Pauline Wilson
Pauline was hired on October 11th 1975. She is described as a very thoughtful individual who always remembers and celebrates the small things for people. She never expects to be acknowledged for her many acts of kindness. The best advice she has ever been given was “Only say and do things to people that you would want said and done to you”. Pauline is proud of making Community Living Fort Erie her career of choice at a very young age. Pauline has made many valuable friendships within the organization and she is always there for her co-workers and the people she supports. She values the relationships she has made greatly! Pauline is very well liked and respected by everyone that works with her. She is always positive, supportive and compassionate. Her work ethic is impeccable and she is admired for her caring fun loving personality. Community Living Fort Erie is extremely grateful to have had Pauline as our employee for the past 45 years.
Darren Krieger
Darren has worked for Community Living Fort Erie for 30 years. He was hired on March 23rd 1990. Darren describes himself as “easygoing and a solid guy”. Darren is proud of the amount of people he has helped throughout his employment. One of Darren’s favourite memories is working alongside many great co-workers. Darren likes working with people and the different personalities he has come in contact with, as he finds it makes the world an interesting place. Darren’s favourite hobbies include enjoying a beverage and buying and selling stuff. At work he is described as always having a positive attitude and coming into work with a smile. He is someone you can depend on and truly cares about the people he supports and his coworkers. Darren has a great sense of humor and always comes into work everyday with the intent to bring joy to the people he supports.
Annie Culp
Annie has worked for Community Living Fort Erie for 30 years. She was hired on June 26th 1990. Annie describes herself as a good listener, trustworthy, compassionate, caring and a team player. Her favourite hobbies include Baseball and Golf. One thing Annie likes most about her job is the amazing friendships she has gained while working at Community Living Fort Erie. A memory she is proud of this past year is supporting her team. A work related accomplishment she is proud of is being there for her team if they are in need of anything. At work Annie is described as a very effective listener to the people she supports, she is empathetic to others and can often see past challenging behaviours. Her dedication is both very much valued and appreciated by Community Living Fort Erie.
Pam Howe
Pam was hired on October 4th 1990. Pam describes herself as an “introverted extrovert” and a great Mom. Pam said the best advice she has ever been given was from her mother who told her “Get an education so you don’t have to depend on a man”. One thing she likes most about her job is that she found several of her closet friends. One of her favourite memories this past year was the day her son found out he was accepted to the university of his choice. A work related accomplishment that Pam is very proud of is working at Community Living Fort Erie for 30 years. At work Pam is described as an excellent advocate for those she supports. She is level headed and professional at the most difficult of times. Pam has a great sense of humor and is a great team player. She has an excellent understanding of what it means to treat people equitably. Community Living Fort Erie is grateful to have Pam for 30 years.
Leanne Pollard
CONGRATULATIONS ON 20 YEARS OF SERVICE!
Jo-Anne Zucarelli
Jo-Anne was hired on March 28th 2000 as a Community Living Fort Erie employee. Prior to being hired as a Support Worker she was a SSAH worker and a counsellor in our summer camp program. Jo-Anne describes herself as easy going, kind, passionate and always willing to help. Jo-Anne enjoys spending time with her husband and 4 children and golfing in the summer. One thing she likes most about her job is seeing successful connections between the people we support and the community. Jo-Anne is most proud of seeing people thrive in their independence once given the opportunity. A talent that she is proud of is her ability to multi-task. At work Jo-Anne is described as a very efficient and thorough worker. She is always caring for everyone she supports and never backs down from a challenge.
Deana Gonnsen
Deana was hired on October 5th 2000. She describes herself as a very energetic and empathetic person and enjoys staying active and fit. The best advice Deana was given was from her Dad who always encouraged her to work hard. Deana’s favourite memory this past year has been going to a live NHL game. An accomplishment that she is proud of is making it to 20 years at Community Living Fort Erie. The talent Deana is most proud of is her ability to accomplish many task in a short amount of time. At work Deana is described as a dedicated employee who always has the best interest of the people she supports as her first priority. She is passionate and is a strong advocate for the medical and physical needs of everyone she provides support to. Deana is a hard worker, honest and has a great sense of humor.
Jody O’Riley
Jody has worked for Community Living Fort Erie for 15 years. She was hired on September 28th 2005. She describes herself as “a tall girl with a big heart”. The best advice Jody has ever received was from her Gramma who told her she can achieve anything she works hard for and to never trust a guy with one eyebrow. One thing Jody loves most about her job is the friendships she has made and the endless amount of laughter they have had together. At work Jody is described as a dedicated employee. She always wants what’s best for the people she supports and always has a smile on her face while doing so. Jody is very reliable and dependable and Community Living Fort Erie is grateful to have Jody has our employee for 15 years!
Sara Guil
Sara has worked for Community Living Fort Erie for 15 years. She was hired on December 17th 2005. Sara describes herself as “empathetic with a side of dramatic”. Sara’s favourite memory this past year was getting married to an amazing man. She loves to go on road trips in classic cars. The best advice Sara has been given is “Have the courage to live life true to yourself not the life others expect of you”. One thing she likes most about her job is her ability to see other sides of situations from different perspectives. Something Sara is most proud of is her epic nacho making skills. At work Sara is described as a kind, caring and a dedicated Support Worker. She provides quality supports to people in her direct care and is a great team player.
Penny Adams
Penny has worked for Community Living Fort Erie for 10 years. Her favourite hobbies include reading and spending time enjoying nature. Penny describes herself as creative, motivated, honest and empathetic. The best advice she was ever given was “Act as if what you do makes a difference, because it does”. This past year Penny was able to help the people she supports get through the pandemic with smiles and laughter. Penny enjoys that everyday is different at work and that she is helping the people she supports accomplish their dreams. A work related accomplishment that she is proud of is mentoring a student from Niagara College. Penny is a great role model and has good decision making skills. At work Penny is described as a compassionate, patient and reliable Support Worker. She is kindhearted, trustworthy and is always advocating for the people she supports.
Lacey Topolinsky
Lacey was hired on September 20th 2010. The best advice she was given was “With pain comes strength”. Lacey enjoys working out, staying active in her daily life and helping others achieve their goals. Her favourite memory this past year was having baby Zayne. A work related accomplishment Lacey is proud of is helping a person supported meet their goal of going to college. Before working at Community Living Fort Erie Lacey used to be a Gymnastics Coach. Her favourite food to eat is Pizza. At work Lacey is a very positive person, she is compassionate and goal oriented. Lacey works diligently with the people she supports to help them attain their goals and include them in their community. She is a lovely balance of professional and fun!
Christine Bogar
Christine has worked for Community Living Fort Erie for 5 years. She was hired on March 19th 2015. She describes herself as a honest, passionate, and a whole-hearted person. Christine enjoys encouraging those whom she supports with their personal advancements and becoming more independent. While working at Community Living Fort Erie she has learned that great things in business are never done by one person, there done by a team of people. The best advice Christine has received is “Challenges are what make life interesting, and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” –J. Marine. At work Christine is described as a reliable and genuine worker, she takes the initiative to schedule appointments that are needed for the people she supports. Christine has a good rapport with the families and is willing to go above and beyond for the people she supports to ensure they have the best care.
Amelia Gray
Amelia has worked for Community Living Fort Erie for 5 years. She was hired on March 24th 2015. Amelia enjoys travelling and describes herself as kind, caring and compassionate. The best advice she has received was “One small positive thought in the morning will change your whole day”. One thing that she likes most about her job is making the people she supports smile. Her favourite memory this past year has been spending time with family. Amelia is very proud of becoming a Full Time employee at Community Living Fort Erie. At work she is described as a team player and always willing to go the extra mile to ensure that people are happy, healthy and achieve their goals. She is willing to pick up extra hours to guarantee that people she supports have consistency in their life. Amelia can be counted on to complete any task that is asked of her. She is very friendly, courteous and is always treating people with respect.
Sandra Horner
Sandra has worked for Community Living for 5 years. She was hired on April 27th 2015. Sandra’s first job was a Lifeguard. One of her favourite memories this past year was a special day spent with her father. Her dad treated her to an unforgettable spa day, dinner and drinks. Sandra enjoys crafting, she gets her ideas from Pinterest. One thing Sandra likes most about her job is knowing at the end of the day that she has done her best to make a difference in someone’s life. At work Sandra is described as always wanting what’s best for the people she supports. She is a very caring individual and is friendly to everyone. Sandra is a great team player and has a wonderful work ethic.
Chris Wolfe
Chris has worked for Community Living Fort Erie for 5 years. Chris was hired on June 10th 2015. He is a fun loving and hard working dad and enjoys playing music and dancing with his son and daughter. Chris is most proud that he can do the Fred Durst vocal “YEAH!” as well as the Batman “Swear to me”. The best advice Chris has been given is “The key to happiness doesn’t lay in numbers in a bank account but in the way we make others feel” from the JR Podcast. The three things that Chris enjoys most about his job is helping people achieve their goals, developing skills to live more independently and getting them involved within their community. At work Chris is described as ambitious, compassionate and entertaining. He is always willing to try anything and won’t back down from a challenge.
Tanya Nazar
Tanya was hired on July 23rd 2015. She describes herself as a hard working, dedicated person and has a passion for helping others. The best advice she has received is from her son who told her “In a world full of roses be a sunflower”. Tanya’s favourite hobbies include painting, camping, travelling and spending time with her family. Tanya is proud of the team she works with and the award they won for being a good and supportive team. One thing she likes most about her job is seeing the people supported achieve their goals and how happy it makes them. At work Tanya is described as a team player and someone who goes above and beyond to make sure that the people supported have consistency in their daily routine. She always completes her job requirements for each shift. Tanya understands the importance of and promotes community participation with the people she supports.
Audrey Rutter
Audrey has worked for Community Living Fort Erie for 5 years. She was hired on December 1st 2015. Audrey describes herself as “funny, smart, stunningly beautiful and extremely humble”. Two things that she loves most about her job is the relationships made at the agency and the individuals she supports continue teaching her to be a better Support Worker. Audrey is looking forward to gardening, sunbathing, golfing and retirement. The best advice she has been given is “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” – Michael Scott. Audrey is proud that every year on her employee evaluation her strong rapport with the individuals she supports is recognized. At work Audrey is described as a very motivated staff who is passionate about her educational journey and growth. Audrey is excellent at establishing effective rapports with the people she supports and will advocate for them. She has a great sense of humor, is easy going and is a reliable team mate.
