NDEAM 2012: Establishing Gainful Employment and Respect – The GEAR Foundation

NDEAM 2012: Establishing Gainful Employment and Respect – The GEAR Foundation

By Dave Krikac, CEO & Founder, Our Thrift Store, a program of The GEAR Foundation 

For my entire life, I have been a go-getter. I was born with a LOT of energy for SURE. Working in various fields throughout my life, from the police force to marketing to airplane building, my experiences have given me an extensive resume. Job security was never something that I worried much about, as I was confident in my ability to keep a good job – but one day, I was thrown for a loop that changed everything. 

In 2003, I was let go from my job as a result of the economic downturn, and soon realized that finding a new job was not going to be simple. I dedicated my time and efforts into securing a job for myself; but shortly thereafter, I had the revelation that my job was actually to secure a job for my daughter, who is autistic and found nothing but dead ends after her high school graduation. This change of heart came on strongly and suddenly, and my wife, Sandy, and I began to pursue the possibilities of this endeavor. 

Creating a job for Sara (or Princess Sara as she prefers to be called) quickly turned into a mission of creating jobs for other special adults in the community. We discovered that our family was not the only one who had been discouraged in the search for job opportunities for our special needs family member. The majority of available jobs tended to be things that were “left over,” the least desirable and those that paid minimum wage. There were very few environments that provided the nurturing and love that could build Sara and her friends up and give them dignified work – and we knew that that needed to change. Hence, The GEAR (Gainful Employment and Respect) Foundation was founded. 

Since 2004, we have created jobs for multiple special needs neighbors in the area. We started out as a 7,000 square foot donation-based thrift store, appropriately called “Our Thrift Store,” and have been expanding ever since. We now have more than twice that amount of space, an entire furniture/appliance store and a fulfillment center, where we run an eBay business for employees with mobility issues, and complete fulfillment projects for local businesses. The outpouring of support from the surrounding community has been overwhelming, and we are constantly restocking the store with donated items from clothing to couches. The “stuff” that we receive gets converted into much needed jobs during the procedure of processing the items. We strive to provide a loving and fun environment, where our employees earn a sense of self respect, responsibility and ultimately, independence. 

Among our employees, we also have had many success stories. One example is our friend, Chris. At his last job washing dishes, he never spoke. He never engaged with the people around him or said a word to anybody during the work day – he just washed the dishes and went home. Well, that is hard for us to believe, because since working here, he has completely come out of that shell and his personality shines through all day long. He has even decided to be in our first Christmas production and volunteered for a solo singing part! The impact of a loving work environment has absolutely changed his demeanor. 

Another success story is Robert. When he came to work with us, we were told that he had an extremely low IQ and would never be able to drive, much less live independently. He has sure proven those assumptions wrong! Currently, he is our computer expert, drives himself to work every day and even lives on his own in an apartment close to work. All he needed was someone to go the extra mile in building him up, and now he is self-sufficient. 

Since I had the blessing of being let go from my job, God has made the path clear as to what I should devote my efforts to and has completely had his hand on this venture. The ability to love and build up these adults, who many times are overlooked, has been something more fulfilling than any other corporate job, and we continue to see the impact on a daily basis. 

For more information about The GEAR Foundation and Our Thrift Store, please visit www.OurThriftStore.org.