Emma picked up a ruffled pink blouse from the stack of clothes waiting to be put out for sale, placing it on a hanger. Next, she grabbed a T-shirt and hung that one up with the other blouse, carefully making sure it was placed on the rack with the girls’ shirts. Dr. Edenfield praised her as they continued to sort and hang clothes together.
Once-a-week, Dr. Jon takes Emma to Spectrum Thrift Store on State Road 13, a special thrift store that encourages teens and young adults on the Autism spectrum and with other developmental disabilities to volunteer and possibly be employed at the store. Opened in January 2018, such a store has been a dream for mom Alisa Tillman who both enjoys collecting items and refurbishing used furniture and has an Autistic son that she wants to teach business skills and ensure he has a future career. She is accomplishing both by creating Spectrum Thrift Store, and, in the process, has also helped close to a hundred other children so far from ages 16 to 23.
Dr. Jon brings Emma to increase her skills and provide social interaction, another way of encouraging her growth into more independence. And just like with Dr. Jon, many other kids with development disabilities, whether from another therapy center, The ARC Jacksonville, Reach Academy or UNF’s THRIVE program, come to the store with a job coach or occupational therapist for on-the-job training to qualify for a future job. These are not counting the students with the Bright Futures Scholarship Program that volunteer with a “buddy” to put in their required community service hours.
Although wanting to provide an opportunity for her son, Lucas, “in case no one else did for him,” Tillman has also done that for others like two Reach Academy students Ethan Anderson and Ian McFather who are employed part-time at the store. “It just inspires me that I got the job,” Ethan Anderson, 16, said. Of the 30 students from ARC that have volunteered, Tillman boasts that seven have gone on to get jobs in other businesses and five are now working at Spectrum.
What’s even more inspiring is that out of the four students from UNF’s THRIVE program that has come to Spectrum, one keeps their accounting books and does their payroll during the summer, (you can see Carter Talbert presenting Tillman with her check on their Facebook page), while student Matthew Campbell set-up and maintains Spectrum’s electronics.
You can check out the bargains while helping a worthy cause any day of the week with Spectrum open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. And say hello to Dr. Jon and Emma as they make a fun task of learning some important marketing skills.
The store is open every day during the following hours:
Monday through Friday: 10 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Sunday: 11:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.