The Believe, Empower and Inspire awards recognize posAbilities team members for going above and beyond their role to help us achieve our mission and strategic objectives. Congratulations to our most recent winners who were honoured on Friday, January 23rd – Louise Blackwell received the Empower Award and Melissa Tobin received the Believe Award!
Louise Blackwell – Empower Award
Louise Blackwell is one of our Team Managers and is a member of our Occupational Safety & Health committee. Louise was nominated for demonstrating excellence and innovation due to her outstanding contribution to promote and improve health and safety within the workplace. Louise was instrumental in our successful bid for the WorkSafeBC Certificate of Recognition for exemplary occupational health and safety programs and practices. She spent countless hours researching, (re)writing policies and procedures, preparing documentation to help our Association prepare for the Audit, accompanying the Auditor on their site visits and implementing the Auditor’s recommendations. This was all done over and above Louise’s regular responsibilities as a Team Manager.
Louise’s efforts to involve all employees in the quest to obtain the Certificate of Recognition has greatly enhanced safety awareness, which in turn will have a positive impact on injury prevention within posAbilities.
Melissa Tobin – Believe Award
Melissa Tobin is an Employment Specialist with our Employment Service who was nominated for demonstrating inclusion, as well as excellence and innovation. A collaboration between our staff team and management identified a barrier when supporting persons served to secure gainful employment. That barrier involved employers who questioned the skills and abilities of persons served in their workplace. Melissa having had experience in workshop development and facilitating teaching in a group setting, took on the opportunity of creating a diversability training/workshop for businesses. Her creative approach respectfully challenged biases and gave the business community an opportunity to ask questions and address concerns they may have had. This workshop functions both as a marketing tool and an educational opportunity for businesses at no added cost. Furthermore, it provides an opportunity to create more employment opportunities in positions and sectors where persons served may not have had before.
Melissa took on this project that went above and beyond her job duties and put an amazing workshop curriculum together. The creation of this workshop will serve as a useful tool for both our Employment Service team and other service providers in the years to come.
