Stories 49-50
This week features stories from staff working in the Supported Living Service. One member of staff was raising money for the charity, the other celebrating a wonderful accomplishment of a service user.
I have been working for Harpenden Mencap for over a year now and I have loved every minute of it!
As this was my first job working in care, I didn’t know what to expect, but I have learnt so much, have met some lovely people and I am happy to support such polite individuals with so much personality and ambition to become more independent in the community.
For Harpenden Mencap’s 60th birthday, ideas were floating around as to what the staff could do to raise money for the charity. The event that stuck out for me was the 3-peak challenge!
The challenge is to climb the three tallest mountains in the UK – in just 24 hours!! I thought this sounded like a great way to raise money.
So, me and Ryan (who used to work here at Harpenden Mencap) decided to sign up for it. The months flew by and before we knew it, we had completed the climbs, walked through all kinds of weather on next to no sleep and very sore feet – I think the word challenge is an understatement!!
Even though Ryan and I were both aching for more than a week after we did it – I did not regret doing it and we raised over £2,000! I will happily do another fundraising event next year – maybe skydive?
Today I experienced true job satisfaction. One of our tenants at Harpenden Mencap has been building up to being able to travel independently for a few weeks now, with chats about what this will entail and where she will need to go.
Today was the first day she took herself to work on her own, on time! Seeing her accomplishment, something that she has been striving to do for so long was the best feeling in the world!
Knowing that we all as a team, have supported her to achieve one of her dreams. Even something so small that people may take for granted to me, watching her walk down the road to catch the bus, waving everyone off and wearing the biggest smile really was the definition of job satisfaction.