New Community Integration Center Offers Farmhouse Shop, Vocational Training, & Pop Up Shop in Bellevue, NE

Our driving mission at Hands of Heartland is to create opportunities for people with disabilities within our community and those under our care to experience life to the fullest. In pursuit of this goal, many of our programs are designed to promote independence and community inclusion while removing the barriers that have long kept the disabled community separate from their neighbors and loved ones.

One of our most successful programs, the Create-ables Makers Space, provides space for the people we serve to work alongside members of the community to create hand-made home decor products. These products are then sold through the Hands of Heartland retail operation. And this month, we’re excited to announce that we’re expanding our Create-ables workshop program with the addition of a new Moss Shop located at 211 Galvin Road North in Bellevue.

Who We Help

The Create-ables program is Hands of Heartland’s community solution for creating a more inclusive community when it comes to the DD community. For people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, it’s crucial that they are provided every opportunity to socialize, exercise and improve their motor skills, and learn how to work alongside others in professional settings. Our Create-ables spaces, with their focus on creating finished home decor products in collaborative and creative environments, are key components in Hands of Heartland’s programs for fostering accomplishment and autonomy, key components to preparing our people for the workforce and participation in our supported employment program.

Our Create-ables program also helps to educate and destigmatize people with intellectual disabilities in the eyes of their community, while providing essential job-readiness training to a very important and valuable segment of the labor force. Businesses that accommodate and employ disabled individuals enjoy improved labor costs, lower turnover rates, and an overall more positive impression in the community, as they can be seen as being more tolerant and adaptive to business challenges.

What to Expect

The Create-ables space is a fully-operational woodshop staffed by trained professionals. Open to the public, the workshop setting allows disabled people under our care at Hands of Heartland to work alongside members of the public to create and re-design hand-made home decor items. These items are then sold through the Create-ables retail space. In the new facility, we also expect to host local arts and crafts shows, local events, and the occasional pop-up shop.

In order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, we are following current state guidelines by limiting the number of individuals allowed in the space to 10, and we are focusing on our outdoor workspace as well as having people work in separate buildings when possible.

Improving the Lives of the Disabled and Their Community

At Hands of Heartland, our focus will always be on improving the lives of the disabled people we serve. In opening a new Create-ables facility focused on creating farmhouse decor and hosting pop-up shops for the community while providing essential vocational training for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, we hope to expand awareness and improve the opportunities available to the disabled in our community. So come out, sit with one of our talented individuals, create something new, and be a part of the solution.