Stories

Today's highlight for #SpotlightOnCLT Autism Awareness is all about ZABS Place,  a "thrift boutique where potential is found". ZABS Place employs young adults with special needs or, as ZABS likes to say, special talents.  We spoke with Bentzion Groner, Executive Director about the store, and why she thought to find talent where no one else thought to look.

What would you like the community to know about the challenges your organization is trying to solve?

As indicated in our name, we see ourselves not as a Shop or Employment Facility but as a “Place” where everyone feels welcome, valued, and that they belong. Our goal is to bring dignity and a sense of purpose to individuals with autism and other disabilities. In a world where people can choose to “unfriend” others and where ignorance most often generates bias, not learning, we are working to create opportunities to intersect and introduce different segments of the community. We are raising Ability Awareness and empowering our community to help build a more inclusive world. 

What is your organization's role in the community?

ZABS Place strives to be a stepping stone for those especially talented young adults who don’t yet have the polished skills to pursue their aspirations. We are focused on building a network of local businesses who have a heart for helping our ZABS Talent take their special talents to the next level. 

We love impact stories, could you share some?

Meet “Erica”, who has both Autism and a genetic syndrome that causes intellectual and developmental delays and affects her fine motor skills. Erica dreams of working in a medical environment where she can “wear scrubs and do important things to help people.” Erica can be a hard worker but she can also give up when things get tough. Early on she learned that saying she can’t do something means someone else will step in to do it for her, she became a pro at that technique. When Erica joined our ZABS Talent-in-Training Program in 2019 her go-to saying was, “I can’t do it, I give up!” Then she learned that at ZABS Place we don’t give up. We take breaks, we find tools to help, but we work until we prove that we can do it! Slowly we saw her change. We learned that Erica is fiercely independent and would rather not have help, that’s why she preferred to give up. We taught her techniques she can use to get assistance and still do her work independently. Now she’s focused and is a great worker. She was even overheard reinforcing herself as she worked independently saying, “Keep up the great work.” Her skills and her attitude continue to improve and we consider her an exemplary Trainee!

About the image pictured above: ZABS Place Talent Rebecca Graduating ZABS Place

Contact: Bentzion Groner

bentzion@zabsplace.org

SHARE Charlotte Nonprofit Profile: ZABS Place