Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 11, 1993 TAG: 9311160247
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By WENDI GIBSON RICHERT STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But Jim Shaw is not a Hollywood notable. Rather, he's a recent local celebrity, made famous by his appearance in television commercials and a video production for the United Way of Roanoke Valley.
Still, you wonder. Where have you seen that face? And that pleasant smile?
You find it familiar because that smile has probably greeted you at Kroger in Vinton. Shaw is a bagger there.
At the end of your grocery trip, he'll ask the customary ``Paper or plastic?'' and flash his smile with a cheery greeting attached. For the kids - he adores kids - he offers a joke or a hug, too.
Shaw arrived at Kroger in 1990 after answering a classified ad in a newspaper. But his story is not that of a typical bagger.
Shaw is mentally handicapped and a client of the supportive employment program of ARC Roanoke/CHD Industries. He has a job coach who helps him meet the demands of working in the the community. His success proves, he says, that obstacles are meant to be overcome.
``Just put your mind to it, and you can get a very good job,'' he tells others.
Shaw, 32, put his own mind to it after graduating from Cave Spring High School in 1981. He went to ARC Roanoke/CHD Industries, a sheltered workshop for the mentally handicapped, and worked for four years. In 1985, he landed his first job in the community through the supportive employment program. Kroger is his third outside job, and by far his favorite.
``A lot of people are really nice to bag for. . . . I am never gonna quit until I retire,'' he says enthusiastically.
Most of what Shaw says is, in fact, expressed with a broad smile. And with good reason.
Not only has Shaw been able to work successfully in the community, he has shared an apartment with his roommate for almost four months. That move came after living in the Niagara Group Home, a residential home in Vinton, for a year and the Niagara training apartment for two years. There, he and his roommate learned how to pay their bills, cook their meals, handle emergencies and live independently.
After two years in the training apartment, they moved from Niagara to their own rented apartment in Vinton.
Shaw's remarkable story is what brought him to the attention of United Way officials searching for successful people who benefitted from agencies that receive United Way funding. Eager to help out - and be on commercials, posters and a video - Shaw agreed.
``I was surprised. I was, like, thrilled,'' he beamed during an interview at his apartment. ``Boy, this is exciting.''
The publicity has made him famous in local United Way circles and at the Vinton grocery store. People tell him at work, ``I love that commercial you did.'' His own reaction to seeing the United Way video for the first time was, ``Oh my God, I can't believe it!''
Since his video debut, Shaw has been asked to speak at several United Way campaign meetings - a first for a United Way poster and commercial star. His first was a workshop for Norfolk Southern held at ARC Roanoke/CHD Industries.
``I was nervous as heck,'' he recalled. ```
Just grab onto something and don't look up,''' he advised himself at the time.
Turns out, he's a natural behind the podium. Shaw was so appreciated at the Norfolk Southern workshop that he's been asked to speak at other United Way workshops in the Valley, including those for Shenandoah Life Insurance, Carter Machinery, BellSouth and another for Norfolk Southern. And many are bypassing the United Way offices and calling Shaw directly - at his home.
In his presentations, Shaw, attired in suit and tie, launches every speech with a joke before delving into a brief history of his life. He highlights his job at Kroger, his apartment, the people he meets, his job coach and his own $1-a-week donation to the United Way. ``I'm doing it again this year. I think it would be really nice.''
He takes his job as a United Way spokesman a step beyond expectations, too, by handing out United Way lapel pins attached to cards bearing his smiling face. Most of these go to his customers at Kroger, although he'll gladly autograph and give one to anybody who asks.
Asked what United Way has done for him, Shaw said, ``I think they helped me to get a very good job ..., and I think they really helped me a lot, because they really showed me what the $1 goes for.''
by CNB