Annie has been a Jobs West client since 2015, during this time she has held a few different paid and volunteer roles. In 2019, she got her dream job at Cineplex in a customer-facing role. Her Employment Specialist helped her settle into her role providing short-term onsite job coaching. Annie had fantastic success at Cineplex but in 2020, as the pandemic began, her shifts began to dwindle and she was eventually let go.
When the world started opening again in 2022, she returned to work at only 1 shift per week. By early 2023, Annie was volunteering regularly at Greater Vancouver Food Bank as a distribution line staff, giving out food and other household items to people in need. Annie found this role rewarding and her Supervisors found her to be reliable, independent and a lot of fun to be around. In late 2023, she began volunteering with toddlers once a week at the Mount Pleasant Community Centre, setting up the play equipment and helping families. She worked with her Employment Specialist to carve out a role that would meet her needs and help her to learn new skills.
Annie is a determined woman, and her goal has always been paid employment so when her Employment Specialist suggested that she apply for a role with Pedal Heads as a camp instructor helping kids to learn to cycle, Annie jumped at the opportunity. She got the job and will start work in July! Annie’s story demonstrates the importance of patience in achieving one’s goals, but it also shows us how valuable volunteering can be.
Congratulations on all your success!
