Clarion Vocational Services Celebrates 30th Anniversary

Ron Wilshire

Ron Wilshire

Published September 25, 2018 4:32 am
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CLARION, Pa. (EYT) – It all started in 1988 with a simple food cart that offered coffee and one kind of cookie for Clarion County employees.  

(Pictured above: Kathy Glosser, Clarion Vocational Services)

Thirty years later Clarion Vocational Services developed into a nonprofit community-based vocational organization and a much larger “cart.”

“We provide small group employment and training to individuals with developmental disabilities or mental health disabilities,” said Executive Director Kathy Glosser.

“This helps them to develop personally, socially, and vocationally through supportive work experience to aid in preparing individuals for employment in the food and janitorial industry by teaching relevant skills.”

Clarion Vocational Services and its additional Business CVS ISO (Intermediary Service Organization) has 10 people on staff and 22 consumers/employees and CVS ISO hands about 30 consumers and 60 employees. All employees pay taxes.

Glosser started with CVS in 1988 as a janitorial supervisor, program director for six years, and executive director in 1998. She earned both a bachelor and master’s degree in rehabilitation sciences with a concentration in special education from Clarion University.

“The commissioners, at that time, decided that individuals with developmental disabilities should have employment and a place to work. They got together with Kate Hufnagel and Diane Means, and they started to put together an agency that could do janitorial and maybe offer some snacks here at the old hospital and the courthouse.”

“When I started in 1989, CVS was serving lunch one day a week, and there was only one choice for lunch. I had a background in food service, so I started making suggestions to grow. Then, I found a toaster in the cupboard, and we started to offer a bagel sandwich long before other people offered it, along with a cookie. Today, we have a pretty extensive menu.”

CVS grew after adding the bagel sandwich, and Glosser said people started asking for more things and she added them to the menu, and she just continued adding and adding throughout the years. Glosser could not have grown the organization into what it is today without her long- time staff, especially Sylvia Donaldson and Tina Kriley.  Kerry Himes, Wendy McKay, Matthew Vasbinder, Kathy Deitz, Jennie Eustice, TJ Hudson, and Amanda Griebel complete the current staff.

Clients still include county employees from the Human Services Building in the old hospital, courthouse, and Main Street administrative offices. However, the public also uses the services available, including daily lunch specials and catering services. Cookies come in all shapes and sizes, including ALF cookies shaped like autumn leaves and other seasonal ones for Valentine’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

ISO is an “Agency with Choice,” working with consumers who have a developmental disability or mental health disability to hire a worker to help with daily living skills, cooking, cleaning, shopping, or just getting around the community.

“We help them with that and provide the necessary paperwork for them to be able to fulfill the requirements.”

The two programs are funded by Federal Medicaid dollars through the state for Small Group Employment.

Country Cuisine is the CVS snack shop that operates on the first floor of the Clarion County Human Services building on Seventh Avenue. Hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Another snack shop also operates in the Primary Health Network building at Trinity Point, offering light breakfasts and lunches from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

CVS offices are also located on the first floor and can be contacted at 814-226-1076.

“I love my job and have always said I’m not in it for the money, and I love what I do,” Glosser said.  “I enjoy working will all my people and my staff. I’ve always had a wonderful staff.”

CVS Group

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