• 
• CLASS
• JOBS
• AUTO
• HOMES

Cleaning up for the elderly and disabled

Photo

Photo by Dan Lassiter

Alicia Humphrey and members of the Workender program rake leaves at a home in the 200 block of Rockport Road in Janesville.

Photo

Photo by Dan Lassiter

Jackie Jordan and members of the Workenders program rake leaves at a home on Rockport Road in Janesville.

JANESVILLE — The leaves in Donald and Jane Mueller's yard needed to be raked.

But the 74- and 69-year-old Janesville siblings weren't up to the task.

So they enlisted help through the Rock County Council Aging, which has formed an alliance with the Rock County Sheriff's Office Workender Program to assist the elderly or disabled of any age with yard work or snow removal.

In about an hour, the 10-person Workender crew had raked the Muellers' lawn.

"The did a beautiful job. The whole crew was very nice and courteous. We couldn't have been happier," Jane said.

The Muellers are only one example of many people, nonprofits and governmental agencies to have benefited from Workenders. The jail diversion program started in June of 2008 to allow offenders to pay off fines with community service.

Workenders provided 11,864 hours of community service in 2008, said Janel Karstetter, correctional officer. And through Nov. 1 of this year, they have contributed another 19,384 hours of service to Rock County communities.

Julie Seeman, information and assistance specialist at the Council on Aging, said 34 seniors are registered for leaf or snow removal, but she expects more people to call for help as they think more about winter and ways to stretch their dollars as budgets get tighter.

"We'd be paying $30 a week to get the lawn done," Jane said. "We have to pay $30 for snow removal, too. That adds up.

"This helps stretch our budget to buy the basics. It was a godsend," said Jane, who like Don has health issues and hasn't been working.

Timing is the only drawback. Crews—made up of up to 10 Workenders participants midweek and 20 on weekends with supervision by a correctional officer—work Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. So if it snows on days Workenders crews don't work, the program might not get to them in a timely manner, Seeman said.

"So seniors need to have a backup plan," she said.

Workenders provides rakes and shovels for the work. The homeowner only provides salt, Seeman said.

While it helps the senior out, Seeman said, it also benefits the person who is using their time and services through the Workenders program.

Capt. Russ Steeber agreed: "Most people in this program don't have the financial ability to pay their fines. So the county would lose the fine plus pay to house them. It's a win-win for the county because we have reduced our jail population and gained community service."