Elawa Farm Foundation expanding make up its of workforce

Elawa Farm Foundation in Lake Forest had an admirable goal — to have 10 % of its workforce made up of individuals with Intellectual and developmental disabilities. They have already achieved that goal.

There are around 40 individuals in their year-round workforce and the numbers swell to around 60 or 70 when part-time employees are added during the busy summer season. Six of those year-round workforce members are in the Workforce Development Program and have intellectual or developmental disabilities.

“We first started as a recreational partnership with the Center for Enriched Living (CEL) back in 2022,” said Laura Calvert, Executive Director of Elawa Farm Foundation. “We were developing an ADA accessible garden in our greater garden. We now have two of them.”

In 2024, they were expanding their campus and realized they would have to hire more employees.

“We made the commitment that at least 10 % of our employees would be a part of our new Workforce Development Program so we could provide greater employment opportunities and accessibility for people with developmental disabilities,” Calvert said.

She noted that the CEL is a great partner in that process.

“They help us recruit our employees to participate in the Workforce Development Program, and they provide support for our team and the employees,” Calvert said. “They’re doing a great job helping us evolve to this new chapter as an organization.”

She noted that a Community Partnership Manager at Elawa Farm oversees the program.

Currently, two members of the Workforce Development Program work in the café as food runners and bussers. Others work with the porter on custodial work, in the market preparing and boxing goods, or doing gardening and animal care on the farm.

Calvert concluded, “Everyone that we’ve hired has been so wonderful and such an asset to our organization.” They are planning to add more employees from the Workforce Development Program.

“We want to be a model to other organizations and businesses,” Calvert declared.

Don Miner, an Employment Specialist with CEL, works closely with Elawa Farm on the Workforce Development Program.

“We currently have six people placed at Elawa Farm through our program,” Miner said. “I am there providing job coaching one afternoon a week with a young man who works directly with the farm staff.”

He noted that locating adults for the Elawa Farm program is facilitated by a contract that CEL has with the Illinois Department of Human Services that provides CEL with referrals for adults who have intellectual or developmental disabilities who are seeking employment.

“We do an assessment—what their interests are; what their skill levels are,” Miner noted. “We look at all of our places for possibilities of where to place them.”

When individuals are hired for the Workforce Development Program, they get on-the-job training, Miner reported.

“Once they’re hired, we’re there to provide support if needed,” Miner said. “In terms of training, we’re there to provide any support, ensuring the success of the new employee. Once the employee starts to become independent and able to rely on support from the staff and the supervisors at the facility, we start stepping back. It’s a huge boost for someone to know they’re performing independently.”

Miner praised the Elawa Farm foundation for “helping to establish the model for breaking down barriers and providing competitive, inclusive employment.”

Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.

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