Meet the Herd: Susan
Meet one of the Zebra Centre’s amazing Case Navigators, Susan! She shares the highlights of her role, how a typical day as a Case Navigator looks, and much more!
Q: Tell us about your role as Case Navigator at the Zebra Centre.
Susan: My role as a Case Navigator is primarily to be there and support children and their families when they come to the centre or reach out to us. Essentially trying to make this very hard time easier for them so that they can feel heard and support through unimaginable difficulties. I also connect with RCMP to get updates on investigations and seeing how best to support those families while they are waiting for answers on the investigation.
Q: What does a typical “day in the life” as Case Navigator look like?
Susan: It varies day to day. Some days I connect with RCMP to get updates on RCMP files and their investigation. But most of my days will consist of supporting families when kiddos are coming in for an interview, helping with court prep in the evenings, and overall seeing when we need to connect with families or caseworkers to better support kids.
Q: What do you love most about your role?
Susan: My favourite thing about my role is connecting with the kids when they come in for their interviews, whether it is playing a few rounds of UNO or playing a made-up game of TROUBLE. At the end of the day, I just want these kids to go home feeling good about coming in and knowing that they are supported and heard.
Q: What is your proudest moment at the Zebra Centre so far?
Susan: I am still relatively new here, but my proudest moment is from going from a volunteer (starting around 2021) to getting to work here with an amazing team and continue learning how we can support families with resources and seeing how much of a difference is made in these families’ lives.
Q: What motivates you to show your stripes (your why)?
Susan: What motivates me to show my stripes is those times knowing and seeing a family leave the centre with all the resources they need to keep moving forward and the kids sometimes asking, “when are we coming back?” because that means I have done my job in making a tough situation easier for them.
Q: Lastly, share a surprising or fun fact about you.
Susan: A fun fact about me is I love plants; I like learning about them and caring for new plants (currently I got a Monstera so that’s my latest project) but sometimes I think I care too much because I get a few that will just die on me. It’s a learning process.