10/15/2024
We love this! 🫶🏻
So happy to have you as part of the Kalan team Frank & CJ!
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and a key part of ensuring “Good Jobs for All” is by connecting youth with disabilities to work-prep resources as early as possible.
Meet Frank, a CIS participant and a full time employee at Kalan LP. We first met Frank as a high schooler enrolled in Project Career Launch, one of our School-to-Work Transition Programs that equip youth with disabilities with the skills and experience to make a successful transition to the working world.
After successfully completing Project SEARCH and graduating high school, Frank was hired at Kalan LP in April 2021 as a full time employee, and he’s worked there ever since. Initially, Frank was trained to operate a magnet pressing machine. Recognizing the importance of self-advocacy, he proactively sought additional responsibilities, allowing him to explore various roles within the organization. Now, he’s become the go-to person for a variety of additional tasks, and his willingness to contribute beyond his initial position is highly valued by both management and his coworkers.
Frank loves his job at Kalan, and has integrated seamlessly into this environment. Each day during lunch hour, he makes rounds to chat with coworkers, who he began drawing as superheroes, showcasing his artistic talent. Now his artwork is proudly displayed throughout the warehouse, with his coworkers superhero portraits adorning their office doors.
A big thanks to CIS’s Jennifer Rice for sharing this story. We’re so happy to see Frank finding success in a job he loves, and want to give a big shoutout to Kalan LP for providing a work environment where everyone can thrive.
[image description: three men pose for a photo inside a warehouse interior. Frank stands on the left, wearing a green polo as he smiles towards the camera]
