Meet Tony
TWISTED TACO WELCOMES TONYTony at Twisted Taco.jpgThe Twisted Taco at VCU is preparing to welcome a new employee! Tony has been a participant in SOAR365’s Supported Employment program since before the pandemic, and he has been patiently waiting for his chance to shine. Tony’s longstanding interest in kitchen work kept him focused as he and Leo Castro, his...
Meet DeAngelo
At SOAR365, it’s important to us that our Supported Employment participants with disabilities not only find work, but that they find the right job for them. Sometimes the journey is a winding one. When DeAngelo first came to Supported Employment, he had previous experience doing laundry — so a job cleaning bedding and other materials at the Richmond SPCA...
Meet Dori
Chris Martin, Director of Employment Services, established SOAR365’s partnership with Underground Kitchen and its non-profit arm, UGK Community First. To date, UGK Community First has delivered over 175,000 healthy, nutritious meals to food insecure communities in the Richmond metropolitan area while prioritizing disability employment. SOAR365 is happy to...
Meet Jeff
A few years ago, Jeff was working at a local grocery store, and while it was a good environment, Jeff was not thriving. In fact, the job seemed to be perpetuating some of the behaviors associated with his autism. When the 29-year-old was referred to SOAR365’s Employment Services to help acquire career skills and find the right job in the community, he met...
Meet Dylan
No matter where he is, Dylan’s smile lights up the room. And so, when he’s a work, his smile lights up an entire warehouse! That’s because Dylan works at Brandito, a local supplier of corporate apparel and promotional marketing materials, where he is an e-commerce warehouse associate and helps to prepare orders to ship to clients. Dylan started working at...
Meet Leo, SOAR365 Job Coach
Leonardo Castro brings his friendly, positive outlook and love of hip hop to everything he does at SOAR365. As his career has moved him from Miami to Austin to Richmond, he’s displayed a continuous passion for empowering people from marginalized communities. Whether mentoring his students within the school system or working with nonprofits to teach digital...