Employment Services - Community Employment

Robert - Josh Early Candies
It is evident from the moment you meet Robert that he loves his job at Josh Early Candies.  When you are finally able to pull him away from his work to learn why he enjoys it, the answer is clear:  “They’re like my family.”

As Robert takes you on tour of Josh Early, he’ll show you the wonderful candy treats he helps make every day but what you’ll remember is the glowing introduction he gives each of his co-workers as he makes his rounds.  And what you can’t miss is the natural camaraderie and respect Robert’s co-workers have for him.  He’s one of the team, one of the family.

Robert, a 22 year old from Allentown, started at Josh Early Candies more than a year ago as a shy young man who never had a job before.  Having recently graduated from high school, this was the first time Robert was taking steps towards personal independence, away from school and family.  And there were a lot of new challenges Robert was eager to face.

From navigating public transportation to learning time management to ensure he was at work on time, Robert met every challenge head on.  Robert and his Via job coach started by learning the ropes at Josh Early.  Robert’s every day responsibilities include cleaning the front show room where all of Josh Early’s candies are sold and general upkeep of the factory.  Through a few weeks of job training, Via helped Robert master his job responsibilities; conquering public transportation was next on the list. 

Robert’s Via job coach helped him identify the bus route which would take him from his Allentown home to Josh Early, Monday through Friday, and then back home again.  After riding the route for a few weeks with his Via job coach, Robert was confident he could manage the 40 minute long ride and two transfers on his own.  And so it was time for the Robert’s Via job coach to begin “fading” by spending less and less time with him at his job, challenging Robert to rely on himself and look to his co-workers for guidance and support.

Fast forward to a year later: Robert’s Via job coach checks in with him once every two weeks at Josh Early.  The once daunting bus route has become second nature to him.  Robert’s job responsibilities continue to grow but he will tell you he really likes to help make candy.  From sifting the topping for nonpareils to pouring chocolate on pecan nut clusters, Robert takes pride in making the highest quality chocolates to satisfy the sweetest sweet tooth in the Lehigh Valley.

Robert’s family is proud of the independence he has gained and how he wasn’t deterred by any challenges he had to overcome.  And Robert’s new income is helping take care of his mother and grandmother.  Because of dedication and hard work, Robert has his own income, is enjoying his independence, and has a whole new set of co-workers and friends. 

Robert made a commitment to Josh Early Candies on the day he was hired and he continues to fulfill that commitment.  And Josh Early made a commitment to him, to provide a good job with steady pay and co-workers that embrace him as part of the team.  Via is proud to help create success every day in Robert’s life and for hundreds of others across the Lehigh Valley.

Travis – CVS
Travis, a student at Bangor High School, wanted to be sure he was prepared for adult life after school. Bangor High School brought Via’s Community Employment in to begin working with Travis through a process called discovery, providing him opportunities to volunteer and job shadow in the community before graduation.

Discovery allowed Travis to explore his interests, skills and likes in the community. Through this process, Travis narrowed down his interests and likes to continuous interaction with people and organization. He narrowed down his job shadow sites to two, and CVS was one of his choices. Travis learned much more than organization and communication skills at CVS; so much so, that while he was job shadowing, a manager approached Travis about his interest in a job.

Travis’ hard work and dedication earned him a part-time job at CVS. He stocks store inventory, provides customer service and helps keep the store organized. He also uses public transportation independently to get to and from work three days a week.

Travis stays busy outside of work and school, volunteering two days a week at Slatebelt Rehab, assisting the secretary at his church, and volunteering at the Bangor High School athletic office two days a week. Travis’ community has grown because he stays involved and busy and his opportunities for success continue to grow with his dedication to volunteering and love for his job.

Bruce – Cigars International
Bruce started working with Via while he was still in high school and preparing for graduation. After doing packaging and production work as part of his school work experience program, Bruce wanted to pursue the same type of job after graduation and set his sites on working for Cigars International. Cigars International gave Bruce the opportunity to participate in a work assessment to explore his likes, strengths and abilities. After two days, Bruce performed so well, he was offered a part-time job filling orders on the fast-paced packaging line.

Cigars International has a close-knit culture and, from the day he started, Bruce was embraced as part of the family. His coworkers and supervisors have been very supportive and were quick to recognize his talents and capabilities. In particular, his manager, Bob, saw Bruce’s abilities and went out of his way to provide opportunities for him to learn additional responsibilities. Not long after starting his job, Bruce learned how to make shipping boxes by hand and operate an automatic box-making machine to produce boxes of various sizes at a high rate of speed. Bruce excelled in this area and was offered this as his permanent position with an increase in hours.

After five months on the job, Cigars International offered Bruce a full-time position, mostly due to his hard work and manager’s support. Bruce has found Cigars International to be a great place to work and his coworkers have made him a part of the team. They also consider him a friend and look out for him; one coworker recently noticed his form of transportation to work, his bike, was old and not working well. This friend gave Bruce a new bike so he could continue to ride to work safely.