After 33 years the ‘shred master’ Chuck Davis is retiring.
Davis has been working with Frontier Community Services in Soldotna when Davis’s mother, Joan, helped form the non-profit agency in an effort to connect disabled people with job opportunities, to help them lead a life that was more meaningful than sitting at home in front of the television.
Davis has been busy ever since, and his last day of work on Jan. 19 wasn’t any different. In the Frontier offices, Davis has his own set-up to help him shred paper, not letting the fact that he has cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheelchair stop him from getting his work done. He’s what Aaron Brincefield, a support staff member assisting Davis on his last day, calls a “natural” shredder, so much so that he’s earned the moniker ‘shred master’ in the office.
“Out of everyone at Frontier, he’s the only one who works five days a week,” said Aaron Brincefield, a support staff member assisting Davis on his last day. “He was assigned to shredding a while back and has been shredding paper ever since.”
To get his work done, Davis is set up with a basket of paper and stations his wheelchair directly next to the shredder. He then moves the paper from his basket and into the shredder.
“Work, work, work,” Davis said.
Davis is just one of the many clients that Frontier Community Services has helped since 1981. Throughout the years, the program has grown to include an array of services beyond their initial vocational program for young adults with disabilities. Today, they operate under the motto “all ages through all stages,” and work to expand services addressing both individualized and community-wide needs.
Over the years, Davis has grown, too, extending his involvement in Frontier beyond his office work, becoming the client representative on board of directors, making his leaving even more bittersweet.
“I’m going to miss it here,” Davis said. “I have a lot of friends here.”
He said that he’s looking forward to retiring, though, since it will give him more time to volunteer at the hospital.
Reach Kat Sorensen at kat.sorensen@peninsulaclarion.com
Chuck Davis uses a specialized basket and shredder to shred papers at Frontier Community Services, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping disabled individuals remain active and involved in their community. (Photo bu Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
Chuck Davis shreds paper at the Frontier Community Services office in Soldotna on Jan. 18, 2018, his last day of work after 33 years with the non-profit agency. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
Chuck Davis shreds paper at the Frontier Community Services office in Soldotna on Jan. 18, 2018, his last day of work after 33 years with the non-profit agency. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
