Melanie Hampson

It’s #teammembertuesday and it’s time to get to know Melanie, a Life Skills Coach at our Natick location. Interesting fact: Melanie was first introduced to Charles River Center while volunteering with the Wellesley Service League. She spent two years volunteering in the Day Habilitation Program, assisting with Art and Music Therapy groups. She enjoyed it so much that she decided to apply for a job – the rest is history! She has been a Life Skills Coach, both at the Grugan Center, and at Strathmore Road for the past three years. Most rewarding part of her job? Working with the individuals – “their energy, and their enthusiasm just kind of rub off on you, you can’t have a bad day when they are around.” She has found that the simplest things often bring the most joy – like “someone getting excited about an activity you’ve planned,” or “when an individual is able to get out into the community and do something that they really love.” Having worked throughout the entire pandemic, she is feeling hopeful for the future. It is clear to her how much everyone missed being with each other, and she loves seeing individuals renew old friendships and resume all their pre-COVID interests and activities.

Outside of work, Melanie enjoys gardening and has recently started learning how to play tennis. A mom of two teenage boys, she also spends a lot of time serving as chauffeur, or as she likes to call it, “an unpaid Uber driver.”

Thank you, Melanie for all that you do. We are thrilled to have you as part of the Charles River Center community.