Success Stories
Dream of Medical Career Fulfilled
Strong Will, Quick Scooter Make A Good Messenger
As a high school student, Cathy Cherry received a terrific offer from the State of Maryland: Financial support for the rest of her life.
The Developmental Disabilities Administration said it would provide almost unlimited funding to help her live as independently as possible, such was the severity of Cathy’s cerebral palsy. The officials never thought she would work.
So, Cathy turned down the offer. She had a sharp mind and high hopes for finding employment.
Over the next 12 years, those hopes waned. Cathy couldn’t find work on her own. When her parents retired to the Lower Shore, Cathy came to work at LSE. There was no funding for her services, but the agency’s management felt confident that they could someday win Cathy another offer of funding.
Cathy alternated her days of working in the production department with days spent volunteering at Peninsula Regional Medical Center. There, she fulfilled a childhood dream of working in the medical profession. Rolling through the halls of the hospital center, she carried lab reports and other documents in the basket of her scooter. Traveling faster than most people walk, she became part of the lifeblood of the testing system.
After two years, the State of Maryland renewed its funding offer. She received a new scooter and expanded her volunteer schedule at the hospital to five days a week. She has donated over 7810 hours of volunteer time.
She still needs a staff member to visit the hospital several times a day to help her in and out of her scooter. With this modest bit of support, she fulfills a dream and the hospital gains a productive volunteer. The good times roll.
Cathy recently moved into her own home.
Inside Works
Salisbury University's Dining Services department proved how workers with disabilities compete and win in the market for jobs. When the department advertised 20 job openings at the start of one semester, it received over 300 applications. In the end, six of the workers hired had disabilities and were represented by LSE. Those six workers beat over 280 other applicants for those jobs.
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