Local business recognized for employing disabled

Brandon Sisson and Shannon Buracker agree that the best thing about working at Homemades by Suzanne is the food.

Most days, you'll find them busy in the kitchen, along with the rest of the staff at Homemades by Suzanne's Ashland store.

Sisson makes crab cakes. Buracker washes dishes..

"I've made a lot of friends here," said Buracker, 27, of Henrico County.

"It's fun to make food all day," said Sisson, 24, of Hanover County.

Buracker and Sisson, who have worked at Homemades by Suzanne for seven years, have developmental disabilities.

They found their jobs through the Hanover Community Services Board, which helps residents with disabilities find employment. Their job coaches with the local agency -- Torrie Goodman and Roberto Chavarria -- check on them regularly.

Homemades by Suzanne was honored this month with the Small Employer Award from the National Association for Persons in Supported Employment, a 2,500-member organization founded in Richmond in 1988.

Members submit nominees for the awards, which are given in nine categories to business or people who advance equitable employment for people with disabilities. Categories include a Large Employer Award as well as awards for entrepreneurial and best practice efforts.

Forty people or companies were nominated for awards this year.

"We have never received a national award," said Suzanne Wolstenholme, who opened Homemades by Suzanne, an eatery and catering service business, in 1983. She also has a location on East Franklin Street in downtown Richmond.

Last year, her business received the statewide Small Employer Award from the Virginia APSE.

Goodman, the community services board's senior employment specialist, said Homemades by Suzanne exemplifies the spirit of businesses that employ disabled individuals, which is simply "open-mindedness and a willingness to help their employees succeed and strive for their goals."

Goodman, who wrote a nomination letter for awards on behalf of Homemades by Suzanne, said she is working with more than a dozen people with disabilities who are either employed or seeking jobs. The agency currently assists 68 people who are employed with local businesses.

"The whole point of the program is to make them a part of the business . . . and to make them an equal to their peers," she said.

Buracker and Sisson are an integral part of the daily routine at Homemades by Suzanne, Wolstenholme said.

"They are here every day," she said. "They want to work."

Sisson received a degree in culinary arts at J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College. One of his main jobs at Homemades is to make crab cakes. He has memorized all the recipes for his job.

Buracker's main job is dishwashing -- "and that is no easy task," said Wolstenholme.

She also is handy with other tasks around the store and is known for her hugs.

"You can never get too many hugs from Shannon," Wolstenholme said.

Contact John Reid Blackwell at (804) 775-8123 or .