To help fulfill our mission of employment for all, Work Opportunities Unlimited (WOU) partners with a variety of employers that provide a supportive work environment for our clients. A great example is Walgreens, a WOU Corporate Partner, which has trained and employed many individuals that WOU serves, including Ryan, who successfully completed the company’s training program and is now a treasured member of the Walgreens team!
Ryan started with WOU services in November 2024, supported by Career Resource Specialist Emma Samardzic. He had some volunteering experience, but he and his family sought direction to foster more independence for Ryan. Emma and Ryan got to work on a short-term Community Based Work Assessment, an exploratory tool used to help WOU identify which skills he already possessed that would serve him in his employment journey. Emma supported Ryan as he completed the assessment, serving approximately 20 hours at a busy local art gallery that supports individuals with disabilities’ creativity through art. Ryan worked alongside the receptionist to trial his office and customer service skills. He greeted the many gallery visitors, did some organizing and decorating, and assisted with a fundraising mail campaign.
L to R: Ryan and CRS Emma Samardzic
After the assessment, Emma and Ryan determined that he would enjoy further sharpening his job skills in a setting where he could have a variety of tasks and also keep his body active. Enter the Walgreens in-store training program, Retail Employees with Disabilities Initiative (REDI)! REDI’s aim is to help people with disabilities gain retail and customer service skills, with the ultimate goal of being hired as an employee. Emma met with Thais, the manager of the local Walgreens location, to discuss how Ryan’s current skills, time, and energy would positively impact the store and shoppers. Walgreens excitedly agreed, and over the next 3 months Ryan completed the REDI program, working 12 hours per week. He learned skills such as stocking, merchandising, cleaning, and customer service. Emma provided one-on-one support throughout each shift, guiding Ryan to check in with management for his list of tasks, gather all needed supplies, switch between duties, and differentiate between products when stocking more challenging items.
Emma and other members of Ryan’s WOU team knew he would excel at the REDI program, but they were amazed at how well he adapted to the role. “This was a completely new experience for Ryan, to build stamina and to learn so many new tasks,” says Emma. “He was always very positive, very persistent, and focused on doing his work well.” Ryan’s coworkers consistently praised his commitment to his tasks, how well-organized the store looked, and how caught up on unloading truck shipments they were. They knew they could count on Ryan to apply his strong attention to detail while stocking the more tedious product sections, like over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and cosmetics, where items are tiny and many products look alike. Ryan also enjoyed the sense of accomplishment he felt when completing tasks, particularly when emptying totes of merchandise during the stocking process. Emma says, “I think he enjoyed the physical, tangible proof that he completed something. He could see that his work makes a positive impact on the store.”
As Ryan’s REDI program experience was coming to an end, Emma approached Thais to discuss next steps. Unfortunately, reported Thais, despite Ryan’s fantastic performance, there were no hours available at the time to offer him a regular position. Ryan’s coworkers were not satisfied with this answer, so they rallied to advocate for his hire, and Thais conferred with Walgreens’ upper management. Emma and Ryan were thrilled when hours were made available to get Ryan on board. Unfortunately, they faced unexpected barriers in getting his application submitted and approved. Emma reached out to WOU’s Corporate Partnerships Coordinator Amanda Tosoni to see if she had contacts through Walgreens that could push progress in a positive direction. Within 48 hours, Amanda and REDI Program Coordinator Julie Cedrone were able to identify and resolve the barrier with his application, and Ryan was hired as a Walgreens Store Associate in November 2025! “What stands out the most to me is the collaboration behind the results,” shares Amanda. “Working closely with Walgreens allows us to see these positive outcomes again and again.” In fact, Ryan’s success has helped strengthen WOU’s partnership with Walgreens, as his store location has since accommodated additional long-term and short-term work assessments for other clients.
Ryan is happy and thriving at work and in his personal life as a result of his meaningful employment at Walgreens, incredible work ethic, and Emma’s support. He continues to expand his job responsibilities, learning tasks like pulling expired products from shelves and placing sales tags. He enjoys assisting customers, has friendly chats with coworkers, and he’s comfortable directing questions to a team member instead of solely relying on Emma for help. Ryan is also more independent, just as he and his family desired. Emma shares, “When we began working together, he lived with a roommate. Now he lives in his own apartment. He comes to work every day in uniform and well-groomed. He packs himself a snack for work each day, arranges his own transportation, and makes sure to show up to work on time. He is taking care of those tasks on his own. Ryan has really shown a lot of growth and a big jump in independence.” When asked how he feels about working at Walgreens, Ryan says, “Great!” Way to go, Ryan!
