By Nicole Lemire
“I never expected to work in this field, but I’ve found my niche.”
After years of working in restaurants, Amanda Sweet wanted a change. One of her friends worked at BCArc and suggested that she apply. At first, Amanda was unsure, as she had never worked with people with disabilities and was nervous that it wouldn’t be right for her. However, over four years later, she’s still at BCArc and loves what she does.
Amanda works in BCArc’s Employment Services department as an Employment Trainer. She has worked at many of BCArc’s employment sites — overseeing individuals with disabilities employed by area businesses — and is currently overseeing the team that works at Berkshire Mountain Lodge.
Amanda had previously worked with this group of individuals but had to leave after she broke her foot and was unable to do the tasks associated with the job. After recovering, she immediately requested to work with that group again because of the close bonds that she had formed with the individuals.
“Once I was healed, I begged them to let me work with these guys again because I just missed them so much,” she said.
As an Employment Trainer, Amanda is responsible for overseeing the individuals while they work and helping them to stay on track and focused. The individuals she works with at Berkshire Mountain Lodge are housekeepers, so she ensures that they are properly cleaning each room in the lodge.
“No matter how hard my day has been, they always make it better with the love and the fun that they have.”
Although this career path was unexpected for Amanda, it has been very rewarding for her.
“These guys brighten the day of everyone they meet,” Amanda said. “No matter how hard my day has been, they always make it better with the love and the fun that they have.”
Amanda with some of the crew. From left, Franck, Kathleen, Amanda, Alan, and Christina.
The love that Amanda has for the individuals she works with is not one sided; they all had nothing but praise for her as well. One individual, Christina, said that Amanda is the best trainer she’s ever worked with.
“Amanda is so good to everybody,” Christina said. “She’s loving and caring and makes sure that we get our work done. She’s like a sister to me.”
“I can always talk to Amanda,” said Alan, another individual employed at Berkshire Mountain Lodge. “We all care about her, and she cares about us.”
Outside of her work at BCArc, Amanda is a singer in a classic rock band called The Liquid Courage. When she’s not working, she’s usually practicing or playing gigs.
