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10/05/2021 04:36 PMMadison residents may have walked by or shopped at Creations, a downtown shop filled with curios and not realized the longevity and history of the group that founded this establishment. Helen Bosch joined Vista Life Innovations almost 30 years ago to address a problem that she saw as a vital community issue.
According to Bosch, everyone deserves a chance to be part of a community.
“Vista Life is there to support adults with disabilities who are on their adult journeys, so when you finish high school young adults go off to college or some type of the trades and adults with disabilities often times don’t have those same options,” said Bosch. “So what we’ve done is to create an option for young adults with disabilities to be able to learn the skills they need to be fully functioning, thriving adults who belong to the community.”
According to Bosch, money management and time management are just some of the core skills that Vista Life provides to help clients navigate and develop a sense of community. Toward that end, Bosch founded Creations as a vehicle to support that mission and the more than 200 individuals that they serve.
“We need to be really creative in how we approach supporting our young adults. One of those things that we do is with our employment services. Almost 90 percent of our membership is in paid employment, which compared to the national average of 30- to 35 percent, is obviously way above that,” Bosch said. “Creations is what we call a social enterprise and what that means is that we are a business that does good. This store is owned by Vista and all proceeds and revenue go back to support Vista. But the wonderful thing here is that we employ adults with disabilities.”
Bosch said there are a number of programs and organizations dedicated to assisting adults with disabilities, but there are some gaps in that support that Vista and Creations try and fill.
“There are some very good programs that support those folks with greater disabilities who might need a group home type of care, and then you have colleges, but that kind of services that fall between the cracks is really hard to find services for that population, and that is what a place like Creations does,” said Bosch. “We have developed it and modified it to create new opportunities, all while still trying to hit that original mission of helping our members thrive and succeed.”
Creations Manager Lisa Allen said that the shop is critical to the members who work there.
“It really is an integrated work force here. It mirrors the same training we would supply anyone else. What sets us apart as an employer is the development of these skills,” said Allen. “It is very important for everyone to find their place in the world and to be able to feel they are making a difference and that is what this store does.”
The shop sells a wide array of décor, puzzles and games, and kitchenware. It uses local and small makers and products that have their own missions that embody the same values as Creations.
Employee Amanda Lawler said that she and her co-workers Connor Wood and Courtney Dinsky have made the store a vital part of their lives and one that provides a unique opportunity to serve the community.
“Creations is like a second home for me,” said Lawler. “I get to learn about what the customers want. I like helping and being a hard-worker.”
For more information, visit Vista Life Innovations at www.vistalifeinnovations.org. Creations is located in downtown Madison on Main Street at 712 Boston Post Road. For more information, visit www.creations Madison.com.