Of the hundreds of items that fill Thrifty Threads & Things in Osage Beach, two are Luke Rodriguez' favorites - a full-sized suit of armor and a small Boxer statuette in a dog figurine collection.
The young man who began volunteering as an intern at the thrift shop about two weeks ago has found one of the favorite aspects of his job is to see what people bring in for resale.
"I like seeing the donations," he said. "That's my favorite."
As part of his internship, Rodriguez organizes donations, re-stocks shelves, cleans and greets those who comes through the door.
These skills help Rodriguez attain the most important goal at Thrifty Threads & Things and its parent not-for-profit organization, The Arc of the Lake - attain employment out in the Lake community.
Since opening the resale shop doors March 15, The Arc of the Lake helps individuals with developmental disabilities like Rodriguez receive on-the-job and classroom training so they can be successfully employed in the community.
"We, as a community, have an awesome opportunity to get involved in a program that will allow adults and children with disabilities to be successful," said Shelly Kulavic, executive director for The Arc of the Lake. "Do we think retail is the only occupation that will allow these individuals to be part of the community? Certainly not. But it is a start."
Building the "Arc'
The beginning of the Arc of the Lake started with a group of individuals who wanted to enrich the lives of adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Two years ago, the Arc of the Lake formed its board of directors and looked at the specific needs for individuals with special needs in the Lake Area, attempting to determine the best goal they could provide to give them the "highest level of independence," Kulavic said. The answer was employment.
"Our board didn't know what exactly they wanted to do to help people with developmental disabilities in the beginning," she said, noting that many of the board members have children with special needs. "They are looking at how we can create an environment within our community. The Arc (at a national level) is committed to helping people with disabilities through housing, recreation, employment and other aspects. We decided that employment is a great focus to help them succeed in the community."
The Arc of the Lake, which aids Camden, Miller and Morgan counties, gained grant funding through the Camden County Developmental Disability Resources' SB40 Board.
Kulavic brings six years of experience in working with employment training at the Jefferson City Career Center, plus additional experience in working with The Arc of Illinois and working with developmental disabled children and adults.
The future for "Arc'
With proceeds from the resale shop going back into the 501(c)(3) organization and fundraisers being planned for this year, the Arc of the Lake staff and interns are also stepping out into the community to make residents aware of its mission.
For example, The Arc staff and Rodriguez will participate in today's Dogwood Festival parade.
As the staff prepares for growing the program, they are excited about fulfilling the "inclusion" need for special needs individuals in the Lake community. However, they also know it will be a bittersweet departure as the interns move on to their new jobs.
"Every day they are here is a fun moment," Kulavic said. "They remember what we teach them and are comfortable with us in a short time. It will be hard for them and us when they move on. However, they know they can come back and volunteer anytime."
Thrifty Threads & Things is located at 1135 Bluff Drive in Osage Beach. Store hours are from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Donations can be dropped off during store hours, and contributions are tax-deductible.
For more information about The Arc of the Lake or Thrifty Threads & Things, call 573-302-1700 or visit arcofthelake.org.