WHY I WORK HERE
BRENDA ARMOUR
Food Service Manager
DOORWAYS Supportive Housing Facility
Service: 15 years
Why I work here
I love my job! I love the mission at DOORWAYS. I love being part of people who help people. It makes me feel good about where I work.
I’ve learned so much about how to take care of people living with HIV and AIDS.
DOORWAYS provides the best nutritional care for people with HIV/AIDS. Here they have shelter, care and food.
How my job helps DOORWAYS’ mission
It’s very important for our clients to eat and to not skip meals. At the DSHF, clients can have food around the clock if they want it. Good, nutritious food. We don’t skimp on food here—I love that. Good nutrition and good food can help people with HIV/AIDS get their strength back to get back out in the world to live on their own. I teach a class on nutrition so that they know the right things to eat, especially when they’re on their own.
Best client memory
There was one young lady who came to the DSHF. She was 60% below her ideal body weight. She was sick, she was weak and she just wanted to give up. She didn’t want to live. In the process of my counseling her about eating, she opened up to me about her children. It helped me find a way to talk to her about what might be important to her. I asked her, “Don’t you want to live for your children?”
After that we started to find things she could eat. We worked with the dietician and with each other to find out what would work for her. She began to eat to get stronger. And just like that, weight started to come back on. She got better. Now she is out on her own living with her kids. It was just a hard process for her to accept that she was HIV positive.
DOORWAYS is best at
Making people feel good about themselves and accepting the situation they’re in so they don’t have to be on the street. DOORWAYS gives hope to people—it’s not a place of hospice, it’s a place of healing.
If I could change something for our clients
First, the stigma they live with. And second, that they would be 100% compliant with their treatment and take advantage of opportunities to get better.
If I didn’t work at DOORWAYS, I’d
Love to be counseling people about everyday living. We all have our moments and to let people know they have a purpose in life and that they are valued. When people don’t feel they have any value, they don’t have a purpose.
When I’m not at work, I like to
Be around family. I love family! And camping, hiking, canoeing, horseback riding. I grew up on a farm, so I love being outdoors.
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STEPHEN WILLIAMS
President’s Assistant and DOORWAYS Office Manager
Service: began May 2011.
Why I work here
I work for DOORWAYS because it’s more than a job. Sure, I get a paycheck and for that I am grateful. But, with my job, I get the intangible, intrinsic benefits of knowing that my contributions to the agency change and save the lives of our clients. Knowing that I had a part in that gives me a sense of gratification that no other type of work could muster.
How my job helps DOORWAYS’ mission
My contributions to the organization as a whole aid in the delivery of direct service to hundreds of clients. By not having a strong administrative branch within the agency, those who work directly with clients would not have the support they need and deserve. When push comes to shove, everything we all do is a direct response to the needs of our clients.
Best client memory
One morning, a client comes in and just starts exclaiming, “I got it! I got it!” His case worker heard him and they went into the conference room and did some paperwork. When the client left, I asked his case worker why he was so excited, and she replied that he had been homeless, went into our emergency housing, and now he has his very own apartment. The client was elated that he now has a safe and secure place to live.
DOORWAYS is best at
Adaptation. Whenever a client comes in with a situation that is different in some way, whatever way, my social service co-workers adapt to help that client as much as possible. Such flexibility is based in their desire to help as many people as frequently as possible.
If I could change something for our clients
I would like to remove the stress that I see in the clients’ faces. Sometimes their eyebrows are furrowed and their voices are tense. I want them to know that something, someone, somehow things will get better for them.
If I didn’t work at DOORWAYS
I would be a professional volunteer. I would volunteer in the mornings and then take long, fabulous lunches. I would try to switch up the country every so often for a bit of variety.
When I’m not at work
I pretend I’m a grad student, row, watch mindless television, play with my puppies, harass my friends.
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