Medtronic Employees Spend Day With Cardinal Clients
Posted
Jennifer Peryam-jperyam@timesuniononline.com
Medtronic employees rolled up their sleeves Friday to volunteer at Cardinal Services in Warsaw. There were 17 Medtronic employees who volunteered in two shifts Friday morning and afternoon. The volunteer effort was called Project 6 Mission In Motion. Medtronic’s sixth goal of its mission is to maintain good citizenship as a company. The purpose of the day was to unite the employees and make a difference in the local community. For the first half hour Medtronic employees received background on Cardinal Services operations then volunteered. The Medtronic employees who visited in the morning session took a tour of Cardinal Services and visited the manufacturing facility where Cardinal clients put together parts for Chore-Time Brock. They also volunteered in the adult Cardinal Services classrooms helping clients with July 4 projects. The afternoon shift of Medtronic volunteers spent time at Cardinal Services group homes and watered grass, washed screens and put mulch down. Dawn Schaefer, Medtronic quality systems technician and Mission In Motion ambassador, said the group’s goal is to do volunteer work and fundraising efforts. “We try to do one to two volunteer efforts a month and have helped with Relay For Life, March of Dimes and United Way and the Tootsie Roll Drive,” Schaefer said. “I feel its important for our employees to get out into the community and work with all aspects of the community and understand what Cardinal Services does,” Schaefer said. Michelle Boxell, Cardinal Services community relations manager, said it was great to have the Medtronic employees volunteer. “It is important for clients to have connections in the community and when they meet new people it makes them happy and is mutually beneficial for the volunteers and clients,” Boxell said. Candy Townsend, Cardinal Services director of development, provided a history of Cardinal Services to the Medtronic employees. Cardinal Services was founded in 1954 by parents. It is a community based not-for-profit that provides support, guidance and training for children and families with needs and adults with disabilities. Townsend said there were 35 children served and 68 employees at Cardinal in 1984, and there are now more than 500 employees and 2,700 people served annually. She said Cardinal helps clients meet employment goals, parenting skills and provides pre-kindergarten and nutritional programs for children. Cardinal also operates Kosciusko Area Bus Services. Approximately 150 clients live in their own apartments, homes or group homes. Cardinal offers an Early Head Start program to prepare children for kindergarten, a Healthy Families program that assists with parenting skills and a Women Infant and Children program that provides food vouchers and nutritional training. Townsend said there have been cuts to Medicaid that have effected Cardinal’s operating budget. Cardinal’s operating budget two years ago was $21 million, and with Medicaid cuts is now $19 million. Townsend said Cardinal Service’s current needs are volunteers to assist with fundraising efforts, and manufacturing jobs clients can do at the Cardinal Services manufacturing facility. Medtronic employees said they enjoyed learning about Cardinal Services operations and spending time with clients. Chris Douglas, Medtronic employee, said she enjoyed volunteering at Cardinal Services. “Cardinal Services does so many things I didn’t know they did, I thought it was group homes and the manufacturing facility but they do so much more,” Douglas said. Douglas said she is interesting in thinking about bringing in items from home to assist Cardinal Services and helping with tutoring. Shari Kreft, Medtronic employee, also said her experience was rewarding. “I love that Medtronic does this because I think it’s important to give back to our community and let others know there is work to be done here to help,” Kreft said. For more information about Cardinal Services, to volunteer or to receive a tour call 574-371-1387.
