A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

The Point/Arc’s in-house Snack Shop offers students a hands-on, pre-vocational work experience


The Pre-Vocational Point Snack Shop is open for business.

Katie Lanham, transition coordinator for The Point/Arc said the Snack Shop will deliver orders directly to Point/Arc employees.

Lanham is all about workplace readiness for her students. Everyday skills like following directions, increasing communication skills, money and time management and even practicing good hygiene, Lanham says.

Katie Lanham (Photo from The Point/Arc)

“The Pre-Vocational skills are primarily for juniors and seniors in high school, and Career Exploration mostly for high school seniors,” said Lanham. “In Career Exploration,” she continued, “we identify jobs that are well-matched to personal interests and strengths.”

The students will run the Snack Shop out of the classroom, according to Lanham.

“Snack orders will give students hands-on work experience as well as supporting the business,” said the Ohio University graduate.

And order forms, Lanham notes, will be accepted up to 11:30 am every Wednesday the Snack Shop is open.

“If employees are not in The Point/Arc office-place,” Lanham said, “students can still fill an order and will deliver to your desk.”

Lanham’s Pre-Vocational classes meet at The Point/Arc’s Zembrodt Education Center (ZEC) Mondays and Wednesdays.

Each class is a two-hour session, taught by Lanham.

The Snack Shop order form consists of: Extra Mint Gum Packs, Lays Snacks, Drinks, Candy, Nabisco Snacks, Cracker Sandwiches, Fruit and Crystal Light Packets.

The Pre-Vocational Skills Point Snack Shop is open for the first time since 2019 – it has been closed since the pandemic.

The Point/Arc was founded in 1972 by a group of parents fighting for the educational rights of their children, who were diagnosed with an intellectual and developmental (I/DD) disability.

The mission – to help people with disabilities, achieve their highest potential educationally, socially, residentially and vocationally. More than this, The Point/Arc has been an organization that identifies gaps in services and provides care and support to fill these gaps – even if government funding sources are not available.

Lanham not only handles the pre-vocational curriculum, she supervises and teaches The Career Exploration classes three times a week – Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

“In Career Exploration, we got to job sites in the community and get hands-on practice,” said Lanham, an Anderson Township resident and graduate of Anderson High School.

“We have community partners in both Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati,” she said.

One of those partners include H.O.N.K. – Housing Opportunities of Northern Kentucky – where students are challenged on construction/type skills.

“We’ll have students do volunteer one-day jobs at places like YMCA Camp Ernst, Spring Grove Cemetery and even the Independence (Ky.) Police Department,” she said.

“We’re about recognizing where a person’s talents and skills might be best served as well as appreciated,” Lanham said.

The Point/Arc


Related Posts

Leave a Comment