Jenny's 2023 Fundraiser for Achieve

Achieve, Inc. offers practical paid work experience under the tutelage of mentors enabling program participants to acquire marketable job and life skills. Achieve's programs develop self-confidence and a sense of self-worth, reducing tendencies towards anxiety and depression. Program participants develop into a qualified work force while exposing the community to their abilities, creating acceptance and tolerance.

I am so passionate about Achieve and it's importance to this underserved population that I left a good-paying job at the County in order to devote all my time to the organization's development.  Below is a video that further explains my motivation.

Letter from a Program Participant's Parent

The below is an excerpt of a letter from another parent that helps explain the impact of Achieve's programming.

"As I am sure you probably know, [my son] is on the Autism Spectrum, with a dash of anxiety and ADHD thrown in for good measure. It can be tough as a parent to imagine how our special needs child will eventually fit into the workforce. Will my child understand the responsibilities he will have? Will his coworkers just think of him as a weirdo and steer clear of him? Will he have an employer who is patient and kind and accepting of my child's differences? 

The Little Engine Eatery gave both my child and me a glimpse of what is waiting for him! I hope to make it clear just how positive of an experience it was for [my son] to work with you over the summer. Having the job helped me to see a more mature, more responsible side of my son. He gained a newfound confidence that I have not seen in him before. He opened his very own bank account with his checks. 

I am just so thankful to you for recognizing the need for a place like The Little Engine Eatery. Thank you for providing a safe place for these special young people to work and gain experiences that I as a parent would not know how to give my son."