VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Editor's note: This story is a part of our "Making A Mark" series.
A Virginia Beach nonprofit provides mailing, assembling, and copying services for people and businesses, however, the organization does so much more than that.
"We employ people that have special needs," said Natalie Grayson, founder and executive director of MACS.
Grayson came up with the idea for the nonprofit after noticing a concerning trend during her 15 years as a special education teacher for Chesapeake Public Schools.
"I did a lot of vocational things in my classroom, trying to prepare my students to be able to get employment once they finished school," Grayson said. "As they started graduating... nobody would hire them."
That's when Grayson said she decided to create the job opportunities herself.
"In about five years, we had enough customers for me to resign from the school system and do this full-time," Grayson said.
Three decades later, MACS volunteers and employees are still going strong.
"We focus on making sure they feel comfortable... And then, we work on socialization skills, teamwork, helping each other," Grayson said. "They can do anything if you can break it down into small steps."
Grayson said the quality of service MACS provides to customers demonstrates the capabilities of people with special needs.
"They're fast, they're consistent, they come every day, they work hard... they want to help people," Grayson said. "We just need more people to help!"
Grayson said her team is ready to take on more mailing, assembling, and copying projects, large or small. Contact MACS for more information.
You can also reach out to the nonprofit to learn more about job openings for special needs adults, volunteer opportunities, get a list of services and prices, and make donations.