This guest post is by Lydia Pulliam, store manager for Cameron’s Coffees and Chocolates. Lydia is applying for our Supporting Small Businesses That Hire People With Disabilities Grant Opportunity ran by my nonprofit KFM Making A Difference. You can learn more about the grant opportunity here.
I hope you can support my nonprofit like I’m trying to support our community. I also produce educational videos to celebrate neurodiversity by spotlighting individuals impacted by a diagnosis. Learn more on how you can help our cause with a small donation (just asking for $3 today, equal to your daily cup of coffee) here.
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to tell you a little bit about our program, Every1CanWork, and the products we provide through our chocolate shop, Cameron’s Coffee and Chocolates.
First, let me introduce myself. I am Lydia Pulliam, the Program Manager for Every1CanWork. I began working for Every1CanWork as a baker when they had just opened their doors in the fall of 2013. I needed a job while working on my master’s degree and I knew the store manager at the time. Little did I know this job would change my life forever. It soon became a job with a mission that I found more important than the degree I was pursuing as a Forensic Investigator.
I had never worked directly with someone with a disability that our shop served except for a little boy my mom babysat who had shaken baby syndrome. As I have continued in my work here at Cameron’s, my mother still continues her work with the baby who has now grown into a teenager. Like my mother and all those who are employed for Every1CanWork, we realize the importance of what we are doing. We are truly blessed to be of service to others.
Since we have opened the doors of the coffee and chocolate shop we have had a total of 40 participants employed. We started out with 4 workers and 1 job coach and have grown to a current total of 22 participants employed and 5 job coaches. Every1CanWork is a 501c3 non-profit and operates in a 4:1 ratio of participant to job coach. Our mission is to provide meaningful employment to adults with intellectual disabilities in a supported group environment and teach life skills to further each individual’s independence.
When our Founders, Ellen and Jim Graham felt like they couldn’t find a job site in the area that was truly inclusive of their daughter with disabilities nor were there other peers that she could relate to, they decided to start something new that put the two together. A place of employment where people with disabilities worked alongside those without disabilities in a group setting. When you walk through our doors and you see the work they are doing you get the sense of true teamwork and comradery. Sharing in the same tasks, responsible for the same duties, adapting to each individual’s ability. It is important that we provide this opportunity for employment because our employees are of no lesser importance in our society. They have the ability to contribute and should. It is fulfilling to be responsible, to accomplish, to be recognized, and to have ownership whether you have a disability or not.
Our employees who work in teams cover all 7 days of the week, working Monday through Sunday. Some work 5 days, some 2, but each employee works a 6-hour shift in which they produce delicious baked goods such as muffins, cookies, bread, and cakes. If you ask them, their favorite room is the chocolate room where they make our molded chocolates for the holidays, dip oreo pops, cake pops, brownies, and more! Ellen was always told that people don’t expect your products to be good, they expect your products to be better than good. Which is why we use high-quality Belgian chocolate and do not add preservatives to our products.
During each individual’s workday, our job coaches are working on helping them meet goals for growth whether it’s hand-eye coordination, time management, communication, and during specific periods of the day they have the opportunity to practice, reading, writing, math, grammar, budgeting, conversation techniques, and meal planning. We give our employees the opportunity to try new things and the time to perfect those new skills. They also get to practice these skills outside of the workplace when we go to the laundromat, grocery shop, or participate in festivals in the area. We are always encouraging parents to practice these skills with their son or daughter at home and not just leave their growth to the workplace. The same concept applies when you are playing a sport or an instrument, you do not just practice when your team or the band gets together. You go home and practice on your own. We feel strongly about the continuation and practice of these skills outside of work to help each individual become as independent as possible.
With our dedication to the growth of our employees and their drive to want to be the best that they can be, we have had parents come to us with the realization that their son or daughter was capable of so much more and didn’t realize it till the opportunity was given to the adults to show that they were capable. Examples of such growth might be changing eating habits to be healthful, cooking a meal for their family every week, better hand-eye coordination, personal organization and cleanliness, living on their own, or better verbal communication.
I believe a month dedicated to celebrating the importance of hiring those with disabilities can bring awareness not only to businesses who might be unsure of hiring someone with a disability but even for parents who are raising a child with a disability. Imagine what an advocate those parents could be if they do not allow themselves or their child to hide behind their disability but instead focus on their strengths and help them become confident in their skills.
At Cameron’s, we try every day to bring awareness to the fact that they are part of our society just like those who are not disabled. It may be in the little things, like the open concept of our store welcoming the observation of our work and any questions one may ask or how happy our nondisabled workers are to share about the work we do.
Thank you again for the opportunity to share our story with you. Hopefully, I have brought joy to your day by telling you about the amazing people of our shop.
Follow my journey on Facebook, my Facebook Fan Page, & Instagram!
Kerry Magro, a professional speaker and best-selling author who is also on the autism spectrum started the nonprofit KFM Making a Difference in 2011 to help students with autism receive scholarship aid to pursue a post-secondary education.
Have Kerry, one of the only professionally accredited speakers on the spectrum in the country, speak at your next event by sending him an inquiry here. If you have a referral for someone who many want him to speak please reach out as well! Kerry speaks with schools, businesses, government agencies, colleges, nonprofit organizations, parent groups and other special events on topics ranging from employment, how to succeed in college with a learning disability, internal communication, living with autism, bullying prevention, social media best practices, innovation, presentation best practices and much more!
