SUMMARY OF NOV 18 LUNCH BUNCH AT SHEVY'S
TRICIA THOMAS
The LUNCH BUNCH met last on Wednesday, November 18th. Tricia Thomas, Executive Director of Companion Services of Omaha, which initially opened on August 27th of this year which coincided with Millard Days, spoke to a group consisting of Jim Tomanek, Jack Ott AriAnn Brown, Jill Muegge, Steve Kucirek, Duane Prorok, Bob Riede, Trevor Brezak (guest of Jim) and Ron Mortensen. Companion Services is located in the Northwest corner of the intersection of 132nd and L Street which is West of Sam's Club. They occupy a portion of a strip mall and their purpose is to assist persons with developmental disabilities. To provide their clients with real life working skills, they offer a Juice Bar, a Restaurant and a Thrift Store. There are coaches provided for their clients to help them accomplish tasks and to interact with various people who come to their stores. At present, the Thrift Store is operating limited hours but will expand to full time when their inventory and staff experience builds up. They plan to launder all clothing items donated before they are placed on shelves for sale. Companion Services believes that the best quality of services begins with genuine relationships between the individuals in services and the people who support them. Companionc Services is striving to replace institutional thinking, language and structures; and deliver its services through natural relationships, in natural settings, such as working in commercial establishments such as a restaurant or thrift store. To assist clients that are mathematically challenged, they use a color code method to identify menu items and select the matching colors at the cash register.