BOSTON (WHDH) - Meet Elanor Jones.
With every keystroke, she’s breaking down barriers.
“It can sometimes be a lot, but it’s manageable,” said Jones.
Jones is a clerical assistant. She says her work makes her proud.
“It has made me more confident,” said Jones.
Best Buddies helped Jones land this job. The organization helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities build friendships, find employment, and live fuller lives.
Dani-Lyn Sedleski is Jones’ supervisor at the Planned Lifetime Assistance Network, PLAN for short.
“I always say she’s like a ray of sunshine, everything automatically gets brighter when she comes in,” said Sedleski. “I think her experience with Best Buddies has helped with that a lot, and I think they really helped to get her prepared for this. And she’s just really thrived.”
The companies that hire buddies like Jones are thriving too.
“She comes with a positive attitude, and she’s professional. She wants to learn,” said Joan McGrath, PLAN CEO.
Right now, roughly 200 buddies are contributing at companies all over Massachusetts.
The organization is hoping to pump that number higher with the annual bike ride from Boston to Hyannis Port.
“It’s Best Buddies’ largest fundraiser globally so we raise a ton of money that day to support these programs, to support people like Eleanor,” said Patrick Shaughnessy, Senior Director of the Best Buddies Challenge.
“This job has meant a lot to me,” said Jones.
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