IFB Solutions honors employees and volunteers of the year
IFB Solutions recently honored its employees, volunteers and vendors for their commitment to helping IFB Solutions provide jobs, training and services for people who are blind or visually impaired.
IFB Solutions recently honored its employees, volunteers and vendors for their commitment to helping IFB Solutions provide jobs, training and services for people who are blind or visually impaired. IFB Solutions, a nonprofit corporation with manufacturing facilities in Winston-Salem, Asheville and Little Rock, Ark., is the nation’s largest employer of people who are blind or visually impaired, and provides a broad range of services, including its Community Low Vision Centers, Tracy’s Little Red Schoolhouse, and SEE (Student Enrichment Experience) after-school and summer camps for children.
Lynn Drake of Winston-Salem was named the overall IFB Solutions Employee of the Year. Lynn joined IFB Solutions almost ten years ago and has worked on 13 different manufacturing operations. She also served as a Low Vision technician at IFB’s Community Low Vision Center. Today, Lynn works as sewing machine operator on the Physical Training Uniform line and, along with her guide dog, Kenny, is a popular stop on IFB’s regular community tours of its facility.
William “Jo Jo” Lindsay of Winston-Salem received IFB Solutions’ Delmer Wall Outstanding Service Award. Jo Jo began working for IFB Solutions in 2015 and is a supervisor in the T-shirt department. In his addition to his duties on the manufacturing floor, Jo Jo routinely volunteers to drive employees to company and non-company events and provides a steadying presence in any type of emergency situation. Jo Jo’s great sense of humor is matched by his unending enthusiasm for IFB’s mission of building life-changing opportunities for people who are blind.
Shelco, with offices in Winston-Salem and headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., received the IFB Solutions Vendor of the Year Award. Over many years, Shelco has assisted IFB Solutions with numerous expansion and facility projects, including the construction of Tracy’s Little Red Schoolhouse on IFB’s Winston-Salem campus. This building was carefully designed and built to serve as an exceptional independent living learning resource for adults and children who are blind or visually impaired. Shelco’s attention to detail during every phase of this project was unparalleled.
Also honored were:
*Charles “Chuck” Gilbert, IFB Solutions Employee of the Year for the Asheville facility.
*Quatisa East, IFB Solutions Employee of the Year for the Little Rock facility.
*Varnard Lewis of Tampa, Fla., received IFB Solutions’ Milton J. Samuelson Career Achiever Award.
*Judy Phillips of Little Rock received IFB Solutions’ Kathryn W. Garner Volunteer of the Year Award.
*Dr. Harold Schutte of Asheville received IFB Solutions’ Commodore Funderburk Visionary Award.
In addition to the employee, community and vendor awards, IFB Solutions recognized employees for years of service and perfect attendance. Eleven employees were honored for more than 20 years of service, including five employees who reached special milestones. Howard Patterson and Ronald Richardson were recognized for 30 years of service, Clarence Kinard for 40 years of service and Maudeva Willis for 45 years of service.
