Jacqueline Jordan

When Puzzle Pieces won Non-Profit Organization of the Year at the Chamber's annual celebration, it was an “aha moment” for Executive Director Amanda Owen -- a moment to see the scope of work she and her staff had accomplished.

Puzzle Pieces, which opened six years ago, started as an activity center designed to serve individuals with intellectual disabilities.

"I have a brother with special needs and that's kind of the passion of why we opened," Owen said. "I was a special ed teacher and took a leap of faith, seeing a need in the community."

The organization continues to identify community needs and rise up to meet them. They serve nearly 130 clients and the day center has grown into four divisions: Puzzle Pieces, Employment Opportunities, Centerpiece and Residential.

Each division is its own entity, requiring a director to oversee staffing and the growth of that area. The directors are a celebration of women in leadership, each with different backgrounds, but one common mission.

Puzzle Pieces - Program Director Kelly Harper

Harper was an assistant in Owen's special education classroom and said the two just saw eye-to-eye about how to treat individuals.

"When she told me her idea of Puzzle Pieces I was like 'yes, I'm all for it!'" Harper said. "I think I had more faith than she did because I actually quit before she did."

The two did their research before opening. "We met with a lot of families and it was really eye-opening to see the need of just, what do they do when they're not in school?" She said. "I think our community has gotten better, but there wasn't a place where care could be individualized."

Harper jokes that she spends most of her day talking, but that talking is between case managers, caregivers and staff, discussing what works best for each client. Not to mention training a new group of leaders.

"We've been focusing on how to lead others," she said. "We (the directors) are inspired and motivated, but we have to get everyone else on board." With 60 staff on the payroll, Harper said that's "a lot of self-development and knowing that we all have things to work on."

Each director acts as human resources for their department, so Harper does all of the on-boarding, training, interviewing and coaching on how to work together.

She's found her place at Puzzle Pieces.

"I'd tell young girls to make sure you're following the right people, she said. I've worked a lot of places and it just wasn't the right fit. I knew I had more to give. When you're young, so many things happen that seem like the end of the world, but it's not what happens to you, it's how you move past them."

Employment Opportunities - Director Blaire Neighbors

Headed by director Blaire Neighbors, Employment Opportunities is not your average job placement service. The organization focuses on matching disabled individuals with a career where they can shine, rather than just finding a job opening.

"We're trying to find something they're genuinely interested in, that meets their strengths and weaknesses," she said.

Neighbors, who comes from a special education teaching background, met Owen while working at Puzzle Pieces in college. Having a brother with disabilities also, the two bonded over shared experiences.

"We just always had a big connection. She told me about this new division and that she thought it would be a great fit, and that it was a huge need in Owensboro and the surrounding counties. So I came on board in December."

The division has already placed eight individuals with positions and has ten more on the waiting list. "We just keep on getting them," Neighbors said. "I think that's because want to make it work as a career for our clients, not just a job. We want it to be meaningful."

Not only are they working with the client, but they're also working with employers. "That's a huge piece to it," she said. "They understand the needs their employee may have and they can make modifications, but they can refer to us for support. It's a team effort."

The group has also started the Coalition for Workforce Diversity, which meets bi-monthly to act as a forum for employers to discuss what's worked for them, what issues they have, and what fears they may be facing.

Owen is quick to praise Neighbors for the quick growth of the program. "We could not have done this without finding the right person," she said. "It's always about finding the right person, and not necessarily that it's what their background is, but that they find passion in meeting a need."

Anyone interested in finding a job or hiring individuals can contact Employment Opportunities to get the ball rolling.

Centerpiece and Residential, Director Quincy Tutt

At the helm of Centerpiece (which opened in 2016) as well as the Residential division is Quincy Tutt.

Centerpiece is an adult day training site, where individuals get job training and learn skills after high school. Beyond job training, they teach life skills like how to go out to eat with friends or schedule vacations. Residential is all about making a home for them.

Tutt came in to interview at Puzzle Pieces as a Direct Support Professional six years ago, and Owen remembers it well.

"She came in like, 'it is what it is. I need a job," Owen laughed. "She had no background experience of working with people with disabilities, but I remember thinking that she comes from a military background and just thinking you have to have some grit to you to be in the military."

She hired the former Navy Reservist and soon saw that she was asking all the right questions and wanting to know more about her role. That's when Owen realized they'd created another leader who could run an additional site with the same passion and dedication she had for Puzzle Pieces.

They spent two weeks together and built the Centerpiece program from the ground up.

The program started with 13 clients, and the board wasn't sure the need was there - despite Owen insisting it was.

"You kind of have to make believers out of people. And that's how we do everything, if you build it, they'll come," she said.

They now have 44 clients, with a waiting list of 12, and are gaining interest from the state in how their programming works.

Tutt is also over residential, which provides housing and 24-hour care for clients.

"We had some families who needed care for their loved ones, and housing wasn't what we were going to do, but they were missing just being home," Owen said.

In 2 weeks they bought a house, trained staff and started to provide housing and 24-hour care for 3 people that were in bad situations.

Much like with Employment Opportunities, the Residential division came about not because it was a planned expansion, but because the organization was asked to do it.

"We were asked and we were tired of being in the same sad boat, so we said 'yes, we'll figure out a way to make it happen,'" Owen said.

As for Tutt, she'd like to challenge young women not to accept themselves as they are, just as Owen challenged her.

"I've always been like, 'well that's just how I am,' and Amanda has always said 'no, it's not, just learn and improve,'" she said. "That's what's worked for me, having people who will say 'that's not you' and encourage you to grow."

Business Director Kathy Hempel

Hempel is the sounding board for all these ideas - researching all the legalities, paperwork and procedures that need to be done.

Her daughter was one of Owen's students, so when the organization launched, the former office manager was ready to help.

"We started with a donated copy of QuickBooks," she laughed, "And here we are!"

"Amanda has always been like 'this is what I want to do' and Kathy has guided her in how do we realistically do it," Kelly Harper said.

"And I've learned, in six years, how to roll with the punches," Hempel said. "There's always a way to do it. It may not be black and white, but we'll get there."

Owen credits the success of Puzzle Pieces to this strong group of leaders within the organization.

"You can't coach passion, and you can't coach drive. Everyone's had the heart and the grind to buy into our mission. We put so much heart into everything,” she said. "Their (the client's) failures are our failures and their victories are our victories. It's more than just a job for all of us."