May 2023 Special Needs Living Akron/Canton

JASON’S PLACE - CELEBRATING 5 YEARS!

You should always listen to your mom!

WRITTEN BY SARAH SMITH

PHOTOS BY MICHELLE HERDLICK

When starting Jason’s Place, Melissa Hadnett’s mom said dream big! As a result, the organization outgrew its five-year business plan in a year and a half.

Jason’s Place is an educationally focused career, vocational, and adult day services center that believes learning never stops. What makes Jason’s Place different is gathering input from the clients, their families/guardians, and team members to determine what is designed and learned. Each person gets to choose what they would like to learn from the six to eight different classes or group activities each day.

“Our staff is amazing, and our staff ratios are well below the state requirements,” said Hadnett. “Together we have over 70 years of experience in the field. We believe in pushing the envelope and each other to be the best we can all be.”

In the Day Services, clients have social, recreational, and learning opportunities in the kitchen for cooking club; the Llama Lounge offers devotions; the design center helps with the Shoppes, items sold on the organization’s website; the Boardroom provides reading and budgeting; and the stage is set for Broadway Buddies. The sensory room offers movement every day, country line dancing, yoga, meditation, and more. The computer lounge offers online safety, computer classes, vocational training and how to analyze apps to determine if they are beneficial. The community connections group learned to cut and paste in making flyers for community integrations and events. Classes and groups change every quarter; some favorites stay and some are new. The variety is based on our clients’ interests and team input.

Career Services include vocational programming, group employment, job development, job coaching, and career exploration. The vocational program is curriculum based with hands-on activities to enhance learning. It is also picture supported to assist readers in understanding content. The group employment has contracts to work real world opportunities in a group to practice skill sets learned in vocational programming. Job development and job coaching provide employment tailored to a client’s specific needs and then the supports to be successful. Career exploration is for those clients who don’t yet know what employment they would like to pursue.

“It is part of our belief that all people should be included in their community, so we go out into our community as typically as possible in very small groups,” explained Hadnett. “We believe that if people in the community see people with disabilities doing things we all do, the community becomes more accepting and inclusive. Our clients choose what they’d like to do, and we make it happen! Lunch, a Target run, Pump it Up, or exploring our parks are some of our favorites. At our facility, we invite the community in for experiences run by our clients. Who wouldn’t love coffee and cards or chalk the walk?”

This year, Jason’s Place is increasing its digital presence and you will find our new website that includes The Shoppes! Custom t-shirts, caps, coffee and travel mugs, crafts, picnic tables, and flower boxes can be ordered on the website. Videos of the clients tackling various projects can be viewed on Jason’s Place’s blog. While watching, customers learn about the craftsmen.

“Follow your favorite artisan to see what they are up to making,” encouraged Hadnett. “We would also love for you to follow us on Facebook, give us a like and some love!”

From the beginning, Hadnett’s mother was a great encouragement, exclaiming that Hadnett was meant to do this all along, but didn’t know it. Hadnett has been blessed with great experiences as a social worker, a teacher, and an instructional coach, learning from the best professionals in the business. Her son, Jason, was born eleven weeks early, weighing in at just 2 pounds.

“His road was a rocky one but he’s a fighter and here we are today!” Hadnett exclaimed. Jason is my inspiration and the reason Jason’s Place was created. This May, Jason’s Place is celebrating five years in business. It’s hard to believe what was just a dream is now a part of our community. Words of wisdom; always listen to your Mom!”

Jason’s Place is located at 2650 Easton St. NE, in Canton. More information can be found at www.jasonsplace.org or by calling 234-714-9815.