It has been quite the journey over the last year and a half…

Since the onset of COVID-19, AAW has stayed on course with our mission while navigating many bumps in the road. The first of these bumps was maintaining safe work environments for all AAW staff and clients. This took dedication from our team to not only follow protocols for themselves, but to also make sure that our clients who continued to work through the pandemic were trained on COVID safety measures, including those specific to each host employer. The extra effort we put in has resulted in zero COVID cases among our team and the individuals we serve. While our staff have stayed vigilant, the support from families and residential providers has also been crucial. We are very grateful for the care and collaboration from our AAW community.

Some jobs will not resume due to COVID. But, thankfully, a great deal of them will endure. We have maintained close communication with our clients, their communities, and their host employers. Massive schedule changes, intensive teamwork, and the ability to maintain a positive outlook has made it possible for us to provide the support needed to get individuals back to their worksites. It is time to pick up where we left off. The pandemic is certainly not over, but new job opportunities are opening up, and AAW is as committed as ever to diversifying—and improving—the workforce in our Portland Tri-County area.

We will continue to overcome the difficulties presented by this pandemic. AAW thanks everyone in our community for their ongoing support. Let’s keep up the hard work!

Sincerely,

Gerald Pearce
Executive Director