Celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). During NDEAM and throughout the year, it is critical to recognize the impact that people with disabilities have on our community. The people we serve want to be valued and appreciated for their work, just like anyone else. Employment creates increased feelings of independence, self-worth, and pride. For that reason, we strive to provide as many employment opportunities as possible. Whether jobs are internal or external, helping the people we serve realize their goals and finding them jobs they want to do is at the heart of our mission. We are proud to provide and create jobs so that each person we serve has the chance to work if they wish to.
To explain how meaningful employment can be, we sat down with Angie Belue. Angie is celebrating her 38th year with an MRI on October 25th. She began participating in our programs in 1985, and working has been one of her favorite activities to participate in since she came here.
“I love MRI… [work] makes me feel good and keeps me busy.”
Over her 38 years with us, she has held many jobs with MRI and other organizations in the community. Angie has an impressive resume, with jobs ranging from license plate packaging to being a receptionist at MRI Kids. She also had the pleasure of working at St. Mary’s, Rock Springs, restaurants, churches, and more. Angie shared that her love of animals led her to work at Pet Smart and Homeward Bound Animal Shelter, and her passion for helping others encouraged her to work at daycare, MRI Kids, and a nursing home. When asked about her favorite job, Angie said she enjoyed being a lunch supervisor at MRI. We questioned if she ever had a job she didn’t like, and Angie said she was grateful for every opportunity and enjoyed working at every place we talked about.
“Angie is a real go-getter,” says President/CEO Amy Bliefnick. “She perseveres through challenges to reach her goals and exemplifies dedication. We are so grateful that she is a part of our MRI family.”
Angie’s passion for working and helping others shows through in everything she does. Her dedication to MRI and our community amazes us every day. During National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we can look at Angie and countless others to remember how impactful and meaningful employment can be.
