Established in 1964 with the support of
the Christ Child Society, we opened for services in the
Merrick Community Center (named, we guess, after the Christ
Child Society founder Mary Virginia Merrick) on the east
side of St. Paul and began serving 15 young adults with
developmental disabilities (DD) that lived at home and could
not get adequate services from the public schools.
For many years to come, the common perception
at our agency was that these individuals needed to be "cared
for and kept busy." As a result, our services were
designed to be mostly recreational in nature, and this was
reflected in our original name, Merrick Daytime Activity
Center (DAC), and the following program description:
A Daytime Activity Center is a community setting for
the care, training, and stimulation of the mentally retarded
person for whom there are no public schools or facilities
available. It represents an alternative and less expensive
plan to placement in a residential setting. It leaves
the primary responsibility for the individual in the care
of his parents. The setting of the Daytime Activity Center
is informal but controlled, and the general philosophy
is posited on our belief that the basic values of social
group work can contribute a significant service to mentally
retarded children and their families.
With advocates demanding that people with
DD return to their communities from the state hospitals
and receive a public education, the need for appropriate
daytime activities for graduates and adults grew, and we
expanded to include a location on Payne Avenue. Acknowledging
the need for and value of DAC programs, the Department of
Human Services (DHS) licensed programs and secured Medicaid
funding to increase the availability of these services for
adults with DD living in the community.
During this period it was recognized that
people in DAC programs had an interest in, and were capable
of, working. Initially this interest was met by bringing
assembling, sorting, and packaging work out-sourced by businesses
on-site to be finished by clients at the DAC program. (When
not using the person's name, we use the term "client"
to affirm that they have chosen us as their provider.)
Now, Merrick, Inc., is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3)
charitable corporation, licensed by DHS as a Day Training & Habilitation
(DT&H) and Supported Employment Services (SES) provider.
We are currently located in Vadnais Heights and provide
support to over 300 adults with DD, employing more than 110 professional
staff, maintaining a fleet of 55 vehicles, and offering
the following distinctive services to our clients:
- Vocational Options that include on-site contracts, work-crew
contracts, work-crew placements, individual placements,
and volunteerism with over 70 businesses in the metropolitan
area.
- Placement Support including job assessment, resume writing,
assistance with applications and interviews, job training,
placement, and intermittent face-to-face visits to the
job site.
- Habilitation Programs such as occupational and speech
therapy, augmentative device library, recreation and leisure
activities, vocational support groups, and self-advocacy
groups.
- Transportation Services to and from home and work on
one of our safe, clean, and dependable vehicles or coordinated
with any public carrier.
We have chosen a montage of old compasses as our logo to
demonstrate that we are an experienced agency that continues
to be a pathfinder for those seeking to explore new horizons.
Through our business partnerships, employees, and the reliable,
loyal, and enthusiastic attributes of our client workforce,
we are helping to change society's perception of the clients
we serve so they are seen, not as persons with disabilities,
but rather, people with abilities. Likewise, we encourage
you to find the best in each person you encounter today.
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