Faces of FCSS Miriam

Miriam Gordon,
Office Coordinator, City of Spruce Grove, Community Social Development

Office Coordinator – This position is the first point of contact for residents who visit or call our office. It also supports many of the administrative functions of the office. I have been working in FCSS since the Fall of 2024.

How have your life experiences helped in your role?

My role as a Community Social Development Office Coordinator feels like it closes a circle for me as my first work experience was in a mental hospital, and I am now seeing a lot of the issues in our office that I saw in that hospital decades ago. I grew up in a city that was torn by political violence, which gave me a fascination with social systems, and led to my degree in psychology and sociology. While at university I worked with geriatrics in a nursing home and discovered a talent for organization which in turn led to an executive assistant diploma. I immigrated to Canada in 1995 and have spent a good part of my life here working in administration, very often with elderly people. All of this experience and education has helped me to recognize signs of distress and mental health issues in our residents and has developed in me patience and understanding towards people at their most vulnerable. Instead of getting frustrated with difficult people, my mantra is ‘the problems are why they need our help’.

Why did you get involved in FCSS?

For me, helping people gives a job meaning, and I saw working in FCSS as a great opportunity to use my experience in both administration and in working with the public to do something significant for others. I believe that everyone is of value and am proud to support the work that our department does in helping people to access supports.