Vadis, an agency based in Sumner that helps connect people with disabilities to employers in King, Pierce and Kitsap counties, recently selected the Marshalls fashion stores in Bonney Lake and Lakewood as the 2012 Pierce County Employer of the Year.

Marshalls has employed Christy Poe as the stock room assistant since last June in Bonney Lake.

“We have been working with Marshalls for about 10 years as they have grown more confident in their ability to successfully hire people (with disabilities) and help them to be successful,” said Karen DiPol, Vadis’ employment services manager. “(Marshalls) has become increasingly more optimistic about someone who appears to have challenges actually have hidden potential.”

DiPol said the award is given annually to a deserving employer in each county that Vadis serves.

“We work with 100 to 200 employers in any given year, so it is quite an honor for one to be selected,” DiPol said. “This is the first time Marshalls has received the award.”

Attempts to reach a Marshalls representative for comment were unsuccessful.

Vadis has an on-site staff member who works with Poe to develop her skills and ensure the relationship between Poe and her employer becomes stronger each day.

DiPol said Vadis’ mission is to work with each person until they are ready to be independent and until the employer is confident in the relationship with the employee.

Poe is legally blind and deaf. DiPol said Marshalls employees in Bonney Lake were initially concerned they wouldn’t be able to communicate with Poe. But Poe and her co-workers are all learning sign language.

“We’re on a mission,” the Marshalls website says. “At Marshalls, we believe that doing business responsibly means creating value for shoppers, associates and the community. We seek opportunities that benefit our business and the environment ... We care about the community.”

DiPol said the Marshalls store at the Lakewood Towne Center and the Marshalls in Bonney Lake epitomize that commitment to the community.