VIP CONTINUES TO BREAK NEW GROUND FOR DISABLED

VIP Industries continues to open the doors of opportunity for adults who are handicapped in the region. The group's latest accomplishment is the opening of a 20-unit apartment complex in Cape Girardeau this past weekend for people with mental, physical or developmental disabilities. Similar 15-unit complexes will open in Jackson next month, and in Marble Hill in about two-and-a-half months, all sponsored by VIP Industries.

Under the guidance of Hilary Schmittzehe and his able staff and volunteers, VIP continues to break new ground for the handicapped. Their accomplishments can be measured in tangible programs and services, and bettered lives.

Currently, VIP employs about 325 individuals, and has recently expanded to serve blind persons, stroke victims and individuals with some brain damage due to substance abuse or head injury.

VIP subcontracts with 15 customers across the country. For the most part, the company serves as a packaging and mailing house, where employees work seven to eight hours a day placing plastic film over monthly periodicals, comic books or other mailers. The central office and main plant operate in Cape Girardeau with others plants in Fruitland, Perryville, and Lutesville. Two subsidiaries, which employ another 130-140 people, operate in Poplar Bluff and Hayti.

VIP has an exceptional track record of success; officials are wizards at determining a need and finding a viable solution. The new Regency House complexes answered the needs of many VIP employees who could not find suitable housing. These apartments offer supported living, in which occupants must work or attend school. The support component trains occupants to live as independently as possible. Tenants may learn such skills as making a bed, preparing meals or doing laundry.

These apartment complexes complement VIP's group home, which has operated since 1978. The hope is that group home "graduates" will go on to live in the Regency House complexes.

VIP fulfills both physical and emotional needs. These handicapped adults earn their own way to become productive members of society. Through the Regency House program, they may find a whole new level of independence and a real feeling of accomplishment. Without VIP, it's unlikely such a program would be offered in a rural area.

Since 1966, VIP Industries has been making a difference in Southeast Missouri. Everyone should have a place to call home. VIP Industries is making sure that this opportunity applies to handicapped adults as well.