Meet Pete

Pete lived with his parents until they both passed away.  Until then, he’d not been involved with any type of service provision.  Pete was born in 1952 but did not begin receiving services until 2003.

When service providers first began working with Pete, they assumed his primary goal would be to attain a residential placement. However, the Customized Employment Provider recognized that Pete could offer a number of professional contributions that would make him a valuable asset in the right workplace.

Through the use of Customized Employment, Pete’s employment services provider learned that he had a strong work ethic and would go out of his way to help others. In exploring both potential employment and residential placement, they discovered that Pete cooked, cleaned, took care of his lawn, and helped his neighbors. It was important for him to find a job where he felt like he was helping people.

Pete was able to obtain employment at a local grocery store. Pete assists at the front end of the store with bagging and customer service. He helps elderly customers shoulder the load of their groceries from the store to their cars. This, in itself, has helped the business note an improvement in overall customer relations.

Pete’s provider also learned through this process that he didn’t just want to live on his own; he wanted to own his own home. They worked with Pete to shop for available homes and identify a mortgage broker who could help him with financing a mortgage.

Owning a home increased Pete’s interest in gardening. He now keeps a “mini farm” in his back yard. Pete grows zucchini, tomatoes, watermelon, and various other fruits and vegetables.

Discovery and Customized Employment helped lead Pete to a job which he has held for 15 years. In 2017, Pete was honored with a community service award by the mayor of his town for all the volunteer work he has done to help make his community a better place.

This story was submitted by InVision Human Services in Wexford, PA.