Athletes Working Hard: Elkhart County’s Chris Milewski

Special Olympics Indiana athletes not only work hard at sports, but they also work hard at their jobs.

For example, Chris Milewski of Elkhart County, who is legally blind, works as a cook for the Cultivate Food Rescue in South Bend. Milewski said that he got the skills for his job through what he calls “second nature” experiences.

“Getting back and forth to work along with the skills I have are of second nature to me because they are in my routine every day,” Milewski told WNDU.

Every day, Milewski catches the bus, rides it for one hour and walks the rest of the way.

“I use a cane and whatever vision I have to be able to navigate where I am going,” Milewski said. “This is when it comes to walking to the bus stop and navigating through traffic while walking on the side of the road.”

He does the same coming home from work as well.

Milewski is comfortable working and is good at doing the tasks of his job.

“I am pretty fast at cracking these eggshells,” he told WNDU. “I learned early on that cooking is something important to do in everyday life and this job gets value from my skills.”

He even takes on other tasks, such as cutting vegetables .

Milewski loves to participate as a Special Olympics Indiana athlete in bowling.

“I love to participate in bowling, and I am very good at it,” he said.

He also has resources to help him be successful at the sport.

“I use bright lights to help me see the lane,” he said. “I also use visual aids which help me hit a strike!”

Milewski has inspired individuals at his work, such as April Howell, the executive chef at Cultivate Food Rescue. Howell told WNDU that Milewski pushes other individuals in the kitchen to have a good work ethic.

“Chris inspires our volunteers and other workers to work hard at what they are doing in the kitchen,” Howell  said. “Chris has helped me be a better person along with the other workers and volunteers in getting to know him.”

Milewski’s story is an inspiration to Special Olympics athletes and other individuals with intellectual disabilities to show that they can make an impact in the workplace along with being an athlete.