CCM wishes everyone a Happy New Year in 2014. We know this is going to be a fantastic one! This is an email from our vocational case manager, Shelley Jones, as she reflected on some of her more memorable experiences as a vocational case manager:
2013
I am thankful to you for many things. My career has allowed me to travel many places.
I have…..
- Gone into smelly nursing homes
- Entered the gates of prisons
- Dressed up in clean room garments
- Scrubbed up to watch open heart surgery
- Frozen my tail off at mountain lumber yards
- Rode on bumpy garbage trucks on curvy mountain roads before sunrise
- Walked through poultry processing plants with hanging, dripping wet carcasses
- Stood in the sparks of welders
- Interviewed private investigators, sheriffs, and prison wardens
- Worn rubber boots and walked through uninhabited terrains while watching land surveying
- Driven down many an unpaved road where GPS does not assist
- Visited a gourmet kitchen to see breakfast croissants and cheese biscuits being baked
- Seen the restoration of antique vehicles
- Gone off road in a Range Rover to see roads being constructed
- Pushed a bus down the production line
- Climbed scaffolding many stories high
- Climbed up a college stadium under construction before the rails had been installed
- Touched the domed paneled ceilings in the Duke auditorium during restoration
- Seen the magic of thread being woven into fabric
- Smelled the incredible scent of fresh cut lumber
- Climbed through crawl spaces to talk with workmen
- Scaled up ladders and even up an elevator shaft under construction
- Seen the hard physical labor of moving stones by hand during creek restorations
- Experienced being so hot I wanted to take my shirt off
- Toured old historic factories with original hard woods, bricks, and windows
- Heard the stories of how production work was conducted 30 years ago
What I have witnessed each time is an honest hard day’s work. I have seen out in the counties where most people believe nothing productive ever happens, the incredible efforts of people creating anything and everything imaginable. What I have experienced is committed men and women willing to serve their employer, family and community. If all youth could see what I have seen, they would be full of respect and awe for all workers. I will never forget the biggest, most intimidating production worker I ever met who when asked why he worked so hard he said for “da kids”.
On this New Year, I feel immeasurable gratitude for every opportunity I have had to meet with each and every employer and worker. I am so grateful for every opportunity to commend and encourage the efforts of all employees. I treasure the lasting relationships I have developed.