(soft music) - Our tagline is called Celebrating Abilities because that's what we focus on.

We don't focus on people's disability.

So many times that's the focus, what they can't do.

So we celebrate their abilities and what they can do.

- Fill your back.

Make sure it's facing you.

- Working here is like no other job I have ever had or can ever imagine having.

It is unique because it's challenging in the way any business is challenging, but we're also doing something that I believe is beyond its time.

It is critically important.

Anyone can relate to feeling left out.

Anyone can relate to feeling like they do not belong somewhere.

And when you actually put time and resources into building belonging, your community is going to change.

My husband and I are the founders and and we are the parents of Jimmy who has significant disabilities They told us when he was a year old.

it really rocked our world and we were on a total different path.

As Jimmy started getting older, we started really realizing there's not a lot of jobs for him and for others that we're serving.

And a big concern was, what's gonna happen when our children turn 22 and they're done with school?

Where are they gonna go?

What are they gonna do?

Through a whole long story, we found out that Picket Fence was for sale, and we had known the owner.

We approached her and said, "We have this crazy idea of turning this business, buying this business, turning it into a nonprofit, and employing people with disabilities here."

Within about 20 minutes, Stephanie, who is the former owner, myself, and my husband were all in tears and she said, "If you can do it, I'm gonna support you."

- We are providing employment and training opportunities to adults with disabilities across every aspect of our operation.

We offer a variety of opportunities for someone to just work in general, work here, get exposure to various types of tasks and types of work environments.

- Everything that is purchased here by the community, by anybody, goes right back to helping the people that we serve and the people that we employ.

- So it's not just about, you know, making the money to do the programs, it's also about building a community from within.

And we want that to kind of branch out as much as possible.

The fact that our workforce and our customer base is representative of and is our own community is very special.

The one thing that we get to offer is the lens of everyone who comes through, everyone in this community, you belong here and you have potential, no matter who you are.

- I love seeing folks come in that maybe social skills was really tough, but now they're talking to everybody.

(laughs) And you just, you get to witness growth, and that's really cool.

We have two young men on our greenhouse team.

They needed job coaches when they started with us and now they have been promoted and no longer need a job coach.

They're part of the team and they're greenhouse specialists.

- It wasn't simple actually growing up being different and see people here trying to just be nice and it's okay to be absolutely different.

It's actually very nice just to be your own person.

Just feel free.

(indistinct chatter) - I'm certain that Picket Fence Foundation provides hope.

I am told on a regular basis that a job coach is providing hope to one of our juniors or the opportunity to come and see what might be possible for someone's loved one or for themselves.

I'm told all the time, and I'm refilled with hope.

- Knowing that this person started here with pretty great needs for employment and now is working on their own, that's huge.

Picket Fence Foundation, how can I help you?

The employees that we have, all of our employees are wonderful.

The ones with disabilities, I really feel like they understand that there's not a lot of opportunities for them and they take their jobs so seriously.

Phenomenal employees and so hardworking and they just wanna be valued and they wanna contribute to society.

It's all about the people that we serve and that, you know, just that it keeps going and it keeps inspiring people and maybe someone on the other side of the country will hear what we're doing and be like, "I can do that."

So that's our dream is just that they'll be here a long time serving our community.

You wanna do right by the people that we serve because they can't, they can't sit here, many of them and be like, you know, "Why you should support me."

And we that are able to do that, have to do that, we have to do it.

You have to speak up for those that can't.

- I just wanna say thank you for the people who actually gave me this job.

I am blessed.

I am, let's just say I'm very blessed about this job.

- That's it, it's really cool.

Yeah, yeah.

Picket Fence Foundation is extremely important and it's very dear to my heart.