Delta Community Living Society partnered with Rotary at Work to host a recent event to celebrate businesses that have committed to hiring people with developmental disabilities.
The dinner, held at Delta Golf Course, included representatives from two dozen local businesses that have hired people with developmental disabilities.
At the dinner, guests heard personal employment stories from people with diverse abilities and received information about how to partner with DCLS.
“DCLS Solutions Employment is a recruitment service that comes free of charge to the business. It proves to be a win for the people we support with diverse abilities who gain paid employment and a win for the businesses that have filled labour gaps,” said DCLS employment strategy manager Annette Borrows.
Santevia Water CEO Yvonne Anderson spoke at the event.
“Santevia Water partnered with DCLS this fall when we were facing a short-term labour shortage following a successful marketing campaign,” said Anderson. “After looking at our core values – which include innovation, persistence, wellness and giving back – our team came up with the idea to bring on short-term help from DCLS Solutions Employment.
Anderson said a team of five people with diverse abilities came to Santevia’s office and assembled over 14,000 packages in 10 days.
“We have a roster of people with diverse abilities who are ready, willing and able to work,” said DCLS Solutions Employment program coordinator Emily Wheatley. “The partnership with Santevia allowed for our job seekers to gain valuable work experience while earning a fair income for their time.”
DCLS Solutions Employment works with job seekers and local businesses to make employment matches. DCLS is a non-profit community based-organization that provides support to people with diverse abilities and their families.
To find out more about DCLS or DCLS Solutions Employment, or to make a donation, visit www.dcls.ca or call 604-946-9508.
