Have you ever thought of what goes into producing your Honda?
Unemployment rates for adults with disabilities are consistently higher than the average rate of unemployment in Phoenix, and across the country; whether due to stigma, job availability or another factor, it is a real problem for those who dream of a career.
However, one non-profit organization in Eastaboga, AL is bucking that trend.
Rainbow Omega, Inc. provides residential care and vocational opportunities for adults in the area with developmental disabilities who might otherwise not be able to find work in a safe and understanding environment. The organization's on-site workshop--dubbed the Carpenter Work Center after its founder, Stentson Carpenter--contracts with local companies to provide a variety of job opportunities.
One of their larger contracts is held with Honda Manufacturing of Alabama; these workers clock in daily to assemble Honda Owner Manual kits for new vehicles that are produced in the state. They ready them for labeling and shipment before they are installed in new Honda models like the Honda Pilot, Odyssey, Ridgeline and Accord, which are manufactured at the local Lincoln, AL Honda plant.
How successful is the program?
Enough to win Rainbow Omega's team a coveted 2016 Honda Supplier Award for Excellence in Delivery by HMA.
Michael Gaines, the Purchasing Division Manager at Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, gave a speech at the award ceremony, praising the organization for its dedicated and high-quality work. Last year, the Carpenter Work Center "flawlessly delivered over 350,000 kits" to the next stage of assembly, with no late shipments or errors whatsoever.
And if this story doesn't embody everything that the Honda brand stands for, we don't know what does.
You can read more about this award--and about programs at Rainbow Omega online here.
