Samuel Hopkins of Sapulpa receives commendation from Governor Mary Fallin

Oklahoma City – Samuel Hopkins of Sapulpa received a commendation from Governor Mary Fallin on October 10 during the Governor’s Disability Employment Awards at the Governor’s Mansion in Oklahoma City.

The Tulsa Zoo might call Samuel Hopkins a man for all seasons, one who is very successful in many different types of activity. Most days, you can find him sporting around in his cart with his walkie talkie, checking for trash or debris, monitoring the animals’ safety, doing maintenance at several buildings and performing a variety of tasks.  While he is hard working, on time and has excellent communication skills, Sam is also known for his quick sense of humor.  Just ask him about the “loose chimp” prank he pulled on a new employee.

Besides the joy and laughter he brings to his fellow employees, he has received numerous comments and compliments from them for doing such a great job, being a team player and being dependable. Just this past spring, a letter was circulated about how the Zoo grounds looked the best ever and ran the smoothest in over 14 years during the 2012 Spring Break because of Sam and his co-workers.

Rep. Jason Nelson of Oklahoma City offered welcoming remarks at the awards ceremony and announced that October is national Disability Employment  Awareness Month. “It is employees and businesses like these that have put Oklahoma at the forefront in the nation for helping people with disabilities find jobs and become working taxpayers,” said Nelson who serves as chairman of the House Human Services Sub-Committee on Appropriations and Budget.

“In Oklahoma, 60% of individuals with developmental disabilities served by the OKDHS Developmental Disabilities Services Division participate in supported employment services as compared to the national average of 20.1%.”

Rep. Nelson added that it was important to recognize the skills that people with disabilities bring to our workforce. “Their talents and contributions are vital to the strength of our state, our nation's workforce and our future prosperity,” said Nelson.

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Editors Note: Go to http://www.statedata.info/ (Link opens in new window) to see Oklahoma’s ranking as compared to other states in regard to the numbers of persons with developmental disabilities in competitive jobs (supported employment). This website is a project of the Institute for Community Inclusion at UMass Boston, supported in part by the Administration on Developmental Disabilities, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under cooperative agreement with additional support from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research of the U.S. Department of Education.

Samuel Hopkins (left) receives a Governor’s Commendation for his outstanding achievements in employment from Rep. Jason Nelson. The award was presented during the Governor’s Disability Employment Awards of Excellence at the Governor’s Mansion on October 10.