Ray Graham Association matches businesses with employees

June 13, 2013 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- Despite employment challenges among people with developmental disabilities, many agencies work hard to find jobs for their clients.

Ray Graham Association is one organization that has been successful at finding hundreds of jobs for people with developmental disabilities. Ray Strzewski, 33, works at Porter Supply Company in Addison.

"I work in the back room," Strzewski said. "I started here eight years ago."

Jim Porter is the president of Porter Supply Company.

"He has a long list of duties that he does every day, and he does a great job for us," Porter said. "What Ray gives us so much, so many people take from him every day. He's a breath of fresh air. Every one of the employees knows him very well. He gives us a lot he really does."

Ray Graham CEO Kim Zoeller said Ray Graham has partnered with hundreds of companies over the last 30 years.

"Our team of employment specialists and job developers work really hard to build partnerships and relationships with area companies and what our goal is to identify job or careers that are available and talk with the people who we support who has disabilities and find out who might be best at what job and then make the match," Zoeller said.

"My father sat on the board of directors for Ray Graham back in the 70s, which was my first involvement with them," Porter said.

Earlier this year, Ray Graham started a new program that specifically trains people with disabilities to learn all the different types of jobs within the retail industry.

www.ray-graham.org/

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