Happy New Year from Shelley Jones Posted on Jan 9 2014 by Carolina Case Management & Rehabilitation Services, Inc.

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.