Chesapeake woman makes most of opportunities at Rax, TSI
Published 12:00 am Saturday, July 3, 2004
No matter how hard she tried, Stacie Waggoner could do little to hide her ear-to-ear smile.
Some people may find it hard to believe that the 25-year-old Chesapeake resident was so happy talking about her, not one, but two part-time jobs - at Rax Restaurant in Ironton and Tri-State Industries Inc. in Coal Grove.
"It has been wonderful. I love it. I absolutely love it," she said of her job at Rax, with that contagious smile that has become infectious to her co-workers. "I enjoy everything. The main thing I enjoy is just keeping busy."
For Stacie, finding the right job became a testament to her hard work and dedication.
Suffering from E. coli meningitis at birth, a needed surgery damaged her optic nerves leaving the young woman visually impaired her entire life, even despite corrective lenses. Stacie was declared legally blind a few years ago. She can see some but still has peripheral vision problems.
Though she could have given up, Stacie battled through it and used a magnifier to graduate from Chesapeake High School in 2000. Her disability did not stop her from trying to have a happy life. She began working at TSI in 2000 and took on a second part-time job at Rax in January of this year.
Stacie made the most of the opportunity and has not missed a scheduled day since. Performing a variety of duties including cleaning and preparation tasks, Stacie said she looks forward to working every day.
"I feel privileged," she said. "(Rax manager and owner) Rich (Donohue)
could have very easily said he was not interested."
Bert Cox, from the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission's Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired Portsmouth office that helped Stacie get the job, presented Donohue with a plaque Friday honoring the company for its commitment to helping individuals with disabilities.
But don't think that Stacie was just given something to do. She is an important part of the team who has never refused to do anything, Donohue said.
"She has a wonderful personality. She brings a very warm and caring atmosphere to us," he said. "She gets along great with everybody here and does an excellent job."
"This plaque right here says Rax on it, but it is really about Stacie," Donohue said. "If it wasn't for Stacie, we wouldn't be here."
So where does her hard-earned money go? A little bit of everywhere, she says with a laugh. She saves some, gives a percentage her church First Huntington Christian Baptist and spends a little on herself from time to time.
Rick Mann, a community employment specialist for TSI, works to help individuals find opportunities and make the most of them. TSI currently has approximately 25 individuals working within the community, not including the contract services.
TSI provides transportation to the jobs when needed, helps with training and visual aids and more to help the individuals reach their potential.
"In Stacie's case, all she needed was a chance," Mann said. "A lot of these individuals can reach their full capabilities if they are just given a chance."