Oct 27, 2006 03:09 PM
Social Entrepreneural Leadership
Have you ever wished that corporations would care more about doing what's right
for the world instead of only what earns money? Social Entrepreneurism merges
sound business practices with programs that improve lives. Melwood has been at
the forefront of the social entrepreneurial movement for more than 40 years,
founded at a time when few believed there was such a thing as a job for a person
with developmental disabilities. Melwood's dedicated and dependable workers now
hold hundreds of steady, good paying jobs with benefits across the Washington
D.C. region.
One model of Social Entrepreneural work is Melwood Garden Center, a division of Melwood. Melwood Garden Center is an on-line marketer of beautiful Gourmet Gift Basket and Blooming Plant Centerpiece creations, perfect for corporate and personal gifting. Orders are placed online at www.melwoodgardencenter.com or customers can call the toll free number 1-888-344-8387. These products are assembled, packed and shipped at Melwood, providing employment opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities. Melwood Garden Center ships these creations nationwide.
In 2004, the leading international organization for social entrepreneurs, the Social Enterprise alliance, presented Melwood President/CEO Earl Copus with its "Lifetime Achievement Award." Mr. Copus accepted on behalf of his staff, consumers and supporters. The award was a highlight of the three-day conference in San Francisco, drawing hundreds of representatives of major social-entrepreneurial agencies from around the nation and around the globe.
The Social Enterprise Alliance seeks to move non-profits away from reliance on traditional subsidy-based funding into self-sustaining revenue generation. As Melwood's first and only CEO since the organization was formed in the 1960's, Earl Copus is recognized as a leader in social-entrepreneurship, the concept of changing society and culture for the better through positive new approaches to social needs.
"What's being honored here as my lifetime achievement could only have happened as the result of the Melwood team effort," said Mr. Copus. "It's Melwood, a product of many wonderful people, that deserves the recognition."
One model of Social Entrepreneural work is Melwood Garden Center, a division of Melwood. Melwood Garden Center is an on-line marketer of beautiful Gourmet Gift Basket and Blooming Plant Centerpiece creations, perfect for corporate and personal gifting. Orders are placed online at www.melwoodgardencenter.com or customers can call the toll free number 1-888-344-8387. These products are assembled, packed and shipped at Melwood, providing employment opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities. Melwood Garden Center ships these creations nationwide.
In 2004, the leading international organization for social entrepreneurs, the Social Enterprise alliance, presented Melwood President/CEO Earl Copus with its "Lifetime Achievement Award." Mr. Copus accepted on behalf of his staff, consumers and supporters. The award was a highlight of the three-day conference in San Francisco, drawing hundreds of representatives of major social-entrepreneurial agencies from around the nation and around the globe.
The Social Enterprise Alliance seeks to move non-profits away from reliance on traditional subsidy-based funding into self-sustaining revenue generation. As Melwood's first and only CEO since the organization was formed in the 1960's, Earl Copus is recognized as a leader in social-entrepreneurship, the concept of changing society and culture for the better through positive new approaches to social needs.
"What's being honored here as my lifetime achievement could only have happened as the result of the Melwood team effort," said Mr. Copus. "It's Melwood, a product of many wonderful people, that deserves the recognition."
