2008 CBLN Symon Award Winners          

EMPLOYER of the Year:

Nominees:

•        Attorney General's Office

•        Allstate Call Center

•        YMCA

Winner:

Allstate

Allstate Call Center.   Cheryl Crawford, who was a client of both the Division of Vocational and Magic City Enterprises had tried in vain to find work and was not successful.  The outlook was so grim that Cheryl even contemplated moving to Tennessee to live with her brother and look for work there.  It took some convincing for Cheryl that things would get better.   Allstate call center was part of a collaborative employment effort along Magic City and DVR when they first opened in Cheyenne and t first Cheryl expressed a great deal of skepticism when being urged to apply for work there, even though she had similar work experience.

Initially we received a phone call from Tasha Bell who is with HR and she stated that Allstate would have a computer ready for Cheryl's and would schedule her for training. DVR assisted Magic City Enterprises to job coach Cheryl. Again, there was some resistance from Cheryl as she was adjusting to a new work environment. Eventually with the encouragement of the staff of Allstate, Cheryl developed into a superb worker.  She was on time, took an active role in learning the responsibilities of her job and was willing to ask questions if she didn't understand.

The staff at Allstate even offered to continue to pay for the costs of any supplemental training even after her case was closed with DVR.  They truly have an understanding of the challenges that persons with disabilities face in the arena of employment. 

I am happy to report that Cheryl continues to be successful at her job and enjoys her work.  She was one of the first visually impaired people in the State of Wyoming to become proficient in many of the programs and software utilized by Allstate. Again, all of this would not be possible without the assistance of Allstate.

Therefore, it is my privilege and honor to recommend Allstate as employer of the year. They have truly excelled at meeting the challenges of employing persons with disabilities and are a role model for other businesses in the community to follow.

EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR:

Nominees:

•        Linda Torres - Magic City Enterprises 

•        Barbara McKenzie - CRMC

•        Prapee Temple - YMCA

•        Keylee Lovercheck - YMCA

•        Cheryl Crawford - Allstate Call Center

•        Alma Schlosser - Western States Learning Corp.

•        Adeena France - LifeCare  

•        Monique Rodriguez - Eileen's Cookies

Winner:

Cheryl Crawford- Allstate Call Center - I would like to nominate Cheryl Crawford as employee of the year.  Cheryl has had an incredibly difficult journey to achieve the success that she now enjoys.  Initially she has worked for 5 years before the
business that she worked for folded and left the state. She had tried
unsuccessfully when applying for other employment.  She almost contemplated
leaving the state and considered living with her brother in Tennessee
and looking for employment there. Others did not give up and encouraged.
Cheryl to continue looking for employment with their assistance.
When initially approached with the prospect of working in the Allstate call center there was some anxiety and trepidation.  Cheryl wasn't sure that
accommodations could be made for her and was concerned about her ability to complete the training. With the assistance of Magic City enterprises, Vocational Rehabilitation and Allstate, Cheryl gradually eased into her job. All three entities were able to train Cheryl in learning the necessary skills she would need to be a successful employee.

Cheryl now looks forward to her job and her self esteem and her
motivation have improved drastically.  She is truly a team player and
enthusiastic worker. Cheryl was one of the first visually impaired people in the State of Wyoming to successfully use the technology utilized by Allstate. 

This truly attests to Cheryl's can-do spirit and work ethic. Therefore, I am recommending that Cheryl Crawford be nominated for employee of the year. 

Military Employee/Veteran 

Nominees:

•        Carla Winkler, 90^th Command Operations  Group

•        Jeff Teasley, Volunteer at VA Medical Center

Winner:

Jeff Teasley Jeff Teasley is a Navy Veteran who has been described as "The Original Energizer Bunny", a person who roles with the punches with everything in life, and feels best when he is helping others.  Jeff was a stay-at-home dad and has spent most of his adult life helping others, including volunteering at Gilchrest School and Central High, particularly helping mentor with the football teams. He has been a role model to many young people including his three sons, and wife Cathy. In his role as volunteer today at the VA hospital, he works tirelessly to help fellow veterans and spouses to fight for and receive veteran benefits they are entitled to. He has self-knowledge of the VA benefits system and is more than willing to help others find answers and advocate for them. He was just recently selected to represent the Cheyenne VA in a conference in Washington, DC to train on more ways to help the local VA help veterans. He is also a past member of the Mayor's Council on Disabilities, where he was an advocate for American Disabilities Acts regulation.  Despite spending most of the past three years in a chair as the result of degenerative spine complications, he is always upbeat, willing to help and make life better for others.

Spirit of the Cheyenne BLN:

Nominees:

•        Darrell Hamilton - Magic City Enterprises

•        Brenda Oswald - Alliance for Self Determination

 Winner:

Brenda Oswald One of the most passionate advocates for people with disabilities in the entire state, Brenda Oswald, has spent most every waking moment of the last ten years dedicated to her ambition of giving self-determination to people in Wyoming with disabilities.  Among her many and  tireless accomplishments are: She was instrumental in establishing the Wyoming Youth Leadership Forum in 1999, enabling over 175 young adults to gain leadership skills; She has worked with self-advocates to teach them to speak for themselves and raised public awareness across the state, especially to policy makers; she was the Executive Director for the Governor's Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities for ten years, growing the scope and development of the council to what it is today; she helped develop the Crossroads Media Campaign - a weekly radio show and magazine that has reached over 23,000 in Wyoming, bringing awareness and advocacy at many levels across the state;  Brenda was instrumental in the passage and implementation of the People First Language Bill that was implemented in Wyoming this year. Brenda has recently taken her passion for working with people with disabilities to a new level by founding the Alliance for Self Determination, which provides services for people utilizing child, adult and ABI waiver programs.  Brenda was also an advocate and supporter for the initial funding seed money for the Business Leadership Network start-ups in both Cheyenne and in Evanston. Brenda and her entire family are supporters and advocates for all aspects of helping people with disabilities, in the true Spirit of the BLN.

Director's Choice

Winner:

Sierra Trading Post

The first nominator said:

 Sierra Trading Post hired several clients and are always open to exploring possible matches for clients strengths.  I know of 2 clients who are hearing impaired and currently working in the return department earning well above minimum wages plus benefits.  They also hired a client who has autism and has promoted him after he completed college classes and who is now working as a digital graphic technician, also earning good wages.  They always have time to discuss clients and are very worthy of being selected as Employer of the Year.

The second said:

If your staff has not recently attended a training program for disAbility awareness for co-workers and customers, or you do not have a disAbility awareness program with your HR resources, you can schedule a training class to be held at your place of business.

Let the BLN deliver professional instruction to help your staff provide quality customer service to people with disabilities and fellow employees with disAbilities.  To schedule a training session, please contact Marla Lewis at 631-8012, or email at wbln@vcn.com  Training is complimentary for BLN business partners, members, and sponsors, and at a low cost of $5.00 per person for non-BLN members.