Special people posted here

Dave Brooks

John Bouman has been opening and closing the door for two days now,

and it’s obvious he’s gotten very good at his new job.

Looking for a challenge, the 62-year-old Los Angeles native agrees

to tackle taking the garbage out for AIM Mail Center manager Mary

Ellen Torre.

“Sure, that’s something I do at home,” he gingerly says as he

makes his way to the back of the small shipping center to help

co-worker Linda Loughery, 32.

Bouman and Loughery are both clients of “Elwyn, California” -- a

Fountain Valley-based nonprofit that provides job placement and

training for developmentally disabled adults.

Bouman isn’t learning anything new by simply opening a door or

taking out the trash, but he said the overall experience of working

at the Huntington Beach business has taught him about interacting

with customers and working in retail.

“It’s interesting new skills,” he said.

The AIM Mail Center, located in a shopping center at the corner of

Goldenwest Street and Garfield Avenue, is an entrepreneurial venture

by Elwyn to generate revenue and provide career opportunities for

people with disabilities. Working with supervisor Torre, six adult

clients work at the store in three-person shifts. The clients perform

typical employee duties like taking orders from customers, using the

cash register, packaging shipments and keeping the shop clean.

“Our vision is to have people with disabilities interacting with

people without disabilities,” Elwyn Executive Director Joan McKinney

said. “This venue provides the general public with the opportunity to

see their abilities instead of their disabilities.”

She said part of the AIM Mail Center’s success has been that many

of the customers feel good about using its mail services.

“But we also know we have to do a good job because we want them to

bring that business back to us,” McKinney said.

Customer Susan Price of Huntington Beach said she uses the mail

service on a regular basis.

“It’s friendly and very efficient,” she said. “For me, its just a

nice place to come. I really think we need more places like this.”

Elywn provides job placement for about 90 people throughout Orange

County, mostly in janitorial, clerical and retail capacities. Clients

are provided with intensive coaching by a job specialist during the

first week of employment, and then regular check-ups throughout the

course of their placement.

Starting the Huntington Beach mail center wasn’t easy, said

McKinney, who had never run a retail operation before.

“The goal was to start a business that trained people, while

generating revenues that could help lessen our dependence on

government funding,” she said.

Elywn officials poured about $100,000 into the venture, which did

well at first but was slowed by the grocers’ strike of 2003-04.

McKinney said the postal store was boosted by business advice from

the AIM Mail Center franchise’s corporate headquarters.

Now with the strike over, business is returning to normal and on

any given morning, customers will find Loughery packaging new

shipments, or performing her new cleaning duties. When she’s not

working at the store, Loughery said she enjoys watching movies and

singing karaoke.

“One of the things we do around here is laugh a lot,” Torre said,

adding that she has really enjoyed her experience managing the store.

“It’s very refreshing to go to work every day with people who are

really happy to be here,” she said.