By Melissa Wagoner
When Christine Smith, general manager of Guerra’s Restaurant in Silverton, discovered the Empowerment and Leadership for Youth and Young Adults (ELY) program – a job skills training program for young adults in Marion County – she knew she wanted to incorporate it into the restaurant’s mission.
So, one year ago, with the help of Job Coach Kate Tarter, Smith began accepting a series of job shadow applicants and paid interns, with the specificity that those persons must be neurodivergent.
“We teach them everything from dishwashing through knife work and making sauces from scratch – we like to be consistent with every employee, neurodivergent or not,” Smith said. “Once that’s complete, we do everything to help with their resume and offer a letter of recommendation. I like to say it’s about teaching and learning.”
It’s also about providing a means to obtain purposeful work for those job seekers who might otherwise struggle to find employment.
“When we all have purposeful work that gives us pride,” Smith explained. “If we don’t have purpose, we don’t feel valued in the community.”
It’s a courtesy she extends to all the restaurant’s employees, both those who are ELY interns and those who are members of the permanent staff. It’s a policy that has not gone unnoticed. The Marion-Polk County Employment Network voted Guerra’s Restaurant the 2023 Employer of the Year.
“We were caught off guard,” Smith said, recalling the reaction the staff had to receiving this honor despite the restaurant’s size, its rural location and what she views as stiff competition.
“You’re talking Marion County. You’re talking Walmart and these big corporations that have more resources.”
But that’s not to say Guerra’s Restaurant is without support, on the contrary, along with help from the ELY program, Smith has also received continued backing from the restaurant’s owners.
“The Guerras said, we want to be here consistently for the community,” Smith recalled. “So, I ran with it.”
And she has continued to do so, recently adding a monthly event she coined, Game On, which welcomes neurodivergent community members ages 15 and up to a free, catered game night.
“We do Dungeons and Dragons, Nintendo Switch, Heroes Quest and even chess,” Smith said. “There’s a snack bar and we offer beverages.”
It’s a time when – as with the restaurant’s other new event, a monthly fireside book club – individuals with similar interests can come together to find community connections.
“Even though it’s only once a month, they get to be themselves,” Smith said.
It’s her hope that everyone who comes through the restaurant’s door – patrons and staff alike – feel welcomed.
“We’re very vocal that everyone is to be respected and asked what they bring to the table,” she said.
“People care more about the community when they get to be a part of it.”
