Peckham Participates in the Science Summit at the UN General Assembly & Highlights Inclusive Work Environment

“The self-esteem which can develop from the ability to support oneself and one’s family, and participate in a productive workplace, is the very definition of inclusion in society.” That’s the message that Laurie Penfold brought to participants in the Science Summit at the United Nations General Assembly. On September 29th, 2022, Laurie and Peckham CEO…

Success Is No Accident – A Veteran Finds A New Path Forward

Nearly a third (29.6%, 3.5 million) of the 12 million veterans ages 21-64 in the U.S. report having a disability. The vast majority of those disabilities are service-connected. Among Peckham’s five lines of business, Supply Chain employs the highest percentage of veterans – 7% of team members and 42% of staff have served in the…

Finding a Career At Peckham Allows Team Member to Fulfill a Promise Made 29 Years Ago

When Joe got married 29 years ago, he promised his wife he would take care of her. Throughout his working career, he’s worked dozens of jobs, including eight in the Lansing Mall, trying to fulfill that promise.  However, his goal of making enough money to become the majority breadwinner in the household seemed always out…

Team Member Uses Peckham as a Stepping Stone to a Career Helping Others

Virginia Besant has a penchant for quality and a commitment to helping others navigate the difficult path of substance abuse recovery. After completing college, Virginia developed a dependence on painkillers that led to a more prevalent substance use disorder. She says she spent years “not doing anything productive,” ultimately spending time in jail and a…

Help Overcoming Language Barriers Leads to Upward Mobility At Peckham

Peckham’s manufacturing division in Lansing encompasses an incredibly diverse workforce – 60% female, 66% Non-white, 55% Non-English speakers. Youa Lee Xiong is one of the many immigrants who has found a second home working for that line of business. Like many of her colleagues, Youa left unstable political conditions and an authoritarian regime in her…

“I’m Here. And I’m Working”

Matthew White has been successfully working at Peckham for almost 10 years. He and his service dog Zeb take public transportation to one of Peckham’s several warehousing locations in Lansing every day. His role as a materials handler requires him to securely wrap pallets using a shrink-wrap machine and to ensure the roll doesn’t disengage…

Capitalizing on Abilities Gives People With Developmental Disabilities A Chance to Succeed

March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. Tim Hyatt is one of the more of 180,000 people in Michigan who have a developmental disability. Tim works at Peckham’s Environmental Services line of business, a division in which almost 34% of the workforce has a developmental disability. Tim had a number of jobs prior to joining Peckham….

Battle Creek Team Member’s Upward Mobility Story at Peckham Highlights AbilityOne Benefits

Donald Tate is a Customer Support Specialist for the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Customer Interaction Center. In his role for DLA, Donald provides support to military personnel, government agencies, and Department of Defense vendors as they navigate the complex systems involved in maintaining U.S. defense operations across the globe. Donald provides support for tough questions,…

CHARLOTTE STAFF HELPS TEAM MEMBER WITH ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

Below is an excerpt from Chris Kirk, Administrative Support Specialist at Peckham Charlotte. Chris shares his appreciation to the team for providing assistive technology, which enabled him to be more efficient in his role. My name is Chris, and I am an administrative assistant at the Peckham Charlotte location. I was born with a disability in short…

AbilityOne Program

The AbilityOne Program uses the purchasing power of the federal government to buy products and services from participating, community-based non-profits agencies, such as Peckham, who are dedicated to training and employing individuals who are blind or have significant disabilities. The program is administered by the U.S AbilityOne Commission, with assistance from National Industries for the…