Francis is a Special Olympics (new window) cross-country skier from Kelowna, BC.

His athletic career includes competing in the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Austria in 2017. Since then, he earned three gold medals in the 2019 Special Olympics BC Winter Games and earned three golds in the 2020 national games in Thunder Bay. He is currently on the 2023 Team Canada training squad for the World Winter Games in Kazan, Russia.

Francis has autism, as well as cognitive and speech disabilities.

He joined Neil Squire’s Working Together program to find employment. His goals included meeting new people and working outside in the fresh air.

Francis was a volunteer at the Community Recreational Initiatives Society (new window) (CRIS), a non-profit organization that offers outdoor recreation and sport programs for people with disabilities since 2001. They offer predominantly hiking, cycling, paddling, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing programs.

Through the Working Together program, CRIS was able to receive a wage subsidy and hire Francis on to their staff.

It’s been a perfect match for both employer and employee. Francis’s duties range anywhere from bike maintenance, to cleaning, to helping on programs and with equipment. He’ll also be teaching cross country skiing.

“Francis is a great worker and has done well being flexible to help out with any tasks that are needed. From his previous experience volunteering with CRIS and his active lifestyle he came in with the knowledge, attitude, and fitness level to be a great asset when working on our programs supporting clients,” says his employer.

CRIS had previously hired another employee through Working Together, and say they would recommend the program to other businesses.

“[Working Together] has helped us grow our capacity and add two valuable members to our team.”