Meet staff member Michael Whittie

Michael Whittie is a Direct Support Professional (DSP) at the Center of Hope. In this month’s Q&A, he shares a few reflections on his time at the Center and what he enjoys most about supporting participants.

1. Please describe your role at the Center. My role as a DSP is to help individuals cope in the world independently by teaching them about everyday life work, like personal care, money management, math, counting, cooking and cleaning. I take my participants on outings also to help them visualize what it looks like out in the world, taking care of business for yourself like going to the store and buying things and knowing how much to spend and what change you get back. I also take them fishing to teach them about survival by catching their own fish. Also teaching them about respect for themselves and others.

2. Why did you choose this field? It’s a field I was born to do and having love and respect for everyone.

3. What makes you excited about coming to work each day? Knowing that I can make a change in someone’s life each day.

4. What has been your biggest surprise since you started working at the Center? The amount of joy I see on all the participants’ faces when I walk in the room or they see me in the hallway.

5. What advice would you give someone who is interested in working at the Center? I would tell them it takes a person with a heart to do this work, and it may be at times that you feel overwhelmed, but just as God to keep you.

6. Anything else you’d like to add? I don’t see this place as a job I see it as a place to have fun and learn many new things with many wonderful individuals.