Smooth Sailing

At HenderCare we love to hear about our service recipients achieving great things, especially when members of our team have been part of these moments. Recently we spoke with one of our service recipients, John, about a special project he has been working on with HenderCare team member, Chris.
Together John and Chris have been working together to build a canoe, a passion of John’s and something he has done in the past.
With big plans to go fishing and bird watching when the project is finally complete, John has been excited to work on the project with Chris, stating, “It’s been great to look forward to using it, it’s been something for me to daydream about.”
John has been receiving supports with HenderCare since November of 2019 and Chris has been helping John on projects and other activities since then.
Speaking with John, he has said he really looks forward to Chris’ shifts as they get the opportunity to work on the project together.
“Chris has always been there and willing to help and I think we’ve both had a great time working on it together.”
John and Chris started building the canoe from scratch at the beginning of the year and it has been a great team effort. Throughout the process, the pair have shared skills, with Chris doing the building and John able to direct him on the building process with his wealth of knowledge.
“I just follow his direction and John is then able to observe what I’m doing. More recently though he has been able to get in there and have a go at sanding.”
They have been enjoying the experience of working together and John is really looking forward to using the finished product.
“It’s been great to be able to hear his stories about where he wants to take the canoe once it’s built.”
Chris says he thoroughly enjoys seeing John’s enjoyment throughout the process of building the canoe.
“You can see he’s got that little twinkle in his eye; you can just see that excitement in him.”
It has been particularly special for Chris to see John’s excitement grow as the project has progressed as this was always a goal for Chris when beginning his work with HenderCare.
“For me it was always about the client and making them happy, so that’s been really great to be a part of this with John.”
It is very important for service recipients to feel comfortable with the team member who provides their support. At HenderCare, we take matching service recipient and team member very seriously to help establish great professional relationships through similar interests and hobbies. We love hearing the way in which our team members are helping to make such a positive impact on lives.