Everyone at Eden has a story about Adam Bloomberg.
When Bendas Center Supervisor Kelly Blidi first started working at Eden, he was working in Adam’s residence. Adam made him a cake for his birthday to welcome him to Eden. “It was my first week there. I never worked in a group home setting before, and Adam was telling me everything about the program,” said Kelly. “He told me about the managers, supervisors, the participants, the whole 9 yards. I was well prepared when I came to Bendas Center because of Adam.”
Behavior Analyst Clare Posey said that Adam is the mayor of Bendas Center, always greeting and chatting with staff and visitors. “He’s a social butterfly,” she said.
“He likes to walk around and make sure he gets to know everyone,” said Manager of Day Services Jennifer Jackson. “He works at Wawa, and he’ll always tell us if a sale is going on or if it’s free coffee day.”
Adam has worked at Wawa for decades. He has become a familiar face for many customers who enjoy chatting with him as they grab their coffee. “It’s sometimes difficult for him to walk into a Wawa and walk from point A to point Z without talking to five people,” said Scott Kent, retired Wawa executive. “He’s such a pleasure to be around.”
Scott has known Adam since he was young. “When I see him, he brings stuff up from decades ago,” said Scott. “He’s always laughing and has a smile on his face. He’s very unique in the sense that he’s very independent in the Wawa environment.”
Adam is higher-functioning and can complete his job tasks without help from a job coach. To see Adam thrive at his job means so much to Scott, who played a key role in launching the partnership between Eden and Wawa to create the supported employment program.
“To see Adam thriving at Wawa after all these years, to see him loving his job, to see the customers love him, that means the world to me,” said Scott.