Venture is thrilled to announce our Direct Service Professional of the Year—Marvin Jean from Venture Inn. Marvin came to Venture in 2009, and celebrated his tenth anniversary with the agency this past August.
Marvin, who grew up in Spring Valley and now lives in Garnerville, worked at a lumber mill before joining Venture. He had never worked in direct service before, but was drawn to the field.
“I wanted to help people,” he says, “Society doesn’t understand our people, I want to change that.”
Marvin enjoys all aspects of this job, and doesn’t even mind the paperwork. “It’s a must,” he says, “You can’t hide from it.”
But, his favorite parts of the job make up for the paperwork: “I want to see that [our people] are happy, and see the smile on their faces when we help them.” Marvin particularly enjoys taking the folks who live at Venture Inn out into the community, and helping them participate in activities they enjoy.
DSP of the Year is an honor that starts with one’s peers. The DSP Committee agreed with Marvin’s co-workers, who in their nominations spoke of his kindness, reliability and hard-working nature.
Jacqui Kennedy, Assistant Residence Director of Venture Inn, says “Marvin’s got the know-how…he has good intuition about our people and what they need. He instinctively knows when things need to be done, and helps without hesitation.”
“I have been to doctors’ offices and the hospital [with our people] where Marvin has been the accompanying staff, and he’s a perfect example of how we should advocate for all our individuals,” says Venture Inn registered nurse Mary O’Brien.
Congratulations—and thank you—to Marvin Jean, and to all of Venture’s Direct Service Professionals. You are at the very heart of what we do at Venture. Your care, love and dedication make real differences in the lives of our people every day, and you should be proud of the great work you do.
