Julie has dedicated her entire career to making a difference. She has spent 28 years supporting and advocating for our most vulnerable populations. Her efforts to integrate persons with disabilities, newcomers to our community, crown wards, and youth through a holistic and incredibly empathetic approach has dramatically impacted 1000’s of lives and truly enriched our community.
Her greatest impact however, came when she moved into management positions within the organization.
To say that she was apprehensive about giving up client contact would be extremely understated. She actually hated the idea but recognized the necessity for the organization. She did grow in a progression of management responsibilities and came to nurture her staff with same passion, mentoring, empathy and encouragement that she had always shown her clients. Staff thrive in the environment she creates and always exceed expectations. ( The Centre’s and the Ministry).
Her efforts have resulted in her gaining tremendous respect across the network. She often receives call for advice and guidance from many centres across the network. She willing provides support and mentorship because she is committed to ensuring our network is as effective and efficient as possible to make a difference in the lives of the countless people who need our services. She was recently selected to serve as a representative for Oxford on our Local Employment Planning Council pilot for London region to again share her knowledge and vision in a broader context.
But she never forgets her roots. No matter what is going on, she is always available to staff to ensure they have the resources and support to succeed. And, every once in a while, she takes on a client as a special project to make sure she never loses sight of the importance of what we all do.