By: Billy Kraus, Employment Counselor Service Area: Virtual PEERS courses throughout Virginia When I first began working with Dexter in December 2024, he was a bright, kind, and creative young man with a goal that so many of our students share. He wanted meaningful work, real independence, and a chance to contribute in a workplace where he could thrive. What he needed most was support building his confidence and strengthening his communication skills so he could feel prepared stepping into competitive employment. Through several months of Pre-Employment Transition Services and Situational Assessments, we were able to better understand Dexter’s strengths, interests, and needs. From there, he participated in our PEERS Social Skills course. This turned out to be a truly pivotal experience for him. During the program, Dexter practiced social awareness, communication strategies, and real world interaction skills. Over time, I watched him gain confidence, find his voice, and begin to truly b...
Quality Assurance with a Smile Through diligence and hard work by both Scott and his then job coach Kortney Cotton, Scott was able to secure employment with the Food Lion in Elkton, VA in early September 2019 as a Quality Assurance Specialist! Scott has had continuous employment with Food Lion for four months now, usually working two, sometimes three, shifts a week. Through his dedication and hard work, Scott has become a valuable team member to Food Lion, and says that he enjoys his job. Scott has a million-dollar smile which has engaged him with both co-workers and customers, he always works hard, he is punctual and reliable, he takes great pride in his work, and he epitomizes what a great employee should be! Scott’s parents, community, and Job Coaches are proud of his accomplishments!
Keaton and his grandmother, Faye | Source New River CC During the Fall of 2014, Keaton Hanks was a volunteer with a new and emerging consulting group in the Pulaski area of southwestern Virginia. Around that time, Keaton began working with his job coach at The Choice Group through Community Support Services. His objective was to gain employment as the consulting group's part-time administrative assistant by working on his customer service and administrative assistance skills with his coach, Caitlin Igor. Together they worked on phone etiquette, data entry, and in-person customer interaction skills while he was volunteering at the consulting agency. After several months of progress, Keaton was hired as the part-time administrative assistant at the consulting agency where he was volunteering! He and his job coach continued to work on reading and interpreting detailed instructions to complete data entry projects as well as advancing his already improved customer service skills. ...
Heather started working with Alyssa in May of 2019 when Alyssa participated in the DARS (Department for Aging & Rehabilitative Services) Pre-ETS program. Pre-ETS stands for Pre-Employment Transition Services. Heather and Alyssa continued to work together under DARS through situational assessments to try out various tasks. Two things were clear: Alyssa loves to help people and to follow a routine. In October 2019, she was hired at Stand Up Coffee! During assessments, it was determined that Alyssa does well with a rountine and likes to be around people or helping people. It was determined that Alyssa's preferences were to work on a sales floor or in a production type of position. Together, Alyssa and Heather made a list of employers in the town of Orange where Alyssa could get transportation. One day, while Heather was contacting employers to ask about open positions and discuss Alyssa's abilities, she called Stand Up Coffee. About 30 minutes prior to the phone ca...
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