Qadirah took a leap for her and her family and says, “In all ways my life was enhanced from this one choice. I have physically and emotionally healed.”
After losing her two grandmothers and her father during the COVID pandemic, Qadirah Bey was left mourning and overwhelmed. As a small business owner of 25 years, her hours were long, and she was responsible for everything alone. “When you work for yourself, you have to get it or your family doesn’t eat.” She was working long hours, homeschooling her school aged children and grieving the loss of her three family members - emotionally exhausted and needing to heal.
She found herself at a crossroads wondering what was next. So she asked herself – “What could I do for money that I would do absolutely free?” “Nurture,” she said, “I just want to show up and serve.” Compassion is a part of who Qadirah is. Caregiving runs deep in her matriarchy. “My grandma was an RN for 50 years. My mom and cousins were and are caregivers. I have aunts that are in their late70’s and 80’s caregiving for clients older than 100.”
Qadirah found Opportunity Junction’s no-cost Certified Nursing Assistant training and was accepted into the twelve-week program alongside her sister, Billie. From her three months of training, she remembers first and foremost the training around person centered care. “The instructors instilled a sense of pride in us. We learned that the work we do is important and that we are the backbones of these facilities.”
The teachers at Opportunity Junction were very influential to Qadirah and she admired the holistic approach of the program. She says, “With the support of our trainers I was brave enough to come back into the world. I hadn’t applied for a job in 30 years and I didn’t want to just make ends meet. I wanted to make ends overlap.” Qadirah became certified and was recruited by Bayberry Skilled Nursing Facility, earning the Person Centered Care Award in her graduating class.
Qadirah loves her work. “My days go so fast. I clock in, grab my assignments, and start nurturing. I am pretty attached to the work because I know it and I am good at it. It is therapeutic to me,” she exclaimed. It is evident that she really cares about the work she does and is deeply compassionate toward the fragile individuals she cares for. She was recently nominated for the Presidential Award from Bayberry.
Last month, Qadirah was nominated and selected to join Opportunity Junction’s board of directors. She hopes to show up as her authentic self, bringing mutual value and respect to her role as a board member.
“I want to keep OJ who we are at our core—the foundation of what we believe and where we’re going: caring about people,” she shared. “In all ways my life was enhanced from this one choice. I have physically and emotionally healed.” In the future, Qadirah plans to open her own residential six-bed facility – making sure that people are loved, eating well, and taken care of.
