Anyone
who has recently driven by Cherokee
Bingo
on Hwy. 19 and seen the new white and
red sign that says “The Store
at VOC” may be wondering what
VOC (Vocational Opportunities of Cherokee)
is up to now. VOC has been branching
out into new activities over the last
five years, and through its newest
venture, it is selling lawn and garden
equipment and supplies, as well as
cleaning supplies. A new service center
that provides small motor repair and
maintenance services to residents of
the Qualla Boundary is linked with
the store.
The new retail outlet
was named the Store at VOC to provide
some
wiggle
room about what the store sells now
and in the future. That flexibility
is characteristic of VOC. The community-based
vocational rehabilitation program was
established over 30 years ago, almost
entirely with state funding, to help
members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee
Indians with severe disabilities by
providing job opportunities and related
training. Today the organization serves
anyone in Jackson and Swain counties
with challenges that reduce or inhibit
employment and/or community inclusion,
and well over half of its funding comes
from contracts with businesses and
other organizations to whom its employees
provide services.
VOC has grown by
filling a variety of small—but
important—niches.
For example, five years ago Executive
Director Bruce Roadruck, recognizing
that many people on the Qualla Boundary
and the surrounding two counties sought
part-time or seasonal work that wasn’t
always easy to find, started a temp
agency, thus broadening the number
of prospective workers and businesses
it can help. The temp agency has blossomed,
typically placing 25 or more people
at a time in temporary construction,
office and other jobs. Several more
people got the opportunity to work
year-round when VOC began selling heating
systems last year to beef up its winter
business activity.
Part of VOC’s
workforce is engaged in lawn maintenance
and landscaping,
keeping the Oconaluftee Island Park,
many commercial and private properties
(including qualifying seniors’ yards),
and other green spaces looking sharp
during the summer months. VOC has over
100 lawn maintenance contracts with
businesses and individuals.
Because
of the seasonal nature of the lawn
care business, Roadruck was eager
to launch a year-round store that capitalized
on employees’ existing expertise.
A $50,000 grant from Cherokee Preservation
Foundation (CPFdn) enabled VOC to create
the store and stock it with severally
nationally known products, including
ECHO, Robin, Monitor and Poulan PRO,
as well as cleaning supplies. Another
CPFdn grant totaling nearly $90,000
enabled VOC to expand its facility
to include a garage and repair shop
to increase the operation’s efficiency
and provide a convenient location for
customers to bring their lawn maintenance
equipment for service.
“
We couldn’t have done the store
or the repair center without Cherokee
Preservation Foundation,” said
Roadruck. “VOC can help more
people because of these grants.”
The store is expected to provide several
jobs once it cranks up to full operation,
complementing a dozen permanent employees
working elsewhere in VOC and 30 part-time
or seasonal employees engaged in other
endeavors.
The Store at VOC expanded
its hours on June 1, and is now open
to customers
Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to
5:00, and on Saturdays from 8 a.m.
to noon. The store is located two miles
north of downtown Cherokee, just off
Hwy. 19 behind Cherokee Bingo.
VOC will
continue to develop niche markets that
no one else is addressing – especially
when there is an opportunity to provide
year-round employment to its workforce.
A Store at VOC located downtown may
also be in the organization’s
future.
Flexible and growing – that’s
VOC.
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