ESNorCal’s Exciting Australian Partnership
Did you know that Easterseals Northern California has a staff exchange program? As part of our partnership with Ability First Australia, we have the pleasure of hosting AFA employees as they visit our offices and dive deeper into our mission. We also provide our own employees enriching experiences as they travel to Australia and immerse themselves in AFA’s vision of putting ability first and ensuring inclusion for all.
This past May, we hosted a visitor from the land down under and are sending two of our very own to visit Ability First this summer! We met up with Lina, Zach, and Katie to learn what they’re most excited to experience in the exchange program.
Zach Lupton, Program Manager at our Kaleidoscope Community Adult Program, found his calling for disability services 15 years ago when he received the most unconditional, genuine hug at the Special Olympics. Now, he’s excited to learn as much as he can and bring back new program ideas and methods for delivering services.
“This is a once in a lifetime program that will allow me to see how services are completed in a different country and give me the opportunity to expand services delivered at KCAP.”
Lina Vilimas, Clinical Manager at ESNorCal’s Petaluma office, is passionate about ABA and has been a part of the ESNorCal team for 5 years. She’s excited to experience a new culture and see how AFA does things on the other side of the world.
“I want to build connections and relationships with other practitioners in the field, as it is those connections that help the science grow and evolve. I am looking to step out of my comfort zone, grow professionally and personally, and bring the experience back to ESNorCal to contribute to the growth and development of the organization.”
Katie Allred, Regional Operations Manager and our most recent visitor from AFA affiliate Northcott Disability Services, has worked in the field for over 10 years. After diving deeper into our mission, she found that our values align with AFA’s.
“I can genuinely see why our relationship exists with Easterseals; we share so many values and goals. We can be worlds apart, yet it’s still the same”.
When asked what her advice is for incoming participants, Katie said “Come with a purpose to learn and embrace everything.” Couldn’t have said it better ourselves!
Interested in joining the ESNorCal team and participating in our exchange program? Check out our open positions and find a career with purpose!
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