Things that warm your Heart
A job for Jackie
While munching on his lunch at a McDonald’s restaurant one day in Alton, Ill. (pop. 30,496), Jackie Morris noticed an elderly couple nearby and offered to take their trash to the waste can. “My parents and grandmother taught me to be polite to people,” explains Morris, who suffers from a mental illness and has cared for himself since his parents died in 2001. He didn’t realize anyone noticed his act of kindness until the restaurant’s general manager, Mike Bold, approached to ask if he worked for him. “I said, ‘No, but I’m looking for a job,’” Morris recalls. Bold told him to come back to the restaurant on Friday and they’d fill out the paperwork and, as Morris says, “the rest is history.” The 47-year-old has worked at McDonald’s for three years, sweeping floors, wiping down tables and making sure napkins, straws and lids are stocked on the condiment table.
“When Jackie called to tell me he’d gotten a job offer himself, I was surprised,” says Kelly Schillinger, his job coach at Challenge Unlimited, a nonprofit organization that helps people with disabilities find work. “But when he told me what he did that led to the job, it didn’t surprise me at all, because that’s just Jackie. That’s how he is. He’s a person with a good heart.”
The effects of Morris’ simple goodwill gesture didn’t stop there. Four McDonald’s operated by Bold’s family have since hired 15 other people served by Challenge Unlimited, and Bold has received regional and state awards for his willingness to hire people with disabilities. “It’s been a huge ripple effect,” Schillinger says. “It just shows how a simple act of kindness can affect other people’s lives. Because of Jackie and his kindness, a lot of other people have found jobs, too.
( Taken from American Profile )
Happy Hump day everyone!
A job for Jackie
While munching on his lunch at a McDonald’s restaurant one day in Alton, Ill. (pop. 30,496), Jackie Morris noticed an elderly couple nearby and offered to take their trash to the waste can. “My parents and grandmother taught me to be polite to people,” explains Morris, who suffers from a mental illness and has cared for himself since his parents died in 2001. He didn’t realize anyone noticed his act of kindness until the restaurant’s general manager, Mike Bold, approached to ask if he worked for him. “I said, ‘No, but I’m looking for a job,’” Morris recalls. Bold told him to come back to the restaurant on Friday and they’d fill out the paperwork and, as Morris says, “the rest is history.” The 47-year-old has worked at McDonald’s for three years, sweeping floors, wiping down tables and making sure napkins, straws and lids are stocked on the condiment table.
“When Jackie called to tell me he’d gotten a job offer himself, I was surprised,” says Kelly Schillinger, his job coach at Challenge Unlimited, a nonprofit organization that helps people with disabilities find work. “But when he told me what he did that led to the job, it didn’t surprise me at all, because that’s just Jackie. That’s how he is. He’s a person with a good heart.”
The effects of Morris’ simple goodwill gesture didn’t stop there. Four McDonald’s operated by Bold’s family have since hired 15 other people served by Challenge Unlimited, and Bold has received regional and state awards for his willingness to hire people with disabilities. “It’s been a huge ripple effect,” Schillinger says. “It just shows how a simple act of kindness can affect other people’s lives. Because of Jackie and his kindness, a lot of other people have found jobs, too.
( Taken from American Profile )
Happy Hump day everyone!
posted by Joe | 7:56 AM
4 Comments:
What a wonderful story!
Now, you know you've got me in tears, buddy, on this one! My brother, as you know, had the same heart as Morris. I've always, and forever, admired employers who hire these special angels. My brother's last job before he passed away, was sweeping the parking lot at a local steak house. He loved his job, and it was the very first one he stayed at long enough to earn a week's vacation! He was so proud and we were so proud of him.
((HUGS))
Just stopping by to wish you a Happy New Year!!
A kind deed is rewarded.
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