A GOOD DEED INDEED AND A GOOD CHANGE FOR SURE.
Shoppers Drug Mart has stood out for the first time, not just for the high quality of products and customer service, or the high quality of “prices”, but for the high quality of humanism. It’s a quality which, generally speaking, is becoming rare in humans these days.
One Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacist, Jag Maghera, has simply displayed this unique trait by one of his deeds. He recently hired a young man with Down syndrome.
This indeed is an act to be applauded. In this exceptional decision of hiring a person with Down syndrome as an employee, Mr. Maghera was not alone; his management, including his store manager, Trevor Evilly, and assistant manager, Harry Phu, stood by him. Along with the management, the whole staff welcomed this special employee with wide open arms.
This very special young person is, Adam Wright, who is 20 years old and has recently graduated from his special High school. He was hired to work at the store as a merchandiser.
Jag Maghera has his point of view of hiring Wright, “It isn’t some kind of a lab test. I thought of Adam as a perfectly normal kid. He is strong and responsive and above all neat and takes care of himself…He has brought his own unique personality to the store and everyone just loves him. And he loves everyone in return.”
“I just love it, love it here” says Adam.
“He repeats some words twice when he is emphasizing anything”, says Brittany, one of the supervisors at the store, “You should listen to him when he calls Harry, ‘hairy Harry’, because of Harry’s longer kept hair.”
People with Down syndrome are really sweet and sensitive by nature. They are not comfortable with seeing anyone in pain. “You should’ve seen Adam when there was an accident right in front of our store, he was so worried about the injured that he stood outside to talk to the paramedics just to make sure no one was hurt”, said Jag Maghera.
A person waiting in line is Adam’s priority even if he is working on the floor. He pages some one immediately. He is eager to learn anything new. The happiness and the glow that comes to his face when he does something on his own are angelic.
“Me did it”, Adam would say and hug you. If an employee is sick at work he would come and try to help him or her with what ever he could. “He would offer a hug and a massage at the same time”, says Brittany, “he truly is an angel.”
For those who don’t know what DS is, in a nut shell, according to the Kid’s Health Organization, it’s a medical condition in which an extra genetic material (chromosome) causes delay in a way a child develops and often leads to mental retardation. It can be detected by doctors even before or after the birth of such a child. These kids have similar
facial features like an upwards slant to the eyes, small ears and an enlarged tongue. Down syndrome is named after the British doctor John Langdon Down who first described this condition in 1887. However, in 1959, an extra chromosome was identified as the cause. It affects 1 in 800 babies (www.kidshealth.org/parent/medical/genetic/down_syndrome.html).
This positive attitude of the store staff is appreciated by the customers too. According to the CSI survey, an independent system of evaluation conducted for services provided by Shoppers Drug mart, most of the customers for the store # 735 ( Maghera Pharmacy), are actually appreciating Magera’s decision to hire Wright. Initially, 60-75% of the customers participating in the survey had good remarks for the store. Bravo!
“It’s good to see big companies like Shoppers hiring kids like Adam. I really admire you guys when I see someone patiently training him”, said Mrs. Jean Wilson, a regular customer.
This kind of positive response from the community is important in order to bring adults and youth with DS out of their enclave to be a better and, most importantly, a regular part of our society.
For this Shoppers Drug mart store just one person has brought such a spirit of caring and compassion to all the employees as a whole, which surpasses any customer service in the store. The store employees, rather than feel pity or bad about him, they have actually learned a lot from him. Many others would consider hiring Wright a legal requirement or an act of pity, but for Maghera and the staff it has really become a blessing and a learning experience. They have truly grown from this lesson of being around someone with DS, which in no way is his weak point.
The customers as a community have responded well too. They have come to enjoy the assistance they get from Adam Wright.
Mr. Maghera could have hired someone who would classify as ‘normal’ to others and would be seen as ‘more useful’, the new employee has really taught the employees and customers something that may be any other employee couldn’t have done.
We are so possessed with every thing or rather anything that brings ‘change’. American presidential candidate Barak Obama has his whole campaign based on this slogan of ‘change’. For Maghera’s store, the change that looked a bit difficult to be accepted brought a new life to the store which is truly a fresh breeze of changed atmosphere for the store and the community. And for Adam Wright not something for ' special needs kids' but a dignified job like all other kids his age has , definitely a good change.
.
Shoppers Drug Mart has stood out for the first time, not just for the high quality of products and customer service, or the high quality of “prices”, but for the high quality of humanism. It’s a quality which, generally speaking, is becoming rare in humans these days.
One Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacist, Jag Maghera, has simply displayed this unique trait by one of his deeds. He recently hired a young man with Down syndrome.
This indeed is an act to be applauded. In this exceptional decision of hiring a person with Down syndrome as an employee, Mr. Maghera was not alone; his management, including his store manager, Trevor Evilly, and assistant manager, Harry Phu, stood by him. Along with the management, the whole staff welcomed this special employee with wide open arms.
This very special young person is, Adam Wright, who is 20 years old and has recently graduated from his special High school. He was hired to work at the store as a merchandiser.
Jag Maghera has his point of view of hiring Wright, “It isn’t some kind of a lab test. I thought of Adam as a perfectly normal kid. He is strong and responsive and above all neat and takes care of himself…He has brought his own unique personality to the store and everyone just loves him. And he loves everyone in return.”
“I just love it, love it here” says Adam.
“He repeats some words twice when he is emphasizing anything”, says Brittany, one of the supervisors at the store, “You should listen to him when he calls Harry, ‘hairy Harry’, because of Harry’s longer kept hair.”
People with Down syndrome are really sweet and sensitive by nature. They are not comfortable with seeing anyone in pain. “You should’ve seen Adam when there was an accident right in front of our store, he was so worried about the injured that he stood outside to talk to the paramedics just to make sure no one was hurt”, said Jag Maghera.
A person waiting in line is Adam’s priority even if he is working on the floor. He pages some one immediately. He is eager to learn anything new. The happiness and the glow that comes to his face when he does something on his own are angelic.
“Me did it”, Adam would say and hug you. If an employee is sick at work he would come and try to help him or her with what ever he could. “He would offer a hug and a massage at the same time”, says Brittany, “he truly is an angel.”
For those who don’t know what DS is, in a nut shell, according to the Kid’s Health Organization, it’s a medical condition in which an extra genetic material (chromosome) causes delay in a way a child develops and often leads to mental retardation. It can be detected by doctors even before or after the birth of such a child. These kids have similar
facial features like an upwards slant to the eyes, small ears and an enlarged tongue. Down syndrome is named after the British doctor John Langdon Down who first described this condition in 1887. However, in 1959, an extra chromosome was identified as the cause. It affects 1 in 800 babies (www.kidshealth.org/parent/medical/genetic/down_syndrome.html).
This positive attitude of the store staff is appreciated by the customers too. According to the CSI survey, an independent system of evaluation conducted for services provided by Shoppers Drug mart, most of the customers for the store # 735 ( Maghera Pharmacy), are actually appreciating Magera’s decision to hire Wright. Initially, 60-75% of the customers participating in the survey had good remarks for the store. Bravo!
“It’s good to see big companies like Shoppers hiring kids like Adam. I really admire you guys when I see someone patiently training him”, said Mrs. Jean Wilson, a regular customer.
This kind of positive response from the community is important in order to bring adults and youth with DS out of their enclave to be a better and, most importantly, a regular part of our society.
For this Shoppers Drug mart store just one person has brought such a spirit of caring and compassion to all the employees as a whole, which surpasses any customer service in the store. The store employees, rather than feel pity or bad about him, they have actually learned a lot from him. Many others would consider hiring Wright a legal requirement or an act of pity, but for Maghera and the staff it has really become a blessing and a learning experience. They have truly grown from this lesson of being around someone with DS, which in no way is his weak point.
The customers as a community have responded well too. They have come to enjoy the assistance they get from Adam Wright.
Mr. Maghera could have hired someone who would classify as ‘normal’ to others and would be seen as ‘more useful’, the new employee has really taught the employees and customers something that may be any other employee couldn’t have done.
We are so possessed with every thing or rather anything that brings ‘change’. American presidential candidate Barak Obama has his whole campaign based on this slogan of ‘change’. For Maghera’s store, the change that looked a bit difficult to be accepted brought a new life to the store which is truly a fresh breeze of changed atmosphere for the store and the community. And for Adam Wright not something for ' special needs kids' but a dignified job like all other kids his age has , definitely a good change.
.
