‘I think there is tremendous opportunity for all kinds of things to happen when people share time and space’
Michelle Strutzenberger

For 13 years, Graeme has been couriering the mail from the posAbilities head office to various sites.

It’s a different route and different program each day and requires taking the transit, including the bus and sky-train.

Graeme says he loves the opportunity to meet all sorts of people along his way.

“Graeme takes much pride in the work that he does, and he has some amazing relationships with employees here at the office, as well as some of the people he meets along his routes and at our programs when he delivers the mail,” says Louise, a posAbilities host family services team leader.

A couple of weeks before the end of last year, Graeme began training his peer, Andy, to take over his work while he recovers from a hip replacement surgery he had in late December.

Andy and Graeme

Andy says he is most excited about meeting people through this courier role, noting it’s something he’s always wanted to do.

“One of the teachers asked me if I wanted a job and asked if I wanted to take over and I said ‘Yeah,’” he tells posAbilities Today.

Both Andy and Graeme share an interest in hockey, so had a subject for conversation as they travelled the routes together.

Asked about his favourite part of training Andy, Graeme says it was knowing that in the end he would be able to take over the job.

“Now he can do it,” he says.

Louise says she’s been most inspired to see Andy’s confidence increase through this experience.

“This has inspired confidence in Andy to be able to transit himself independently, (and resulted in) a sense of ownership and empowerment,” she says.

She notes Andy is at head office bright and early every morning, “very eager to get his job started, not afraid to ask questions and seek clarification.”

Asked about what can be done to foster more of these types of experiences, Louise says it’s a matter of offering opportunities for people with a common interest and activity to get together.

“There are many interests and activities that we all have in common, from hockey games to scrapbooking to Transformers to movies,” she says.

“We need to be able to bring people together and let this start to happen, for example, a movie night at one of our day program sites, put the hockey game on a big screen and have snacks, offer a scrapbooking class in the evenings.

“I think there is tremendous opportunity for all kinds of things to happen when people share time and space,” says Louise.

If you have a story to share, or feedback on this article, please contact michelle(at)axiomnews.ca, or call the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 27.