For Ni’Yanna at Opportunity Zone Day Program, a job sampling program at Grandma Emma’s Bakery in Maplewood became much more than a Jobs Club activity. “I knew right away that I wanted to work there,” she says.

Fittingly, it soon became her first job.

After completing The Arc of Essex County’s inaugural Jobs Club training program at Grandma Emma’s Bakery in Maplewood, Ni’Yanna was hired by the bakery and now works there every Thursday from 2:15 to 6:15 p.m.

Ni’Yanna has participated in several Jobs Club experiences, including job sampling at The Office Tavern + Grill in East Hanover and her current hospitality training at the DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton in Fairfield. But Grandma Emma’s quickly became her favorite.

During both her training and now as an employee, she has learned to help prepare lemonade, crumb cake, cookies, cinnamon rolls, and other bakery favorites. She also enjoys chatting with her coworkers and welcoming customers.

“Eric is amazing,” she says of bakery owner Eric Dawson. “I love working with him, and he knows so much.”

When she learned she had been hired, Ni’Yanna could hardly contain her excitement. “I was so excited I was bouncing off the walls,” she says.

Another memorable milestone came with her first paycheck, which she used to buy a birthday gift for her mother.

“It was the first time I could ever do that,” she says. “It made me very happy.”

Ni’Yanna’s success is a wonderful example of how Jobs Club’s community partnerships create pathways to meaningful employment, helping participants build skills, confidence, and independence along the way.

Do you have a loved one interested in attending The Arc of Essex County’s Adult Day Services?  Click here to learn more about our programs, and reach out to The Arc of Essex County’s Director of Day Services, Traditional Programming Kristina Olszewski to learn how you can enroll: kolszewski@arcessex.org or (973) 535-1181 ext. 1295.