The sound of aluminum cans being sorted permeated through the Washington County Development Center as the public went on a self-guided tour of the facility to learn about the different services the organization provides during their Alive After Five 50th Anniversary event.

The WCDC main campus was packed Thursday evening for the open house also sponsored by the Washington Chamber of Commerce. WCDC President David Hoffman says the clients were very excited to show the public what they do each day, “People are coming in, they get to see what goes on, how productive our clients are, what a valuable member of the community they are. The things that they do out here whether it be working and helping Smart Scripts or sorting cans for our can redemption center or even some of the jobs they do out here with job coaching. They just get a whole sense of what goes on at WCDC every day and this is just a great way to demonstrate.”

WCDC was first formed as Rolling Meadows in 1971 by a group of concerned parents who wanted to give opportunities for residents with mental disabilities who were entering adulthood. The organization now serves around 100 clients in and around Washington County with job training and placement and other services to expand opportunities for clients.