Q&A with a 30-Year Wedgwood Employee 

Dawn Harvey, Wedgwood’s Chief Program Officer, has dedicated her career to supporting others. Over the past 30 years she has served in a variety of roles within Wedgwood’s residential care, counseling services, and community programs. She has helped kids and families in West Michigan navigate mental, emotional, and behavioral health challenges. We sat down with Dawn to chat about her time working at Wedgwood Christian Services. 

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Q: What initially brought you to Wedgwood 30 years ago? 

Dawn Harvey: I’ve always, since the early years of college, felt called to work here. I even tried to apply to work in Wedgwood’s Residential Program before I met the age requirement. I knew a lot of different people at my church who worked here. So I really understood who Wedgwood is, and who they serve. And I was just really passionate about being able to work with kids who are struggling and where their family life is rough. I wanted to be able to provide a positive impact into that. 

Q: What do you think makes Wedgwood unique and how do you see that playing out in the way care and support are provided for kids and families? 

DH: I think when people refer families and children here, they do that because of our reputation – because they know that we are very professional, that we take our work very seriously. They know that we invest in the kids. Our staff are here for those children, teens, and families, and that radiates through the agency. I think that is foundationally because of our Christian faith. We aren’t always outward about that necessarily, like at a court hearing, it’s often much more indirect. But I think that that is what upholds the reputation and helps the individuals to know that we’re a safe and trusted community here. 

Q: What does it mean for you to work for a Christian organization that is dedicated to both excellence and showing grace?  

DH: Grace is a huge part of Wedgwood. All of us here work together and we do our best every day, but we need to show each other grace. And that also extends to the clients and families that we work with. I’ve had so many opportunities to help individual kids learn grace. I’ve also had to apologize to kids and families, and they’ve been able to learn how to do that ask for forgiveness and extend grace, by watching our team do that. Excellence and grace are really are all the same word for me because we can own our mistakes and be able to grow and move into the next day. 

Q: You’ve shared a bit about what it’s like to work at Wedgwood, and why you’ve chosen to stay here for 30 years. What would you say to someone who’s thinking about starting a career in the social work and counseling field and potentially working at Wedgwood?  

DH: If someone wants a career in this field, they should work here. Wedgwood is a great place to build personal skills and professional skills. The work is hard, but there is a lot of support. There are ways to really learn resiliency and be able to have a hard day and know that tomorrow can be better. The kids and families we serve can be really tough sometimes, and it can feel personal. But when we’re able to process with the team around us, it can help us to step back and recognize that they are hurting and in the process of trying to heal. Together, we remind each other why we are here doing this work, and that we can really make impact and make change. 

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Wedgwood is looking to add compassionate individuals to our dedicated staff. If you want to use your skillset and passions to make a difference in the lives of others, join team Wedgwood! See all openings and submit an application at www.wedgwood.org/join-our-team.  

 

 

See more of our Coffee Break Conversation with Dawn on our YouTube Channel or wherever you get your podcasts!