Employ 50 individuals with Disabilities in Texas

Best Buddies Jobs Program – competitive employment for people with disabilities

Six Month Report

Marking our halfway point of this grant investment in Best Buddies Jobs participants, we are excited to share that 45 participants have been successfully placed in Texas with another 16 in active development where they are honing their skills, participating in mock interviews, establishing their credentials with the Texas Workforce Commission and exploring potential career opportunities. We are proud to say that we have already achieved our goal of impacting 50 individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. And we are excited to serve even more!

A highlight of our program has been a partnership with Credit Union of Texas. In fall of 2022, someone overheard me speaking about Best Buddies at a restaurant grand opening. They wrote a phone number down on a piece of paper and said, “Call this person. They will support your efforts.” It was the number for the CEO of Credit Union of Texas (CUTX). He connected me with members of his team and our partnership was instantaneous. The head of the CUTX Charitable Foundation brought a table of people to our Gala and called two weeks later, still in tears over our mission moment. She shared that CUTX had a program dedicated to hiring people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) as greeters at every branch of their bank. One of their staff was reaching out one by one to various high school teachers to look for potential employees. We entered into an exclusive partnership to recruit, place and train transition age students (18 – 21) for the CUTX greeter positions.

The greeter position at CUTX is the perfect opportunity for a first job experience for our participants. For people with disabilities, the average age they are asked what they want to be when they grow up is fourteen…. the same age their neurotypical classmates are already choosing between Fine Arts and STEM! To be able to have a job where they learn accountability, appropriate attire and most importantly, where they develop and hone their social skills, is truly innovative.

Perhaps the most amazing testimonial to this collaboration came from the Community Engagement Officer at CUTX at our Gala where he spoke about another CUTX employee, Bryan. “I’m the proud father of a child who processes things differently. He had a very hard week dealing with medication. He was actually contemplating not even being here. So, what I did that week, I kept him very close and put my arms around him. I just so happened to go to one of our branches to meet Bryan. Bryan doesn’t even know this, but this is the effect he had. While driving home my son was very quiet. He said, “Dad, you work for a bank, right?” “Yes, son, I do.” “Your bank will hire people like me?” And I said “Yes, we do.” My son said, “You know what? That’s amazing!” It’s really important that each and every one of you know that YOU are the ones that work daily to be the best that you can be. Bryan, you are the future. CUTX is here to serve the community and we appreciate you.”

Finally, we continue to be inspired by the companies who purposely hire people with disabilities. One of these is the luxury brand, Gucci. Ritika has been with Best Buddies since the sixth grade. Now she is 26 and told her story as the mission moment at our Houston Gala.

“Welcome to the future, everyone! My name is Ritika, and I’d like to share how Best Buddies has had such a great impact on my life.  

Around this time last year, I was still looking forward to finding a job through the best Buddies Jobs program! Today, I am proud to say that I have found what I was looking for. I am now working for Gucci with the most amazing team! 

Just so you all know, this opportunity did not come overnight. My journey in finding a job has been a long time coming and I have worked extremely hard over the last three years on developing my skills and setting goals for myself, all of which have led me here.  

When Britney became my employment consultant with Best Buddies,she and I discussed what my career goals were and what my dream job was. While she kept these things in mind, she also helped me understand what might be realistic. Together we found the perfect mixture in a job that was right for me and we were able to bridge my dreams with a new reality. 

That reality happened to be an opportunity for me to work for Gucci – not everyone’s typical first-time job. This humbled me, because I know that not a lot of people with disabilities, like me, get these opportunities for work. And not a lot of people in general get to work for a luxury brand. I never thought I would be breaking both of these barriers.  

But I didn’t do it alone. Like I said, I am working with the most amazing team and all of my colleagues at Gucci, they have made me feel so welcome.  (Ask Gucci table to stand)

As you can see, these people are amazing, and they make me feel so valued. This is the first time someone with a disability has joined their team, and I feel like I am thriving being able to learn from them, but I also know that they are learning from me at the same time. We all collaborate so much and communicate with one another very well. Having such a positive work environment has allowed me to grow my skills, which I know will help me achieve my long-term career goal of working in an office-setting one day.  

I want to make this speech a little more interactive. Can I have the appointed tables please stand. [PAUSE TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO STAND]  

Everyone take a look around.

The tables standing make up only 15% of this room and that’s how many people with disabilities currently have a job. The rest of you who are sitting represent the other 85% of people with disabilities that are unemployed.

For a long time, I was a part of that 85% and I felt hopeless, but it is because of Best Buddies and Gucci that I now have hope for my future, and that is something that I want more people like me to have as well.

I want to thank all of you in this room. It is because of your generous donations, your time, and your supportthat our organization is able to make an impact and create a more inclusive society that benefits everyone.”

Our participants in Texas work an average of 22.95 hours with an average hourly wage of $13.05, both above the national average for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Best Buddies has been able to not only secure these integrated and competitive placements, but also provide opportunities for our participants based on their own interests and goals. Employers include the typical retail and customer service positions, but also positions in education, healthcare, and recreation.

Thank you for your investment in our mission of inclusion for people of all abilities!