Brodie Mann works in Chaddock’s Marketing Department as the Multimedia Coordinator, producing video content and TKC’s podcast, Attachment Theory In Action. In his spare time, he loves going to the movies, traveling with his wife, and relaxing on the couch with his dogs and a book.
I came to Chaddock after spending over a decade working as a radio personality. At a certain point, I felt I hit my career peak with commercial radio, and I wanted to do something more with my life; put some good out into the world beyond an endless rotation of car dealer commercials. Around that time, a position opened up at Chaddock, and I made the leap.
I didn’t really know what to expect from the organization. I knew very little about it as an organization beyond “children’s mental health”, it was mostly the job itself that attracted me. But the more I worked at Chaddock and the more I learned about what Chaddock does and what it means to so many people, the more I felt like I had made the right move.
I don’t work directly with the kids, at all. I almost never see them on their toughest days or in their toughest moments. I get to experience them at mostly their best, when they’re doing a class presentation, singing in the talent show, having fun at the carnival or messy party or cottage activity, and of course, at graduation. I’ll interact with them when they ask about the camera I’m working with or if they want to know about my kilt. These are bright, curious, brilliant kids. But again, I almost always see them at their best.
Because of that, I used to joke that I don’t do the important work. I’m not one of our amazing therapists, counselors, social workers or clinicians helping the kids heal from their trauma. I’m not one of the special education teachers or para-pros trying to provide these kids, kids who have been through A LOT, with the education they deserve. I’m not the cottage staff who’s trying to make sure their day-to-day needs are met. I’m not our Foster & Adoption team working tirelessly to make sure the kids who need a home find one.
But then someone said, “We couldn’t do what we do if you didn’t tell people about it. We couldn’t help kids and families if they didn’t know help was available. You’re still a valuable member of the Chaddock team.”
And that put it into perspective for me, that even though I’m not working directly with the kids, I’m still impacting their lives and their time at Chaddock. Whether your role is in Marketing trying to get the word out for both kids and potential employees, or in Finance trying to make sure we can keep all the lights on and work with families on paying for care, or Maintenance keeping everything running smooth and looking fantastic, you can still make a difference for these kids, even working behind the scenes.
It’s one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
Editorial Note:
In an organization where the children and families are the top priority it can be easy to see why many indirect roles often get overlooked for those that are on the frontline of this work. This is often necessary in order to ensure that the children and families remain at the forefront of everything that we do.
However, without these indirect roles, Chaddock would simply not exist.
Behind every person working with a child, family, school or other professionals, there are dozens more working to support the visible work, from administrative assistants to compliance managers, and custodians to licensing managers.
It truly takes a village to give every child a chance.
