Upward Mobility & Advancement Archives

Peckham’s Season of Giving

Posted In: AbilityOne/Source America, Quality Of Life, Services and Programs, Upward Mobility & Advancement

December 19, 2023

Peckham Giving Contributes $28K to Community Each year during the holiday season, Peckham commits to contributing resources and funds to support underserved individuals and families. This season, Peckham staff and board raised more than $28,000 to contribute to families in need; not only team members working at Peckham but veteran, and other underserved individuals…

Resiliency, Hope, and Faith Help Turn A Life Around

Posted In: Quality Of Life, Services and Programs, Uncategorized, Upward Mobility & Advancement

November 20, 2023

Angela’s journey unfolded against a backdrop of daunting challenges: teenage pregnancy, foster care, drug addiction, and homelessness. A teen pregnancy and subsequent baby adoption steered Angela back home to Lansing in search of family support. Instead, she found herself homeless and battling drug addiction. For seven years, her existence revolved around the desperate pursuit of…

Student Continues His Education in the Real World

Posted In: Quality Of Life, Services and Programs, Uncategorized, Upward Mobility & Advancement

October 27, 2023

Recently out of high school, Logan was eager to begin a career path that didn’t include further education. After being referred to Peckham’s Youth Summer Employment Program, Logan jumped at the opportunity to learn job skills and began a four-week internship at the Meijer store in DeWitt. When the internship concluded, Logan went through the…

With a Supportive Workplace, Deaf Staff Member Finds a Way to be Heard and Succeed

Posted In: 3PL and Fulfillment, Competitive Integrated Employment, Quality Of Life, Services and Programs

September 29, 2023

Janine’s employment journey before joining Peckham was challenging. Although she held positions at various companies, she struggled to maintain a full-time job. Between the typical obstacles that a deaf person faces in most workplaces and impending motherhood, Janine placed employment on hold for over 14 years. She was far from idle during that time, though:…

A Sudanese Refugee Finds A Home at Peckham

Posted In: Competitive Integrated Employment, Manufacturing, Quality Of Life, Upward Mobility & Advancement

August 28, 2023

Davis Burapa was born into an agrarian family in Sudan. He was told from an early age that his future lay in farming as it had for generations of people in his village community. The fact that Davis had a physical disability that affected his ability to walk unassisted bore no impact on these plans…

Using JAWS to Take a Big Bite of Success

Posted In: Call Center Services, Disability Advocacy, Upward Mobility & Advancement

July 25, 2023

As a blind person, April faced difficulties getting prospective employers to see past her disability. While applying for jobs, she secured plenty of interviews, but no job offers. It wasn’t until she was hired at Peckham – a company that actively seeks to employ individuals with disabilities – that she found a workplace where she…

Embracing Professional Development Leads to Career Shift at Peckham

Posted In: AbilityOne/Source America, Call Center Services, Competitive Integrated Employment, Upward Mobility & Advancement

June 21, 2023

Peckham’s team members provide essential products and services to government and commercial customers through our five lines of business. Some of our team members may have qualifying disabilities or barriers to employment and participate in paid job training programs. Staff positions play supportive roles to our team members. At Peckham, we firmly believe in creating…

Laura Doty – Not Shy About Speaking Up

Posted In: Call Center Services, Upward Mobility & Advancement

March 30, 2023

In 2005, Laura had been on social security disability for quite a while and yearned for an opportunity to, in her words, “do more and see what I could contribute.” With two cousins already working for Peckham’s Manufacturing division sewing military garments, she saw an opportunity to be hired as a sewer. Laura felt encouraged…

ROOTS Participant Finds Success Through Perseverance

Posted In: Services and Programs, Upward Mobility & Advancement, Vocational Rehabilitation

January 31, 2023

In 2019 Peckham launched Rising Out of the System (ROOTS), a vocational rehabilitation program for those recently released from incarceration. The program is a partnership with the City of Lansing and serves former offenders who are returning to Clinton, Eaton and Ingham counties. The ROOTS program offers individuals social support, such as food, clothing, and…

Three Degrees of Inspiration

Posted In: AbilityOne/Source America, Call Center Services, Competitive Integrated Employment, Upward Mobility & Advancement

January 3, 2023

Fifteen years ago, if you’d have asked Bernedette Jackson, a CSR in Phoenix, what she would be doing today, she certainly wouldn’t have said it would involve helping customers in a call center. Why? Because Bernedette has earned three degrees (her B.A., M.A. and Doctorate) in the field of education and assumed that her work…

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