SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- The 20th Contracting Squadron held the 22nd Annual AbilityOne picnic to honor workers and give awards to top performers at Shaw Air Force Base, Oct. 15.
During the celebration, food was served, attendees were recognized for their hard work and guest speakers from various agencies shared their experiences working with AbilityOne.
“It is important to hold this event to create awareness of the impact that employees with disabilities have,” says Staff Sgt. Nicholas Nesbit, 20th CONS contracting specialist. “It is also an opportunity to recognize the employees at the base level.”
The Annual AbilityOne picnic is held in the month of October, which is also national disability employment month. The Department of Defense is the largest employer of people with significant disabilities.
“The event celebrates the achievements of the AbilityOne program which employs 92 disabled workers here on Shaw AFB across six key support services and the achievements of the workers themselves,” said Jack Brown, 20th CONS director of business operations. “The picnic celebrates the vocational rehabilitation and upward economic mobility of an often overlooked segment of our population.”
The AbilityOne program supports the 20th FW’s grounds maintenance, food services, custodial services and other jobs vital to the Wing’s success. After food was served, guest speakers and leaders presented awards to employees for their hard work throughout the past year.
“I watched them come up here and stand with their whole team to get their photos taken and even though they were wearing masks, their smiles and their excitement shined right through,” said Brown. “To me, that’s what it’s all about, I hope they feel seen, I hope they know that we see them, that we value them and that they know they are important members of Weasel Nation.”
Maj. Gen. Cameron Holt, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Contracting, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics was also in attendance and expressed his gratitude for the work they have accomplished for the 20th FW.
“I think it means the world to them,” said Nesbit. “Being recognized by a Major General in the Air Force holds a lot of weight. For someone of that stature to come down and want to personally recognize the employees says a lot about the AbilityOne program and how impactful it is across the Air Force”.