Welcome to the #HumansOfTheHub campaign. This social media post/blog campaign is one of our efforts to bring us together in a time where we can’t all meet up in the Community kitchen for a member luncheon, or wave “hi” to each other in the office space. Our goal is to bring more of a human connection to the virtual world we have found ourselves in.
It has been brought up in one of our zoom meetings that there has been such a surge in email, text, social, slack, and call notifications that at one point it all just seems to be chatter. And while it’s great that we all have the time to talk, we have yet to truly connect. We are sharing posts, documents, and news, but we are not sharing stories, experiences, and feelings. In launching the #HumansOfTheHub campaign, the Hub invites you to take a second and meet some of your community members so that hopefully, when we come out of all this, we can look upon familiar faces, say thank you to them for the work they’ve done, collaborate with them on an impactful project, or at least create new friendships.
For the first human profile, the Hub team nominated Patrick Gartside to kickstart #HumansOfTheHub. Patrick has worked with the Hub since October of 2018 and he and his Work Now Hawaii team clean the spaces that we all use regularly. Work Now Hawaii is a nonprofit organization that was established to help people living with disabilities achieve independence through employment opportunities. His work is especially important as we live through COVID-19. The Hub remains open to our 24/7 membership holders, and on any given day there are a handful of people in the space to carry out their essential business. Regardless of the number of patrons, a community space like the Hub should be thoroughly cleaned and maintained; if not just for general upkeep, but for the day that we are all allowed to come in and occupy space once again. Patrick and the Work Now Hawaii teams are in the Hub twice a day, cleaning the facility to keep up with the health precautions given out by the Department of Health. WNH offers training programs that are designed to maximize individual’s strengths and abilities in a way that increases their confidence and productivity. Patrick emphasized that WNH makes it a point to match an individual’s interests and abilities with their occupation. The goal is to identify and create accommodations for employable, hardworking individuals with disabilities to be successful throughout their careers.
Get to know Patrick!
Patrick Gartside- Founding Executive Director of Work Now Hawaii
Interview Questions:
- What work do you do?
I have recently founded a nonprofit whose mission is to help people living with disabilities find success through employment. Work Now Hawaii provides job opportunities, job training, and job placement to helping people to set and reach their employment goals. We work to help individuals find opportunities that match their interests and abilities.
2. What’s your WHY?
As someone who has struggled with employment in direct relation to mental health, I am committed to providing a pathway for others to overcome barriers and to reach their potential.
3. What do people not know about you?
I eagerly started working at the age of 14, and have since held eight jobs (store clerk, dishwasher, restaurant front and back of house, pizza shop manager, food delivery person, web developer, and digital marketing consultant.) I have also started several small businesses. Everybody takes a different path in life, what matters is that we keep pushing forward and following our interests, developing our skills and contributing to our communities.