As we find ourselves in the heat of summer, Jobs of Hope continues to serve the community. Our work is not easy, but we are able to do it thanks to the hard work of our amazing staff. Ephesians 4:16 states “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” This quote perfectly describes the importance of our staff members and volunteers. This month we recognize Andrea Amaya, the Jobs of Hope intake specialist. She is the first person our participants encounter, and we couldn’t do our work without her.
Andrea began her career as a receptionist with North Range Behavioral Health (NRBH) and later worked as a Peer Specialist with the Wings Program at NRBH. ”Since we were a brand new program, I was doing a little bit of everything. I just really loved the role of being the first person the client was in contact with. Building that rapport with the client and just being that familiar face.” Andrea eventually found Jobs of Hope. “This is where God wanted me. I have been here 2 years and I love coming to work!”
As the Intake Coordinator, Andrea meets with potential participants and helps decide if they are a good fit for the program. When evaluating a potential participant, Andrea looks for the motivation to change. “I want to enroll those men who want community, who want support, who have goals, who want to rebuild their broken relationships with their kids, family, etc. Men that are interested in building a relationship with Christ.”
Andrea fits right in at Jobs of Hope and thoroughly enjoys helping the people she serves. “I love to be the first contact the client has, telling them about our program and the amazing people I work with and how together we support every client who comes through this program. I love to see the clients grow, spiritually, in their recovery, in their relationships, in their stability. I love being able to go out to the prison or jails and show the men that there are people/programs out there that love them and care about them enough to want to help them succeed.”
Andrea acknowledges that there are difficult parts of her role as well. “The most difficult part is wanting it more than my clients do. Most people who work in this industry know that you are going to have 2 out of 10 want it and run with it. That's hard but you must meet the client where they are and hope that when they are ready, they know they are always welcome back.”
Jobs of Hope is a small but amazing program. Each one of us who works or volunteers truly believes and cares about all our men. We are in this industry to help those who just need some genuine support to get back on the right path in life. We are a program of second, third, and fourth chances. As we move forward into summer, please pray for the continued success of Jobs of Hope and its participants as well as the ability of the Jobs of Hope staff to continue effectively serving the men of Weld County.
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