Disadvantaged men go to work on shoreline improvements

By Lori Porter Acorn Staff Writer

The shoreline at the lake in Westlake Village will look and function better, thanks to some disadvantaged local residents.

Villa Esperanza Services (VES) in Thousand Oaks recently contracted with Westlake Lake Management Company. A landscaping team from VES will perform ongoing maintenance of the shoreline. The team, Brian Koster, Joe Montemorra and Mike Bierman, is comprised of developmentally disabled day clients of VES. They began working two weeks ago and are expected to finish in about a month.

Villa Esperanza Services, a nonprofit agency that assists the developmentally disabled, began operating 40 years ago in Pasadena. Today VES has a campus and 10 residential facilities in Pasadena, along with its West Region headquartered in Thousand Oaks. The local facility includes an office plus two residential homes, Warwick House and Norgaard House, both located off Moorpark Road.

There are three major programs at Villa Esperanza: vocational, residential and independent living skills training. All three overlap because all VES clients, whether daycare or residential, receive vocational training and placement, while also learning the skills to live on their own.

Robert Efford, director of the local Villa Esperanza in Thousand Oaks, oversees all three programs, but his main focus is community partnerships with businesses, public works agencies, private homeowners and homeowners’ associations to provide work for the clients of Villa Esperanza.

Efford is proud of his team. Their work is just as thorough, sometimes more so, than conventional crews, he said. And Villa Esperanza services are offered at competitive prices. "We are not in this for the money," said Efford. "Our purpose is to provide jobs for the disabled."

Regarding the threesome at the lake in Westlake Village, Efford said that Koster, Montemorra and Bierman form an extraordinary team. "The three men love working together, and they get along so great," said Efford.

Supervising the team during the day is Kim Culp of Villa Esperanza, a former firefighter trained in CPR and first aid. "I love my boys," said Culp. "I have tried different fields and this one is so satisfying."

Culp raved about the team. They’re consistently happy and playful, Culp said, and they’re very hard workers.

Also assisting the VES team is Jose Linarez, of Westlake Lake Management Company. Linarez, an employee there for five years, said he also loves working with this team.

Regarding working at the lake, Montemorra said, "It’s wonderful. It helps build my muscles so I can impress my girlfriend, Vicki." Montemorra, born with Down syndrome, was quick to display love and humor as he flexed his muscles and gave Efford a bear hug before going back to work.

Bierman echoed with his teammate’s observation, saying that the work helps with body building. Bierman is a power lifter with the Special Olympics. "I can bench press 225 pounds and lift 419 pounds," he said.

"I enjoy being on the lake and talking to people," said Koster. He likes, he said, the fresh air and exercise that come with the job.

Maintaining the shoreline begins with sledge-hammering a pile of large rocks delivered by an outside recycling agency. The team then loads the smaller rocks onto a flat-bed boat and places them along the shoreline, reinforcing them with wire to keep them intact.

Referring to the hard work of the VES team, David DuVarney, Westlake lake operations manager said, "This team brings so much joy to the area." DuVarney said he was pleased with their work.

Besides landscaping services, Villa Esperanza also provides moving and hauling services and furniture refinishing. Clients also work for and get support from a thrift store near T.O.’s Civic Arts Plaza. VES obtained a contract two years ago with the California Department of Parks and Recreation which employs two crews from VES that help maintain Malibu beaches.

Additionally, VES will soon be placing and maintaining Pepsi vending machines at various businesses, after establishing a new partnership with the Pepsi Cola. That company will provide the machines, adorned with a Villa Esperanza sticker, informing consumers that proceeds will go directly to VES.

Efford, who’s been with VES for one year, left a position with a Walt Disney Company as director of development, seeking projects for comedian and actor Robin Williams. Even though it was a powerful and exciting job, Efford said that working at VES is much more fulfilling.

To learn more about the various services of VES, please call Efford at (805) 446-1939, ext. 205, or for more information visit the Villa Esperanza Internet Website at www.villaesperanzaservices.org.