Shelley Lozier’s cerebral palsy never stopped her from learning to play the piano – by ear! But it did present challenges that other high schoolers didn’t have. She yearned to be more independent, and to find a job she loved.

Two programs provided by Easterseals Redwood put her on the path to success.

Through Project LIFE and Project SEARCH, Shelley gained the confidence she needed to try a series of jobs to determine the work that suited her the best. With the help of her job coach Randy, Shelley learned that her upbeat personality and strong work ethic made her perfectly qualified as a courtesy clerk at Kroger.

Shelley not only loves her job, she exceeds at it – bagging groceries, pushing huge stacks of shopping carts, cleaning the store, and returning items to the shelves.

The customers, and her co-workers appreciate her personality. “I like helping people. Sometimes I tell a joke or two and the customers say, ‘well that brightened up my day’!”

Shelley’s store manager describes Shelley as “one of the hardest workers we have. She always pushes herself to go above and beyond, and we love having her on our team.”