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Beyond I Can now ready for customers
By MICHAEL McBRIDE MUNCIE -- It's hard to tell where some stores get their merchandise these days. But that's not true at Beyond I Can, 1510 Burlington Drive, where creators of locally-produced items are likely to assist shoppers with questions and then ring up the sale. 'My dream is to be able to eventually pay them minimum wage," said veteran teacher Nancy Barnett, creator of Southside High School's I Can program. 'I am busy writing grants to improve our chances, but -- for now -- everybody is a volunteer." Beyond I Can's collection of whimsical but practical products is similar to I Can items that special education students at Southside have been marketing for a decade. Open to the public since December, Beyond I Can also features framed and other art produced by any local students or former students -- not just the special-education crew. Products at the unique business include the Leslie line of greeting cards -- a design by Leslie Klingenberg that features hand-colored butterflies. 'They're cool," said Klingenberg, a 2000 I Can graduate and one of several volunteers at Beyond I Can who is attempting to make opportunities for her contemporaries. Other volunteers include Mark Gray, a parent of one of Barnett's former students. An owner of AEM Construction, Gray renovated rooms and donated use of the building. Special-education students often earn certificates of completion rather than high school degrees. That's the impetus for Beyond I Can. Barnett in 2000 was named the state and national Teacher of the Year by the Council for Exceptional Children for developing I Can, now an 11-year-old, confidence-building, product-oriented curriculum. 'Most employers require their employees to have either a high-school degree or a GED," Barnett said. 'As a consequence, my former students get frustrated and stop looking for employment." So Barnett began looking for ways to take the school's successful on-site I Can program to the next level for those matriculating students unable to earn traditional diplomas. Goal to be self-supporting From 1 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays, former special-education students have an opportunity to work at a place where their worth is already known. Mark Gray donated the use of the storefront, once owned by his aunt. Not one for group activities, Gray's autistic son works there some evenings on his own. 'Our goal is to make Beyond I Can self-supporting," Mark Gray said. 'Now, I mostly support it, but I have no doubt that it can become self-supporting." I Can customers at Southside include the Ball Brothers Foundation, Altrista Consumer Products, and Minnetrista Cultural Center, all of which mostly make bulk purchases of the $2 greeting cards. Barnett is also seeking business sponsors for the Beyond I Can effort at a variety of sponsorship levels. Wanted: Customers One Beyond I Can participant, David Farver, also works at Hillcroft Services' Cannon Industries. Another participant, Michael Hutchinson, is also a volunteer at the food pantry at his church. 'At my other job, I do whatever they want me to do," said Farver, a 1999 Central High School graduate. 'I come here Tuesdays and Thursdays because I like it." Those involved hope to make Beyond I Can into a franchise, an idea that already has the interest of others, Gray said. Now all they need is customers, said Jean Thomas, mother of Robin and Cathy Thomas, the latter of whom is a student at Ivy Tech State College when she's not working at the store. 'They come out of high school, and there is no place for them to go," Jean Thomas said. 'Here, they have a chance to really accomplish something, plus they get to socialize again." Beyond I Can ADDRESS: 1510 Burlington Drive, Muncie HOURS: 1-4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays PRODUCTS: Gift items including hand-made baby quilts, greeting cards, supplies for teachers, holiday cards and wooden figurines, desk-top accessories including paperweights and note pads and a variety of items decorated with Indiana fossils, including ink pens and a line of jewelry. Copyright (c) The Star Press. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank, inc. The Star Press Home l About l Contact l Board l Sponsorship l Service Learning l Workshops l Calendar & News l Media Gallery l FAQ l Directions Beyond
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Award-winning special-education curriculum sprouts business address for its graduates.
