ELKINS – Seneca Designs will host a 50th anniversary open house event to celebrate five decades of empowering individuals with disabilities through meaningful employment and opportunity.     

The community event is scheduled for Saturday, July 11, and will take place from noon to 4 p.m. at the Seneca Designs operating facility, located in the Elkins Industrial Park.     

“We want people to know that we are here and we want to show them what we do,” Seneca Designs Executive Director Michael Jackson told The Inter-Mountain. “We will have people here running some of the machines and demonstrating some of the things we do. A lot of people don’t know about all the stuff that we do, so this will give the public a chance to stop by and see what we have going on.”   

Screen printing, embroidery and product assembly for Leland’s Lures are just a few of the activities at Seneca Designs, which was formerly known as the Randolph County Sheltered Workshop.     

“We put together fishing lures for Leland’s Lures, package them and ship them out,” Jackson said. “Disabled people do most of the lures work in the back, and then we have the screen printing and embroidery business up front. Fifty years in business is a long time, so it’s appropriate that we have an open house to celebrate that.”      

Seneca Designs has been creating employment for those with mental and physical disabilities for the past 50 years.       

“The Department of Rehabilitation Services will send us people, but there are a lot of people that have been here for 20 years,” Jackson said. “Some people work one day a week and some two, it all depends on their ability to work. We get referrals, but there have been times when we have had people just come off the street for work.”   

Jackson said community leaders have been invited to attend the celebration, which will feature guided tours of the facility and its programs. Those attending will have the opportunity to meet individuals, staff and community partners who help make Seneca Designs what it is today.   

Refreshments will be available and there will be several food trucks on hand for those who attend. The celebration will serve as an opportunity to honor the past, celebrate the present, and look forward to an even brighter future at Seneca Designs, officials noted.       

“This milestone represents far more than an anniversary,” Jackson said. “It is a celebration of the individuals we serve, the families who support them, the dedicated staff who believe in our mission, and the community partners who have stood beside us for five decades.”   

Seneca Designs is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering individuals with disabilities through employment opportunities and supportive services. For more information, call 304-636-1638 or visit senecadesigns.com.