Dog treats made with love job-training program
An Olathe storefront sells handmade dog treats and toys produced by participants in a relatively new job-training program for teens and young adults with developmental disabilities. At PawsAbilities, participants have classroom and hands-on training about every facet of planning, production and distribution.
“We ask everyone to learn each job,” says Jennifer Beruan, program coordinator for PawsAbilities. “We have specific expectations, but we tailor each person’s job-training experience to (her/his) different capabilities and what (her/his) goals are.”
PawsAbilities teaches participants important life skills and develops future workers. Participants have a good time while learning marketable skills, like using the commercial kitchen equipment; shaping, baking and packaging dog treats; stocking; managing production and supply levels; pattern cutting and creating bandanas; and serving customers.
“It’s important that we operate as a typical job in most aspects, but we also introduce our participants to different skills, especially if they might transition to living on their own one day,” Beruan says.
Staples of the PawsAbilities store are their paw protector bars; peanut butter dog treats and a line of grain-free dog treats, made with all-natural, human-grade ingredients; bandanas; and toys made out of discarded fire hoses.
“We try to repurpose as much as possible,” Beruan says.
They also stock seasonal products at the Olathe store, 2073 E. Santa Fe St., 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday to Thursday, and 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Friday. PawsAbilities goods are sold online (https://pawskc.org/online-store/), at the Olathe Farmers Market at Black Bob Park, special events, local veterinarians’ offices, gift shops and dog-grooming businesses. PawsAbilities also operates a mobile store by appointment. To schedule a visit, contact Beruan at 913-839-8735, jennifer@ickc.org.
PawsAbilities is a program of Inclusion Connections, a four-year-old nonprofit that offers advocacy, education and classes for teens and young adults with developmental disabilities. It was the invention of IC founder and executive director Debbie Horn, the mother of a child with developmental disabilities. She saw a need for more programming for such young people when they age out of high school. IC is funded exclusively by grants, donations and money from fundraising events, such as the annual FashionAbility Gala, a runway show held in February showcasing IC program participants.
PawsAbilities job-training program offers a limited number of scholarships to help needy students who are unable to pay the $15-per-day fee.
“We don’t want someone who can’t afford our program to be left out,” Beruan says.
During the schoolyear, PawsAbilities serves adults 18 to 29 years-old. In the summer and during spring break, the program includes 17-year-olds. The maximum capacity is 25 participants. As long as there’s room, people can enroll anytime. Sign up online at https://ickc.org/. Click on “Clients.” Scroll down and select “Olathe location” near the bottom of the page. Prospective participants go through a job-interview process.
“It’s mostly for the experience,” Beruan says. “We operate more like an internship and job-training program.”
Like its parent program, PawsAbilities relies on volunteers and partners with nearby schools and organizations that bring volunteers, projects and professionals who share their talents and expertise. It was a student volunteer who proposed adding dog bandanas to their product line.
“We’re always looking for people who are enthusiastic about something and can share their knowledge with our participants. For instance, a sewing instructor from the fashion institute comes once a week. She teaches our participants how to work with patterns and operate a professional sewing machine,” Beruan says.
Some of PawsAbilities’ 100 volunteers just come to interact with the participants, she says.
