Giving Tuesday 2023
Give the Gift of Employment to People
with Disabilities this #GivingTuesday.
Employment brings so much more than a paycheck.
It also brings an opportunity to contribute, better self-esteem, and the ability to take pride in a job well done.
Unfortunately, unemployment among people with disabilities remains high. As a result, many cannot live independently and must rely on benefit programs.
You can change this. By donating to PRIDE Industries this Giving Tuesday, you can help people with disabilities experience the independence and pride that comes with meaningful employment.
Your Gift Supports:
Your donations fund the programs that underpin the success for people with disabilities in the workplace. Some of our employment services and support programs include:
I-AM-ABLE Helpline
Donors help people with disabilities through the I AM ABLE Helpline, a free employment navigation service. PRIDE Industries’ Helpline Advisors provide information and guidance while connecting callers to employment support programs and other resources.
Paid Internships
Paid internships give people with disabilities and other barriers to employment the opportunity to learn the skills they need to succeed in their chosen careers. Internships also allow participants to demonstrate their abilities to potential employers, creating an easier path to employment.
Vocational Training
Many careers require specialized instruction and certification. Your donations provide a supportive environment for this essential training—giving people with disabilities and barriers to employment an opportunity to succeed in a competitive job market.
Assistive Technology
Your support goes to furnish assistive devices—such as software, hearing aids, and motorized scooters—that enable people with disabilities to succeed in the workplace. These critical aids can be expensive and are often not covered by health insurance.
Transportation
Reliable transportation is key to job success and independent living. Our fleet of buses transports people with disabilities who are unable to drive to work or medical appointments. We also use our bus fleet to deliver essentials such as groceries and medicine.
Job Coaching
Our specially trained Job Coaches provide a safe, well-supervised training environment using a person-centered approach. Your support of this important program ensures lasting success for both employers and employees with disabilities.
Because of You...
Jasmine overcame employment obstacles.
Born with Spina Bifida and confined to a wheelchair since toddlerhood, Jasmine Long is no stranger to challenges. But she’s also tenacious. In adolescence, she set three goals: get an education, get a vehicle, and get a job.
By age 22, she was well on the way to completing her educational goal. Yet, despite having experience as a math tutor and nearing graduation with her bachelor’s degree, her job applications had yielded no interviews.
Then her Department of Rehabilitation counselor told her about PRIDE Industries and our I AM ABLE Helpline. Soon enough, Jasmine began a paid internship—one that ultimately led to her current position as an employment specialist for the Ticket to Work Program. With her trademark tenacity and can-do attitude, she’s excelling in the role.
Sherryl was able to rejoin the workforce.
After an accident that resulted in multiple fractures and a traumatic brain injury, Sherryl worked hard to recover. But her challenges didn’t end after the hospital stays—reentering the workforce as a person with a disability posed its own set of difficulties.
Thanks to donations to The Michael Ziegler PRIDE Industries Foundation, Sherryl was provided with job coaches who worked with her to develop the skills she’d need to reach her career goal: a position as an administrative professional. They tested her on 50 different tasks in a simulated work environment and helped Sherryl review necessary office skills, including data entry, phone etiquette, and the use of common office software.
Once Sherryl was ready for employment, she joined PRIDE Industries’ proposal department as part of a five-month paid internship —also funded by generous donors. Right away, Sherryl impressed her coworkers with her excellent work ethic, and at the end of her internship, she was offered a full-time position as a proposal development assistant.
Chelsea took her first step towards building a career.
In 2019, Chelsea Davis was undergoing inpatient treatment for drug addiction. She was also suffering from severe depression and anxiety. For these reasons, Chelsea believed that employment was, for her, out of reach. Then a relative told her about PRIDE Industries and its employment services for people with disabilities.
Chelsea soon nailed an interview for a position as an EVS tech at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation California Health Care Facility (CDCR-CHCF). Ever since, she has been working at the facility as a PRIDE Industries employee.
“PRIDE Industries leadership and HR took me in,” said Chelsea. “They taught me, and they cared about me while I was still learning to care for myself. I had no work ethic and no hope to gain any, but they changed all of that for me. They have basically raised me in this area of my life.”
