New Partnership with Jefferson Rehabilitation Center Offers Job-Training at Better Farm

Shawn from JRC works alongside the belles of Better Farm on groundswork Tuesdays and Thursdays.

A new partnership between Better Farm and the Jefferson Rehabilitation Center is offering job training to individuals in order to maximize their potential for job placement in the future.

Founded in Watertown in 1954, the Jefferson Rehabilitation Center (JRC) has provided programs and services to hundreds of children and adults in Jefferson County who are developmentally disabled. Today, JRC is an independent, not-for-profit corporation employing more than 650 staff members and serving more than 1,000 individuals and their families each year. JRC provides a wide range of services designed to enhance the quality of life and maximize the potential of individuals with disabilities through education, vocational opportunities, training, residential services, inclusion and advocacy in a community-based setting. A dedicated staff of medical, educational and therapeutic professionals, and specially trained direct care personnel provide the necessary support and training to the individuals they serve.

The JRC contacted Better Farm last month asking if we had any opportunities available that would provide on-the-job training for a few people who had expressed interest in groundswork, general maintenance, landscaping and other outdoor work. We were absolutely thrilled to offer up a list of ideas, and yesterday our first worker, Shawn, arrived. In a few short hours he'd begun work on a stone wall, raked up wood chips for the garden, landscaped a raised flower bed, and planted almost a dozen apple trees.

This partnership with the JRC will continue at least throughout the summer, with other workers joining Shawn during the season. To learn more about this essential program, click here.