Our DSP this week is Sam, and he works at our Kennelly home in Burnsville. He started in Customized Services 12 years ago then moved almost immediately to the house where he has been ever since. What began as an overnight position now has him spending his days with the team. Sam is a busy man, always working, either at church, on construction plans for projects back home in Liberia, or at the house. His dedication is obvious to all who know him.
Aaron Oden, Program Manager, thinks of Sam as a gentle giant and says, “He’s a big guy, always picking up hours and loves to talk about his family and the way he grew up. He has a great relationship with all the individuals at Kennelly, they love him.”
Known as Uncle Sam back in Africa, Sam is a born caregiver and tender-hearted human. He has eight children and seven grandchildren. And he gets to spend a lot of time with his grandson who lives with him these days as his daughter is deployed overseas. Sam’s level of commitment to his family at home and work is off the charts, and we are lucky he is part of the Living Well team.
Sam, we appreciate you and the amazing work you do at Kennelly. Thank you for choosing to make a career out of caring.
ABOUT SAM
Number of years/months with Living Well: 12 years 8 months
Hobbies/Interests: I like to listen to music and sing, especially Gospel music. I was in the church choir for years. I also like to read, and like technical books and ones about new inventions and developments. But my main book is The Bible, which I read on a daily basis. I also like to design house plans. And I like meeting new people, to learn from them and share my knowledge. Because you cannot live in a vacuum, we need to open ourselves up to new things, everything new is good. We get to make our own choices and judgment.
Education: Master’s degree in project management from Keller School of Management DeVry University.
Job Experience/History: Classroom teacher for over 12 years in Liberia, West Africa. Nutritional Program Supervisor for the Southeastern Region of Liberia. Highway design technician, MNDOT. Senior design Technician at AECOM. Program Coordinator (Manager), Client Advocate, DSP, etc.
Favorite part of the job: Spending time with the people served. I spend a lot of my time at Kennelly, if someone misses work, I am here. During the winter I will spend a weekend if needed. For 12 years of my life, I have been here in the house every day, they are my family. I am attached, I miss them when I am not here. Not every day is the same, moods can change but we know how to work with people.
Favorite or craziest work story: The fun part is spending time telling stories. The challenging part can be when they express challenging behavior, but we can use our skills to talk them down. Recognizing the behavior, changing environment, taking a walk and doing something to change the situation always helps.
What is your motivation for coming to work: It is all about the people we support. They are my family. When I get up in the morning the first question I am asked, where are you going, Kennelly. When I am not home, I am here.
What made you apply: I heard about Living Well from a woman at my church who used to work here. We were talking about jobs, and she told me about it and connected me with Kathy Anderson who was then the Customized Services manager. I started there, then moved to Kennelly shortly after that. Started as the overnight staff.
What makes you stay: The people I work with and the work I do.
What would you tell people interested in joining the team: That Living Well is the best place to work, my time with the company is manifestation of what I said.
When not at work what do you like to do for fun: I like to read, listen to music and design house plans. I spend a lot of time with my grandkids.
Do you volunteer in your community or school: Yes, I volunteer at church, but not very often due to my busy schedule. Right now in addition to work I have a construction company in Africa, so I barely have time.
Want to nominate a DSP? Please email jessica.maurer@livingwell.org to nominate a Living Well DSP. Special thanks to Miles and Cheri Cohen for their support of DSP of Week. Want to join them in underwriting our DSP Shoutout Program? Please contact Jamee Yung for sponsorship opportunities.