Sara is brand new to our board of directors and still fairly new to the Trail area. We’re thrilled to have them join us!
Sara has been working with youth and people with disabilities throughout their career, and they bring a great new perspective to our team.
“My first job at age 16 was as a respite care provider for families who have children with disabilities. During my youth, I also volunteered at local camps, weekend activities, in various classrooms and around the community assisting people with disabilities,” Sara says. “I completed my high school graduation project on physical therapy in a special education classroom.”
“My early work experience and volunteering helped me to realize my passion for working with and helping youth.”
Sara completed a degree in criminal justice and worked with youth corrections and community based programs, helping young people in juvenile custody centers as a counselor and in the courts. After finishing their master’s degree in management and leadership, Sara has worked as a career coach and admissions counselor for college students.
Connecting locally
Locally, Sara has volunteered with Camp Koolaree and now sits on the board of the Skills Centre.
“My passion throughout my life has been in helping others to find their way, and add meaning and stability into their life,” Sara says.
“That is part of the reason I want to be involved with the Skills Centre. My most recent experience as a career coach helped me realize the impact I can have by helping others to have the resources they need to reach their goals in life.”
As someone new to the Trail community, Sara wanted to find a place to volunteer where they could lend their passions and experience and make a difference, while meeting people in the community along the way.
“I grew up in a large city and honestly never saw myself living in a small town. Being in a rural area is new to me. I personally thought big cities had all the advantages because of the large population, sheer number of businesses, infrastructure, keeping personal lives and business (almost) always separate,” Sara says.
“However, I have learned that there are unique advantages to being rural.”
They note that in large cities there is often a feeling of disconnect between the work people do and the community they live in. Since moving to Trail, Sara has noticed people have a strong sense of connectedness and love for where they are.
“I believe in the power of human collaboration.”
“It appears to me that people who live and work in rural areas stay because they truly love the community they have helped to build. Rural communities are strong because of their smaller size. Everyone has some kind of connection to everyone else, and the community has been built for and by the people who are here,” Sara explains.
“I truly believe that when people get together, so many more ideas are generated that more accurately represent the community as a whole, than any one person can accomplish on their own. Exchanging ideas and working together on shared goals while learning from past experiences is a great way to help each other.”
