Finding Meaning through Mops
Pine Castle, Inc. gives disabled workers a chance to shine
Out of the Florida sun, inside of Pine Castle, Inc. in Jacksonville, white lengths of cotton are placed onto mop heads and passed down the line to adults who are finding purpose through work.
Assembling mops may seem like a trivial task to some, but to the developmentally disabled adults who work and live at the facility, the activities contribute to self-worth and pride. That’s the goal of Pine Castle, a nonprofit work and life skills training and activity center dedicated to serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and providing support to their families across northeast Florida.
“Our mission is to empower adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities through opportunities to learn, work and connect,” says Jon May, who has served as Pine Castle’s CEO for nearly 30 years. “On the surface, we provide companies with a supervised workforce; but what we really care about is helping adults find hope, self-respect and meaning.”
Pine Castle has on- and off-campus employment programs for nearly 350 participants, some of whom live in group homes on the property. The 13-acre site has classrooms, physical education and life improvement facilities for the 280 people who participate every day.
“Pine Castle grew out of necessity,” says May, “but what we’ve become is so much more. Our clients want to work and can work. They feel empowered when they receive a paycheck. With their money, they are able to pay bills and spend it on themselves. No matter the disability or severity, we are proud to help adults live the lives they want to live.”
A Tradition of Work
Pine Castle was started in 1952 by a group of 33 families of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. “At the time, no local schools or programs existed to provide support services, except for a few distant residential institutions,” says May. “In most cases, the children would grow up in institutions and wouldn’t get the help they needed.”
The organization stood as the only service center in the Jacksonville area until 1965, when the Florida public school system initiated a program for students with special needs. At the time, the founders saw there was another underserved group—disabled adults—and the facility transitioned to an adult work and life skills training and activity center.
That brings us to 1993, when May led efforts to construct a work production facility at the campus, which expanded again in 1999.
“Work opportunities and a paycheck are important to the well-being and self-esteem of persons with disabilities,” says May. “People with disabilities are employed at a 34.4 percentage rate nationally compared to 75.4 percent for people without disabilities. Florida is among the worst 10 states with the lowest workforce participation rates for people with disabilities. We felt like we could change that.”
In keeping with their passion of bringing meaningful work to everyone, the Pine Castle team launched a program to provide a supervised workforce to companies that needed specialty manufacturing, which now includes international communications and cosmetic brands. But in 2003, fate would lead them to what they’re best known for: mops. That year, a sister organization named Lighthouse for the Blind of the Palm Beaches—which was making mops—closed its door. When Pine Castle’s leaders heard that the social service facility was getting out of the mop business, they bought the equipment and brought it to Jacksonville.
“It is very much like almost any other manufacturing enterprise,” says May. “The mops themselves have to meet stringent specifications. There are three weights—16 ounce, 24 ounce and 32 ounce—and the weight determines the cost. There are a specific number of yarns and weights that must be complied with. The workers must meet a daily quota of around 300 total. It’s a real operation.”
Mop production not only brings wages to the workers but also raises money for the facility, part of a larger nonprofit organization that also produces wooden stakes for surveys, construction and gardening; provides labeling, collating and stapling services; provides product assembly and kitting; and other specialty manufacturing.
But it’s important to note that the facility is a no-nonsense manufacturing center, and the workers take their jobs very seriously. The organization is a member of the First Coast Manufacturers Association and submits to compliance reviews and inspections from local, state and client organizations. The mops are sold to the Florida Dept. of Corrections and Florida school districts, among others.
More Than Mops
Today, more than 350 clients learn valuable skills through Pine Castle, Inc.’s adult day training, residential services and community employment programs.
“Each day, we serve 350 individuals, with a group of 36 who live in residential group homes and over 60 others who work offsite,” says May. “We are committed to assisting anyone with a disability, regardless of its severity. Whether it’s teaching a new social or self-care skill, providing group activities, offering vocational training, providing a safe group home setting or helping in their job searches—everything we do supports a single goal: empower people to achieve their highest potentials.”
One of the stars of the programs is Chip, a man who has worked at the facility for almost a decade. “Our production manager, Mark, worked with Chip for over eight years to help him get certified to use a forklift,” says May. “Every day, Mark and Chip would review sections of the learning manual and Chip would take weekly tests to see how well he retained the information.” After studying hard and working closely with Mark, Chip passed the certification test. Today, Chip successfully operates the forklift and loads pallets of products onto trucks.
“To have meaningful work and to be able to earn an income makes these people feel productive and worthwhile,” says May. “That’s our mission. We want everyone to be a Chip.”