STEPS Mental Health Support Facilitator Fran Caddell has won the title of Customer Service Hero at the 2024 Gympie Chamber of Commerce Business Awards.
The ceremony took place on Saturday 19 October at The Pavilion, hosting a wide range of Gympie businesses and organisations and celebrating their successes over the past year.
Josh Hansen, STEPS' Mental Health Services General Manager, says that Ms Caddell is incredible deserving of her win and continues to be an integral part of the Gympie community.
"You only need to have a single conversation with Fran to see how knowledgeable and passionate she is," Mr Hansen said.
"She is the best advocate you could ever have – all of her clients and peers would agree. Fran works hard to understand the people she works with and what they need to thrive. I can't think of anyone more deserving the award than her."
Ms Caddell's role encompasses a holistic approach to providing psychosocial support and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), with clients and stakeholders often asking for her services due to the strong working relationships she has developed.
"Fran is an amazing colleague. She offers mentoring and support to her fellow team members at STEPS, and everyone on the team looks to her for guidance," Mr Hansen said.
"She always makes new staff feel welcome, accepted, and valued. Every birthday, milestone, or special occasion, you can expect her to be an active part of the celebrations. That's probably my favourite thing about Fran; she displays all of our values as a not-for-profit organisation and embeds them into her work."
Looking to the future, Ms Caddell plans on sharing her mental health insights with others in her community and beyond. She is looking forward to presenting at the 2024 Rural Mental Health Conference, hosted by the Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association in Cairns this November.
