Our daughter Brittany (not her real name) had been victimized a number of times before joining Semiahmoo House Society (SHS). She had become a very nervous young lady, not sure who she could trust, who would take advantage of her. In so many words, she was very confused as to why this always seemed to happen to her.
Her mother made the staff members at SHS aware of these incidents in the past and the staff members did their very best to ensure that Brittany was getting to and from work without incident. They were very good at following up to ensure there were no further incidents. Brittany noticed this special attention and actually started to feel better about herself and the care and attention she was receiving from the team she worked with.
At one point, her mother and I had gone away for a few days and, wouldn’t you know it, Brittany had decided not to go to work that day. She had indicated to her sisters that she was not feeling well, however she did not phone work to let them know she would not be in that day. As the work day started and Brittany was not at work the team decided that they had better phone our house to see why she was not at work. She was home alone and was not answering the phone. The SHS team knew this was not the norm. They decided that they should stop by and check on her. (The day just happened to have a field trip associated with it). The leaders came to the door, knocked and Brittany answered the door.
Everything turned out fine and she attended the field trip. The message for our entire family was that someone else cared and was looking out for her as well. They could have just as easily said we tried to call but no one was home, but this was not good enough for the leaders. They made the decision to go above and beyond what would be a normal course of action. This was a wonderful moment for the family to understand that the dedicated staff at Semiahmoo House would take this additional care and attention for someone that had become part of the SHS family.
In the past three years, Brittany has had some very troubling medical conditions that have required her to take additional time off work. The leadership team has been exceptionally supportive of her in granting her time off, phoning and visiting to ensure she is on the road to recovery and just being there with encouragement for her. She feels this support and, while she still struggles with her medical conditions, she takes comfort in knowing that her work mates are there for her and that she is in fact part of a bigger team. Her former supervisor, while no longer working for SHS, will call Brittany and they will arrange for a time to go for lunch and or a shopping trip. This is very evident of someone who cares about the people that she has worked with. She has become a mentor and friend.
Semiahmoo House Society, a non-profit organization located in Surrey/White Rock, exists to provide quality services and supports to people with disabilities and their families in the community.
The Semiahmoo Foundation, located in Surrey/White Rock, exists to fund, support and enhance the programs and services delivered by Semiahmoo House Society.
From an Anonymous Contributor