News and notes from Imagine! and the Imagine! Foundation.
Molly Collins - 2020 Alliance DSP of the Year Nominee
Feb-04-2020
Employees
Congratulations Molly Collins, who was recently nominated by Imagine! for the Alliance 2020 Direct Support Professional of the Year.
Here’s what Molly’s nomination had to say about her amazing work:
Molly started with our organization as a Therapeutic Recreation Intern in the Summer of 2018, and has since grown into her current role as a lead instructor for our participants aged 7 and up. She has been a quiet force since her internship, bringing a person-centered and strengths-based approach to everything she does. She empowers everyone she meets; whether they’re participants of the program, her coworkers or her friends, Molly is always looking for ways to build people up. As an instructor, she easily sees participants’ strengths and uses those strengths to adapt activities to be truly meaningful.
As she finished her internship, she was a key factor in bringing back our end of the summer party with participants, their families, and our staff. This party celebrated the successes of participants during the summer, highlighted their progress towards goals and their accomplishments, which resulted in a large boost of morale for our program at the end of an exhausting summer. Molly was dedicated to creating individualized awards for each participant in our program to make sure they were recognized at the end-of-summer event and succeeded in this goal. We continue to host this party at the end of our summer camp each year to continue the legacy of positivity to close out the summer.
In addition to her successful internship, her supervisors have had nothing but positive experiences with Molly and have been impressed with her ability to face challenges head-on with grace and composure. She was promoted into a lead instructor role shortly after completing her internship, largely because of her genuine therapeutic approach to everything as well as her natural leadership qualities that other staff were drawn to. Lead instructors have a lot of contact with our participants and their families, and we trust that Molly is the best ambassador and representation of an Imagine! DSP. It was a no-brainer when we promoted her because we could see how naturally she developed rapport with participants and family members, and wanted to see her bring that into a leadership position in our program.
Recently in our adult program, a couple of our female participants confided in Molly during a car ride regarding an situation with a male friend of theirs that was happening outside of our program that they didn’t like. Molly validated their concerns and encouraged them to advocate for themselves, set boundaries, and confide in people they trust to get more help. I believe that it speaks volumes that participants are comfortable confiding in Molly about stressful and uncomfortable things that are going on in their personal lives. She made sure that these participants were heard, reminded them that they deserve respect and kindness from those around them, and that they have resources and people to reach out to for help. After those conversations, she notified our coordinating team so we could continue the conversation with their providers and make sure that everyone was supported in the best way. She continued to follow-up with us to make sure that the situation was handled, and was invested in the ongoing support for these female participants in our program. This is just one example of the person-first approach that Molly takes on a daily basis.
Overall, Molly has a knack for meeting participants where they are so that she can understand where they are coming from, and support them in the best way for them. Participants, and staff, gravitate towards her and she sets the stage for a very welcoming environment for everyone involved in our program. She is never short of a smile and an encouraging comment when she walks through the door, and maintains that energy and positivity throughout the day. Molly’s coworkers say that she is always willing to help out, has so much compassion and patience, and is an inspiration to them as an instructor for our participants! She is the type of person you want to be working with your loved ones, providing the highest quality of care that you can get.
