Safeway rated tops for people with disabilities
January 12, 2009
By Christopher Huber
Life Enrichment Options to present award at Chamber of Commerce meeting
Shoppers check out at the Sammamish Safeway.Photo by Christopher Huber
Managers at the Sammamish Safeway will have a chance to revel in their store’s recent recognition as the 2008 Sammamish Employer of the Year.
They will receive the award, presented by Life Enrichment Opportunities Jan. 15 at the Sammamish Chamber of Commerce holiday luncheon at Bakes Place at Providence Point.
The event is open to anyone who wants to buy a ticket, said Life Enrichment Opportunities board member Cathy Lamb, and will include the presentation of the first Sammamish Employer of the Year award.
The Issaquah-based organization, which works with developmentally disabled teens to find them employment, housing, transportation and community education, chose Sammamish Safeway for its outstanding work relationship with the special-needs population.
She said it was natural to start awarding Sammamish businesses, due to the organization’s growth in the area.
She thought it “would be good to spread that kind of awareness.”
Safeway was chosen after a month-long nomination process that ended Nov. 15, in which Sammamish businesses, residents and educators nominated area employers based on their hiring practices that helped developmentally disabled teens transition from high school to the workplace.
“We’re honored and obviously very pleased,” said Chris Smith, Safeway assistant manager. Sammamish Safeway, located along 228th Avenue Southeast, employs 182 people and 12 of them came through the Transitions program, Smith said. Transitions is a community-based program that connects students in the Issaquah School District Special Services department with local employers.
“These employees lead by example,” Smith said of the teens’ strong work ethic. “We’re just very happy to have the people we have and to have organizations like LEO that do what they do.”
Starbucks Pine Lake and QFC are among the other businesses with the most nominations, Lamb said. Some businesses offer internships for special needs students after graduation. Others, like Safeway, offer job training and long-term employment to the students.
“They’re just so excited to have a job and extremely grateful and full of energy and happy to be here,” Smith said. “I can’t tell you how much that inspires you.”
The teens come to Safeway through the Special Services program in the Issaquah School District, along with a job coach, Smith said.
As a new employee, the student gradually is introduced to the store and specific duties.
Over time, the job coach helps less and less, as the employee settles in to his routine.
“It becomes a place of belonging,” Lamb said. “For people to have that sense of accomplishment and place of purpose and belonging, it’s even more important. Often they’re the most dependable and longstanding employees.”
Parents founded Life Enrichment Opportunities 20 years ago, at a time when developmentally disabled students came out of high school with almost no employment opportunities, Lamb said.
The parents personally lobbied area businesses to hire their children.
Since then, the organization has partnered with construction companies to build group homes for the young adults and it sponsors annual community forums to explore their needs.
It also recognizes three Issaquah-area businesses and works with the Issaquah and Sammamish Rotary clubs to provide annual events for children with special needs, according to the group’s Web site.
As the group has been working, they’ve noticed that awareness of, and opportunities for developmentally disabled people have grown.
“Over time, the climate is so different now,” Lamb said.
Tickets to the luncheon are $25 each. Space is limited. Bakes Place is located at 4135 Providence Point Dr. SE in Issaquah. Go to www.sammamishchamber.org to register.
“We’re just very happy to have the people we have and to have organizations like LEO that do what they do.”
– Chris Smith,
Assistant manager –
Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or at chuber@isspress.com.
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