Rebecca’s Café- Serving Inclusion
Jim Fuller, Manager at Rebecca’s Northeastern University location, explained that before Transitions to Work was introduced to him he had never worked with or managed a person of differing abilities. He was excited to hire Matthew Wolf in September 2013 and then Angie Wildman in August 2014.
Jim is thrilled with his two hires and their work ethic, as well as the impact they have had on the other Rebecca’ s team workers. Matt works afternoons and handles the dishwasher, trash, and making sure back of the house areas are closed up correctly. Angie is responsible for stocking shelves with chips, snacks, drinks and other products as well as busing and cleaning tables. Jim has enjoyed watching each of them grow in their work, gain confidence, make friends with colleagues and customers, and take more initiative in handling additional tasks after either completes their assigned roles, “Matt and Angie take great pride in their work and accomplishments”. Quiet when they arrived, both are now quick to jump in and ask “what more can I do”. Jim raves about Jewish Vocational Service and the support provided to help with transition or learning new skills, “JVS is phenomenal and responds instantly with advice and coaching”.
Having Matt and Angie as part of the Rebecca’s team has also helped other colleagues grow as well. Many staff members had never worked with an individual with differing abilities. Jim has mentored the staff about inclusion, teaching and leading by example through interactions with each other and Matt and Angie. Jim says mentoring Matt and Angie has improved his overall management skills with all of his employees recognizing differences in learning and working styles. “Working with Transitions to Work has been a phenomenal experience”.
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Transitions to Work continues to connect with new employers to educate on inclusive hiring and build employer partnerships. Please let us know if you or someone you know might be interested in exploring Transitions to Work as a fit for your or their company. We appreciate the leadership of our employer partners in hiring individuals of all abilities for employment opportunities. Please support these companies and spread the word by joining Transitions to Work on Facebook at www.facebook.com/transitionstoworkboston. To learn more about Transitions to Work or view inclusive hiring tools, please visit: www.cjp.org/transitionstowork.
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