““It’s a rare occurrence and a source of great pride when one of our staff achieves a master’s degree. This year we have two and that makes it epic,” said John Craig, Didlake Vice President for Rehabilitation Services. “Both Emily Gebhart and Kandace Jones have worked long and hard to earn their master’s degrees. They did so on top of being full time professionals. We couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Gebhart earned a Master of Social Work from Catholic University in Washington. She spent four years in classes, commuting between Didlake’s Manassas office and the university campus as often as four times a week. She says she chose to pursue the degree to advance further in the human services field.

Jones earned her Master of Rehabilitation Counseling from George Washington University in Washington. Graduating from the two-year program helps her as a job coach with the “behind-the-scenes” details that get her clients employed, she says.

About Didlake

Didlake, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation headquartered in Manassas, Virginia. It was founded in 1965 to create opportunities for people with disabilities through services that connect them to employment, education and the community. It provides contract business services for commercial and government customers and has won numerous awards for its facilities maintenance; packaging/ assembly; and administrative services. The organization operates throughout the Washington, D.C. metro area, in the Roanoke Valley and in Greater Hampton Roads. It serves more than 1,700 people with disabilities annually. Didlake, Inc. is licensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia, accredited by CARF and proudly serves the nation through the AbilityOne program. Its partners include the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services, local Community Services Boards and United Way of the National Capital Area. For more information, visit www.didlake.org.

Manassas, VA – Didlake, Inc. recognized its “Best for Didlake” award winners at the organization’s December board meeting. “Best for Didlake” is awarded to individuals and teams whose daily work exemplifies the mission, vision, values, and goals of Didlake. “These employees are dedicated to creating opportunities that enrich the lives of people with disabilities,” said Didlake President and CEO Rex Parr. “I am pleased to recognize them for their hard work in furthering our mission.”

2012 Best for Didlake recipients in the following categories are as follows:

• Direct Service—Meghan Lloyd, Program Services Specialist
• Administrative/Technical/Professional—James Jenkins, Information Technology Manager
• Supervisor/Management—Michelle Howard-Herbein, Program Director Employment Services
• Team Award—GHRA Quality Control Team, comprised of Joe Cantu, Warren Freeman, Sonya Johnson, and Sanders Watson.

Winners were nominated by their peers and selected by a committee of Didlake employees from throughout the organization. Each winner received a cash award and additional recognition. 

About Didlake
Didlake, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation headquartered in Manassas, Virginia. It was founded in 1965 to create opportunities for people with disabilities through services that connect them to employment, education and the community. It provides contract business services for commercial and government customers and has won numerous awards for its facilities maintenance; packaging/ assembly; and administrative services. The organization operates throughout the Washington, D.C. metro area, in the Roanoke Valley and in Greater Hampton Roads. It serves more than 1,700 people with disabilities annually. Didlake, Inc. is licensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia, accredited by CARF and proudly serves the nation through the AbilityOne program. Its partners include the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services, local Community Services Boards and United Way of the National Capital Area. For more information, visit www.didlake.org.

Didlake Partners with the Navy Exchange Command

Vienna, VA – The Navy Exchange (NEX) of Norfolk, Va. expanded its Main Store to create the largest NEX in the world with a $25 million…

Didlake wins the NISH Government Award for Services (Civilian)

Washington, DC – The following four awards were presented by NISH at the National Training and Achievement Conference in Indianapolis, Ind. in May 2012.

Lana Rauser (right) displays her award with Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services Commissioner Jim Rothrock (left).

Manassas, VA – Lana Rauser, an employment specialist with Didlake, Inc., has received a Champion in Making a Difference Award from the Winchester, Va., office of the Department of Rehabilitative Services. Rauser received the award because of her “commitment to assisting and empowering people with disabilities.” As an employment specialist, Rauser helps businesses place and train employees with disabilities.

Rauser was one of two recipients of the Champion in Making a Difference Award honored at a recognition program on Oct. 16 at the War Memorial Building in Winchester.

About Didlake
Didlake, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation headquartered in Manassas, Virginia. It was founded in 1965 to create opportunities for people with disabilities through services that connect them to employment, education and the community. It provides contract business services for commercial and government customers and has won numerous awards for its facilities maintenance; packaging/ assembly; and administrative services. The organization operates throughout the Washington, D.C. metro area, in the Roanoke Valley and in Greater Hampton Roads. It serves more than 1,600 people with disabilities annually. Didlake, Inc. is licensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia, accredited by CARF and proudly serves the nation through the AbilityOne program. Its partners include the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services, local Community Services Boards and United Way of the National Capital Area. For more information, visit www.didlake.org.

The Norman C. Hammond Award is displayed by (from left to right) Richard Ratcliffe, Didlake Chairman of the Board; Lisa Malone, employment specialist; Stacy Hart, employment specialist; Christy Stegman, program manager; Rebecca Paté-Johnson, program manager; and Rex Parr, Didlake president and CEO.

Manassas, VA – Didlake has received the Virginia Rehabilitation Association’s Norman C. Hammond Award for its pilot project using iPod Touch technology. The program put iPod Touch devices in the hands of people with disabilities to help prepare them for job interviews and as a training tool on the job.

The four Didlake employees recognized for their work on the pilot project are Rebecca Paté-Johnson, Stacy Hart, Lisa Malone, and Christy Stegman

Didlake was nominated by the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services. According to VRA, the Norman C. Hammond Award was established to honor business and industry leaders whose contributions to the field of rehabilitation in Virginia are outstanding and result in the employment of persons with disabilities.

About Didlake
Didlake, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation headquartered in Manassas, Virginia. It was founded in 1965 to create opportunities for people with disabilities through services that connect them to employment, education and the community. It provides contract business services for commercial and government customers and has won numerous awards for its facilities maintenance; packaging/ assembly; and administrative services. The organization operates throughout the Washington, D.C. metro area, in the Roanoke Valley and in Greater Hampton Roads. It serves more than 1,600 people with disabilities annually. Didlake, Inc. is licensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia, accredited by CARF and proudly serves the nation through the AbilityOne program. Its partners include the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services, local Community Services Boards and United Way of the National Capital Area. For more information, visit www.didlake.org.

Six Didlake custodial employees were recognized for outstanding service at the Defense Logistics Agency. Those recognized are pictured (from left to right): Terry Gilmore, Curtis Brown, Alex Yarnof, Jamar Wright, Ismael Ventura, and Aimaree Watcharie

Manassas, VA – On Aug. 3, Six Didlake custodial employees were recognized by Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Chief Financial Officer J. Anthony Poleo for their hard work, dedication, loyalty and commitment to their jobs at DLA. Poleo, who is also chair of the AbilityOne commission, said it was necessary to let the employees know that they are why the AbilityOne program is important. “The program is here to serve those folks and to help them develop themselves. I wanted to let them know that somebody recognizes that they do a good job every day.”

 The employees recognized were Curtis Brown, Terry Gilmore, Ismael Ventura, Aimaree Watcharie, Jamar Wright, and Alex Yarnof. Poleo presented each employee with an AbilityOne coin as a token of the program’s appreciation.

 Didlake President and CEO Rex Parr said it was an honor for Didlake to have been part of the DLA team for 12 years. “We are thrilled that six of our employees are being recognized for their hard work,” Parr added.

 Didlake is a top producer in the AbilityOne Program, the largest single source of employment for people who are blind or have other severe disabilities in the United States.  Employment opportunities made possible through the AbilityOne Program provide people who are blind or have other severe disabilities with the job skills and training necessary to receive good wages and benefits and gain greater independence and quality of life while providing high quality solutions for the federal customer at a fair market price approved by the AbilityOne Commission.

 About Didlake
Didlake, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation headquartered in Manassas, Virginia. It was founded in 1965 to create opportunities for people with disabilities through services that connect them to employment, education and the community. It provides contract business services for commercial and government customers and has won numerous awards for its facilities maintenance; packaging/ assembly; and administrative services. The organization operates throughout the Washington, D.C. metro area, in the Roanoke Valley and in Greater Hampton Roads. It serves more than 1,600 people with disabilities annually. Didlake, Inc. is licensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia, accredited by CARF and proudly serves the nation through the AbilityOne program. Its partners include the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services, local Community Services Boards and United Way of the National Capital Area. For more information, visit www.didlake.org.

The Prince William Classic presented by AmSan encompasses a dinner, entertainment and a live auction followed by a day of excitement featuring a golf tournament. Proceeds from the Prince William Classic support the community-focused mission of Didlake to create opportunities for people with disabilities.

Beginning in 1997, AmSan was created by uniting 41 of the nation’s premier sanitary supply organizations into one company. AmSan’s collective vision is that by combining local market focus with broad-scale national resources, it is able to deliver optimal value to its customers.

About Didlake
Didlake, Inc. creates opportunities that enrich the lives of people with disabilities. From its founding in 1965 as a small private school with 16 students, Didlake, Inc. has evolved into a major regional employer, a highly respected community rehabilitation program and an award-winning producer in the federal government’s AbilityOne program. More than 75 percent of Didlake employees are people with disabilities. Many others with disabilities use Didlake’s services to find opportunities for training, education, and job placement assistance in a competitive environment. Today, Didlake programs and services help more than 1,600 people annually. For more information on Didlake, Inc., visit www.didlake.org.

Didlake Vice President of Contract Operations Mike Payne (left) holds the 2011 National Council of Work Centers (NCWC) Management Excellence Award. He is pictured beside Didlake President and CEO Rex Parr.

Manassas, VA – Didlake Vice President of Contract Operations Mike Payne received the 2011 National Council of Work Centers (NCWC) Management Excellence Award for the East Region at the 2012 NISH National Training and Achievement Conference in Indianapolis.

“I was honored to be nominated by Didlake President and CEO Rex Parr and my co-workers, and humbled to be selected by my peers as the recipient of this esteemed award,” Payne said.

The award nomination cited Payne’s work that doubled the number of Didlake’s AbilityOne contracts as well as the number of individuals with disabilities employed. “He is an advocate for people with disabilities in every role he plays,” the nomination said

About NCWC

The NCWC is an independent network of executives representing more than 550 Community Rehabilitation Programs (CRPs) throughout the United States, which provide employment for people with significant disabilities through the AbilityOne program.  The NCWC network constitutes the nation’s largest employer of people with disabilities, providing over 120,000 jobs for people with significant disabilities.

About Didlake

Didlake, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation headquartered in Manassas, Virginia. It was founded in 1965 to create opportunities for people with disabilities through services that connect them to employment, education and the community. It provides contract business services for commercial and government customers and has won numerous awards for its facilities maintenance; packaging/ assembly; and administrative services. The organization operates throughout the Washington, D.C. metro area, in the Roanoke Valley and in Greater Hampton Roads. It serves more than 1,600 people with disabilities annually. Didlake, Inc. is licensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia, accredited by CARF and proudly serves the nation through the AbilityOne program. Its partners include the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services, local Community Services Boards and United Way of the National Capital Area. For more information, visit www.didlake.org.

The Center for Autism Services is Didlake’s answer to the needs of the growing population of adults with autism. Founded in May 2011, the three-year initiative will investigate those needs and the future direction of services for adults with autism.

For more information on this training, contact the Didlake Center for Autism Services at (703) 361-4195.

About Didlake

Didlake, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation headquartered in Manassas, Virginia. It was founded in 1965 to create opportunities for people with disabilities through services that connect them to employment, education and the community. It provides contract business services for commercial and government customers and has won numerous awards for its facilities maintenance; packaging/ assembly; and administrative services. The organization operates throughout the Washington, D.C. metro area, in the Roanoke Valley and in Greater Hampton Roads. It serves more than 1,600 people with disabilities annually. Didlake, Inc. is licensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia, accredited by CARF and proudly serves the nation through the AbilityOne program. Its partners include the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services, local Community Services Boards and United Way of the National Capital Area. For more information, visit www.didlake.org.