Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) is bringing a custodian who works in the Russell Senate Office Building to the State of the Union address Tuesday night as his guest.
Justina Pettway, a native of Washington, D.C., works with AbilityOne through Goodwill Industries. The AbilityOne Program is a federal initiative that helps people with vision impairment or other significant disabilities find employment.
{mosads}This marks the second year in a row Kennedy invited someone from the AbilityOne Program to the State of the Union, according to a press release announcing the guest.
“Justina is such a joy to see in the hallways around Russell. Her smile can light up a room and light up your day. She also works very hard and is good at her job,” Kennedy said in a statement. “I am excited to have her accompany me to the State of Union address. She helps daily to maintain a friendly and welcoming work environment on the Hill for the senators, our staff and the public. She deserves to enjoy this historic event.”
Pettway was not one of the many furloughed federal employees “directly impacted” during the recent partial government shutdown, Lauren Lawson-Zilai with Goodwill’s public relations department, told NOLA.com.
She added that several AbilityOne contracted employees, however, were affected.