We would like to introduce to you Nick. Nick is a very energetic person who comes alive when he is around others. Nick is involved in our Employment Services and it is important that he has a job where he can interact with people and the community regularly. Nick also experiences cerebral palsy and is a quadriplegic who uses a wheelchair. While he uses a wheelchair, he is very engaged, he communicates nonverbally, and he tries to do everything that anybody else would but faces some hurdles along the way. When Trask, an MVA employment Consultant, first started working with Nick in 2021, he had a job at Chehalem Park and Recreation District (CPRD). It was a good job where he earned money and gained experience, but it was a job that had little interaction with people, and he was isolated from the community.

When Trask joined Nick’s team, his mother and his case manager at Vocational Rehabilitation were encouraging Nick to find a job in the community where he could really be in his element. For over a year, Trask was job developing and trying to find a position for Nick. It was an uncertain time for businesses with the Covid-19 pandemic going on, mixed in with the barriers that sometimes, unfortunately, emerge in terms of finding employment for supported individuals. Nick is an optimistic person who was determined to find the right employment opportunity, so we kept on searching. One of the positions that Nick’s mother was certain would be a good fit was a crossing guard. However, these positions are few and far between.

One day, Kristin, another MVA Employment Consultant, and Trask ran across a position at an elementary school, called Mable Rush in Newberg. They decided to head to the school and see if there was an opportunity for Nick. They spoke to the principal about the idea of hiring Nick as a crossing guard and the principal of the school agreed to an interview. A couple of weeks later, Nick, his personal support worker (PSW) Sonia, and MVA attended the interview hoping this would be the opportunity for Nick. Tim, the principal of Mable Rush, was very open to the idea of hiring Nick. At the start of the 2022 school year, Mable Rush had more students experiencing disabilities attending than ever before. Tim believes that having people on staff who experience disabilities would help normalize interactions between staff, parents, and especially students. Tim also believed that having elementary school children be introduced to individuals who experience disabilities at a young age, would normalize the fact that these individuals are just like everybody else. With the understanding that Nick would be able to do the job with the assistance of his PSW Sonya, he was hired. Nick started his position in September of this school year, and he couldn’t be happier!

The MVA Team could tell Nick was happy about having this job as they saw him smile for the first time once he started as a crossing guard. He is doing amazing so far at his job and everybody on his team couldn’t be happier for him. One of the best parts of Nick’s new position is that the school is only a couple blocks away from his home! Another great aspect that has come out of Nick’s new job is how it has impacted others. Word of Nick becoming a crossing guard spread, and many were inspired by Nick putting his mind to finding a dream job. So much so, that after hearing about Nick’s story, other individuals who thought their disabilities too severe to find work, have contacted MVA wanting to follow their employment passions. A job does change someone’s life, and at MV Advancements, we are passionate about finding the right job, with the right employer to lead to great outcomes for all people.

Home is Where the Heart Is

At MV Advancements we love to share the stories about the people we support and because we are “people, people”, we also like to recognize and appreciate staff members for providing the best services possible and exemplifying MVA’s core values. One of these staff members is Courtney Hogan. In the fall of 2018, Courtney was finishing her bachelor’s in psychology at Oregon State University, and, like many at that age, she was figuring out what she wanted to do with her degree. She happened to stumble upon an MV Advancements job posting looking for someone with a psychology degree. Intrigued with the position, she went onto the MVA website and researched it from top to bottom to see if this was a place where she could see herself working and she decided to apply. On November 26th, 2018, Courtney was Hired as an Employment Consultant.

Right away she felt that this was a special place and as she continued to work and become more comfortable within MV Advancements, she realized that she could see herself being a part of the organization for a long time. This really became apparent in 2019 as she was going through some tough family moments that were weighing on her. “This was a very tough time for me and one thing that really got me through my days was work. At that time, I was working with one individual whom I would meet three days a week first thing in the morning to job coach him. Every time, he was so excited to see me. He had a smile on his face, and he was just so upbeat. And for me at that time, work was really one of the few things that made me happy and helped me get out of bed in the morning”.

As time went on, Courtney continued to grow with the company and everything has been great. Well, everything except that one thing that happened in March of 2020 called Covid-19. Covid was a difficult time for everyone and it caused a lot of people to question and even change their life course. Before Covid, Courtney wanted to move to Central Oregon to be closer to her brother and to be in that part of the state, but she also wanted to stay employed at MVA. “During the beginning of Covid, there were just three of us in the office working together, adapting together, and seeing how so many people came together to make our jobs work in such difficult times, reinforced my wanting to stay at MVA”.  She weighed the pros and cons of what to do, and fortunately for her and for MVA, there was a way to do both. With the emergence of remote/virtual work came the opportunity for people, such as Courtney, to live in a different place than where they work.

“In late 2020, I knew I wanted to stay with MVA, but also move to Central Oregon. I spoke with my manager to see if this was a possibility and over time, we worked out a plan where I could work remotely, but I would come back to Polk/Marion counties three weeks of the month for two days to do all my in-person appointments and job training. I have been working remotely for one year and eight months now.” It takes Courtney four hours to get from Central Oregon to her mother’s house in Salem, where she stays for her in-person work. When asked why she didn’t just get a new job in Central Oregon she said “I have had some people ask me that, and I’m sure some people think I am crazy. It’s the people we get to serve each day, my co-workers, and so many other things. There hasn’t been a day where I woke up and say I don’t want to go to work today. It may sound cliché, but I love my job and I hope to retire with MVA one day.”

This is just one of the many benefits that came from the pandemic. Before the pandemic, we would not have been as innovative to find ways to keep dedicated staff on our team while at the same time helping them balance work and home. We are grateful for the dedicated and engaged staff who are on the team to make a positive difference in the lives of those we support. Thank you, Courtney, for being on Team MVA!

Company Picnic

Wow had it really been three years? Indeed, it had been three years since our last Company Picnic. There were countless effects of Covid, but not seeing the people we support, staff, families, and all those involved with MVA gather at our annual picnic was very difficult. But this past August the three-year hiatus came to an end.  We were able to have everyone come out, have a great time, and really reconnect with the mission of MVA! Thank you to those that attended, and a special thank you to the MVP Softball team from Dayton helping serve meals and to Jacob Halsey with Academy Mortgage and Brian Wicks with Cascadia Landscaping for grilling up some amazing food! It takes a village to host this event and we appreciate everyone who helped make it a great day!

Headquarters Update

While our new rental space on McDaniel Lane has been an improvement for our team, we are looking forward to building a corporate headquarters building on the property in McMinnville. We will have chosen a design/build team of CIDA Architects and Andrew Scott Construction and look forward to breaking ground in 2023. How we work has changed due to the pandemic and we will use this insight in our building design. It’s exciting to see a project that has been a need for the organization for so many years, coming into reality. We will keep our supporters informed of our progress.

New Salem Office

With our Marion/Polk County employment team and the growing number of individuals in need of employment services in the Marion County area, this past September we decided to expand by opening a new employment office in Salem! Our Supported Employment team is very excited about the opportunity to work with even more businesses in Marion County and to serve future individuals looking for Employment!