Minneapolis – Three Minnesota workers with disabilities were chosen as “Outstanding Employees” for the fifth bi-annual Sister Kenny Institute Projects With Industry Awards. The award recognizes and honors individuals with disabilities for outstanding work performance, leadership, initiative and individual accomplishment. The 1991 “Outstanding Employees,” nominated by their employers and chosen by a panel of judges, are:
Paul McMahon, 35, Brooklyn Park
McMahon is a personnel staffing specialist with the United States Office of Personnel Management at Fort Snelling. His job entails spending much of his time with people explaining employment opportunities with the federal government, and requires substantial travel throughout the Dakotas and Minnesota. Paul drives his own car great distances because rental agencies do not offer cars with adaptive devices, making flying to sites difficult. Paul’s professionalism, dedication and leadership have served the federal community well. When OPM set a goal of establishing College Federal Career Information Centers, Paul pursued the task and set up the first two centers in North and South Dakota. He has helped many other persons with disabilities obtain and excel in their jobs and serves as a role model through his positive attitude and ability to follow through.
Randy McClain, 28, St. Louis Park
McClain is a personal banking officer at the Plymouth office of Norwest Bank Minnesota. His job is a challenging one, requiring skills in customer relations, communications and salesmanship, with a high priority placed on service quality. Randy is one of the top sales producers in the consumer banking area at Norwest and has received many awards for his outstanding performance as a banker. He provides leadership and serves as a role model for those outside his own office. He also actively volunteers for significant duties which are not directly related to his job, and has chaired the United Way campaign for the western suburbs and participated in the annual Paint-A-Thon.
Shelton Estes, 44, South Minneapolis
Estes is a nutrition services aide at Riverside Medical Center. His responsibilities include the dish washing and pots and pans cleaning functions. Shelton has been responsible for developing innovative methods of organizing tasks which have greatly improved the efficiency and productivity of the functions. His compassion, patience and understanding enable him to train new employees quickly and effectively. He is readily available to assume additional tasks and responsibilities, and his versatility enables him to assume a variety of roles as needed. Shelton is an exemplary employee whose high level of dedication to quality has enabled him to constantly exceed his employer’s expectations.
Projects With Industry is a national, federally-funded placement service with individual programs in rehabilitation facilities across the United States. Sister Kenny Institute’s Projects With Industry program has placed more than 2,500 employees with disabilities since it began in 1 978. The Projects With Industry program’s objectives are to serve business and industry by providing qualified employees and to help people with disabilities obtain employment. The Project serves job seekers who are entering the work force for the first time, and those who are reentering the job market after a disabling accident or illness. For every federal dollar allocated to Sister Kenny Institute’s Projects With Industry program, more than nine times the amount is returned to the economy in taxes, Social Security contributions, welfare, unemployment compensation and Social Security Disability Insurance. Sister Kenny Institute is a full-service acute care physical rehabilitation facility equipped to treat a wide range of disabilities. The Institute is dedicated to restoring maximum independence for people with physical disabilities and provides inpatient and outpatient medical, therapeutic, vocational and educational programs for people with disabilities.
