VOICE OF THE TOWNSHIP
The Waynedale picnic was a wonderful success. I was impressed with the large attendance and how much fun everyone was having.
I enjoyed meeting many of you, your children and grandchildren. A big thank-you must go to Beulah Metczak and her volunteers, who do an amazing job every year organizing this great event for the neighborhood.
I was proud that my office was able to assist at the picnic this year by providing some client volunteers to help Beulah and her crew. These clients were volunteering through our Workfare Program, which is part of our Employment Training Center.
Our Workfare Program is a way for clients to give back to the community in exchange for the Township Assistance they have received. In July, our clients contributed 3,552 workfare hours to assist non-profit agencies, help at community events and help in our office.
All Wayne Township clients, who are able to work, are required to participate in the Workfare Program as a condition of receiving assistance. Workfare clients provide a variety of services for the non-profit agencies, basically whatever the non-profit decides it needs done. The Workfare clients, who work at our office, assist with cleaning, lawn care, general maintenance work and special projects.
The Workfare program benefits both the clients and the agencies for which they are working. The agencies get extra help at no cost to them, and the clients learn skills that translate into the client obtaining employment. Some clients even have gotten jobs at agencies where they have been working through Workfare.
The Workfare Program also serves to restore dignity to clients since they are giving back to the community for the financial assistance they have received. And, the Workfare Program helps clients regain their confidence and move toward obtaining employment and becoming self- sufficient. What a loss it would be for our non-profit community without the over 3,500 hours our clients are providing each month to assist them.
At our booth at the Waynedale Picnic, my office had Petitions for persons to sign if they wanted to keep open the Waynedale Post Office. Many of you signed the Petition. The Petition drive was organized by Billie Rykard, President of the Belle Vista/Avondale Neighborhood Association, and I fully support her efforts.
I am even more concerned now that the Postal Service is going to close our Post Office. Just recently, the Postal Service issued a revised list reducing the number of Post Offices it wants to close. Our Waynedale Post Office, as well as Diplomat, was still on the list for closure. These two Post Offices are the only Post Offices with window service on the south side of Fort Wayne.
The Postal Service is expected to issue another and possibly final list in early October, so we must act quickly. Please contact Billie at 478-1781 or Karen in my office at 449-7000 immediately if you want to sign the Petition. You also can contact Congressman Mark Souder’s Office at 424-3041 or e-mail him at Souder.house.gov.
Richard A. Stevenson, Sr.
Wayne Township Trustee
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