information about CEA’s Employment Services Group please contact Joanne Kunz, Vice President, at (908) 782-1480 Ext. 230 or e-mail at jkunz@ceaemplyment.com.
For more information about CEA Packaging please contact Nancy Vargas, Vice President, Operations, at (908) 782-1480 or e-mail at nvaragas@ceaemployment.com.