Anna Nelson: One Year Work Anniversary!

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: for quality human services you need quality humans to deliver them! For LiveWorkPlay this means finding, training, and supporting a great staff, both as individuals, and as a team. We have started sharing information about each of our staff members on their annual work anniversary, and March 15 marks one year with Anna Nelson!

What are you most proud of in your first year?

At the end of the day, it’s the stories of progress for the individuals we serve that bring me so much joy. From seeing people get their first paid job, to seeing people spend time with colleagues outside of work, to seeing how a job coach inspired someone to get their driver’s license, to seeing people previously labelled as “unemployable” become valued and admired employees…it’s hard not to love what I do.

The work I do is usually at arm’s length to these accomplishments, and it is really the members who are responsible for their own successes – but they get a lot of support from the incredibly hard working, caring and insightful LiveWorkPlay Job Connectors (Kelsey, Joshua, and Alastair), the dedicated employers that get introduced to LiveWorkPlay through our Manager of Employer Partnerships Jen Soucy, and of course amazing parents and siblings of our members. I’m proud to be a part of it all!

What brought you to LiveWorkPlay?

For years I had admired LiveWorkPlay from afar (Thunder Bay) and a move to Ottawa in 2016 resulted in the stars aligning. Julie and Keenan contacted me about a temporary position, and then LiveWorkPlay was undergoing their first Quality Assurance Measures audit,  and as luck would have it, I was familiar with the process and was quickly immersed in that work.

Not long after, LiveWorkPlay became an Ontario Disability Support Program Employment Supports service provider, and I was offered the opportunity to take on the challenge of Employment Supports Manager, and a year later here I am working for this fantastic organization that lives out their vision and mission every day.

What are you looking forward to in future?

I am looking forward to continually evolving, learning and growing with the team. Every day is a new day and we are always learning and adapting what we do and I love that. I could not ask for a better group of people to work with and I look forward to our continued journey together!

Last but not least, what do Anna’s colleagues have to say?

She’s a machine! There is so much administrative work to do with ODSP Employment Supports but she always finds time for supporting the rest of the team. She’s a great listener.

I’m not sure I’ve ever heard her complain about anything. She’ll state a fact  like “I’m not sure I can get all of this done in one day” but she just does her best and comes back the next day with a smile and starts working again.