for people like Rick "My name is Rick and I live at a Mary Centre residence in Toronto. I have been here since 2003. Before coming to Mary Centre, I was with my Dad, my brothers and sister. This is the first time I have been on my own and I am 41 years old. After moving into my new apartment, I got my first job through Project Work. I work at Dominion as a courtesy clerk. I work lots of hours, doing carry-outs, returning items back to their shelves, cleaning up spills trying to help out my co-workers and stuff like that. I even got a certificate saying that I am a good worker. For fun, I like to play pool, cycle and join in all the special activities here at the building. I even have gone to the Famous PEOPLE Players theatre to see the shows. I am learning to live on my own by following the rules, and learning how to write cheques to pay for my telephone and cable TV as well as how to cook different dishes. I get help from my personal support worker. It is a nice building to live in and I will probably stay here for a long time."

Work With Us

Discovering new possibilities. Achieving goals. Celebrating successes. Reaching potential. This is what working at Mary Centre is all about.

Along with the personal rewards our staff receive from enabling adults with a developmental challenge to become more self-reliant and self-confident, Mary Centre offers continuing professional development opportunities. With some of our residences providing 24-hour care, Mary Centre offers a variety of work schedules - an advantage for those whose lifestyles require flexibility.

Our staff benefit from personal and professional fulfillment in their work. Teams work closely together sharing responsibilities, information and ideas. In fact, so rewarding do many members of our team of about 80 full and part-time staff members find working at Mary Centre that more than 25 people have been with us for over 10 years.

The kind of people who work at Mary Centre are:

• People who have a passion and commitment for working with the developmentally challenged.
• People with a willingness to learn.
• People with an attitude of openness, respect and patience.
• People with the ability to listen, to understand and to encourage others to express their hopes and fears.

Here are some of the positions at Mary Centre and the qualifications required.

Part-time and full-time support workers

The role of the support worker is critical to the well-being, health and safety of the individuals they support in our residences or supported independent living apartments. Our full- and part-time support workers assist with daily living and participation in social, recreational and work activities.

Qualifications

• developmental services worker (DSW) or social services worker (SSW) diploma
• CPR and first aid training certificate
• crisis prevention training certificate
• three to five years of experience working with individuals who have developmental challenges
• vulnerable person police check

These people provide support and guidance to adults with a developmental challenge who either live at home with their families or in the community with a caregiver. The community support worker facilitates the development of skills and competencies to enable these individuals to fulfill their goals.