Shawn’s Everyday Success
Story by Support
Professional, Megan Eggers &
contributions by
Service Coordinator, Amy Hoekstra
We often think of “success” as a
person achieving a goal they had
been working towards for a long
time. For example, taking that
long-saved-for vacation to
Disney World or moving into a
community apartment for the
first time are this kind of
success. While these are
important moments in a person’s
life and should be celebrated,
sometimes it’s the everyday
things a person does that truly
define success and happiness in
life. This is a story about
Shawn's everyday success!
Shawn has been working at the
Olive Garden Restaurant in Sioux
Falls since July 2005. Shawn is
competitively employed, which
means he works without any
support or job coaching from
South Dakota Achieve.
It’s
the employees of the
Olive Garden who
support Shawn at
work. Shawn is
somewhat of a
jack-of-all-trades,
rolling silverware
in the morning and
helping the kitchen
get set up for the
day. After the
restaurant opens,
Shawn helps get ice
water ready and will
also help the
servers with
whatever they need
to succeed. He can
be found bussing
tables or maybe
helping wash
dishes. His
supervisor says that
he is a good guy
with a good
attitude. Shawn is
always positive, in
a great mood, and a
pleasant person to
work with. He likes
to laugh and joke
with his
co-workers.
Everyone who knows
Shawn has good
things to say about
him. Shawn says, “I
like the people I
work with. They
treat me really
nice.”
Shawn’s
co-worker,
Bret Gabert,
had this to
say about
Shawn:
“Shawn helps
out quite a
bit. If
anyone needs
a hand, he
is always
willing to
help. He
sees what
needs to be
done and he
just does it
without
needing to
be asked.
He gets more
ice,
glasses, and
rolls
silverware.”
One of
Shawn’s
supervisors,
Mel Larson,
said, “Shawn
is pretty
much willing
to do
anything we
ask him to
do. He’s
always
happy. He
comes to
work in a
good mood
and smiles
and giggles
as he is
working.”
Mel also
says he’s
gotten to
know Shawn
as a person,
saying,
“Shawn’s a
big St.
Louis
Cardinals
and Green
Bay Packers
fan.”
Mel also
said that
when Shawn
came to the
company
picnic at
Cherry Creek
Park last
summer, he
proved
himself to
be a great
volleyball
player…better
than many of
the other
employees.
Shawn can
often be
seen riding
his bike
around town.
During the
summer, he
rides his
bike to and
from work.
In the
winter, he
takes the
city bus,
but he’s
saving for a
car. Shawn
already has
his driver’s
license!
Shawn not
only works
in the
community,
he
participates
in several
activities
within Sioux
Falls and
the
surrounding
community.
He bowls on
a league at
Empire Bowl.
He
participates
in Special
Olympics
bowling,
basketball,
and
softball.
He took a
trip to see
the
Cardinals
play in St.
Louis and is
now saving
money to see
a Packers
game in
Green Bay
with his
dad. Shawn
wants to
learn to
play the
guitar and
takes
lessons
every week
to help him
improve.
Shawn lives
in a
supervised
apartment
with support
from SD
Achieve
Support
Professionals
as needed.
Shawn is
independent
in most
things like
cooking,
shopping,
grooming,
etc. He
just needs a
little help
sometimes to
stay focused
and get
things done.
