Selkirk Transit Authority and Staff Cited as Heroes of Mental Health
Kevin Thordarson was excited about this year’s Heroes of Mental Health Awards because he had nominated his employer – Selkirk Transit Authority and Charlene Dunning – for an award in the Organization/Business category. When he received a phone call a few days before the Oct. 5 presentations, he assumed it was to discuss his nomination. So when Canadian Mental Health Association Interlake Eastern Regional Director Tara Cope informed him that he would also be receiving an award, he was shocked.
“It was a surprise,” Thordarson said following the afternoon ceremony at Selkirk United Church. “I thought, ‘I’ve got to let this sink in a bit’.”
Thordarson, 43, who has dealt with depression and anxiety issues for much of his adult life, began working with Selkirk Transit Authority in April 2015, first job shadowing, then volunteering. He is now a part-time employee working towards a full-time position.
marketAbilities
Linda Fey, Employment Development Counsellor and Jeff Shector, Community Mental Health Worker, both with the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority, nominated Thordarson for the award. Fey said she recommended Thordarson for potential employment with STA through a Government of Manitoba employment program called marketAbilities.
The program offers a wide range of employment-focused services for adults with disabilities and helps prepare them to find and keep a job. It partners with employers and pays 50 per cent of the client’s wages for up to one year. The end goal is that the client will be hired by the company at the end of the year.
In their nomination of Thordarson, Fey and Shector wrote: “Kevin is a truly inspiring individual who has lived with his challenges and has managed to move beyond those to return to work, after an absence of many years. He has exhibited great determination and resiliency despite experiencing some setbacks on his recovery journey to achieve his goal of working.”
Fey said Thordarson was a great candidate for marketAbilities because he showed he was willing to put in the work required to become employed.
“All the way along he’s demonstrated a lot of motivation and capacity to be committed and move forward,” Fey said. “Everyone wants a Kevin, is what Charlene told me.”
Thordarson began his career with STA as a shopkeeper and maintains that position today, along with driving for both Selkirk Transit and Selkirk Mobility part-time. He said his job is crucial to the continual improvement of his mental health.
“It gets me out of the house and gets me doing something,” Thordarson said. “(The job) has helped with my anxiety so much, because (my colleagues) are so easy going and considerate, and thoughtful of my needs as well. I’m just so ecstatic.”
Supporting Growth
Charlene Dunning, Manager of Transportation Services for STA, said she’s seen an incredible growth in Thordarson. He was painfully shy and quiet when he started, but has become an integral part of the team and has earned his Class 2A driver’s licence and is working towards a full Class 2 with air brakes, with Dunning’s support.
“He’s definitely grown as a person, his confidence,” Dunning said. “Kevin has come into our office and has completely changed. It’s amazing to watch the change. Everybody is like a family here, everybody is very kind hearted. It’s the nature of the business as well. He’s completely turned around. His confidence is awesome and now he’s the go-to guy.”
Dunning herself was surprised by Cope in the days leading up to the awards as well, with news that Thordarson had nominated her and STA for an award.
“It was a little bit overwhelming,” she admitted. “Working with the program is a board decision. Anywhere that Selkirk Transit Authority can build relationships like that, we’re always more than happy to go above and beyond and work with the community to grow.”
She said she and Thordarson have an exceptional working relationship, and she is thrilled with the growth he’s experienced and his desire to continue tackling new challenges. He embraced his position as shopkeeper and worked diligently toward obtaining the proper licensing to become a driver. Dunning credits him with wanting to work with the public and engage with his co-workers in the office.
“When he started he didn’t want to come near my office door, he would shake and was so nervous. Now, he comes right in and says, ‘what are you doing now’,” she laughed.
STA Staff Earns Praise
In his nomination of Dunning and STA, Thordarson said she is “very understanding, inviting, accommodating, patient and flexible.” After the awards ceremony, he had more praise for his boss.
“Char is, oh geez, I don’t even know where to start. She’s outta this world,” Thordarson said, and added the entire staff is incredible. “They just accepted me so willingly and they’re so patient with me. They’ve helped me through so many different obstacles as well, like anxiety and depression. It’s amazing working with them, not just Char, but everyone, including the drivers as well.”
Denis Fitzpatrick, Chairman of the STA Board of Directors, congratulated both Dunning and Thordarson for their efforts and their awards.
“It’s fantastic. It just blows my mind,” Fitzpatrick said. “I do remember when Kevin first came on, and we sponsored him, he went from being a very shy, introverted individual to now, he’s more outgoing and has really expanded into the role that he’s been put into.
“Charlene has the responsibility for drawing him out of his shell and making him part of the community of people that work for Transit, and she does it with the help of everybody else that works there. It’s like one big happy family.”
Heroes of Mental Health: Pictured above, at the October awards ceremony (from left): Denis Fitzpatrick, Lois Wales, Jeff Shector, Charlene Dunning, Kevin Thordarson and Linda Fey.
