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A STEP in the Right Direction

How Services to Enhance Potential helps provide a pathway to success for those with disabilities

By Courtney Conover STEP assists numerous employ-
Here’s an undeniable fact of life: ers in finding qualified, dependable
No matter what you see on the employees for over thirty years. In
surface, there is often more to the short, STEP has been routinely suc-
story. cessful in matching those with dis-
Whether it’s the dutiful employee abilities with compatible workplaces
who, despite living out of her car, ar- to create productive relationships.
rives to work day in and day out with STEP’s staffing options include pro-
a jovial disposition, or the under- viding an individual hire, industrial
stated gentleman who frequents the subcontracting, and securing a self-
local diner every morning to take ad- employed individual to provide
vantage of the senior special despite goods or services to a business.
being a millionaire, the crux of the Through the years, STEP’s corporate
lesson remains the same. partners have included such es-
You simply can’t judge a book by teemed companies as Kroger, Detroit
its cover. Zoo, McDonald’s, Little Caesars
Organizations are no different, Arena, Meijer, Target, The Henry
particularly those that serve individ- Ford, Applebee’s, American House,
uals with significant disabilities or and many more.
cognitive issues. As the CEO of STEP Now, let’s shift gears and focus on
(Services to Enhance Potential), art.
Brent Mikulski is acutely aware of STEP’s Progressive Art Studio
this, and bears witness to it daily. Collective is the first of its kind in
“We help individuals—wherever Wayne County. It provides artists
they live—to be a part of their com- with disabilities a safe space to find
munity, to be accepted, and to be as their voice and bring their visions to
independent as they possibly can,” life by way of providing a bevy of ma-
says Mikulski. terials, workshops, and gallery exhi-
Founded back in 1972, STEP’s At last month’s Wayne City Council Meeting, the Chief Executive Officer and Presi- bitions. There are three art studio
primary focus was—and remains— dent, Brent Mikulski, of Services to Enhance Potential (STEP), was presented with locations, the closest to Wayne is the
securing compatible employment op- a resolution congratulating the organization on their 50th anniversary by Mayor John one on Venoy, just south of Cherry
tions for the nearly 1,300 persons Hill in Westland, in what was for-
with disabilities and other mental Rhaesa. merly known as Tinkham school.
health needs in Wayne County. The centers. The Wayne location opened “They’re working at a front desk, And it was just what the doctor or-
non-profit organization aims to in- in June of 2007, Southgate in 2011, they’re working in finance or ac- dered.
crease the number of persons who and Dearborn in 2016. These stores counting, or security,” says Mikulski. “It has 30-plus classrooms, a
are employed, self-employed, and present an ideal opportunity to train “They do about two or three rota- large gym, several meeting rooms—
volunteer in communities. and employ individuals with develop- tions, depending on the work site.” the exact setting that we felt those
That’s no small undertaking. mental and mental disabilities. Here, And when these students gradu- that we serve—and our employees—
But STEP has continued to face these individuals can hone their re- ate in June, they have more than just were going to do some pretty cool
the challenge head-on and rise to the tail skills with the ultimate objective experience—they have a resume to things in,” says Mikulski. “And the
occasion. This is largely due to the of finding employers who are sympa- match. community has just loved us. We
four services the organization pro- thetic to their needs and are also will- “I always say this to people: When have an annual drive-in movie car
vides: Supported employment serv- ing to help further develop their you meet someone for the very first show that folks can attend. It has
ices, transition services, engagement skills. time, your first question is What’s just been wonderful and really rein-
in the community, and programming. A transitional program that aids your name? And pretty much your forces why getting into that center
And nowhere are these pillars with this is Project SEARCH, which second, third, or fourth question was a great idea.”
more accurately personified than at assists high schoolers to obtain em- down the line is What do you do for Approximately 20 artists cur-
STEP’s thrift store on Michigan Av- ployment following graduation. In- a living? And if you have individuals rently participate at the Tinkham lo-
enue in downtown Wayne. stead of spending their senior year in who can’t answer that question—or cation every day. At its core, it’s an
What many shoppers who fre- a traditional classroom setting, Proj- who aren’t proud to answer that art education model that fosters
quent this store may not know is ect SEARCH partners with a high question—it takes a whole different communal work to achieve inde-
that the benefit of frequenting this school as well as a local business— turn for that conversation,” says pendence. And artists can make
shop is threefold: One finds incredi- typically, a large employer—so that Mikulski. “But when that individual money by selling their work. Mikul-
ble deals on unique items, supports the participating students spend that can answer that question and see the ski says that roughly 50 pieces of art-
a local business, and infuses store in- year in a classroom at the host site. pride in their faces when they re- work have sold for somewhere in the
terns with the invaluable worth of in- While the first half of the year is spond, it has been an absolute joy to neighborhood of $300—sometimes
dependence and self-confidence. spent in the host site’s classroom, be a part of.” more. Each artist retains sixty per-
STEP operates three thrift stores, the student spends the second half This is where STEP’s many cor-
in fact, which also house donation interning at the host site. porate partners come into play. See STEP, page 4
The Wayne Dispatch · November 2022 · 3