If you can dream it, you can do it!

Almost three years ago I reached out to the director of ZABS Place because I was so impressed with what they were doing and had to be a part of it. Every Talent-in-Training that joins ZABS' program is looked at as the unique individual that they are. They're trained in areas of their interest, not just what is traditionally available to them. Fast forward to now, and I have my dream job as the head job coach at ZABS Place. I get to bring individuals with Special Talents into our program, help train them in their areas of skills and interests, and set them up for meaningful employment in their dream jobs throughout the community!

I truly wish that I could bottle up the excitement that I get when a Talent masters a skill in an area that they are actually interested in or when I get to tell a Talent things like they will be learning how to work with and care for exotic animals through their training in our program. For most of our Talents, and outside of ZABS Place they are never given the chance to explore these skills or job tasks. Here are just some of the things that our Talents are currently learning: bookkeeping, accounting, event planning, exotic animal care, graphic design, and route mapping. Yeah-they all impress me every day. And want to hear the best news? IT WORKS! We have lots of individuals who are currently working their DREAM JOBS! What kind of places are they working at? That's a great question! We have Talents working at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, at a Horse Farm, and a specialty car part place-just to name a few.

As a non-profit, we rely heavily on donations and people sharing our mission with others. That's where the Pajama Walk comes into play! The Pajama Walk is our annual fundraiser that raises money for two nonprofit organizations – ZABS Place and our sister organization, Friendship Circle. Friendship Circle provides peer friendship opportunities for children and teens, while ZABS Place is of course a thrift boutique offering on-the-job training to make meaningful careers a reality.

Now, you're probably wanting to ask how do I get involved? Good news! There are lots of ways to help out!

Want to donate? Great-you can click the link to Donate!

Want to volunteer? Great-you can click the Volunteer link from the bottom of the home page!

Want to join as a corporate partner? Great-you can click the link from the Sponsors page!

Want to tell everyone that you've ever met about this? Great- you can share this page!

This is a truly amazing organization that is obviously near and dear to my heart, and any share or donation means a lot!

Thank you for helping us make dreams come true!