Jody Smith is a young man who moved from Nova Scotia to Midway in 2009.
He had been living in Midway for a couple of months when he decided that he wanted to find something productive to do with his time, as well as find a way to meet new people.
Although he had never had a job before, working was something Jody really wanted to do.
Jody and his family contacted Sunshine Valley Community Services in Grand Forks after hearing about its customized employment services.
For the next several months, Jody spent time engaging in different activities with an employment specialist, who was there to learn what his interests and skills were.
After finding out about different businesses in the Boundary area, it was determined that Value Drug Mart in Grand Forks was a good match for both Jody’s interests and skills.
Jody and the employment specialist worked with Carol Lajoie, the owner of the store, to carve a position for Jody that would best utilize his skills; as a result, Jody freed up time for other staff that were able to best utilize their own skills in other areas that required attention.
Jody was also able to perform tasks that the other staff did not have time for; Jody’s position has proven to be both profitable and convenient for his new employer.
Jody has worked 30 hours per week at Value Drug Mart since October of 2010.
When asked how things are going, he stated, “I love this job, the people here are nice.”
Jody and his co-workers love to joke around and one of his fellow employees expressed that they “have a lot of fun.”
Lajoie also added, “We’ve enjoyed having Jody here; he has lots of enthusiasm for the job. The customers have commented what a nice young man he is and that’s been very positive for our business.”
Sunshine Valley Community Services provides customized employment services for people with any learning disabilities, Autism Spectrum disorder, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum disorder and mental health diagnosis.
If you or someone you care about has struggled finding employment through traditional methods call either Jason or Zena at 250-442-6886 to come in and talk about our employment services.
– Sunshine Valley Community Services