Why Work at Delta

Personal Profile by Chris Botelho, Job Coach, Supported Employment Program Delta Projects - Stoughton, Mass.

HUMAN SERVICES WORK LETS BOTELHO MAKE HIS OWN KIND OF MUSIC

Chris Botelho, 34, of Fall River could have hit the road as a professional musician years ago. He has done studio work for major recording artists and cut albums of his own with various bands since he was 17.

Instead of drumming up fame and fortune on tour and on MTV, however, Botelho devotes his full-time energies to working with individuals with developmental disabilities. By day he is a job coach with Delta Projects in Brockton. Currently he supports a young man in reaching his goals of meaningful employment and independent living by establishing program plans, providing skills training, and monitoring progress at work and at home. Botelho reserves his nights and weekends for letting his own star shine.

"I have turned down offers to go on tour because I didn't want to leave the people I was working with," Botelho says. "You become very close. At first I entered human services because it gave me the flexibility to pursue my music. But I found that I am really good at working with people, and I like knowing that what I do is important and meaningful. I have worked with many different individuals since I began in this field 13 years ago. It would be very difficult to leave."

Delta Projects employs over 100 staff members who provide employment and residential support to over 95 individuals and their families throughout the southeastern and western suburbs of Boston. Those assisted include adults and children who are challenged by a range of physical and developmental issues and who work and live in a variety of settings.

Botelho has been so happy with his career in human services that he has referred at least a dozen other friends for jobs with various agencies affiliated with DMR. All have accepted positions, and many have stayed in the field.

"If you are good at it, this is a good solid career that provides a steady living while allowing you to pursue other interests," Botelho says. "You can enter without a formal degree or experience and receive excellent training on the job. There are great opportunities for growth and advancement if you want that, too."

Botelho says that his work at Delta Projects has enabled him to balance the demands in his own life, including his music. Instead of being tied into one band's schedule and genre, he now freelances as a drummer for several bands. He performs live, does studio sessions, records albums, and fills in at concerts when needed.

"This situation really works for me," Botelho says. "I play what I want, when I want, and I have a variety of options. I do the music I love with bands I respect, but I also have time to get involved in professional development regarding my primary career. I volunteer on employee committees, obtain advanced certifications, and take courses on all aspects of working with developmental disabilities.

"This work definitely gets to you," he says. "Attachments become very strong."

According to Botelho, the relationships he develops with some of the people he assists go beyond the 7 to 3 shift boundaries. To him, many of the individuals in the Brocktonn house have become friends.

"You become an important connection in a human way for some of the people you support," says Botelho. "You are the one who shares their ups and downs on a daily basis. You spend vacations and holidays with them. You are the one they tell when they are excited about an accomplishment - or turn to when they are down.

"It's more than a job," he states. "It teaches you about life - and yourself."