Elizabeth Persists Through Challenges

Elizabeth joined Meadowlark Employment Services in November 2014 through our unique small group employment program. She worked for several years at our packaging facility and developed tools she would need to be placed into a community job. This allowed Elizabeth to work through behavioral issues in a safe work environment without fear of losing employment, to build a toolkit and to gain proper coping skills to manage her behaviors safely.

Elizabeth, with the help of her job coaches, landed a community job at Burlington Coat Factory in 2016. She did very well and gained more days per week, but began to struggle a bit before the COVID-19 pandemic when she faced some major life changes. Meadowlark's job coaches worked closely with Elizabeth and her team to make sure Elizabeth remained at Burlington, but the pandemic disrupted her schedule and her hours were reduced. She expressed her desire for more hours and that she really wanted to find a different job.

Elizabeth took the lead in the job search and in 2022 landed on JOANN Fabric & Craft, where she got a job working in the jewelry and ribbon section. It wasn’t an easy transition for Elizabeth because she was adjusting to some issues with medication, as well as to new expectations, customer attitudes and management. She faced some initial challenges but with Meadowlark's help, she was able to work through them and get back to achieving her goal of working more.

Elizabeth has grown as an employee through many barriers and has achieved a lot in the last year. Meadowlark continues to support Elizabeth in her employment goals and is honored to be part of her vocational growth along with her success.