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Sometimes the best presents don't come in a box. Tim Hortons, 2010 Your local Tim Hortons invites you to a Free Holiday Skate. Its our way of saying thank you and happy holidays. See in-store or visit www.timhortons.com for ice times and locations. w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER Fr id ay , D ec em be r 2 4, 2 01 0 3 6 By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Erinn Bursey was busy this Christmas with job training. Erinn, 25, worked alongside Oakvilles Evelyn Duffy at Hopedale Mall in the Kuku Hut Corner kiosk near the TD Bank. Duffy, along with Amanda Flanagan, is a co-owner of Kuku Hut Corner, a local small business that imports fair trade jewelery and stoneware from Kenya in support of economic development. However, the owners of Kuku Hut Corner arent doing anything abroad that theyre not doing at home. While their business helps their suppliers in Kenya become more self-sufficient, Kuku Hut Corner is helping Erinn right here at home. Born with Down syndrome, Erinn, like others facing intellec- tual challenges, has finished school and has been struggling to gain meaningful employment not just in terms of financial gain, but more importantly in self worth. Thats where Duffy comes in. Shes providing on-the-job train- ing. By working side-by-side with Duffy, Erinn is learning and gain- ing valuable skills and experience that will help her in her job quest. Like any apprenticeship, theres great potential it may lead to a job. Erinn owes her on-the-job training to her big brother, Matthew Bursey. Matthew, inspired by his sister and her needs, is also busy hav- ing established the charitable ACCEPTional Foundation, which aims to link jobs and people with intellectual challenges and facili- tate the onsite job training required. Both the Burseys are graduates of St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School. Since leaving high school, Erinn has been amassing job skills when she can, but attends a day program several days a week. Matthew has been working in the social service field. After attending university in Hamilton, Matthew worked at an organization called Lawson Ministries, part of the Salvation Army, which provides support and training for individuals with devel- opmental disabilities. Then, two years ago, Matthew dove into the big league. He ventured on a cross-North America bike trek as a fundraiser for Lawson Ministries and to help people like his sister by creating awareness. The Far and Wide Bike Trek covered 13,000 km and raised just under $200,000. The daunting challenge also provided a springboard to achiev- ing a larger social service goal. Last year, Matthew founded the ACCEPTional Foundation, which is now working to bring those with intellectual challenges together with opportunities to learn and hone employment skills with the ultimate goal of achieving an employment opportunity. Its aim is to contribute to the creation of an inclusive workforce where people with intellectual dis- abilities have the opportunity to find paid and meaningful work within the mainstream job market. The foundation is partnering with like-minded small businesses to facilitate this, while its ultimate Working on being ACCEPTional for the job LivingOakville Beaver LIVING EDITOR: ANGELA BLACKBURN Phone: 905-337-5560 Fax: 905-337-5571 e-mail: ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com ON THE JOB: Erinn Bursey, left, receives on-the-job training from Evelyn Duffy, co-owner of Kuku Hut Corner, at Hopedale Mall. Bursey is working on customer service, gift wrapping and merchandise handling of the fairly traded goods imported from Kenya through a partnership between the consignment business and the ACCEPTional Foundation founded by Burseys big brother, Matthew Bursey. See Erinn page 37 GRAHAM PAINE / OAKVILLE BEAVER