"I came to New Zealand in November 2013 hoping for a better future and began my studies here.
In 2015 whilst completing my studies in Healthcare, I was working part-time in a rest home and a good friend of mine recommended that I apply to be part of the Creative Abilities team.
The working environment is supportive of growth and development, that’s one of the things that keeps me here. It is also the amazing, amazing people that I work with and the vast amount of knowledge I gain from them.
What does ''Care with Heart'' mean to me? That’s simple – treating others with a sincere heart "
"In my 6+ years at Creative I’ve had many roles. I started out as a Life and Wellbeing Support Worker, Team Leader, and now have been given the privilege as a Hub Manager!
One of my happiest memories was when I was given the opportunity to lead the Thornton Team as a house coordinator, as I was fairly new to Creative Abilities, it boosted my self-esteem and I felt valued as a team member.
I also remember some of the crazy times! Some of our Community Members have pets. One has a cat, and nearly every time I was on shift it would give me “offerings” of mice and birds "
''I wish people knew how unique, full of spunk and full of positivity our amazing Community Members that I have the privilege of working for are.
That they are individuals, their own person is not defined by disability and as you work with them you will have a different perspective of life and their positivity will rub off on you.”
''Working for Creative Abilities has enabled me to be financially independent and to fulfil my goals of travelling – when we can of course!
My average day?
• Get ready for work
• Plan what my most urgent to-do’s for the day and assess how the day might pan out
• Managing the normal day to day tasks and attending to matters as they arise
• Think about what else haven’t I tried (food)! Which interesting restaurant has popped up on the Shore? Who should I go with? - I love trying different types of food!
• Look for an interesting novel or comic to read or an interesting series or documentary to watch.''
If this story from Jaqueline resonates with you and you think you or someone you know has got the heart to be part of the team here at Creative Abilities – please email us at teamcreative@creativeabilities.co.nz or share this post with your community or someone specific you have in mind – we would love to hear from you and we would love to chat!
Stay tuned for our next Creative Abilities feature story