THE DETERMINATION & MOTIVATION OF A KIND SOUL

Community Employment Success Story. Meet Andrew Schumacher

WRITTEN BY DEBORAH RILEY

Determined, motivated to succeed at everything, conscientious, shows integrity in everything he does, and kind soul are all words used to describe Andrew Schumacher. Andrew has worked at Gervasi Vineyard in Canton since May 2022. He started as a busser in the outdoor Piazza and has since moved to The Bistro now that the Piazza is closed for the season. Andrew says when in and gets to work in the break room, polishing silverware. He then takes the silverware to The Bistro and heads back downstairs to fold linens. In between, he cleans tables in The Bistro to get them ready for customers and carries the buckets of ice. At the end of his work day, he clocks out before heading home. Andrew takes his job very seriously and shows the utmost professionalism when working, even when family and friends stop in to dine.

Andrew says he did not work with a job development provider to find his job. In fact, the owners of Gervasi are family friends, and they approached Andrew about working. Andrew started working just two days a week but is now up to three days for a total of about 18 hours per week. Andrew says when he first started working, his job coach helped him with learning new skills, such as how to clear off the tables while bussing.

Andrew’s favorite part of the job is being busy. He enjoys working at Gervasi a lot because he likes to get things done and see a lot of his friends. According to Andrew’s mom, he has made so many friends at work, and his work friends always walk him out at the end of his shift when he is picked up. The staff at Gervasi have always been so supportive, respectful and accommodating to Andrew, treating him like family. The most challenging thing for Andrew is when he has downtime because he likes to stay busy, and he doesn’t like it when not a lot of people are there. Andrew’s Autism Therapist, Susan, has worked with Andrew since he was very young and also serves as his job coach as well. Susan says,” [Working at Gervasi] has been such an excellent experience for him. He’s truly an amazing and hardworking person, and it’s wonderful to see him recognized for that!”

When Andrew is not working, he stays very busy! Andrew attends Clearview Developmental Services Day Program one to two days a week, works out with a trainer four days a week, and is working on learning how to drive. In addition to working out, Andrew is very health conscious and loves healthy eating. Andrew is motivated to succeed at whatever he does, always giving 100%. You only have to show or tell him something once, and he will get it right every time after! I know we’ll continue to see great things from Andrew.