Lorraine is an arc Ambassador who has worked for the company for the last eleven years, greeting customers and doing her best to put a smile on every single face that walks into the store. Lorraine has made many friends through her time at arc, one of them being another Ambassador, Lisa. Her customers are still her favorite thing about her job.

“It is all about taking care of our customers. They are so great to us and their donations and service have helped me and my friends in so many ways.” Lorraine said.

She loves being the first person customers see when they walk into the store because she has a chance to brighten someone’s day. Her extremely friendly attitude and positive outlook on life is extremely contagious; you can’t help but smile and laugh every time you talk to her.

“When you have fun with your customers they come back, and I love to have fun,” she explained.

One of her favorite parts about working at arc is being able to have fun on the job, and make sure others do as well. On any given day, you might find Lorraine wearing a beautiful crown on her head! And, she loves to dress up for different holidays. For Halloween this past year Lorraine dressed up as a Dalmatian dog, and loved seeing people smile when they saw her.

In her free time, she enjoys writing poetry about animals, and about the people she is close to. Some of her other favorite activities are shopping, going out to eat, and just being around her friends. Lorraine even speaks some Spanish, which enables her to help customers who may not speak English.

Not long ago, Lorraine was asked to accompany Lloyd Lewis, president and CEO of arc, to speak at a local school. Some kids with disabilities were being bullied by their classmates and Lorraine wanted to make sure that nobody felt unsafe or out of place. She wants to make sure that everyone knows that “we are all the same on the inside,” and hers or any other disability may affect someone on the outside but it cannot affect their heart and mind.

“I want to teach people more patience and understanding when it comes to disabilities,” she said. “If I can teach some more kindness, love, and patience then I did my job right.”

She loves working at arc because everyone has made her feel like she is really a part of something great.

“You feel special here. Arc does that for you,” she said.

Here Lorraine was beyond excited to have won the raffle at the recent Valentine’s Day dance.