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!

Thanks very much to everyone who participated in our survey.

As most of you know, government funding for employment programs is changing, and unless we can find a way to fund this work, we will no longer be able to offer supported employment services to people that really need the support.   Your feedback will help us build a case for potential funders, and help look at how our services can be most effective.

Liz and Emily drew names from the survey submissions and three lucky folks were awarded prizes for taking the time to give their feedback:

Rod Whalen won a $25 gift certificate to Army & Navy. Congratulations Rod!

Sarah Hallgren from Open Door Group won a Hope in Shadows Calendar donated by vendor Patricia Fulford. Patricia is selling Hope in Shadows this season; if you would like to pick up a calendar she is Vendor #23 and can be reached at 778-331-2589. If you purchase 5 or more calendars you receive a discount, and she offers a delivery option!

Isla Patterson from PACT Employment Services won a beautiful B.O.B. mug made by Laura from Enterprising Women Making Art, as well as some delicious Stumptown Coffee donated by our delightful neighbors at Everything Cafe.

Congrats to all the prizewinners and thanks again to all of you who participated. Although the prize draw is over, we are still accepting survey responses. If you are a business, agency or client who has connected with B.O.B. over the years we would love to get your feedback. Contact Emily at 778-328-7660 or emily.smith@bobics.org to request a copy of the survey.

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!

September 2011

BOB is Involved with some Great Local Businesses

As you may know, BOB’s mandate is to support an economic development model for Vancouver’s inner-city that is inclusive of existing residents and businesses. This is no small task, so we try to take a comprehensive approach. We work with entrepreneurs to help them get loans and grants to start their businesses. We work with business owners to provide HR services that support hiring people who are from the inner-city and have challenges to find and keep employment. We work with jobseekers to connect them to the opportunities we post. And we work with new employees to give them the practical support they need to keep their job and succeed.

We believe that this two pronged approach – working with businesses and residents – is key to creating new opportunities in the inner-city economy that help build community and social capital. A great example of the success of this model is the newly opened W2 Media Café in the Woodwards Building.

The BOB Loans program provided a portion of the start-up funding for the café. This funding complemented the countless hours of hard work W2 management and volunteers put in since 2002 to make their vision of a socially inclusive media arts and culture centre in the DTES become a reality.

W2 hired all local DTES and East Van residents to staff the café. They posted positions through their networks and through BOB’s JobPostings service. BOB’s BusinessLinks program assisted the W2 team with interviewing and candidate selection, and also sponsored barista training for 12 folks to get FoodSafe certification, customer service training, a programming overview of the media cafe, and more. Some of the successful candidates also received further support through our Supported Employment Program, getting the bus tickets and food vouchers they needed to make it to their first paycheck, and the life skills support and resources they needed to help them adjust to life on the job.

BusinessLinks Barista Training - Photo courtesy Sakura Yoshita & W2 Media Cafe

Cafe staff are now getting great opportunities to build skills and pursue activities beyond the cafe counter; several of our BusinessLinks graduates enthusiastically report getting involved with event co-ordination, volunteer coordination and program development for projects like the W2 Letterpress Studio and kids & youth media camp.

We congratulate W2 on the great job they have done building a fantastic social enterprise and inclusive community resource centre from the ground up.

Did You Know…

Did you know that the BOB Loans Program has supported the start-up of several other local businesses you may have noticed? These include the reopening of Save-on-Meats at their iconic 43 West Hastings storefront, Scent of a Sandwich (opening soon at 418 Main), Calabash at 428 Carrall St, and Yogiberry at 306 Carrall St.

Andrew and Lani at Save-on-Meats. Lani's coffee is by W2 Media Cafe.

New Job Postings

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

Intakes for the Cycleback Bicycle Repair Program are on-going. Contact Lani at lani.johnson@bobics.org to book an appointment.

W2 Media Café
Senior Barista
Cook

Recycling Alternative
Recycling Sorter/Tote Washer

Events
SHINE Supper – September 19th
All past and present clients of BOB’s Supported Employment Program are welcome to join us for dinner at the BOB office from 4-6pm! Catered meal by Potluck Cafe. RSVP to 778-328-7660 or emily.smith@bobics.org