Born and raised in Franklinville, New Jersey, Candy Berryman followed in her mother’s footsteps and began working in the disability services field after she graduated from high school. After working primarily in residential care at the Vineland Developmental Center in Vineland, NJ and later at Grafton Integrated Health Network, Candy joined NW Works in April of 2018 as a Direct Service Provider.
From DSP to ‘Running the Building’
After just a year, she climbed the ranks, being promoted to a Service Coordinator position and later to the Therapeutic Program Administrator position. With the promotions came an increase in responsibilities, or as her Director, James Stevenson, jokingly refers to it, “Running the building.” This includes everything from writing and managing clients therapeutic plans, filling in for job coaches, providing guidance to Direct Service Providers, and planning meetings involving the outside members of a client’s team. Her progression through the company is a point of pride for Candy.
“When I started here, I never would’ve imagined that somebody would tell me I now run the whole building,” she said with a laugh. “There’s definitely a big career advancement working here.”
It’s all about the Clients
At the core is Candy’s passion for serving her clients, driven by an understanding of what it’s like to feel helpless. Her goal? Ensuring others don’t feel the same way.
“Really, they’re like everybody else. They want attention, they want care, they want what everyone else in the world wants,” she explained. “Yes they have disabilities, but I think the whole world has some type of disability.”
But sometimes, it’s the clients who help her.
“Every day I come here and the clients consistently make me laugh, consistently make me smile,” she said. “I love coming to work and seeing them.”
Candy advises all new hires to take the time to get to know the clientele, no matter their role.
“That’s who we serve; if it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t have a job.”
When the weather is nice, you can find Candy out kayaking or spending time with her nieces and nephews. Although lately, she’s enjoying Spooky Season with plenty of horror movies. In addition, Candy is an avid reptile lover and owns seven snakes, including her reticulated python named Barbara.