HISTORY - GETTING STARTED
During 1959, parents who were affiliated with several associations approached the Lexington Junior League to present a need in the central Kentucky area. They indicated that there were people who were disabled and who were falling through the "Safety Net". Many of these people needed additional skills in order to be eligible and/or to fully benefit from services from the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services.

Over the next two years, under the leadership of Hallie Shouse, the Junior League became aware of the needs of people who had physical and/or mental disabilities which prevented them from obtaining employment thus creating a vocational handicap. Contacts were made with leaders of industry, business, professions, and agencies from both the private andpublic sectors.

On September 1, 1961, this community need became Opportunity Workshop of Lexington, Inc. (OWL) as a nonprofit 501-(c)-3 rehabilitation workshop. The Junior League presented OWL with $30,000, from their annual horse show, as seed money to start the operations.

MISSION...VISION STATEMENT
OWL, like any other successful organization, set principles and goals to guide its operation. The initial primary goal read as follows:

Provide a facility that is a work-oriented rehabilitation workshop with the controlled environment and the necessary related services in order that the individual who has a disibility can obtain the required skills to be employed, thus becoming a more fully participating member of our society.

In recent years following a joint project by Board members and staff, building on the foundation of the Mission Statement, the following Vision Statement was adopted:

We, the employees of OWL, are dedicated to helping others help themselves change their lives and lead more independent lives.

We are professionals that utilize the current best practices of our profession and develop new processes and practices when necessary by bench marking. We are recognized by our peers and customers for our expertise and effectiveness.

We take pride in our ability to work together with our customers, other professionals outside of our company, and each other for increased total effectiveness beyond any individual isolated efforts.

We are fiscally responsible. We are self-supporting and require no contributions from the community. We fund our growth to match or exceed the community and our customer's future needs.

Above all else, we measure our succes by the successes of our customers.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
The impact of OWL's operations can be measured in terms of numbers and dollars. Regarding persons served, over 15,000 have participated in some phase of OWL's professional rehabilitation services. For those who have entered into Employment Services, over 2,750 have secured successful employment.

Relating to finances, after 45 years of operations, OWL has been "in the black" in all but 8 years. Total sales have exceeded $60,000,000, and the average has been above $3,000,000 for the past five years. Total payroll exceeds $35,000,000.

FUTURE PROSPECTS
OWL is well positioned to meet the challenges of the future. We have never claimed to have "the answer" regarding how to operate as a Community rehabilitation Program. The future will reflect adjustments, improvements, and changes just as our successful past has been characterized.