Jake has been a part of Laradon’s Work Teams for the past two years. He is often described by staff and peers as “smart, funny and hardworking”.
Wherever the team finds themselves, Metro Caring, A Precious Child, or the ARC Thrift Store, Jake is always going above and beyond to complete the assigned task.
In summer of 2022 Jake expressed that he was ready for an independent job and wanted to join the Individual Employment program. Jake was paired with a job coach to apply for jobs.
After countless applications and interviews, Jake and his job coach felt defeated that they had not found a good match for employment.
At birth Jake lost ability to utilize his left hand, which made job searching more challenging. Jake took a small break from job searching in the fall but jumped right back in when the new year started.
As of middle of February, Jake was offered and accepted a job at Red Robin assisting with food preparation on weekends.
Jake’s dream job is to own a restaurant one day, so this was the perfect starting point for him. Naturally, Jake was a bit nervous for his first day, but knocked it out of the park!
Jake is responsible for pulling menu items from the walk-in coolers, sorting, portioning, and measuring to ensure the line cook is ready for the dinner rush.
Jake explained, “I really like this job. It’s not too hard or too easy. I remember what Dodge (his Work Teams staffer) taught me about opening plastic bags with one hand, so I can do it easily.”
All of Laradon’s Employment Services staff are extremely proud of Jake for finding the perfect job and never giving up! Check out these awesome photos of Jake in the kitchen!
Written by Anthony Miser, Program Manager, Adult Employment Services
