This story previously misspelled the Bangsund's last name. The error has been corrected in this version.

LEAVENWORTH — Eric Stewart and Alex Darlington will be watching closely when the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is broadcast next week. So will Matt Bangsund, Chris Amerson, Christopher Voorhies and Nora Schott.

The big balloons will be fun to see, but what they’re mostly interested in is the national champion jump-rope team that will be skipping down the parade route using jump ropes the Leavenworth group made.

The five young men and one young woman all have developmental disabilities — mostly related to Down syndrome — but that doesn’t keep them from productive jobs. The men — affectionately known in town as the “five amigos” — reside at The Dwelling Place, an adult family home owned and operated by John and Kathy Bangsund, Matt’s parents. John is also principal of Upper Valley Christian School. Kathy was a teacher there for many years until retiring to run The Dwelling Place eight years ago.

A casual assembly line is set up around the dining room table where the amigos assemble jump ropes from 9 to 11 a.m. each weekday. Schott, who lives a block from the Bangsund home, joins the crew each morning for work. Kathy Bangsund and volunteers Debbie Neiderhiser and Marcia Banks help them gather materials for each jump-rope order.

The men said they’re excited about watching the Thanksgiving Parade this year and hope they’ll see their ropes in action.

“We can watch it online,” said Stewart, 26.

“I’ve already told my mom to turn the TV to that channel,” said Amerson, 31. All of the men will spend the Thanksgiving holiday with their families.

Stewart, Amerson and Darlington, 22, sat around the table Wednesday threading brightly colored tube-shaped plastic beads over a line of nylon cable. Schott, 32, sat by herself near a sunny window and threaded red after blue after black on her 7-foot line. They focused on the color patterns, but paused often to talk and appreciate each other’s work. Matt Bangsund and Voorhies were at other jobs that morning but were expected to join the jump-rope crew later.

“If we make mistakes, we just look down and correct them,” Amerson said. Each member of the crew usually makes between 10 and 15 jump ropes each day, said Neiderhiser. They recently completed an order that was sent to Hungary. Another recent order went to Africa.

The crew is paid by the piece to assemble the jump ropes for buyjumpropes.net, a Leavenworth company that sells them to schools and competitive jump-rope teams around the world.

“It’s been great for our business and great for these young men,” said Matt Hopkins, owner of the jump rope company. Hopkins is a former Cascade School District teacher and speed-jumping coach who started marketing jump rope equipment online in 1998. At first, he contracted with a company in India. The subject of his new business came up one day about six years ago while talking to longtime friends, the Bangsunds, and Kathy asked if the young men at her home could get involved in making some of the jump ropes, he said.

“It started out real slow. They were just making the custom-beaded ropes at first,” he said, referring to orders from clients who wanted specific color combinations. When Hopkins and the Bangsunds saw how enthusiastic the amigos were to have more work, Hopkins decided to stop importing his ropes and use beads made in Colorado and assembly by the eager crew a mile away from his home. That was two years ago.

Hopkins said he can now advertise his products as being made in the USA while providing work for local disabled employees. The crew turns out about 1,000 jump ropes a month, he said.

The jump-rope operation has become an important part of the adult home, said Kathy Bangsund, who also operates another non-profit business, Leavenworth & Upper Valley Employment Services. That group helps find jobs for people with developmental and physical disabilities. All of the amigos have other jobs doing janitorial work, dishwashing, lawn care, snow removal and other basic tasks, usually for an hour or two a day. All of their earnings are theirs, she said. None of the money goes to The Dwelling Place or the employment service. The Dwelling Place operates on Medicaid funding and donations.

“It’s worked out beautifully,” she said. “They have plenty of work that’s not condescending. They love to get up in the morning and be able to do something that is satisfying.”

Rick Steigmeyer: 664-7151

steigmeyer@wenatcheeworld.com