May-Jun 2010.indd - Commissaries.com

Reaching out:
Rick Brink
DeCA East public affairs officer
Store Director Lisa
Serrano, Dover
Commissary, Del.,
started at the top by
contacting the New Jersey
Vocational Rehabilitation
Services office when she hired
two employees with targeted
disabilities at Fort Monmouth
Commissary, N.J., where
she previously served as store Lisa Serrano
director. She was quickly directed
to a local nonprofit organization that provided
invaluable help.
“I can’t say enough about how The Arc of
Monmouth County helped us – not only in locating
suitable employees, but also coaching them
throughout the initial hiring process and providing
transportation to and from work,” said Serrano, who
became store director of Dover Commissary, Del., in
August 2009.
According to its website, The Arc is the world’s
largest community-based organization of and
for people with intellectual and developmental
disabilities. It provides
services and support for
families and individuals
and has more than 140,000
members affiliated through
more than 730 state and
local chapters across the
nation.
Serrano said she worked
closely with The Arc team
to identify appropriate
jobs within the store.
They interviewed possible
candidates and eventually
selected the most qualified.
The Arc team accompanied
the employees through their
Joseph Carbin-Sievers and
Marybeth Dennehy remain
valued members of the
Dover Commissary staff.
U.S. Army photo:
Michael Allison
22 decavision 2010�Vol. 19, No. 3
Local organizations valuable in
finding, hiring disabled employees
in-processing and required training and provided
coaching throughout the process.
“We hired Joseph Carbin-Sievers and
Marybeth Dennehy to work in the produce
department. They stock, cull and provide customer
service and, when needed, work in the grocery
or dairy departments,” Serrano said. “No special
accommodations were necessary, and they’ve both
proven to be valuable members of our workforce.”
It’s been more than a year since they were hired,
and Serrano said Carbin-Sievers and Dennehy have
had a positive influence on the workforce. She said it
has raised the level of teamwork as well as a feeling of
professional pride among store associates, knowing
their jobs benefit individuals, their families and the
local community.
Serrano described the hiring process at Monmouth
as a great success and recommends that other store
directors check into The Arc to see if it’s in their
area. At Dover, Serrano is working with a local
organization, AHEDD, and the Delaware Health and
Social Services for the Visually Impaired, discovering
how processes and services can differ from place to
place.
You can visit The Arc’s website to locate local
chapters: http://www.thearc.org/NetCommunity/
Page.aspx?pid=1386.�