This February, we celebrated Renee Schwidlewski’s 5-year employment anniversary at AYS. Renee has been a cornerstone of the Employment Support Team since 2019 where she was initially employed as a Support Coordinator, however, it was clear very quickly that her passion was elsewhere. She turned to Employment Support and never looked back.
Today, Renee is one of 10 staff (6 Employment Coordinators) in the team where she is a valuable asset who provides regular expert guidance to her colleagues and participants. Renee is an advocate for the program because:
“Employment is so important for everyone. It can positively influence every part of one’s life. It helps you to build confidence, meet new people, learn new things and gain financial independence”.
Over her 5 years, she has had many achievements and while she can’t pinpoint anyone in particular, her goal is clear and that is to get people into careers that they really want to volunteer and work in.
Renee’s favourite part of the job has always been engaging with participants and their families. She has loved the flexibility in her job which allows her to help people follow their dreams and aspirations; “it’s not just outcome-driven, it’s about the journey and focusing on the various stages in life”.
Her advice for other Employment Coordinators is to ensure that you invest time to build rapport with participants and their families and that you never stop learning in your role (which is a good thing)!
Outside of her tireless work at AYS, Renee loves spending time with her family and friends, walking her dog at the beach and going on adventures. She is an animal advocate and is passionate about animal welfare, which is why she volunteers regularly at the Geelong Animal Welfare Society (GAWS).
We would like to publicly congratulate Renee on her 5-year employment anniversary.
We appreciate her ongoing dedication and hard work.
Here’s to many more!
