In the beginning there was Ruby and her pencil.
“That was the joke at Tradewinds because that’s what it was. I had a clipboard and carbon papers – that was it!” Ruby laughed.
Ruby Snyder, of Hammond, retired from Tradewinds Services, Inc. where she worked for 42 years. She recognizes that the trend of working for a company for a whole career probably won’t happen for most people, but for those who are starting their career, her advice is this:
“Work at something that you like. Try to go to work for a place that you can really respect, it makes such a difference. Try to enjoy your coworkers and get along.”
“In the beginning it wasn’t for the money – at my retirement party I thanked them for hiring me at $2.67 an hour. It was pretty good back then! It’s a special place, because of what they do there. We’ve seen a lot of inspiring things.”
She spent her first year there as a switchboard operator and then transferred to bookkeeping where she spent the rest of her career. She witnessed the evolution of the accounting profession and helped set up their first computer.
“I had no idea what a computer was, and neither did anybody else. But we all worked together to set it up, and when it was finished it took up a whole room - bigger than any of my bedrooms!”
“I love Tradewinds. The new building is beautiful and we have a lot of new programs. It’s expanded a lot – they have the building across the street now. I think they are going to keep growing. I love the mission of Tradewinds: to serve people with special needs and help them reach their full potential.”
Tradewinds Services, Inc. helps people with enormous struggles.
“One of the worse cases I remember was a young man born without arms and his legs were amputated, and I remember one day he walked in with his crutches and special equipment, and he said to me ‘I’m late today, I missed the bus.’ He had walked all the way there. To this day, I cannot get over that. That just shows how badly he wanted to be here.”
“On a day that I’m really grumpy and grouchy, I watch when the bus comes in and drops them off in the morning. They are so happy – just deliriously happy that they get to come to work.”
Ruby pointed out that people have all kinds of obstacles and challenges in their lives, but helping people who have greater challenges than you can help put some perspective on things.
“That’s what I miss the most. Makes you realize your blessings and how wonderful it is that there are places like Tradewinds.”
Ruby retired on June 30 and has a lot of things to keep her busy, especially her brand new granddaughter.
“I didn’t think I would have anything to do, so I told my pastor down the street I wanted to volunteer for the church. And since I have retired, I have been so busy I haven’t had any time to volunteer yet!"
“All last week I went out to babysit every day! I didn’t think I could do much because of my carpel tunnel, but I helped them move and unpack. It was a lot of work. I decided I’m never going to move. I’ve never moved before – I’ve been in my house for 60 years!”
“My great granddaughter is named after my daughter that passed away: Jamie Lynn. She had a beautiful singing voice which was a surprise to me – I can’t sing a note! I couldn’t do that and I was so surprised when I heard her sing for the first time. I wondered where that came from.”
Because Ruby worked at Tradewinds, one of her daughter’s went on to be a special needs teacher, and her other daughter works at Jacob’s Ladder Pediatric Center. Several of her daughters’ friends work with people with special needs as well.
“It all stems from Tradewinds,” said Ruby. “Where ever we go, it seems like someone with special needs gravitates towards one of us. Everybody around me works with special needs. I think it does take somebody special to work at Tradewinds. If you have compassion and love it comes through your work. I’ve worked with some great people, some really loving and compassionate people.”
According to Ruby, the most important things in life are religion, family, education and social skills.
“If you have those – that is life. I have a very strong religious faith. I know there is life after death. I will see my loved ones again.”
Ruby is also helping plan the Hammond Tech High School 60 year reunion.
“I’m thinking of having Tradewinds print the sign, something like “60-Year-Old Tigers Still Roaring” with a tiger missing a tooth – that would be funny!
For more information about Tradewinds Services, Inc. , call (219) 945-0100 or visit www.tradewindsnwi.org.