Congratulations to Children’s Services of Roxbury on being the Ninth Annual Broadcast Your Love of Human Services photo contest winners!
This was a close race, with over 1,000 votes cast on social media to narrow the field to four finalists. Then, last week at the Providers’ Council’s 45th Annual Convention & Expo: SpeakUp4Equity, we asked convention attendees to pick their favorite. Vinfen and Advocates tied for third place, Community Connections received second place, and Children’s Services of Roxbury took home the gold!
Congratulations to Yvonne Montilla, who submitted the winning entry from Children’s Services of Roxbury!
We interviewed Yvonne, who has spent four years with Children’s Services of Roxbury and is currently their Chief of Staff, and asked her the following questions:
Why do you work in human services?
“Throughout my career I have worked in various fields, such as; City Government, Real Estate and Higher Education. In all of my roles I have been on the side of planning, organization and administration. Although I have not had to physically be on the “field” in these positions, I have always been serving the Community in some way. When I came to Children’s Services of Roxbury, I knew this is exactly what I was looking for. I have been able to apply all of my skills, education and experience in this position. The best part of my job is that, I not only am able to apply these skills but I am also able to have a connection, impact and most importantly direct involvement with the Communities we serve.
I have had the opportunity to see families transition from temporary housing to permanent housing, I’ve been able to facilitate for families with language barriers and help them get the resources they need. In this role, I have had the opportunity to mentor youth through our Youth & Police in Partnership (YPP) Program. I am not only someone who is coordinating events, scheduling and going through daily tasks, I am a part of a team that is changing lives, and I absolutely love that.”
What is your favorite professional memory?
“My favorite professional memory, was my first week on the job. I began working at CSR the first year of our Peace of Mind Campaign. We hosted thousands of people on the Boston Common to create the largest, human, peace sign. My first week was days before the event. I did not know anyone at CSR, I had no idea what the planning and logistics were in the prior months of planning, but I was about to find out. We worked nonstop that week! What I thought was going to be a “normal” 9-5, turned into countless hours into the evenings and early mornings. I remember staff walking by my office every morning to make sure, I came in that day and had not changed my mind about the position. It was the best week ever! I was exhausted, achy and didn’t seem to have enough hours in my day, but ironically, I LOVED IT! Thanks to this crazy week, I was able to meet all of our staff, work directly with them, meet the families we serve and best of all, see the fruits of our labor on The Boston Common.”
What was your vision for the Broadcast Your Love photo?
“As soon as I heard about the opportunity, the first thing I could think of was that I could actually get everyone together!!! We have not been able to personally see each other since the middle of March due to the pandemic. We have worked to get testing for everyone in our community and I could not think of a better way to show our love in this time, than through the work we have been doing through COVID Testing.
The great thing about this was, when I shared the idea with my team everyone was as willing and excited to be a part of it. I have the responsibility of coordinating the, “Testing Tuesday” events and each week I am humbled by the way our staff come in to volunteer to get groceries and information to our constituents who come to get tested. What better way to say thank you, than getting everyone together and demonstrating my appreciation for their support to me and our community.”
Thank you to all those who submitted, viewed and voted in our Annual Broadcast Your Love for Human Services Photo Contest. You can view the submissions by visiting our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages and viewing our photos with the hashtag #BroadcastYourLove.