On April 15th, 2011, AIDS Calgary Awareness Association’s (ACAA) Information-Support Worker Coral Bush, celebrated her 10th year with the organization. Throughout her time with ACAA she’s witnessed extraordinary changes not only within the organization but also within the HIV/AIDS community in Calgary. Coral’s dedication to ACAA over the years is nothing short of remarkable. This article is a brief interview with Coral where she talks about her beginnings, change and the future.
When did you start at ACAA?
I first started with the organization in 1998 as a volunteer for both reception and the community kitchen. I saw an ad in my community paper that ACAA was looking for volunteers, so I made an appointment for an interview. I was a volunteer on reception for two years before I became an employee.
During my time as a volunteer I returned to school and graduated in 2001. At that time the position of Information/Support worker was open and I was approached to take the position. I accepted the position because I wanted to continue working with ACAA, I felt (and still do feel) very strongly about the cause and the people we serve and I really wanted to be a part of that. I started as an official employee on April 17, 2001.
What is your position as Information/Support worker responsible for?
I am the first point of contact for the agency, which means I am responsible for greeting everyone that enters the agency and directing people to the appropriate areas and answering the main phone line and directing all the incoming calls.
I am also primarily responsible for ensuring food safety for our clients as well as planning the schedule for all of the Friday Lunches and coordinate the cooks for each lunch.
Some of my other tasks include managing the reception and nutrition volunteers, shopping for the agency take away lunches and grocery bags, maintaining program statistics, helping staff with administrative tasks and cleaning the Calgary Cares Centre. Those are some of the major tasks that I am responsible for.
Wow! So what is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of my job is definitely our Friday Lunches, particularly the Christmas Lunch. I think our lunch may be the only Christmas celebration some of our clients have and I love them interact over lunch in a non-judgmental environment while eating a nutritional and hot meal.
That sounds really wonderful. What would you say is the most meaningful part of your job?
I would say the most meaningful part of my job is the opportunity to help the clients any way that I can. I love being a part of the Client Services team; over the years I have had the privilege of being a small part to make life a little better for our clients. I also really enjoy providing a clean and healthy environment for our clients. I am very passionate about food safety for our clients; I check labels of any donations and try to maintain a very safe and clean kitchen to prepare our Friday lunches.
What is the most significant change you’ve seen at ACAA?
The most significant change I have seen in the HIV/AIDS community in Calgary is in the demographics of clients we serve, for example we see a lot more immigrants using our services, and we have a large number of our clients dealing with housing and addiction issues. The clients are also overall healthier and have fewer meds with fewer side effects, and the number of deaths has significantly decreased from 10 years ago. I’ve also noticed that the majority of clients who access our agency on a regular basis have a multitude of health problems, with HIV being only one of many, and a lot more of our clients are dealing with mental health issues these days.
That’s a lot of different kinds of change you’ve seen at ACAA. What do you think the next 10 years holds?
I think ACAA has established itself as a leader among the other AIDS Service Organizations in our community. Over the years, we have really shown our ability to adapt to the changing needs of our clients. I definitely see the agency changing significantly in the next 10 years as I am sure the needs of our clients will also change significantly. One change I would really like to see is that ACAA is able to become a rapid testing site for HIV, as I am often asked about this service. I would also like to see services offered to persons with Hep C as this also seems to be a growing issue.
ACAA would like to thank Coral for all of the devotion and support she’s provided to both the clients and staff at ACAA, and for taking the time in her busy day to answer all of these questions.
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