Jafar Lee is always moving at work. That’s just one of the good things about his job as a dining room attendant at Crestview Assisted Living and Memory Care in Columbia Heights. When you ask him about the other good things, one stands out over the others. “They’re nice to me,” Jafar said as his signature smile spread across his face.

He found Crestview through a job tryout a year ago and knew almost instantly that he wanted to work there. But the onboarding process wasn’t fast. It took more than six months before Jafar was settled into the job due to Covid-19 quarantines at the facility

“He’s a good worker. He comes in with a smile on his face ready to work. He’s a great person,” said Chef Supervisor Chris Jones.

The job provides independent work with occasional support from a Rise employment coach. “I do coffee for the people and cleaning like mopping the floors,” Jafar said. “People want chocolate or white milk or coffee. It’s good. They’re happy for me, and I enjoy making coffee.”

His position isn’t full-time yet, so Jafar divides his time between a Rise supported employment team at a local manufacturing facility and the assisted living center. He works three days each week in manufacturing and the other two days at Crestview. The dining room work fits his personality better. He enjoys the movement it allows him throughout the building and because the job is a competitive position, he also is happy with the higher wage.

Jafar is close with his family and recently used some of his hard-earned wages to travel with them on a Jamaican cruise. He had such a good time that he is already planning another cruise in the new year.