For the last two years, Neil Squire has partnered with the (HRAA) to provide summer employment to local youth with disabilities.
Hammond River Angling Association is a non-profit organization whose mandate is to protect and preserve the Hammond River through education, conservation, and community interaction. Each year, they run the Hammond River Nature Camp for children aged 5 to 12 with weekly themes that focus on core activities such as fishing, swimming, kayaking, fly tying, paddle boarding, and field games.
As a non-profit organization, the HRAA relies heavily on outside funding. Their Camp Director points out that the Working Together program has been extremely beneficial in supporting their efforts to be inclusive and provide equal opportunities to summer staff.
Initially, Neil Squire’s connection with the HRAA stemmed from a young woman with a passion for fishing, after a casual conversation with her Job Developer about her weekend fishing trip. The Job Developer reached out to the HRAA, and a wonderful relationship was forged.
That year, the young woman was hired as a camp counselor through the Working Together program鈥檚 wage subsidy funding. Her work ethic and positive attitude made her an ideal fit for the position, and her experience that year exemplified the success of the Working Together program. She was hired on again the following summer at the employer鈥檚 own expense. This proved to be an integral stepping stone, as she now plans to study early childhood education at college next year.
The HRAA has since gone on to hire two other youth with disabilities through the Working Together program, providing them with invaluable opportunities in their first real-world employment experience.
Neil Squire looks forward to our continued work together to promote inclusive employment experiences for local youth with disabilities.