March Lott Updates
In 1987, March was officially recognized as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month by President Ronald Reagan. Its purpose is to raise awareness of the experiences of Americans with developmental disabilities and to encourage opportunities that help individuals reach their full potential.
Adults with developmental disabilities face unique and ongoing challenges. The average employment rate is 22%, and nearly 60% of adults require daily support with essential life tasks. For many, independence can feel out of reach. Without meaningful support and strong community resources, individuals may struggle to find opportunities to grow, learn, work, and pursue the life they hope for.
That’s why Lott Industries exists. We believe every life matters, and our community is strongest when everyone has the opportunity to contribute. Through job opportunities and training, Adult Day Services, and community volunteering and partnerships, we work to create pathways to purpose, independence, and belonging.
Every day, we witness the courage of the adults we serve as they work toward reaching their full potential and living more independently. When those we serve show up to work, you will quickly find yourself amazed at the joy, hope, and dreams each person holds. While we acknowledge the real challenges adults with developmental disabilities face, we are continually inspired by their positive attitudes, hopeful perspectives, and unwavering determination.
Our largest disability in life is the attitude and perspective we choose to have about ourselves and others.
There’s so much we can learn from adults with developmental disabilities – reliance, courage, gratitude, joy, persistence, and more.
If you visit our Adult Day Services program, you will see the daily growth and expression of each individual in unique ways – from art, to community service, to learning new skills. If you visit our workfloor, you’ll see thankful faces, happy to work for incredible businesses. If you visit our Job Placement Services, you’ll find the eagerness of those excited to receive training to help them earn their own living.
So, as we celebrate Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, we are proud to serve this incredible community to help them reach their fullest potential.
Thank you to our incredible donors and business partners who help us in this work. Because of you, hundreds of adults have the opportunity to work and enrich the Toledo community.
Enhancing Lives
While we have many work opportunities at our office on Hill Avenue, we also provide job placement opportunities in the community. Our workfloor is a great fit and goal for many of the adults we serve, but others are ready for a different path in their worklife. Some have goals to work in the community, and we want to help them get there!
In partnership with the Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, Lott works with individuals to teach them about employment and job opportunities through the Works for Me Program. Our program helps people to learn about themselves, find what they like and dislike, and what their capabilities are. A Job Developer will work one-on-one to teach about the application process. We help people create resumes, practice for interviews, learn time management skills, and search for jobs – so they feel confident and prepared. The individual learns to be independent and advocate for themselves, instilling self-confidence and a sense of well-being. Our goal is to provide coaching and training that will lead to sustained, successful employment.
Laurie Fountain is one of our Case Managers and Job Developers, and this is what being a part of this work means to her: “It gives me a sense of meaning and satisfaction. Words cannot express the feelings when I see an individual get their first paycheck, and their reaction when they see what they have earned.”
You can help to enhance lives by partnering with Lott financially, as a monthly or one-time donor. Your gift helps people receive the training and tools needed to find work that fits their capabilities and desires.
Transforming Businesses
We are honored to partner with the Ohio Department of Transportation to sell construction drums and cones to help keep our roads and construction workers safe across the state.
We’ve partnered with ODOT for 12 years, adding reflective stripes and stenciling to the cones, helping to sell hundreds of thousands of drums and cones, and providing work and employment for the adults we serve.
It’s an honor to help keep our highway workers and roads safe. Next time you drive by an orange cone on the road, smile and think of us at Lott! There’s a high chance we were a part of it there.
As a premier provider of services for adults with developmental disabilities, we are thankful for the businesses that believe in the work we do, and our goal in return is to be a quality business partner. Our partnership with ODOT is an excellent example of the quality work and community transformation our employees are a part of daily.
Enriching Communities
Enriching the community takes many forms, and one way we do just that is through our Document Destruction Services. For several years, Lott has helped to shred, destroy, and repurpose over 25 million pounds of paper.
This is good for the environment and provides meaningful work to the adults we serve.
Do you have piles of papers sitting around that you’ve been meaning to get rid of week after week? Well, stop by Lott anytime Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 2:30 pm. Enter through Door H, and drop off your documents. We handle the rest! A small donation is requested to help cover the processing fee.
Save The Date! On Thursday, April 23rd, we are having a Shred-A-Thon Day at Lott Industries, hosted by 13 ABC and Lott. We will accept documents from the general public for destruction and shredding. We would love to invite you to stop by with your office and home documents that have been taking up space. When you stop in, you’ll get a glimpse into our services at Lott and be a part of the life change taking place.
You’re Invited!
70 years - As we take this year to celebrate the history of Lott, one way we want to celebrate is with an Open House in August! The date is to be determined, and as soon as it is decided, we will share it.
We invite you to this special event, for food, games, fun, and a chance to get a close look at all the incredible ways our employees are Enhancing Lives, Transforming Business, and Enriching Communities.
Your Impact
Join us in helping people of all abilities thrive in Toledo.
Your donation to Lott provides adults with developmental disabilities the opportunity to be 100% themselves in the workplace, learning personal and job skills that impact their lives, their families’ lives, and the community.