One of the really great things I get to do in my job is plan some really cool events, whether they are smaller park days for the individuals we support, or bigger appreciation events for our employees. The event planning aspect is probably one of my favorite parts of what I do. (Ok, honestly the fulfillment of helping people succeed in life and advocating for their rights is my favorite part, but the fun stuff is great too).

Right now I am in the middle of planning several really awesome events. We have Administrative Assistant Appreciation Day and the end of the month, and our office has lots of fun ways to show our AA how much we appreciate her. We are also working with some community partners to put on a Life Skills event for at risk teens to help them with resources to help them find jobs and housing. Also in the works are a field trip to a heritage museum, summer camp activities for the summer, a summer bar-b-q, Customer Appreciation Day, Boss’s Day (for my first line supervisors), and the big event- Direct Support Professionals Week where we get to honor our team that does the real work day in and day out. Essentially, we have at least one event, big or small, happening every month for the rest of the year. How fun is that!

I am having the most fun working on DSP Appreciation Week. It’s not until September, but we are putting on a really great party as well as hosting some additional free events throughout the week. My team is made up of some incredibly amazing people and I am so excited to put something together to honor them for all of the important work that they do for our community.

Someone in my personal life asked me if we ever did any work in my office because it seems like we are always having a party for something. I told her we absolutely work, and we work hard, but part of my job is to create opportunities for the people we support to interact within the community and foster inclusion, and parties and events help with that. I also work in a field that sees a lot of burnout and turnover, so taking the time to celebrate the people on my team and let them know that the work they do is important is vital to our success.