MORGANTOWN — It was a day of celebration at PACE Enterprises, Inc., in Mylan Park during the organization’s annual awards ceremony.
“Without what you do daily we wouldn’t be able to stand here and celebrate,” CEO Greg Morris said.
PACE partners with area businesses to provide jobs for people with disabilities.
Morris said each year he worries about people not showing up to the award ceremony, but his fears were unfounded this year as they are every year; there was standing room only.
Among those in attendance were Senator Bob Beach, Delegates Joe Statler and Barbara Evans Fleischauer, Sheriff Perry Palmer, Mon County Commissioner Ed Hawkins and two candidates for House of Delegates, Danielle Walker and Evan Hansen.
Ron Lytle, PACE board member and host, said the number of influential people in the room showed how big of an impact PACE has.
Nationally only 20 percent of people with disability have jobs, but thanks to the work of PACE, which has about 300 clients, Morgantown is above the national average, Cody Sustakoski, board president, said.
“Their efforts are impressive and they inspire me,” Sustakoski said of PACE’s clients.
The ceremony’s keynote speaker was Eddie Campbell, Monongalia County Schools superintendent.
Campbell said that PACE’s mission was important and told a story from “when I first started dabbling in school administration.”
The star of Campbell’s story was a young disabled man named Joma. Campbell was a new assistant principal at a high school in Virginia when he met Joma before class started on the first day of school.
Joma came into Campbell’s office and introduced himself and asked if Campbell liked football and basketball – to which Campbell said he did.
“We’re going to be friends,” Joma said.
Each day before school Joma came to Campbell’s office and the two talked about the previous night’s games, Campbell said.
He said he realized it was important to keep Joma busy, so he asked the football coach to allow Joma to be the team’s manager. The coach agreed and Joma became the “best manager the team ever had.”
After football season, Joma became the basketball team’s manager and wore a three-piece suit to every game.
Campbell admitted that public schools are not good at transitioning students like Joma out of “school life to the rest of their life” and said that’s something he hopes to work on.
He talked to a friend at a local Shop ‘n Save and got Joma a job. Joma excelled and during a visit to the area a few years ago, was the assistant manager, Campbell said.
“An organization like this is invaluable,” he said.
Fleischauer said PACE is a really important part of the community and that Monongalia County is lucky to have the organization.
Simon Feather, a PACE client who won an award, works at McDonald’s and once a week he works as a shredding technician at PACE.
“I’m happy,” he said.
Tweet Will Dean @WillDean_DP; wdean@domininionpost.com
