I Don’t Do this Job to Win an Award – But It Sure Feels Good to Get One

Timothy Doe

You must first be a believer if you would be an achiever.

Late last year, something happened that humbled me more than anything else in the five years that I’ve worked at the Catholic Community Services (CCS) Community Living Program in Tucson: I was chosen as our 2009-2010 Employee of the Year.

I have been assisting people with disabilities since I was in high school. I do this work because I love it, to accomplish goals, and to feel that I am contributing to something. I usually don’t feel as if anyone other than the person I am assisting is aware of what I do. If you’d asked me about that, I would have said it didn’t matter, but this award has made me realize how good it feels to have your work acknowledged.

It has also made me think about the road that led me to this profession that I love.

I grew up in Lomé, the capital and the biggest city of the West African country of Togo. Before coming to this country in 2002, I worked at nonprofit social service organizations, helping young people to prevent early pregnancy, sexual diseases and HIV. I also created an association called Soleil de Nuit (Nighttime Sun), aimed at educating the public – especially teenagers – about these important topics through poetry, short sketches and theatrical plays.

Soleil de Nuit developed a program to assist people with disabilities. People with disabilities in Togo are not assisted by the government as they are in the U.S. Their only support is their parents, who are often unable to provide them with two meals per day, let alone any medical attention or personal assistance. As a result, most of our people with disabilities end up begging for food in the street, where they endure many kinds of abuse and neglect. Our association would collect used clothes, wash them, and distribute them to homeless people with disabilities. We also negotiated free medical visits for them with volunteer doctors.

When I moved to the U.S., I wanted to keep supporting people who need help, but I didn’t speak any English. I needed to earn money to bring my wife and children here to join me, so I got a job in a hotel kitchen as a dishwasher, quickly moving up to become a prep cook and then a cook.

Meanwhile, I took classes to improve my English. By 2004 I spoke English well enough to fulfill my ambition of becoming a direct support professional. I applied at CCS, but I couldn’t find a shift that would work with my school schedule until June 16, 2005, when I finally started work at CCS.

Since then, I have had many titles – DSP, lead DSP, Program Manager, and Program Manager II – but always I am doing direct care work, working directly with people who have disabilities.

Caring is giving. The training I got at CCS, along with what I learned on the job and from my co-workers, has taught me how deep an impact our profession has on our community. At the banquet where I received my award, along with the employees of the year from CCS’s other five agencies, I truly felt that all the program’s dedicated employees and administrators were being honored.

I was so moved by all the congratulations I received! Everyone was proud of me. One of the residents we serve came to my office afterward to say how happy she was to hear the news. “You do a great job to help us,” she said. “You are amazing person. You are funny, and you always make me laugh. I am happy to work with you. Tim, I will take you to dinner. You deserve it. “

I remember every word of her speech because those words were so intense and emotional for me. Before she finished, tears were running down my cheeks.

I wish every dedicated direct care worker could get an award for the excellent and tremendous job you are doing every single hour to help the people we serve. You are all great advocates for the people you assist, and your support makes a big difference.

Employers, I hope you will do more to support their staff. If you want satisfied and motivated employees, treat them as if they matter – because they do! Make sure employees in your organization get the recognition or awards they deserve for their contributions.

Everyone has his or her own reasons for doing this work, but most of us want to know that our efforts have made a difference. Winning an award tells us that we’ve had an impact – and that someone is watching after all.

Timothy Doe, DSP
Graduate, 2009 Voices Institute National Leadership Program