May 11, 2015

by: Renee Canfield

Viviana Hernandez – Boots Fisher Memorial Award Winner 2015

Every year, UCP of Greater Cleveland honors one client from each department who has made significant gains in community integration during the past year. These accolades, called the Boots Fisher Memorial Awards, are named after Elaine “Boots” Fisher, who is an instrumental member of the UCP of Greater Cleveland story and former member of the Women’s Committee. This year, Viviana Hernandez was selected as the Boots Fisher winner for Adult Services.

Viviana Hernandez was referred to UCP through the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities in 2006. She had an initial assessment at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo to determine her skill set, as well as what she liked to do. She proved to be great at customer service, and was then placed at the zoo as a Guest Services Associate as part of UCP’s Supported Employment program where she has been ever since! Some of her responsibilities include greeting customers, answering visitors’ questions and scanning tickets. Her coworkers describe her as an outgoing, hardworking, supportive teammate and they very much enjoy working with her. Although she loves her job at the zoo, she is currently working with a UCP Job Placement Specialist to transfer out of Supported Employment and into the community so that she can pursue her goal of more independence. She would like to continue in a career that involves working with the public in some regard, but one that also entails something that she is passionate about, such as working in retail because of her love of fashion.

When Viviana isn’t working, she enjoys delving into activities that leave her feeling positive about life. This has been especially important since her son’s graduation from high school, an event of which she is very proud. She spent so long being a mom and caring for her only child, that it has been a transition for her to relinquish some of the responsibilities that come with that role. Now, she realizes it is important for her to take the time to focus on herself and her needs, which is one of the reasons she is looking to further her career. One of her favorite activities outside of work is singing in her church’s choir. Singing makes her feel motivated and gives her the strength to keep going when things are hard. She also enjoys the community the church and choir provide. She is looking forward to this new phase of her life and all the possibilities it brings.

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