(Lebanon, OH) - An individual who receives services from the Warren County Board of Developmental Disabilities (WCBDD) is celebrating her 5th job anniversary next month.

Maggie “Mags” Satterthwaite, 24, will celebrate her 5th year at LaRosa’s Pizzeria on May 13, 2024. She works the cash register, seats customers, and makes salads, but her favorite part of the job is making people smile.

“It’s just a fun environment to work in…I don’t plan on going anywhere else. I just love it so much.” Satterthwaite said. “My team members and the management, they think I’m a great part of the team.”

LaRosa’s General Manager William Marshall said Satterthwaite is known for her thoughtful and kind demeanor. Customers know her by name and she loves to welcome everyone into the restaurant.

“She's a great person. She gets along with everybody. She tries 110%, not just 100%,” Marshall said. “People love her…She tries her hardest every day.”

Satterthwaite recently began hosting at LaRosa’s, which Marshall said took confidence and practice to learn the system. She continues to learn and grow at the job where she said fellow employees feel like family.

Satterthwaite participated in several programs prior to working at LaRosa’s to learn new skills and explore different career opportunities, including:

●     Working at Otterbein SeniorLife nursing home through the WCBDD Community Employment Program.

●     Attending Careers with Peers, a WCBDD professional networking group for enrolled individuals who are career-focused. Members of this council are either employed in the community, seeking employment, interested in learning more about employment, or students who plan to work after high school.

●     Attending Project SEARCH, a program through the Warren County Career Center that aims to secure competitive employment for people with disabilities. 

●     Attending Career X, a program to encourage career exploration and teach employability skills to students with disabilities.

Participating in local programs supported Satterthwaite in building the self-confidence and job skills necessary to work at LaRosa’s.

WCBDD Service Coordinator Rebecca Bryant said Satterthwaite is thankful for the services she has received through WCBDD, including Individualized Education Services (IES), Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS), and Adult Day Support (ADS).

“Maggie is awesome. She is always positive and always willing to give it her all,” Bryant said. “Maggie is just a super fun and sweet person who pushes herself to do better every day. It has been a joy getting to work with Maggie these last five years.”

Satterthwaite is an active member in the community known for her role in the WCBDD Voices Speaking Out self-advocacy group, the We Thrive Together Advisory Board, and as the #1 fan of the Mason Comets Baseball Team.

For more information, contact Megan Becker at megan.becker@warrencountydd.org or (859) 653-7445.