We're proud of our participants!
Meet Nathan: Food Lion’s Fruit Ninja
With support from SOAR365's Supported Employment program, Nathan has built confidence, independence and a career that's opening doors for others. Nathan is a fruit ninja. At Food Lion, Nathan spends his days cutting watermelon, grapes, kiwi, blueberries, strawberries, oranges and more. "I got some ninja skills and I’m fast!” the 26-year-old says with a...
NDEAM: Creating Opportunities & Celebrating Talent
This National Disability Employment Awareness Month, SOAR365 is helping people with disabilities prepare for work, find jobs and build lasting careers. Every October, SOAR365 celebrates National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). We know firsthand that people with disabilities are talented, dedicated and valued employees. Yet, they often face...
How SOAR365 Participants Gain Job Skills at ARC of Hanover Thrift
Hands-on work experience builds confidence, independence, and employment readiness. (A shortened version of this story originally appeared in NEWZ.) ARC of Hanover Thrift is a busy store, full of clothes, toys, books, art, and all kinds of treasures. But for SOAR365 participants it offers an even greater gift. It’s a place to build confidence, practice job...
What Are Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS)?
When students with disabilities graduate high school, many families feel lost and wonder, “What comes next?” “The last thing I wanted was for him to be sitting at home watching tv all day,” says Charnette, Myles' mother. “That’s heartbreaking when you know he has so much more potential.” That’s why Charnette took a proactive approach, enrolling her son,...
Supported Employment Helps Tymon Shine at the Westwood Club
Community partnerships and SOAR365's Supported Employment build independence. Tymon may be quiet at first, but at work, his confidence speaks for itself. For the past year and a half, he’s worked as a dishwasher at the Westwood Club. He takes pride in his space, keeps things running smoothly, and shows up each day ready to do his job well. His path there...
Cheney Makes the Most of Opportunity With Walgreens
This story originally appeared in the 2025 SOAR365 Annual Report. Click here to view a digital version of the report. Through Supported Employment and the Walgreens Retail Employees with Disabilities Initiative (REDI), Cheney found the perfect fit and a team that believes in him. For Cheney, finding the right job was about more than...
More Than a Job – Mark Trains Toward His Dreams
*Please note: this story was originally featured in SOAR365’s Fall NEWZ publication. Click here to view the full newsletter. When you walk into the pool area at the Shady Grove YMCA, you might see Mark hard at work. He cleans the windows, checks the pool’s chemical levels, and makes sure the floor is safe and dry. But Mark is doing more than just...
Building Futures With Employment Services, One Pizza at a Time
How SOAR365 and Performance Foodservice are helping people with disabilities prepare for meaningful work. We love when learning can be fun…and delicious! SOAR365 Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) and Supported Employment participants recently enjoyed a special pizza-making class, thanks to our friends at Performance Foodservice (PFS). But this...
NDEAM 2025 Shines a Spotlight on Disability Employment at SOAR365
Each year, National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is a chance to recognize the talents and contributions of people with disabilities in the workplace. It’s also a time to learn how inclusive employment benefits everyone — employees, employers, and entire communities. At SOAR365, we’re proud to shine a spotlight on hardworking, creative,...
Timothy Finds Purpose and Community at RVA Goats and Honey
*Please note: this story was originally featured in SOAR365's Summer NEWZ publication. Click here to view the full newsletter. For Timothy Glasgow, working at RVA Goats and Honey quickly proved to be an experience that provides independence, confidence and a sense of community. With the help of SOAR365’s Supported Employment program, he has found a role...
Turning Over a New Leaf: Michael’s Path to Meaningful Work
A day in the life of a SOAR365 Supported Employment participant *PLEASE NOTE: This article was originally featured in the 2024 SOAR365 Annual Report Michael has a disability. He also has a passion for trees and power tools, like the log splitter he operates as part of his job at Camp Hanover. “He’s happy as a clam with anything that makes loud...
From Music to Marketing: How Pia Discovered Her Creative Career Path Through SOAR365
Meet one of our awesome Supported Employment participants – Pia! She is creative, kind, and loves learning new things. “Pia produces her own music. She writes all of the lyrics. It’s astounding!” says her SOAR365 employment specialist (or “job coach”) Lizzie Graham. Job coaches like Lizzie know our participants often have undiscovered talents or interests....
