In late April, Julia received a call from one of our participants, Chaz, who wanted to nominate his Business Development Specialist—Jackie—for an award.
“He said he wanted to give her recognition for all the hard work she has done on his behalf,” Julia recalled.
No one who knows Chaz will be surprised at the selflessness of his gesture. Since we began working with him in 2017, we’ve witnessed his longstanding commitment to helping others. He sits on five different community boards, has organized donation drives for the homeless, and volunteers regularly with organizations serving people with disabilities, all while balancing the demands of two different jobs.
“Chaz has an incredibly kind soul and does everything within his power to serve his community,” said Jackie, the CIS job developer whose work Chaz wanted to celebrate. She’s been working with him since last August, helping him build his skills and resume as he looks for a job that will enable him to further serve his community. In the meantime, he’s been working as part of the Event Staff for both the Philadelphia Eagles and Temple University’s Liacouras Center.
Chaz made an impression on Jackie from the get-go. “During one of the first few meetings I had with him, he brought a binder with at least 20 letters of recommendation, awards, and certificates of service. We went through these, and he told stories about how he obtained each one. Hearing these stories, and hearing everything that Chaz has been through to get where he is today was inspiring. I always leave my meetings with Chaz with a smile.”
Jackie’s admiration for him is matched only by Chaz’s gratitude for Jackie’s work on his behalf. When asked why he wanted Jackie to receive recognition Chaz said, “Because of all the work she’s done for me. She is always looking out for my best interests.”
One thing Chaz appreciates most about Jackie is the way she listens, and her commitment to helping him get the job of his dreams. “She really hears me when I tell her about the work I want to be doing—working in an office, helping my community, or [helping] other people with disabilities. I used to work in a supermarket and I didn’t want to go back [to a job like that]. She works hard to find you the best job, not just any job.”
Seeing the way Chaz goes above and beyond for others makes Jackie want to do the same for him. When Chaz told her that for his birthday this year, he wanted to help at least 100 homeless individuals in Philadelphia, Jackie helped him get the word out. Beginning in January, boxes in the CIS office began filling up with food, clothes, toothpaste and First Aid items as part of Chaz’s donation drive, and he hopes to deliver around 100 backpacks filled with donated goods to Philadelphia’s homeless as soon as it is safe to do so. His commitment to local communities has earned him a Brighter Futures Self Advocate Award for DBHIDS Philadelphia, and a scholarship from the Mayor’s Commission on People with Disabilities to attend Temple University’s Academy for Adult Learning. “Chaz is without doubt an inspiration to everyone who works with him,” said Jackie.
While the pandemic has put much on hold, Chaz and Jackie have continued to meet weekly via FaceTime or a phone call to go over job applications and practice for interviews. Jackie has also assisted Chaz with other projects he’s at work on, like the one-page version of his life story he was asked to write for a new project that Temple University is at work on. Jackie is also helping Chaz study and take practice tests in preparation for the ServSafe Certificate exam. The test is administered by the National Restaurant Association, and reflects expertise in best practices in all areas of food preparation and delivery. “Whenever I meet with Chaz these days, he always comes with a smile and a positive attitude,” said Jackie.
He’s also full of surprises: during a recent call with Jackie, he informed her he had to “wrap things up soon” because he had a Zoom meeting with a Philadelphia Eagles player. “Chaz said this in such a calm, cool, and nonchalant fashion I couldn’t help but giggle,” said Jackie. Several hours later, Jackie received a screenshot of Chaz talking with Malik Jackson and two other Eagles, who have been holding Zoom calls with Eagles employees during the pandemic to boost morale. It was just another day in the life of this truly remarkable individual.