Hartsdale, New York – Marjorie Madfis founded Yes She Can Inc., which is a nonprofit that aims to develop job skills and job opportunities for young women with autism. Marjorie’s daughter, Isabelle 18 has Autism Spectrum Disorder.
The first boutique Girl AGain, sells American Girl products and opened in February.
Isabelle and other young women with autism work as interns in the shop. The Today Moms website says that the women, who range in age from 18 to 25, share Isabelle’s passion for the dolls, and Marjorie tried to recreate the experience of working in the American Girl store.
“It is an expertise they can then use as the basis of learning new skills.”
Isabelle enjoys working in the shop and feels that the experience is helping her.
“It’s working me towards my dream,”
Marjorie has seen a new confidence in Isabelle, especially interacting with their younger customers:
“That’s one of the real pleasures, to see her able to connect with them. They don’t look at her as though she’s weird. They look at her as though she knows something about what they love.”
At Girl AGain, Marjorie works with one or two women at a time.
Marjorie has invested her own money into the business and hopes to land grants so she can offer paychecks, formal job coaching and a training curriculum.
The original article by Lisa Flam on the Today Moms website can be read here
More information about Girl AGain can be found on their Facebook page