Mankato Athlete Selected for Inaugural Capitol Fellowship Program

Adam Menden, 27, from Mankato is one of 11 individuals recently selected for the Inaugural Capitol Fellowship Program.

Menden, a Special Olympics Minnesota athlete who has Down syndrome, was nominated for his outstanding work record and great attitude at MRCI WorkSource, an employment program that assists people with disabilities.

Menden has family support from his father Dan, his mother Mary Jo and his older brother A.J., who all joined him for his first day.

"My son is always up for something new, and he feels very fortunate to be selected," Dan Menden said.

Mankato has a long history of integrating MRCI employees and others with disabilities into community jobs. This is part of the reason why Senator Kathy Sheran, a Mankato Democrat, came up with the idea for an intern program for Minnesotans with intellectual disabilities at the State Capitol. Sheran believes Menden and the other interns have a lot to teach senators at the State Capitol during the legislative session.

"It’s a chance for us to break through some of the barriers in our thinking about the capacity of these people to enter the workforce," Sheran said. Sheran had the help of two Mankato executives, Pam Year from MRCI and Maureen Gustafson from MN Works, to build the internship program. MN Works, a statewide initiative to help people with intellectual disabilities gain employment, provided funding from the economic stimulus bill for stipends for the interns. Two job coaches were provided by MRCI to supervise the interns. Together, the two organizations developed the Inaugural Capitol Fellowship Program and selected the final 11 participants.

The interns, who are referred to as "fellows," include people with intellectual disabilities. Gustafson said the point of the program is for people working at and visiting the State Capitol to see a group of 11 workers’ abilities, not disabilities.

Menden and the other program participants take messages to senators, deliver mail, make copies and collate documents. By the end of the session, they will be doing much more.

"That is part of our adventure, the magic of our experience," Sheran said. "It’s all part of our explorations to see what work we can be doing together."