Dec 30, 2015
Meet two of our clients, Brandon and Jordan. Both men are disability services clients who volunteer at LZ Trampoline Park, an indoor recreational facility.
Every week they go with their mentor Delacey, a disability services support worker. They work hard to disinfect and tidy up the shoe cubbies around the indoor park. They work in structured 10-minute intervals, followed by 10 minutes of trampoline jumping as a reward. They continue this alternating work-and-play pattern until all their volunteer tasks are done and the shoe cubbies look spotless.
Brandon first started volunteering at the Trampoline Park. Jordan joined shortly after as part of Entrust's community integration program. Brandon loves jumping on the trampolines and counting to 10 with the recreational facility staff. He will call out "Ready... set... go!" and race to and from each end of the trampoline with staff members during his break periods.
Since having Jordan join Brandon in this meaningful employment and volunteer work, their mentor has found they show more social awareness of one another. They also demonstrate increased social awareness of the LZ Trampoline Park staff that help them along. Jordan is an eager worker and helps Brandon out when he slows down during cleaning tasks. He's still warming up to jumping on the trampolines independently. However, he really enjoys being bounced while he sits and balances himself on the trampoline surface. Lately he has shown increased interest in walking from one end of the trampoline to the other. He enjoys being bounced along as he walks from mat to mat.
Brandon and Jordan end their volunteering shift with verbally expressing or using sign language to ask for some cookies and refreshments. This serves as both a reward for their volunteer work and a communication exercise.
Shelly and the team at LZ Trampoline Park have created a great opportunity for these men to work in the community through supported volunteer placement. They have integrated well into the recreational facility's operations. They have found a productive rhythm working as a part of the LZ Trampoline team.
Learn more about Entrust's strategy to help disability services clients find meaningful employment and volunteer work opportunities.
