When Rachelle Toone, who is part of our Inside Sales team, moved from the Philippines to the United States in 2008, she never imagined how much working at Verizon would change her life.
A love story with ‘Verizon’ written all over it.
When Rachelle made the move she wanted to build a better life for herself and her daughter. Her first full-time job was at a Verizon retail store, a role that led her to meet her future husband Christian Toone (also a Verizon Employee) a few years later. Before long, the couple happily welcomed two more daughters into their family.
Every good story has some difficult chapters.
It’s never easy to have two children just 16 months apart, but the family was further tested when daughter Arielle was diagnosed with autism. “It felt like [being] in this little, teeny, tiny boat in the middle of a storm,” Rachelle said.
A lighthouse in the form of parents and caregivers with wisdom and support.
It was when Rachelle and Christian joined the PACT Employee Resource Group that the clouds began to part and the couple felt less alone. They received “tips and tricks on how to survive” and “got the ball rolling on getting the support needed [for Arielle].”
Paying it forward.
Not only did Rachelle and her family find the support they needed to help care for Arielle, they found a way to help her thrive – and purpose for moving forward. “The ERGs I’m a part of taught me to constantly raise my hand and be a volunteer for the people going through the things that I went through.”
▶️ How is the Toone family doing now? Watch to find out more about what the family now calls Arielle’s “superpower!”
Click here for a transcript of the episode.
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