Finding meaningful employment lifts the spirits of Waypoint clients
Finding meaningful employment lifts the spirits of Waypoint clients
When Diane Duquette from
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Amanda Bucholz getting ready to start
her shift at the Huron's Gymnastics Club |
the Hurons Gymnastics Club first learned about Waypoint’s employment services, it came at the perfect time. The club’s board and staff had been pitching in to clean the gym, but they needed to hire someone to do the job on a regular basis, and they needed someone soon.
As a not for profit community organization, Diane saw the partnership with Waypoint as well-suited. “I believe the best way to do something is to try it out and see how it works,” she says, which is exactly what happened.
After connections were made with Waypoint’s HERO Centre in downtown Midland, Kelly McLaughlin, one of the centre’s employment specialists, got the ball rolling and it didn’t take long for Amanda to learn the ropes.
She had a desire to work and longed for a greater purpose in life, somewhere to be and something to do. But there were a few obstacles that the specially trained employment specialists at Waypoint can help clients overcome.
Amanda began attending the various programs the HERO Centre had to offer including the pre-employment workshops. This is when employment specialist Jennifer Perrault stepped in and together, the two worked to determine Amanda’s strengths and really explore what type of work would best suit her. Amanda had experience doing dishes and cleaning in the restaurant industry, so the cleaning job at the gymnastics club was a great fit.
“Our goal is to work with the client and employer to find a good match,” says Jennifer. “It’s important to take the time to understand everyone’s needs and help employers find candidates who have the skills and attributes they’re looking for. There’s no “best” career or job for someone on the path to recovery from mental illness. But there’s no question work helps people recover – it provides structure, a sense of meaning and purpose, and social interaction.”
To get ready to start work, Jennifer and Amanda connected with the required agencies, went shopping to buy clothes that would be suited to the work and researched the municipal bus to determine the best route; all things that would have been much more difficult without the employment specialists support.
More than seven months have passed since Amanda started with the Gymnastics Club and things are going great. She enjoys her work and Diane shares that the club has never been cleaner.
As a token of appreciation, Diane was presented with an Ambassador of Recovery certificate to thank her for her willingness and commitment to support Waypoint’s employment programs, and for giving Amanda a chance to regain a place in society where she feels valuable and valued.
If you are looking to hire someone in your business and would like more information about Waypoint’s employment programs, please contact us at 705.549.3181 ext. 2544.