Cade's 3 Pepper Salsa
by Justin Hancock, Denise Crane, and Rachel Wells

We have now attended two Julian Way dinners with this young man, Cade Ford, and his parents, Lance and Kim.  As of this writing, Cade is a 17 year old high school student. He is connecting with Justin, Lisa, and the Julian Way because his family is beginning to see that thought should be given now to what a more independent life beyond high school might look like for Cade.

What we know from our limited time with this young man is that he is feisty! Cade is one of a set of triplets. He has cerebral palsy, uses a walker for mobility, and has a little bit of a speech impediment. But nothing stops this young man from pursuing his desires and being active. When Cade was 15, he decided he wanted to find a job. The job hunt wasn't going very successfully, so he just decided to start his own business: "Hey Dad, I know what we can do! Let's start selling some of that 3 pepper salsa (3 for the triplets) that we're always having to make for mom!"

Cade assists with all tasks involved in the business - creating the name and logo, preparing the salsa (which actually involves quite a bit of manual labor for him that can be difficult at times), labeling the product, and working booths at vendor events. Plus, he's the best word of mouth salesman we've ever met.

Cade is truly an inspiration, and a wonderful example of what can happen when a young person sets his mind on a goal. We look forward to witnessing the opportunities that are sure to find Cade soon in life after high school. If you have a hankerin' for some tasty salsa, we hope you'll look up Cade's 3 Pepper Salsa on Facebook sometime, give it a try, and spread the word if you like it (and we think you will)!