Words and photos by Olivia Minnier

Upon entering the Kroger Marketplace on Columbus Pike in Delaware, chances are you’ll see a bright young woman greeting guests, cleaning the bathrooms, gathering carts, or introducing herself to new employees.
Kyra Warren, a 33-year-old resident of Delaware, has been receiving services from DCBDD since 2006 when she was 16 years old. 
She has been working at Kroger Marketplace for nearly 14 years as a Courtesy Clerk. Her daily duties include cleaning the public restrooms, keeping shopping areas orderly and clean, returning carts to and from the cart bays, and bringing in the shopping carts at the end of the day.
Kyra’s job at Kroger has helped her become more independent. Maggie Reynolds, a Service and Support Administrator with DCBDD, said her independence has greatly increased during this time and she no longer needs any employment supports.
Maggie has been working with Kyra for six and a half years and said she has grown exponentially during that time outside of work as well.
“She can now be home [independently] for over eight hours per day,” Maggie said.
Kyra said she really enjoys her job at Kroger Marketplace and said she works four to five days a week on average depending on how busy the store is. Her favorite part of her job is “introducing herself to new employees and getting to know them.”
Outside of work, Kyra enjoys watching cooking competition shows such as MasterChef and Chopped. She said she’s seen every episode of all the iterations of MasterChef as well as Gordon Ramsey’s various reality cooking shows. Due to her interest in cooking, Kyra has learned how to cook small items for herself and said pancakes are her current favorite dish to make at home.
Maggie said that Kyra works on goals on a yearly basis and is working with her team on becoming even more independent than she already is.
“I am excited to see her increase her time alone at home and in the community, possibly even spending a night alone. I am also excited to see her become more independent with money management skills in the future,” Reynolds said.