Snack shop a win-win at Marklund

Customers formed a line in the courtyard hall at the Marklund Day School in Bloomingdale recently, waiting to place their orders for soda, chips, cookies, fruit snacks and other goodies.

Those customers - therapists, nurses and other Marklund staff - have taken advantage of a tasty program that began in early October: a snack shop, operated most week days by students in the Life Skills program at Marklund Day School.

Since 2003, clients at the Marklund Wasmond Center in Elgin also have run a snack shop, offering a wide range of treats and beverages, including mac & cheese cups, individual-size pizzas, ice coffee, soda, juice, chips, crackers, and periodic specials, like freshly baked mozzarella sticks.

The Wasmond snack shop also operates a balloon shop for staff and clients' families. "We also take outside orders for graduation parties and other special events," said Tammy Armstrong, program director. "Clients prepare orders by filling balloons with helium, and choosing ribbons and weights."

As part of its vocational training program, the Day School snack shop provides a setting comparable to working at a store, said Sarah Weatherred, Life Skills teacher. "Parents tell us the snack shop is realistic and is applicable to life after Marklund."

For example, students practice carrying out multiple steps, like greeting others, taking orders, and thanking customers for coming. They also gain experience in managing money, counting inventory, shopping for supplies and restocking shelves.

Through the Wasmond Center snack shop, clients get the chance to work on their goals like reaching when preparing food, using switches to run a mixer, and communicating using their voice-output devices.

For everyone involved, the snack shop is a win-win.

"Our students get excited - they like seeing the people who stop by," Weatherred said.

Armstrong agreed. Staff members enjoy the snack shop," she said. "They tell us that we have a bigger and better selection than the vending machines. They also say they enjoy working with our clients."

"Operating the snack shop has given our clients a purpose - a feeling that they are needed," Armstrong added. "It gives them some control over their life. For many, this is their job, their normal routine. They get a chance to interact with others and be social."