Chinese Mom’s South Bay Business Transforms Lives of Students with Special Needs
Chinese mother opens business in South Bay to support students with special needs
A Chinese-owned embroidery company is making a huge difference in the South Bay.
CAMPBELL, CA – A Chinese-owned embroidery business is making a huge difference in the South Bay. One mother’s quest to help her own son with special needs is now helping many others in the community.
Sherry Meng says she came to the United States in 1988 with her husband, went to school and started a family. When she discovered her son was autistic, she began helping other students with special needs and this led to her running her own business.
“When my son was three years old, Friends of Children with Special Needs helped me,” said Meng.
Sherry Meng says after connecting with Friends of Children with Special Needs, she wanted to give back to the organization that supported her autistic son. She volunteered at the adult day program for more than a decade and eventually taught students career and life skills.
“We taught many things like cooking, making sandwiches, washing clothes and then I focused on professional training”.
In 2020, without any prior knowledge of the sector, Meng says she founded Turtleworks, an embroidery company. She wanted a business with a skill that students could enjoy and learn easily. After she and her husband invested about $200,000 in the company, she began a partnership with three local school districts, including Campbell Union High School District, to provide job training.
Meng says school districts use their own resources to pay students and work with equipment that simplifies the embroidery process. Longtime customer David Rodger says he also has an autistic son, but it was the quality work that led him to Turtleworks.
“It’s not like putting a crayon drawing on the refrigerator. This is high-quality material that my people now need or count on me to go to Ms. Sherry to make additional products,” said EXFO’s David Rodger.
Meng’s impact on the community has not gone unnoticed. Turtleworks has received several community awards and has been featured in local newspapers, including a Bay Area Chinese-language publication.
“It says ‘Chinese mother creates business and teaches autistic children a skill,'” said Meng, as she translated the headline into English.
Meng says he named his business Turtleworks in honor of the story of the Tortoise and the Hare. She says she wants students with special needs to come out of their shell and learn skills like everyone else, even if it takes them a little longer to reach their goals. Meng’s motto: Slow and steady wins the race.
