Jai, a Valuable Team Player at Home Hardware

If you need a flashlight, a lightbulb, or a new frying pan, I highly recommend purchasing these items at Gandy’s Home Hardware, in Kitsilano, on 4th and Vine. In particular, go into the store on Tuesdays or Thursdays from 9:00 – 12:00 to make your purchase and say “hi” to Jai Cairo!

Jai has been building a relationship with them since November 2016, and through a government fund, Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities, Home Hardware employed him as of May 1st, 2017 as one of their employee. The Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities is a federal program that assist persons with disabilities to obtain employment. Unfortunately, there are still significant barriers in employing individuals with disabilities, so this fund helps alleviates some of those preconceive notions with the idea of fully employing the individual after the fund is completed. The fund is supporting 75% of Jai’s wage until September, and then Home Hardware has committed to pay his full wage from October on.

Jai’s forte is not waking up early to be at work by 9:00 am, but he has met this challenge successfully two days a week. His duties are to shred the cardboard boxes and bring them upstairs, collect the garbage, sweep the floors, unpack new stock and put them on shelves, and move products from upstairs to store levels and vice versa.
When asked “why do you like working here?”, he replies, “I enjoy meeting the people”. The staff at Home Hardware have enjoyed his presence in the store and he is a valuable asset to the team. When talking to his supervisor, she has no hesitation in maintaining him as a fellow colleague after the fund ends… “he is very dedicated to his tasks and fulfills all his duties well”.