We’re pleased to introduce you to our newest Team Leader, Denise Aquino, who is in charge of our South Team. The South Team is one of our four community-based teams for Career and Leisure Services (CLS), which provides part-time and full-time support to adults with developmental disabilities in their communities.
How long have you been with the DDRC?
Three months, almost!
What made you want to work here?
DDRC has good policies and processes in place that align with my professional values and practice. The organization is forward thinking, efficient, vibrant, creative, and Level 2 ACDS CET accredited!
What’s the best part about being a Team Leader?
Working together with Community Resource Workers to develop tools that can positively impact the quality of service we provide to our clients.
Can you tell us about a recent South Team success?
We recently formed a bowling group, which every client on our team seems to want to be a part of! Also, the employer of one of our clients has committed to doing a “staff picks table” on a quarterly basis where our client gets to choose and gather items and books from their store, and engage with customers about these featured items. This means a lot to the work that we do because it shows how the community sees the talents, interests, and strengths of our clients.
What is your favourite thing about summer?
Longer sunlight hours which means being able to do multi-pitch trad [a type of rock climbing] or sport rock climbing routs in the mountains the whole day. Also, it does not feel too cold while flying single engine airplanes [one of Denise’s hobbies].