Indianapolis, IN — The Produce Mom®, a produce advocacy brand and media outlet focused on educating about the benefits of fresh fruits and vegetables, is helping provide paid jobs for high school students with disabilities. Through partnership with United Media Now Productions, an Indianapolis-based video production company that employs high school students with and without disabilities, a group of talented teens has produced over 80 recipe videos for The Produce Mom.
United Media began as "Sarah's Great Day," a YouTube show started by Valerie Strohl in 2012 to help teach her daughter Sarah—who has Down syndrome and was struggling in school—about math through cooking. In the beginning, the show was self-produced and the quality wasn't the greatest, but Strohl had a vision to take it to the next level, giving students the opportunity to gain skills and experience both in front of and behind the camera.
She approached her local Zionsville, Indiana school district to seek help from high school students with and without disabilities who were interested in digital video and audio production. To her delight, two knowledgeable students joined the production team. Over the past three years, ten students have worked at the company, helping grow "Sarah's Great Day" into a full-service media company producing professional-quality videos.
"My goal with 'Sarah's Great Day' was to change the culture and perception of people with disabilities," explained Strohl. "Through United Media's partnership with The Produce Mom, we have made great strides towards our mission. One way we accomplish this is through empowering teens, both with and without disabilities, by providing jobs, experience and competitive wages in the hyper-relevant field of commercial video production."
The symbiotic partnership began in August 2015, shortly after Lori Taylor, Founder & CEO of The Produce Mom, met with Strohl to brainstorm how their Central Indiana-based businesses, with national followings and impact, could work together. A fast-growing woman-owned business, The Produce Mom needed a reliable resource to produce high-quality recipe videos. As an expanding full-service production company, United Media has benefited from being able to train and employ more students, and offer them additional opportunities through hands-on work experience producing more types of videos with diverse styles, a range of equipment, and currently-trending, commercially-popular themes.
"In the produce industry, sustainability is everything," said Taylor. "Through partnership with United Media, The Produce Mom promotes fresh produce with sustainability by empowering teens with jobs and life-sustaining career skills. It's a complimentary relationship: my business receives a quality product and the employees of United Media are paid well to do a variety of interesting work."
United Media's program with The Produce Mom is now an official part of the curriculum at Zionsville Community High School, giving students the ability to earn school credit or receive a competitive and equitable wage. The students work under the direction of Strohl in an inclusive setting, which allows students with disabilities to learn alongside their non-disabled peers in a general education environment—a benefit to all students. For many students with disabilities, this may be the best path they have for current and future employment.
The partnership between the companies also helps The Produce Mom achieve its mission of increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables. "Our tagline is 'There's a produce mom in all of us!'" said Taylor. "And it's so true! Our team of advocates has always been diverse, including women who aren't moms, as well as men. I love how working with these teens shows again that anyone can advocate for the benefits of eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, while at the same time providing the students a valuable, résumé-building opportunity to work in an inclusive setting on national and international produce brands."
The Produce Mom and United Media have produced videos for Chelan Fresh, Duda Farm Fresh Foods, Josie's Organics, Kroger, Mann's, Monterey Mushrooms, Military Produce Group, NatureSweet Tomatoes, Naturipe, North Bay Produce, Ocean Mist Farms, Pink Lady Apples, Sage Fruit, Salad Savoy, USA Pears, Wada Farms and The National Watermelon Promotion Board.
About The Produce Mom®
The Produce Mom is an advocacy brand for the fresh produce industry with a mission to inspire everyone to eat more fruits and vegetables. The Produce Mom educates consumers about fresh produce, introduces them to produce brands, engages the produce industry with consumers in inspiring conversations, and promotes public policy to protect and increase the availability of fresh produce at American schools. The Produce Mom ranks in the top 1% of all Pinterest pages with more than 56,000 followers. Visit theproducemom.com and connect at pinterest.com/theproducemom, facebook.com/TheProduceMom, and instagram.com/theproducemom.
Source: The Produce Mom®
