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Easter Seals Central Alabama
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| Easter Seals Central Alabama has been awarded approximately $480,952 to date as part of a five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy to ADECA’s Workforce Development Division. To complement the many services and supports they already had in place, Easter Seals Central Alabama has used the funds for a statewide Microenterprise program that assists individuals with disabilities in starting their own businesses. The program helps participants choose a line of business, write a business plan, and obtain business knowledge through workshops and advice from successful business owners and professionals. Participants can also apply for a low-interest loan of up to $4000 to use as seed money. The program is in its second year of operation, and has plans to expand to other locations to provide more convenient access. Over forty-five people have used the service to start their own businesses so far. Among them are: |
- James Cooper of Sir James Hat & Antiques, a dazzling antique, hat, and accessories store located in Birmingham with plans to open another location in Montgomery.
- Alice Cherry of Cherry’s Creations, a home-based desktop publishing company in Tuskegee serving individuals and small to medium sized companies.
- Blane Roberts of Orbit Technical Services, Inc., a company based in Huntsville which provides professional staffing services for clients looking to fill technical positions in engineering, design, manufacturing, IT, telecom and science based industries.
Many other businesses are off to a good start thanks to the program, and the owners are realizing their dreams. | |