Delano Herald Journal

Serving the communities of Delano, Loretto, Montrose, MN, and the surrounding area

Arlys Ruschmeier retiring from ATHC after 32 years



“Not goodbye, but until we meet again,” is what
Arlys Ruschmeier is saying to her work at the Adult Training and Habilitation
Center in Winsted.

Ruschmeier is retiring after 32 years as a job coach and
vocational trainer, but she won’t be too far away, she said.

After spending more than three decades of giving others
their independence, she plans to keep some independence for herself now.

Now, Ruschmeier plans on doing some antiquing and taking
vacations after retirement, she said.

“I may sub part-time at the center too,” she
said with a chuckle.

“I really liked the challenge of the job. I liked
helping the adults become independent,” Ruschmeier said. “When
I started working with an individual, it was hands on. When they could do
a task or job independently, it was a wonderful moment.”

When she first began at ATHC in 1969, it was located in
Biscay, where she lives, she said.

“I worked with children ages three and four,”
she said. “Then, I went on to work with adults.”

She did job coaching and vocational training. As of retirement,
her title was Job Trainer Three, said Steve Wilson, executive director.

Job coaching entails going with the person to a work site,
she said. “Then after years of doing that, I came back into the center
and worked in the classroom again.”

“It was so exciting when the adults would get that
paycheck,” Ruschmeier said.

“I have wonderful memories of the employers who hired
the participants, the participants themselves ,and all the staff at ATHC.
Thanks to the people there, I was always in a good mood, even if the day
didn’t start that way,” she said.

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