Page 58 - March & April

56 MYROUSESEVERYDAY MAY | JUNE 2013
I f you’ve shopped in our stores, you’ve come across many
different types of team members – from high school students
to retirees, all types of ethnicities, and from all over the world.
We also have many special needs team members, which my
family works with government agencies to provide special jobs for.
Rouses and the Rouse family have been employing special needs
team members for decades, and it has always been one of our core
values. This commitment to those with disabilities was strength-
ened and deepened when my youngest brother was diagnosed with
a rare genetic disorder 23 years ago, at only 5 months old. Matthew
was the 7th child in the United States and Canada to be diagnosed
with Methylmalonic Acidemia cobalamin C with Homocystinuria
(quite a mouthful – we just call it “MMA”). In short, his body doesn’t
metabolize protein correctly – instead of breaking down into good
things that help you grow and give you energy, it breaks down into
harmful acids that are similar in composition to antifreeze. On
IN OUR
STORES
top of this, a few months after diagnosis
Matthew developed hydrocephalus (com-
monly referred to as “water head”) where
fluid accumulated in his skull and put pres-
sure on his brain, causing severe brain dam-
age before it could be fixed by surgery.
Matthew, like all people with special needs,
is so much more than MMA or any of his
other disease labels. He recently turned 23,
and is a joy to be around. He loves to bowl,
and you can find him at Creole Lanes in
Houma almost any day of the week. He also
loves to go to the movies, and to jam to his
favorite music. Like most boys, he’s always
had a fascination with vehicles – from cars
to buses and for the last few years, airplanes,
he’s gone through many stages. His absolute
favorite place in the world is Disney World
– he loves to watch videos of it, and to go as
often as we can take him. True to his love
of transportation, his favorite “ride” is the
monorail around the parks, and many of the
drivers recognize him when we visit, which
he totally eats up.
While Matthew’s specific disabilities are
too severe for him to do something like work in “My Rouses” (as
he calls it), there are many special needs people who are more than
capable of helping us with bagging groceries, bringing in buggies, or
greeting our customers with a smile and a “hello” as they enter our
stores. We’re proud to be able to provide this opportunity in many
of our stores, and at our office.
Being a community focused business is important to Rouses, and
an important part of community building is providing good, stable
jobs for all walks of life. Our special team members may sometimes
need a little extra help, or may not be the fastest of our crew, but are
often the ones with the brightest smiles and provide some of the
best service to our customers.
Every team member working at Rouses has a story. I’m proud that
each one is so different.
—Ali Rouse
Matthew Rouse