30 Years of Impact, 30 Years of Connection

What drives someone to work at the same place for over 30 years?

Is it the impact or mission of the organization? Is it the staff?

Is it having a supportive work environment where you feel empowered and supported by an employer? Is it the work you’re doing on a day-to-day basis?

For Desmond Murphy, it’s all of those factors—and many more. This year, Desmond celebrated 30 years of service at Hull Services, a milestone that reflects both the impact his work has had on the mental health of children, youth, and families in our community, and the support and sense of belonging that have kept him at Hull for three decades.

Sitting in his office at our SE Site, we sat down with Desmond to reflect on his 30-year journey with Hull Services. Now the Program Coordinator for Mentors Matter, Desmond recalls that when he first connected with Hull, he was working with adults with disabilities while his wife had just started working in Hull’s Family Initiatives program.

Desmond’s journey at Hull began at Radisson Receiving Home in early 1995, where he and his wife became live-in Teaching Parents. The experience was short-lived, however, as Desmond found the sudden 24/7 immersion into complex child and youth a bit overwhelming at that stage in his career. Through a friend who was working in Cottage Seven at the time, now Turtle Lodge, Desmond landed a relief position there in the summer of 1995. He applied for a role at William Roper Hull School, officially beginning what would become a 30-year career at Hull Services.

“I worked at Cottage Seven for five years, then I moved to Cedarbrae Teaching Home, where I was for another five years – and Pennie (Sibbald) was my supervisor,” says Desmond. He then made a move to Fostering Connections as a trainer/recruiter, while also being a stay-at-home dad the other half of the time.

Desmond really connected with the world of foster care, recruiting, training and supporting foster families for several years, eventually moving into the coordinator role. “I was then in a coordinator role for seven-eight years before shifting into a front-line position, which then led me to applying for this job (Mentors Matter Program Coordinator).”

Desmond has been Mentors’ Program Coordinator for close to three years.

“It’s been quite the journey,” he adds.

“The thing I like about Hull is that there’s so much diversity across our work. We’ve got 28 programs, there are so many places to go, so much to learn. I’ve been able to bounce around the Agency, which I’ve loved.”

Year after year, and from program to program, it has been the people at Hull who have continued to inspire and excite Desmond throughout his career.

“I know this sounds cliché, but it really is the people for me. I’ve met the most lovely, kind, and caring people here – and I’ve made lifelong friends here.”

To see the connections Desmond has built with his coworkers, along with the impact of the work, it’s easy to see why some people choose to spend decades at Hull. Throughout his career, Desmond has always felt that Hull’s leadership genuinely cares about its employees and works hard to create a strong and flourishing workplace culture where people want to stay for the long term. He also notes that he has always felt supported in his own learnings and professional growth.

As Hull’s approach to practice has evolved, so too has Desmond’s perspective. When he first started, he often viewed behaviours as choices. Over time, however, his understanding deepened through the introduction of the Neurosequential Model (NM), and a growing recognition of how upbringing, experiences, and trauma shapes people’s lives. He learned that with enough consistency, compassion, and support, it’s possible to help change the trajectory of someone’s life and help them see that they are not defined by their past experiences.

Having settled into his role with Mentors Matter for a few years now, Desmond notes he feels a renewed sense of hope for the program. “Because of all the people who support us, from volunteers and people who come here to make a difference in someone else’s life, it’s shaken me to my core to see the impact this program has had, and continues to have”

Desmond notes that Mentors Matter has also worked hard to ensure that every child who wants a mentor can have a mentor. Growing the program’s mentor base has always been a priority, and thanks to the commitment of community volunteers, the programs is currently able to meet the needs of the young people it supports, but that has not always been the case. Recruiting new mentors remains important as the program continues to grow as more young people look for meaningful connections.

Another goal of Mentors Matter has been to grow the number of Indigenous mentors. At any given time, approximately 30 per cent of the young people in Mentors Matter are Indigenous, yet the program currently has only one Indigenous mentor. Desmond adds it would be great for those kids to have an Indigenous mentor who can help connect them to their culture and ways of being.

When reviewing satisfaction surveys from both mentors and mentees, it’s easy to see the value of these relationships. Time and again, participants share how beneficial the connections have been, how much they have learned from one another, and the positive impact the experience has had on both sides.

The work being done through Hull and Mentors Matter is deeply meaningful, and it has also changed Desmond’s life. “People come here because they want to change lives. They want to contribute to society and make it a better place. I think that’s really important for me. I’ve seen so much change in children – children that have had their lives changed and impacted, and it really warms my heart.”