Jenny’s Success Story. from “Employment at Spectrum” series, by Dayna Kneeland

I recently had the pleasure of meeting with Jenny Dam to chat about her experiences working for Spectrum. Jenny works on call for both Spectrum Press and the Spectrum Offices. Her main duties are answering phones and doing mail outs. After gaining some work experience by volunteering for Big Brothers and St. John’s Ambulance, Jenny found some work with Spectrum Press.

What I loved discovering about Jenny’s story was how she seized the chance to expand on this opportunity. One day while working for Spectrum Press Jenny overheard that the Spectrum Offices were looking for some help in reception. Jenny waited for an appropriate moment, approached Judy at the front desk, mentioned that she heard they were looking for help, and asked “what about me?”

Jenny also had some inspiring messages to pass on about working. When I asked Jenny what she liked about her work she shared that it helps her feel more confident socially. She shared that she likes being with her co-workers. Watching them interact with each other helps her learn about different ways of living. Jenny also offered that work has brought into her life “business independence”. When I asked her what that meant to her, she explained that “kids look up to adults that work”, and “working makes the community bigger, a deep space to bring out relationships”.

Thank you, Jenny, for sharing your story and for inspiring us to move forward towards achieving our employment goals to make the community a bigger, deeper place for bringing out relationships, gaining confidence, and learning from one another.