When Scott Kent looks back on his remarkable 43-year career with Wawa, he is most proud of his work launching the supported employment program. In the early ‘80s, Scott was a Wawa Supervisor, overseeing the Princeton University store. The General Manager, Joe Bendas, hired a man from Eden — the first individual with a developmental disability to be hired at Wawa and perhaps the first man with autism that Scott had ever met.
“This young worker was as good as any other employee in the store and stood out as an inspiration to not only me, but our customers as well,” said Scott. “I quickly realized that this opportunity could have great value to not only the individuals at Eden but also for Wawa as a corporation.”
Scott worked with Joe Bendas and Eden to expand the employment program to 7 more Wawa stores around the Mercer County area.
“I remember an Eden mom crying at her son’s 10-year work anniversary celebration,” said Scott. “She said, ‘When my son was born, I realized that my son wasn’t going to get married or have children or go to college or hold a job. And for me to be here today celebrating 10 years of my son working, you just don’t understand what that means.’”
After that conversation, Scott knew the program had to expand to provide even more opportunities for individuals with disabilities to work. Today, Wawa’s supportive employment program employs over 700 individuals across 1,175 locations, including over 20 participants from Eden.
Scott not only saw people get hired, but he saw them grow within the company and celebrate monumental work anniversaries. Some of the individuals he hired in the ‘80s are still employed at Wawa today. “To see them grow in their roles and take on more responsibilities has been tremendous,” said Scott.
In addition to securing employment for Eden’s participants, Scott has also served on Eden’s Board of Trustees and helped organize numerous fundraising events for Eden, including golf outings and coin canisters. His work with the Wawa Foundation has secured virtual funds for Eden’s participants and families.
“While Wawa has been extraordinarily generous, it’s employees like Scott who embody that generosity through their commitment of personal time and talent to Eden,” said Eden Autism Chief Development Officer Melinda McAleer. “Even Scott’s daughters are woven into the fabric of Eden. Helping their father with his volunteer efforts from childhood, each was inspired to earn a degree in special education. His youngest even applied for a teaching job at Eden without letting him know until she was offered the position!”
From the early days of the employment program through today, Scott has embodied Eden’s mission to improve the lives of individuals with autism: one individual at a time, one family at a time, one community at a time.
“We were one of the pioneering partnerships to show how a for-profit corporation could successfully partner with a nonprofit and are extremely proud of our relationship and how it grew from that first employee to now,” said Scott.