Uncovering the Past: A Journey Through Circle of Care’s 50-Year History with Matie
Researching the history of an organization that is fifty years old is a fascinating task. There are dozens of annual reports to be read. There are stacks of old photographs to sift through. And then there is the best part of it all – talking to people who have been with the organization for decades.
When the communications department undertook research on the history of Circle of Care, people kept telling us: “Talk to Matie.”
Matie, who has been with Circle of Care for 38 years, is indeed one of a handful of employees who bore witness to more than three decades of Circle of Care’s work in the community.
These days, one can find Matie working in the intake department, using her extensive knowledge of available resources, both within and beyond Circle of Care, to connect people with supports in the community. Always with a smile on her face, Matie was happy to tell us the story of her journey with the organization.
“After I came to Canada, and as I waited for my papers, I started volunteering,” recalls Matie, who first helped out in the Meals on Wheels office. Once she obtained her work permit, she got a job with Circle of Care as an administrative assistant on the Meals on Wheels team.
At that time, Mattie says, Circle of Care was a lot smaller, but over the years, “facilities became larger, we kept growing, there were more people working for us.” Matie witnessed two major office moves, with the head offices becoming bigger and brighter, and satellite offices popping up.
“Originally, everything had to be done by hand,” Matie reminisces about stint as a service coordinator. “I’d have lists of which days clients preferred their home care services and there was a lot of phone calls that had to be done each day to organize visits. By the time I came to intake, however, we got computers – that really changed the work, making it easier and more efficient.”
One of the things that Matie is particularly struck by when she looks back on Circle of Care’s legacy is our organization’s ongoing perseverance and commitment to continuous improvement: “We always did the job well and we are still doing it, even as we grow bigger. What’s great is that we are always improving because we know the work we do is so important.”
“It’s a lifetime,” says Matie of her long experience with Circle of Care. “I believe in what we do and I feel we always had top notch people. Now that I’m a senior myself I value what we do even more.”
