Ability Nation Scentsations™ Creates Employment for Disadvantaged Workforce

PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES HAND CRAFT POTPOURRI PRODUCTS/ AVAILABLE AT GIANT STORES NOW

SPRINGFIELD, Va., Dec. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In 2011 MVLE, Inc. has created its own successful brand of scented floral products called Ability Nation Scentsations™. The product line includes potpourri cubes, shoe fresheners and sachets. MVLE, a metro area non-profit provider of supported employment and program services for people with disabilities, has been able to put 160 people to work daily with this start-up. This number rises to 300 on very busy days. The brand is now available at hundreds of area Giant stores.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111222/DC26969 )

"We began with this project three years ago because MVLE was having trouble finding employment for people with disabilities. Ability Nation allows MVLE to create that employment itself," explains MVLE President April Pinch-Keeler.

Quote from the attached President's year-end letter: "We always had the vision that this line of business would become a significant source of our revenues and a great platform for meaningful jobs as well. Our hopes have been confirmed by our newly forged partnership with Royal Ahold USA, the parent company of Giant stores and other grocery retailers in the East. Ability Nation potpourri products are now on display in hundreds of grocery stores along the Mid-Atlantic and the North East."

Today, Americans with disabilities suffer from 75 percent unemployment on average. Ability Nation Scentsations™ is modeled to grow and become a viable employment option for people around the United States.

About MVLE
MVLE is an internationally accredited not-for-profit services agency that delivers business and employment solutions to more than 125 commercial metro businesses in addition to Federal and County government. We help individuals with a wide range of disabilities to find meaningful employment and play a vital role in society. In 2010 MVLE supported more than 600 persons in attaining job skills and joining the workforce. Our business lines include document management, mail services as well as janitorial and hospitality services.  Additionally, MVLE has created a line of floral products marketed under the name "Ability Nation Scentsations™". MVLE is CARF accredited and a recipient of United Way funding and support.

For more information about MVLE please visit our website www.mvle.org or call us at 703-569-3900.

For background:

Letter from the President

2011 has been a milestone year for MVLE and our mission. We celebrated our 40th anniversary from the humble beginnings as Mount-Vernon Lee Enterprises in 1971 with our employees, friends and volunteers. I am proud to report that MVLE today is a strong organization serving more than 600 individuals as well as over 125 businesses and that we are poised to continue growing for the benefit of those who need our services.

We are keenly aware of the obstacles brought about by a tough economy and sweeping budget cuts proposed and implemented in the social system of this country. Therefore we have continuously strived to advocate to businesses the value of hiring a person with a disability. Many of the innovative initiatives Board and leadership of MVLE have implemented in prior years have now come to fruition and present us today with a multitude of opportunities for providing vital employment to people with significant disabilities.

Most prominently I would like to mention here our line of potpourri gifts, which are all handmade by our individuals and marketed under the brand "Ability Nation Scentsations™". We always had the vision that this line of business would become a significant source of our revenues and a great platform for meaningful jobs as well. Our hopes have been confirmed by our newly forged partnership with Royal Ahold USA, the parent company of Giant stores and other grocery retailers in the East. Ability Nation potpourri products are now on display in hundreds of grocery stores along the Mid-Atlantic and the North East. We are additionally working with schools to help them run fundraisers with our products. Creating and producing the gifts, placing them into sales displays, wrapping and shipping them has already created numerous new jobs at MVLE for people with and without disabilities and we are hoping to expand these opportunities to other communities.

In 2011 we have also further solidified our partnerships with government agencies such as the Departments of Defense, Energy and the State Department through the AbilityOne Program. We have compensated ending contracts for Walter Reed Military Hospital with new engagements for NASA Headquarters and Ft. Belvoir. The Department of Defense's Mentor-Protege Program has given us the opportunity to work closely with the Northrop Grumman Corporation, whose recent move to Fairfax County has further intensified our always-friendly relationship. We are grateful for the many contributions and the dedication of Northrop Grumman to our cause.

Together with our friends at Powerband Consulting we have continued to help wounded service members and returning veterans in finding adequate civilian employment. Our "Working Warriors" initiative has received a grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation and is increasing options for a group of fellow citizens rightly called heroes. This is another example of how MVLE can add value to businesses by applying decades of experience of connecting ability and skills with need.

Some important changes have taken place in MVLE's Board of Directors. Joseph Apa, who has been the Chairman of the Board for the past years, has passed the torch on to Gay Shane. Joe was fantastic to work with and MVLE owes him a debt of gratitude for his vision and commitment over the years, steering the organization to a prosperous path. Thank you, Joe! We wish Gay Shane the best of success for her term.

In 2012 and going forward we at MVLE look forward to continue demonstrating that a person might well have a disability, but that does not mean this person is disabled or cannot be a productive member of our society. We have come a long way since 1971 and we have seen the light at the end of the tunnel many times, in each individual we serve. However, our mission is not yet fully accomplished and there is more to do until all people will be included equally in the work process. If you would like to be part of the solution, please let me know!

          April Pinch-Keeler
          President/CEO of MVLE, Inc.

Contact: Robert Peres
(571) 339-1324
[email protected]
www.mvle.org 

SOURCE MVLE