Joshua's Vended Drinks & Snacks
RISE Program Participant: Joshua Greher
Story Reprinted with Permission
Washington Jewish Week
August 25, 2007
Sometimes, carrying his son's W-2 forms in his pocket, which proves he pays taxes through employment, is "as good as carrying his picture," says Elliott Greher of Silver Spring. That's because having a "real job" has been a goal Greher and his wife, Rosa, have long had for their son, Joshua, who was born 28 years ago with Down's syndrome.
When he graduated from the vocational Rock Terrace School in Rockville in 2000, his parents did not want to see him join an "enclave," a supervised workshop for adults with disabilities whose work is usually donated. "I thought he could do better," says his mom, who believes all people, including those with cognitive disabilities, should be paid for their work.
For the past seven years, Greher has been proving her right — and making money — through his job in the mailroom of the National Archives in College Park, for which he received job training through the state's Administration on Developmental Disabilities.
Recently, he's branched out into a new venture: He owns Joshua's Vended Drinks and Snacks, which launched last month with two new vending machines at the Yeshiva of Greater Washington in Silver Spring, not far from the home Greher shares with his parents.
It was his mom's idea, after seeing an article in an ARC (Association for Retarded Citizens) newsletter for Carroll County about three men with disabilities who received a state grant to operate a vending machine there. "Joshua loves vending machines," she says, and she and her husband thought a similar business would make a good adjunct to their son's 16-hour-a-week mailroom job.
In May, after Greher took a course for individuals seeking self-employment, to learn such things as how to develop a business plan and budget, Maryland's Division of Rehabilitation Services approved a grant for more than $14,000. As a result, Greher has added new responsibilities to his weekly routine. With an aide to drive him, Greher now goes each Thursday to visit his machines, one in the yeshiva's boys' division, the other in the girls', to clean and restock them, remove the cash and record items to be ordered.
He then brings the cash to his dad, who, as his unsalaried "assistant," prepares the bank deposits and writes checks for him, but only Greher can make the bank deposits (another aide drives him to the bank), and only he can sign his business' checks.
The first week in July, Joshua's Vended Drinks and Snacks raked in $90. The next week, Greher took to the bank more than twice that amount.
Asked if he foresees expanding his business, Greher says, "I need to." Two more machines would help keep the business viable, his father notes, but says his son could not handle much more than that, one reason being he is sticking with his mailroom job ("it pays better," he says); another being Greher has other activities and interests besides making money.
A regular at services at his synagogue, Greher is also active with Yachad, the National Council of Synagogue Youth group for people with disabilities. Then, there's his golf game, staying in touch with his online pen-pals (he enjoys surfing the 'Net) and his sometimes volunteer activities, all geared to aid his socialization skills.
His real passion, though, is music, especially classical and Broadway. A sometimes performer with his ARC chapter-sponsored band, Greher owns a full set of drums, a large electric keyboard, as well as a guitar, his stated current No. 1 learning objective.
"He is busy!" says his mom.
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Jacqueline Sternberg
Name: Joshua Greher
Hebrew name: Yehoshua Daniel
Lives in: Silver Spring
Birthday: April 25, 1979
Synagogue: Woodside Synagogue-Ahavas Torah
Favorite Jewish food: "kosher pizza"
Favorite Jewish celebrity: "Fiddler on the Roof"
