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NEWS
KANSAN.COM
BUSINESS FROM PAGE 02
Most places where he applied after getting released didn't explicitly say his criminal record was the issue, but the first place that did, an Italian restaurant in Overland Park, told him it was company policy to never hire anyone with a criminal record.
These rejections were what inspired Russell to go to school.
"I opted for school to build up my education," he said. "Hopefully that stigma is gone a little bit with a degree."
Although Russell has only had one part-time job in the last few years, writing for "The Campus Ledger" at Johnson County Community College, one Lawrence business is trying to help those like him.
Sun Cedar, a local non-profit business, exclusively hires the "unemployable," or people who struggle to find jobs, such as the homeless or ex-felons or recovering addicts. Shine Adams, co-founder and CEO of the business, started the business in 2014.
"People that I come into contact with, and the people that I serve, have failed many times and have had many hardships and carry a large stigma," Adams said. "I'm proving to humanity at large that this stigma is a figment of our imagination — it's not real. Just because somebody has made errors in their life, does not mean that they're not employable or worth a shit."
Sun Cedar produces handmade wood products and sells them
through its homemade website. Its signature product is a tiny handmade tree with a hole at the top to hang it and the Sun Cedar signature at the bottom.
"It's a popular gift, it's a good price point, and it has a story," Adams said. "When you give this to somebody, you can say, 'Here's this story, this has been held in the hands of people who are improving their own lives.'"
By giving them paid employment, giving them something to work for, and offering a supportive environment to work in, the company is helping these people rehabilitate Adams said.
Shine Adams, CEO of Sun Cedar, holds a nearly-finished wooden air freshener in the Sun Cedar workshop, which is located in Adams' basement.
AARON GROENE/KANSAN
ATTENTION CURRENT AND FORMER RESTAURANT Servers and Bartenders
"When somebody burns bridges or has a criminal record, or is homeless, in our culture, chances go away very rapidly," he said. "Even a good person can have a bad reputation or can have a stigma that they carry around with them everywhere they go and they start to internalize that."
If you have worked as a "Tipped Employee" for a restaurant, you could be owed unpaid minimum wages, plus additional damages, if:
- Your wages and tips, taken together, amounted to less than $7.25 per hour during any work week(s);
- You were paid 'tipped rate' wages below $7.25 per hour for work when the restaurant was not open to customers;
- You were paid "tipped rate" wages below $7.25 per hour and spent more than 20 percent of your work time during any week(s) performing work that did not produce tips (cooking, cleaning, food prep, rolling silverware, etc.); or
- You were required to share tips with the restaurant itself, managers, or "back room" employees (cooks, dishwashers, expeditors, etc.).
Call to Learn Your Rights!
10901 Lowell, Suite 280
Overland Park, Kansas 66210
Mustafa F. Bhardy, Principal
(Licensed in Missouri and Kansas)
BRADY & ASSOCIATES LAW OFFICE
ALL CALLS ARE STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL
DISCLAIMER: THE CHOICE OF A LAWYER IS AN IMPORTANT DECISION AND
SHOULD NOT BE BASED SOLEly ON ADVERTISING.
integration program at the Douglas County Jail or through his job at the Lawrence Community Shelter, by helping them rebuild trust in themselves and in their abilities.
(913) 696-0925
Adams said he assists his employees, whom he finds through the re-
WWW.MBRADYLAW.COM
"I'm providing them with an opportunity to have faith in themselves and to see that not all doors are closed. You would be surprised how
many people turn me down when I offer them a job, because it's just too good to be true," Adams said. "I've offered people to work for me, on their own schedule, for $15 an hour, and they've so internalized that stigma that they just cannot believe it. It is absolutely unreal to them."
Call for appointment 785-856-7136
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