Independent, Motivated and Going Above and Beyond: Jeremy’s Story
Every day, United Way of Central Alabama and our network of more than 70 partner agencies and programs impact individuals throughout our community. This story comes from Arc of Central Alabama, an organization that provides services to over 700 people with intellectual disabilities in two Alabama counties.
Jeremy began working at the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Mountain Brook as a steward in January 2018. During his tenure there, he has grown both personally and professionally and says he really enjoys his work. Jeremy believes it is the responsibility of a father and husband to always take care of his family, which is his driving force. He says his nine-year-old son is the most important thing in his life and he wants to uphold the responsibility of taking care of him. Jeremy explained that his job at Grand Bohemian allows him to pay his bills and afford what his family needs while helping them enjoy life together. In short, Jeremy counts this job as a blessing.
After experiencing an accident, Jeremy believes his job is a second chance that God has given him, for which he is so thankful. We asked Jeremy what this job has helped him achieve and he told us that he feels his memory and organizational skills have improved. Further, he feels more confident and recently was able to take his son on a 13-day road trip to Canada! Being able to provide this opportunity for his son made him feel like a “regular dad.” His son added that his favorite part of the trip was staying at a hotel with a big swimming pool, staying up and watching movies with his dad and eating all kinds of sweets!
Jeremy is more independent and motivated, but most importantly, he loves to hear his son say, “I am so proud of you, Daddy.” Jeremy’s supervisor at Grand Bohemian consistently reports that he does his job and does it well, often above and beyond.
Jeremy is just one of 175 individuals in Jefferson and Blount counties empowered by, and employed through, The Arc of Central Alabama’s Employment Program. We help them strive to become equal, contributing and valued members of their communities.