Will O’Brien Receives Direct Support Professional of the Year
It is not often that a person dedicates so much of who they are and what they prioritize in their life to meet the needs of others.
Direct Support Professional of the Year, Will O’Brien pictured with NHS CEO, Suzanne Gaetjens-Oleson at the September 15 award ceremony in Concord.
Congratulation to William O’Brien, a community integrator with Northern Human Services for more than 23 years, who is the 2023 Direct Support Professional of the Year! Will, received the award from the New Hampshire Council on Developmental Disabilities in an outdoor ceremony at the Kimball-Jenkins Estate in Concord on September 15.
Northern Human Services CEO, Suzanne Gaetjens-Oleson, Team Leader, Mark Knowton, who nominated Will, and Program Director Cindy LaPointe were all in attendance to celebrate Will’s achievement.
Here are some exerts from his nomination:
“William O’Brien is a caring, professional and impactful Direct Services Provider at Northern Human Services in Berlin, New Hampshire. William has a deep understanding and commitment to the principles of community inclusion. His ability to be a problem solver and his willingness to go the extra mile have created new pathways of success for the individuals he supports.”
“The northernmost area of New Hampshire is known for its rugged beauty and sparse population. While attractive to vacationers, it directly contributes to greater social isolation and provides barriers for community inclusion not experienced in other regions of the state. Will recognized this and in 2006 established the Coos County Botanical Garden Club as a platform to support individuals he serves in a manner previously unavailable to them. The Club has many volunteers that work side-by-side with William and his clients. The garden club that Will founded and ran for so many years has been so popular in the community that the city of Berlin and the town of Gorham have assumed leadership of the program and the two individuals that William supports are now paid employees of both Berlin and Gorham.”
“William has also leveraged his relationships and love for art to create art classes at the Gorham Public Library. His incredible insight into the needs of the people he supports and his willingness to go the extra mile has also led to numerous opportunities for community inclusion – supporting individuals with presenting an educational program on rocks and minerals to local schools, a weekly stretching and meditation class at the Gorham Recreational Center for clients and community alike utilizing his knowledge of therapeutic environmental immersion to alleviate the symptoms of anxiety experienced by the people he works with and the community at large.”
“It is for these reasons and for many more unmentioned that I hope you will consider William O’Brien for Direct Support Professional of the Year for Outstanding Services. It is not often that a person dedicates so much of who they are and what they prioritize in their life to meet the needs of others.”
Picture below are several more images from the event.
DSP of the Year, Will O’Brien pictured with his wife, Geralyn.
DSP of the Year, Will O’Brien (center) with Mark Knowlton, (NHS Team Leader) and Suzanne Gaetjens-Oleson, NHS CEO.
DSP of the Year, Will O’Brien with NHS Program Director, Cindy LaPointe.
