Date: Fri 09-Jan-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: DOTTIE

Quick Words:

Project-Act-sheltered-workshop

Full Text:

Project ACT Moves In: Former Post Office Becomes Sheltered Workshop

BY DOROTHY EVANS

A stroller or driver going past the old Post Office building on Washington

Avenue in Sandy Hook might well be intrigued by recent activity going on

inside.

Several young men and women of varying ages can be seen seated around two or

three tables, working at a group activity with two or three adults who seem to

be spending as much time encouraging them as they are instructing.

In the rear of the room under the wall clock, a large hand-painted sign tells

anyone looking through the window that this is the new home of "Project ACT."

ACT, standing for Active Community Transitions, is an outreach program

sponsored by the Kennedy Center of Bridgeport, which serves individuals with

disabilities by helping them to perform useful work and, hopefully, to become

contributing, participating members of the Project ACT host community.

These young people and their instructors began coming to the Sandy Hook ACT

workshop on November 17, according to project coordinator Denise Paladino.

They are bussed over each morning from Southbury Training School by the

Kennedy Center, with a maximum of 12 clients being helped by three trained

staff members.

"It's going really well so far. Our ultimate goal is to get out into the

community in some sort of work situation where they can be paid, or at least

volunteer, for an hour or two," said Ms Paladino.

She was proud to report that one "client" had already been placed around the

corner in the Sandy Hook diner to clean tables for an hour every afternoon.

"That's what we hope. That the community will accept us and take advantage of

this volunteer opportunity," she added.

Sandy Hook is only one of nine ACT centers throughout Fairfield County, she

said, and another Kennedy Center outreach group known as Project Choice is

planned to go in next month at Exit 9 off I-84 on Mount Pleasant Road.

Appreciating `Normalcy'

Ms Paladino said that her clients were enjoying the Sandy Hook work project

site very much, especially as it gave them the rare opportunity to be out of

the training school environment in an everyday community like "downtown" Sandy

Hook.

"They see postmen, carpenters, food service people, contractors, people coming

and going. There is the stimulus of cars going by. On the school campus, all

they see are institutional vehicles. They know the difference and appreciate

being out in the real world," Ms Paladino said.

"It has a calming effect. They seem more relaxed when they're here," she

added.

Exposure of the community to the clients, and vice verse, is what Project ACT

is all about, Ms Paladino said.

While she talked, her clients sitting at their work tables continued their

tasks, assembling special hair removal kits for the cosmetics company, Jolis,

each containing a plastic spoon wrapped in a terry cloth towel.

"When they're done, we send the kits back to the company and the medicated

cream gets added. They get pay checks for this work, which means a lot."