Spotlight on VarietyWorks – Teddy’s Story
Several years ago, Teddy, age 20, came to Variety looking for help finding employment. Teddy and the team worked together to place him in a Work Based Learning Experience, similar to an internship, at Kriebel’s Bakery, one of Variety’s Community Partners.
After the internship ended, Teddy decided to pursue other activities. However, a year later and now a high school graduate, he found himself back at Variety once again. This time, the team encouraged Teddy to participate in Variety’s Community Based Work Assessment to discover his interests. Once he entered the program, he realized that baking was high on his list.
Teddy pursued an open part time job opportunity at Kriebel’s Bakery since he had such a wonderful experience before. Today, he has been there almost one year. Colleen Kriebel, the bakery’s owner had this to say, “Teddy is a wonderful employee who is always ready and willing to do any job! We are so happy to have met Teddy through the VarietyWorks program and to have had the opportunity to hire him after he completed the program!”
Even though Teddy is very independent, each week he meets with his Variety Job Coach to discuss any issues or concerns he may have. As a result, he has been able to improve his interpersonal skills and the way he handles difficult moments on the job.
Recently, Teddy was featured on FOX 29 in promotion of Variety and Kriebel’s Valentine’s Day fundraiser! He will also be helping with an Easter Egg Fundraiser this month (more about that below!)
Teddy’s story is just one of many stories of young adults looking for support as they transition out of school and into the adult world. Here at Variety, we pride ourselves on offering a portfolio of vocational programs that are pipelines to employment in the community.
We are always in search of generous VarietyWorks Community Business Partners like Kriebel’s to help us continue to fuel our mission of enriching the lives of children and young adults with disabilities. To learn more about VarietyWorks or become a Community Business Partner, contact programs@varietyphila.org.
Read the rest of the March Voice of Variety newsletter here.
