Press Releases

| News & Events | Press Releases | Events | 2006 Releases | 2007 Releases |

Contact Good Shepherd's Marketing and Communications Department >>

June 19, 2008
Pennsylvania Clubhouse Coalition Honors Allentown Restaurant Owner as
'Employer of the Year'
Jeffery Stinner of Ritz Barbeque Was Chosen For His Work with Clubhouse of Lehigh County

Allentown—The Pennsylvania Clubhouse Coalition (PCC), a non-profit organization whose mission is to facilitate the enhancement of Clubhouse rehabilitation programs that improve the lives of Pennsylvanians with a mental illness, recently honored Jeffery Stinner of Ritz Barbeque in Allentown as its Pennsylvania "Employer of the Year" at the eighth annual PCC Awards Seminar in State College, Pennsylvania.

Stinner, the president and owner of Ritz Barbeque, was chosen because of a successful partnership he has held with Clubhouse of Lehigh County since 2002. Clubhouse of Lehigh County is a program administered by Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network to provide vocational rehabilitation to persons with mental illness.

Ritz Barbeque has served as a transitional employment site for Clubhouse of Lehigh County and has employed a total of 21 Clubhouse members in both transitional and part-time roles in the past six years. Stinner also currently serves as the president of the Clubhouse of Lehigh County Advisory Board, a position he has held since 2006.

"For six years, Jeff has been extremely generous in donating both his time and his spirit to Clubhouse of Lehigh County by offering employment opportunities to our members at Ritz Barbeque," says Stephanie Visi, director of Clubhouse of Lehigh County and president of PCC. "He has demonstrated a true understanding of our mission, and we have been blessed by his compassion towards our members and his dedication to our program."

The PCC was founded in 1993 and currently serves 29 Clubhouse programs throughout the state of Pennsylvania.

Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network, based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, is a nationally recognized rehabilitation leader, offering a continuum of care for people with physical and cognitive disabilities and specializing in assistive and rehabilitation technology. More than 36,000 people come to Good Shepherd each year for specialized programs in stroke, orthopedics, brain injury, spinal cord injury, pediatrics, amputation and more. Good Shepherd provides rehabilitation services in 8 eastern Pennsylvania counties. Good Shepherd operates 15 outpatient sites, 4 inpatient sites, a long-term acute care hospital, 2 long-term care homes for people with severe disabilities, an independent living facility, a Work Services division that provides employment training and job placement and a lifestyle products store called Rehability. Good Shepherd Penn Partners, a partnership of Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, will provide post-acute care in the Philadelphia region beginning July 2008. Good Shepherd was founded in 1908 when The Rev. John and Estella Raker invited a disabled orphan named Viola into their Allentown, Pennsylvania, home. Good Shepherd is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. For more information, visit www.goodshepherdrehab.org.