Avni started out collecting and organizing hangers at Value Village, but thanks to Northwest Center job coaches and a supportive store team, he’s expanded his role.
“He had the social skills and interpersonal skills,” says job coach Ronda Noggle, “so we started with the basics: ‘What do you love? What do you want to do?’ The store team worked with us to develop Avni’s skills. Slowly but surely, using his ability to write the alphabet, we transformed that into words and then names, and then now he makes name tags for staff members and hands them out at staff meetings.”
“Avni just brings something to our team,” says Chris Harst, Value Village store manager. “Everybody’s always happy to see him. The benefits of an inclusive workforce, I mean, they’re endless,” he continues. “We hire people with different abilities and they fit right in.”
Learn more about our partnership with Value Village.
