Part 7: More Than a Job

After nearly 48 years with Valley Residential Services, it would be easy to measure Nancy’s career in numbers.

Years worked. Programs developed. Homes opened. Staff hired. People served.

But that isn’t how Nancy measures it.

For her, it has always been about the people.

Over the decades, Nancy has watched individuals come to VRS and grow in ways that sometimes even they may not have imagined. She has watched people gain independence, develop friendships, learn new skills and become part of a community that sees them for who they are and what they can do.

And along the way, they became part of Nancy’s life too.

The same is true of the people who have worked beside her. Some came to VRS thinking they were simply taking a job and discovered something much bigger. Nancy has watched employees grow into leaders, take on new responsibilities and build careers centered around helping others.

That sense of family became part of the culture at VRS.

For Nancy, the work was never simply about providing a service. It was about creating a place where people felt safe, respected and valued.

Nearly five decades later, that may be one of the greatest measures of what Nancy helped build.

Buildings change. Programs evolve. Staff members come and go.

But the relationships remain.

And after nearly 48 years, Nancy leaves VRS knowing that what began as a job became something much more.

It became a lifetime of people, stories and relationships that she will carry with her long after retirement.