"DORS Was Helpful at Every Step"

 

 April/December 2019 - ​Quinn heard about DORS from a family friend and applied for services, receiving his first career assessment in February of 2018. Things moved quickly from there.

Mindy Potter, DORS Easton VR Counselor: “Quinn came to DORS with no work history. He went through Work Readiness II​ and the CVS partnership program at DORS' Workforce & Technology Center (WTC). Quinn then did an externship at a CVS in Baltimore [September 2018] and they were so impressed with him and wanted to hire him."

However, Quinn, who lives on the Eastern Shore, wanted to find a job closer to home. So, he worked with his WTC Employment Specialist, Rosemary Adu, and she assisted him with applying for a position at the CVS on Kent Island. Mindy Potter: "The Baltimore CVS where he did the externship even called and recommended him. He was hired and is doing great at CVS!" 

Quinn started working as a Floor Associate at the Kent Island store in December of 2018. His duties include placing sales signs, unloading the truck, stocking shelves, doing recovery, and first and foremost, customer service. "I like the fact that I'm helping people," Quinn says, "and I have a good balance of face-to-face and time when I'm working on my own."

CVS Kent Island Assistant Manager, Sherri Gibbons, says Quinn is doing a great job. "He's very good with customers, he's very engaging and jokes with the customers. And he has a lot of responsibilities and knows when to ask for help."

The training program that Quinn attended is the result of a partnership between DORS' WTC, the Community College of Baltimore County, and the CVS Health Workforce Initiatives team. It is a 10-week  retail training program for people with disabilities, and is designed to train participants to work in a retail setting, such as a CVS store. Several classes have graduated since the program began in January of 2018 and DORS is now working with CVS on a pharmacy tech apprenticeship program. 

Quinn's excellent performance at his job got the attention of the CVS Health Workforce Initiatives team and he has been featured in two new CVS Abilities in Abundance: Our Continued Commitment to Inclusive Employment videos. The six minute video​​ is on YouTube and the twelve minute video is on Vimeo. 

As for next steps, when we last checked, Quinn was working on getting his drivers license. DORS had assisted him with drivers education, so he reported that he was working on keeping his on the road skills sharp, and looking forward to taking the test.

Quinn says DORS helped him become successfully employed. "I had been trying to get a job and nothing was helping. I went to DORS in February and I had a job by December! DORs helped me get the skills and a foot in the door. It absolutely made a difference!"