Elizabeth Redford, executive director of The Next Move Program, which is dedicated to providing internship opportunities for adults with diverse abilities, started out as a special education teacher before co-founding the nonprofit in 2015. The Next Move Program maintains 13 sites where they run internships throughout the year, including Wells Fargo, Quirk Hotel, Ledbury and the University of Richmond.
“We have the opportunity to collaborate with some of the most fantastic individuals and organizations that really see the value that these young adults bring to the workforce,” Redford says. “They see their hunger, their desire, their enthusiasm to grow and to gain skills.”
In addition to maintaining and coordinating internship sites throughout the Richmond area, for the past three years, Redford and her team have undertaken a baking program that has enjoyed great success. After students began working with local baker Britt Falabella, Redford noted the positive effect that working in the kitchen had on their students. “Our students were showing so many incredible skills — teamwork, leadership, safety. We saw great communication skills, we also saw avenues to talk about entrepreneurship, financial literacy, customer service.”
Shortly after the baking program took off, the team began selling cookies. Catering gigs and appearances at local farmers markets followed, and some of The Next Move Program’s corporate partners came to them to help advocate for a physical space that would not only offer internship and education opportunities but also the possibility of full-time employment. Three years later, Redford is excited to announce the creation of the brick-and-mortar Tablespoons Bakery, which is set to open in a former parsonage house owned by Westover Hills United Methodist Church this summer.
Sponsored by Synergy Technical
