Hello BOB blog readers!

Here is a letter from the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Gardens.  Let’s help make them one of the “Great Public Spaces” in Canada!  The real competition is a few places in Toronto..  Now we love Toronto..  But we love Vancouver more!  And we want to show off one of our gems.  So vote away!

Lovin’ our city,

The BOB Team

Dear wonderful folks at BOB,

We’ve been nominated as one of the The Great Places in Canada in the “Great Public Spaces” category!

There are first, second and third place winers based on votes, we believe….we need your help to be number 1!!  The three categories are “Great Streets,” “Great Neighbourhoods,” and “Great Public Spaces.” We’re in Great Public Spaces.

http://www.cip-icu.ca/greatplaces/en/place.asp?id=5930

You can only vote once each time you go on the site AND have to wait a while between visits. Please pass this to all your network and ask for their support for us. The voting goes on until the end of February; this is going to be a long campaign

Kathy

Executive Director

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

www.vancouverchinesegarden.com

January 2012

Celebrating Our Community Partners

In December we held our annual holiday open house in cooperation with Tradeworks. It was a delightful and well-attended event—the perfect place to celebrate our community partners!  We honoured employers Impark and Trimpac-Sysco for their outstanding commitment to hiring local inner-city residents and working with BOB to support them. We also recognized two fellow agencies—Tradeworks Training Society and the Salvation Army Belkin House—for their outstanding contribution to the lives of local residents and the spirit of communication and cooperation they show in partnering with BOB to improve the lives of their clients and members.

Impark

Impark has continued to be a leading partner in diversity hiring. Thanks to Barb, Van and Leah, they have hired 11 individuals for various positions from CSR to data entry. Their commitment to working with BOB has not only improved the lives of many but it has also created a positive change in the culture of their call center.

Trimpac-Sysco

Trimpac has been a steady partner and have hired 7 DTES residents over the last year. Operations Manager Jonathan Burke has shown a strong dedication to working with BOB to fill positions in his warehouse. In addition they have continued to support their staff positively with the help of our supported employment team.

Tradeworks Training Society

Many of our clients are referred directly to us through the great folks at Pathways and the Job Shop, both of which are outstanding programs of Tradeworks Training Society.

Arleen Dauncey from Tradeworks Women’s Workshop & Ross Gentleman, Executive Director of Tradeworks Training Society

Salvation Army Belkin House

BOB would like to recognize Belkin House for their great work in the community providing housing and transitional assistance to those who need it.  We appreciate their partnership and referrals to BOB’s program.  Thanks to Stephen Bell, Rebecca Bell and Eva Galvez from Belkin House who were present to accept the certificate.

New Job Postings

Visit www.bobics.org and look under ‘HR Services’ to apply.

Intakes for the Cycleback Bicycle Repair Program are ongoing.

Impark: Customer Service Rep (part-time)

Events

SHINE Supper, January 23rd

All SEP clients, past and present, are welcome to join us for dinner at the BOB office from 4-6pm! RSVP to Emily at 778-328-7660

From all of us here at BOB…Happy New Year!

“They looked after me, now I can look after them”

Jack Johnson* is a maintenance worker at the Lookout who truly appreciates the value of a daytime work schedule and a book of bus tickets. Jack was formerly a hotel banquet manager. As a self-described workaholic, the stressful twelve hour days that went long into the night cost him his relationship with his wife and family. He turned to alcohol to forget his troubles and wound up on the street, unemployed, sleeping on train tracks and camping out in the mountains for several years. Jack reached a turning point after ending up in the hospital, where a social worker got him a room at the Lookout shelter. He says “I’ve met so many good people over there. And they gave me a wake up call.”

After getting sober Jack was ready to make a change, improve his health, reconnect with his son, and go back to work. Having worked in hotel management, as a fisherman and a carpenter he had lots of skills, but needed help creating a resume. He connected to Pathways where he “clicked” with Chelsea.  She helped with computer skills, resumes and job applications. After months of no calls back, he suddenly got 5 calls in one week! The last was the Lookout, looking for a maintenance worker. The choice was clear for Jack. “They looked after me, now I can look after them. That’s my payback.”

He was then faced with the challenge of how to get to work at his new job. The work site is in North Vancouver, but he lives in the inner-city. Jack came to BOB to get the bus tickets he needed to get to work for those crucial first two weeks until payday. While bus tickets may seem like a little thing, they’re not to someone like Jack. As a fisherman, he would walk from the North Vancouver shipyards and over the Lion’s Gate bridge to downtown for entertainment and community. In his words, “little things like bus tickets mean a lot”.

Having been on the job for almost 2 months, Jack finds the work is more than just routine maintenance. He has the chance to be the positive role model that he encountered when staying at the Lookout himself. “I can look after people…I can see what they need, what the problem is. I understand what they are going through.”

Now Jack works eight hour days and says “I have time to enjoy everything”. This is a big change from his old career where he rarely had free time, and a huge change from his life on the streets. Now that winter is just around the corner, he “will be up in the mountains skiing,” a pastime that his son also enjoys and they can do together when visits. He hopes that by sharing his story he can help others in his situation feel like they have a choice. The Lookout is fortunate to have such an enthusiastic and compassionate maintenance worker join their team.  Congratulations Jack, we wish you all the best!

*Not his real name. Jack wishes to remain anonymous.

Welcome Danielle!

We are very excited to have Danielle Kottmeier join the SEP team as our new Employment Support Coordinator. Danielle brings over five years experience supporting people with disabilities and is passionate about coaching and mentoring individuals to achieve their goals. For the past two years, she has worked at IAM CARES Society as an Employment Counsellor and Case Manager. You can read more about Danielle on our blog. Welcome Danielle!

JOB POSTINGS

Visit www.bobics.org and look under ‘HR Services’ to apply.

Intakes for the Cycleback Bicycle Repair Program are on-going.

Trumps Fine Foods: Dishwasher/Helper

Army and Navy: Men’s Wear Clerk

EVENTS

SHINE Supper November 21st

All SEP clients, past and present, are welcome to join us for dinner at the BOB office from 4-6pm!

RSVP to Emily at 778-328-7660  or emily.smith@bobics.org

Take our Survey!

All clients, employers, and agencies involved with BOB can take our survey to help us stay open past March 2012. And you get a chance to win a prize! Did you get  a survey in your email? If not, contact Emily 778-328-7660 or emily.smith@bobics.org

EMPLOYER PARTNERSHIPS: PROVIDING SUPPORTIVE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN THE INNER-CITY

In this issue we’re celebrating some of our employer partners and the recent hiring they’ve done. Employer partnerships are key to ensuring that opportunities developed as part of a greater process of economic revitalization are inclusive and accessible to inner-city residents. When we partner with employers for hiring, we seek their commitment to work closely with our Employment Support Coordinators (ESC). By doing so, if a person’s life circumstances affect their performance on the job, the employer informs BOB as soon as possible. The ESC can then intervene and support the employee with counselling, further training, and whatever they need to keep the position and succeed on the job. For many of our clients, this supportive intervention means they can continue on the positive life path they have worked hard to carve out for themselves and avoid losing the job, losing self confidence, and having to start over again. So without further adieu we want to celebrate our employer partners and the important role they play in our network of support!

London Drugs: The Woodwards location of London Drugs recently posted a shelf stocker position through BOB. GM Garth Kohlenberg is a big supporter of hiring locally and has hired our candidate Judith Yamada. In addition, Judith will be trained as a cashier due to her strong skill set.  Congratulations Judith!

Acme Labs: Acme Labs is the latest employer to sign our Employer Commitment form. They are now posting positions through BOB and have interviewed candidates who require supportive opportunities. They have a strong history of supporting their employees and we welcome them to our family.

Firehall Arts Centre: James Sarmiento is a BOB candidate who was recently hired as a custodian for the Firehall Arts Centre. Congratulations James! The Firehall is an inner-city employer who works closely with BOB and have hired a variety of BOB candidates. They currently are looking for an amazing Administrative Coordinator.

GOODBYE ADA!

It is with mixed feelings that we say farewell to Ada Mo-Williams. Ada has been an Employment Support Coordinator with BOB for over two years, where she has played a key role in delivering the Supported Employment Program. Ada is passionate about her career, and has used her skills to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. Her counselling has helped many clients through difficult times to help them find success both on the job and in life. Ada, you have gone above and beyond to support your clients and we congratulate you on all the great work you have done here at BOB. We wish you all the best in your new life as a mom and can’t wait to go for dim sum together after the baby comes!

Ada with clients Harris (left) and Justin (right)

NEW JOB POSTINGS

Visit www.bobics.org and look under ‘HR Services’ to apply.

Intakes for the Cycleback Bicycle Repair Program are on-going.

The Firehall Arts Centre is hiring an  Administrative Coordinator. Position closes 10/7/2011.

Urban Ink is hiring a Communications Coordinator. Position closes 10/11/2011.

Edgewater Casino is hiring a Dishwasher. Position closes 10/14/2011.

The Cleaning Solution is hiring a Commercial Cleaner. Position closes 10/14/2011.

Trimpac Sysco is hiring a General Labourer. Position closes 10/14/2011.

EVENTS

SHINE Supper, October 24th

All SEP clients, past and present, are welcome to join us for dinner at the BOB office from 4-6pm!

RSVP to Emily at 778-328-7660  or emily.smith@bobics.org

It is with mixed feelings that we say farewell to Ada Mo-Williams. Ada has been an Employment Support Coordinator with BOB for over two years. In this position she has played a key role in delivering the Supported Employment Program. Ada is passionate about her career, and has used her skills to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. Her counseling has helped many clients through difficult times to help them find success both on the job and in life. Today is Ada’s last day at BOB before going on maternity leave. For the past 9 months we have enjoyed watching her belly grow and being included in her journey towards motherhood, and now it is time for us to fondly say goodbye!

Ada & the whole BOB family

Ada has supported clients employed in positions at Recycling Alternative, Take the Green Challenge, Frogbox, Impark and more. She is always ready to meet people at their level and support them according to how they would like to be treated. For Ada this has included workplace visits, conversations with employers and managers, going out for coffee, follow-up phone calls, personal invitations to the SHINE supper, referrals to health care services, help seeking housing, job-specific skills training and more. Ada truly cares about the clients she works with, and has developed lasting supportive relationships with many of them. Her philosophy of committed, well-rounded support addressing a variety of issues in people’s lives illustrates what we consider to be best practices in the delivery of supported employment services.

Ada with Harris (left) and Justin (right), both longtime clients who have benefited from Ada's care and support

Ada, we have watched you go above and beyond to support your clients and we congratulate you on all the great work you have done here at BOB. We wish you all the best in your new life as a mom and can’t wait to go for dim sum together after the baby comes!