By Lisa Chen
Matthew had tried almost everything: from selling properties as a realtor to ringing up customers at a supermarket to managing drag queens at drag shows. When one of his friends introduced him to BCArc, “he couldn’t imagine working here.” Yet, 13 years later, Matthew — still here — says, “I can see me here forever.”
“Everyone should get a chance to do what they love to do.”
At BCArc, Matthew stays as a residential staff — one of BCArc’s community homes for those with acquired brain injuries. Three days a week, Matthew works overnight shifts where he helps individuals in their daily lives.
When asked about his favorite part of BCArc, he names the experiences: whether it be at a home, excitedly planning a super spooky haunted house for the individuals on Halloween, or on the living room couch at one of BCArc’s community homes, savoring old movies with the individuals.
Matthew states, “I love spending time with them because just like all of us, we all have different personalities, habits, and stories to learn about…and everyone should get a chance to do what they love to do.”
“I can see me here forever.”
Matthew loves to travel, and he’s taken the people he supports to vacations all over the country. Singing songs at the golden arches of Disney World and greeting the cute baby seals at Sea World, some of Matthew’s fondest memories at BCArc lie outside of its offices or residential homes. He shares, “This is the best job you are going to have – you are never going to find one like this again.”
From the people he supports to his coworkers he works with at BCArc, Matthew expresses, “the people here are literally family… I want to cheer them on and see them grow.” He concludes, “Going to BCArc feels like going from home to home again.”
When Matthew is not working at BCArc, he spends his time with friends, browsing Booktok (a site on Tiktok for book lovers) or writing. His latest piece: a modern horror story starring an unseeable, omnipresent danger.
“Going to BCArc feels like going from home to home again.”
