SPRINGFIELD - Like plants and flowers, people need nurturing too.
Nurturing, responsibility, social engagement, structure and happiness are being offered to adults in our community diagnosed with mental illness and developmental disabilities thanks to A New Leaf Plant Shops in Holyoke and East Longmeadow.
"By providing employment and job training skills to those with mental illness and developmental disabilities, we allow them the opportunity to be at the level of a contributing citizen," said Kelly A. Kaminski, vocational manager for the shop.
To date, Kaminski employs 21 people with disabilities, referred to as clients, who work in the Holyoke and East Longmeadow locations. The Center for Human Development in Springfield refers clients for employment.
We have two greenhouses that produce 80 percent of our springtime flowers," Kaminski added. "Our clients help to plant seeds and transplant them into larger pots. They nurture the seeds and help them grow, allowing them to find healing in their own lives."
Clients also copy prototypes to make flower arrangements for all occasions. "For our clients, this is a relaxing, rewarding, creative place, allowing them to see the results of their hard work," Kaminski said. "Creativity is never limited, and we have fun."
The fun, laughter and teamwork help to bloom tropical indoor and flowering plants, and annuals and perennials.
"My clients are the best group of people I've ever worked with," Kaminski said. "We try to refrain from classifying our clients as having a mental illness or developmental disability; they're equal here and are allowed to express their creativity and earn wages."
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