- Massachusetts Commission for the Blind
By Jackson Crilley
Staff Spotlight: Alvin Calderon, ADA Specialist/Driver
Alvin Calderon is an ADA Specialist/Driver who has been with MCB for over 8 years. In his position, Alvin aids the blind and low vision community by providing transportation services, ensuring everyone is able to get where they need to go. After his time serving in the army, Alvin worked with the MBTA and Epilepsy Foundation before joining MCB’s team. Recently, Alvin was awarded Donna Fanelle Customer Service Award for his outstanding commitment to providing the best customer service possible to our consumers.
Can you tell us a bit more about yourself?
I’m a married man and have a granddaughter who’s in school. She’s about to finish the 12th grade and then she’s going straight to college this fall. I read a lot and exercise a lot. I run probably 10 miles every other day, and I stay fit. That’s what keeps me in my mindset, running all the time.
What past experiences do you have that best prepared you for your role at MCB?
Well, I served in the military, so I have a military mindset for everything that I do. And also, I had training with the MBTA and worked with the Epilepsy Foundation. Basically, that’s what prepared me.
What does a typical day on the job look like for you?
My typical day starts at home, and there I make a plan. I make my schedule for the whole week and prepare a quick bit and get ready to go hit the road. I visit about two or three clients a day depending on their needs. So that’s my typical day, I prepare myself first, then get the equipment ready to go. Once I know I have the equipment that is the right fit for the client, I hit the road.
What’s your favorite part of working with MCB?
My favorite part is that there are a lot of stories that people don’t hear about our clients. There are clients that have so much difficulty in life when it comes to vision. The best thing is seeing them happy and being able to help them get ready to continue living their life with vision loss.
Do you have any goals that you want to complete during your time with MCB?
My goal is to continue doing what I can for our clients. I visit every neighborhood throughout the week, and being able to help clients is my goal. Every day, I wake up and my goal is to help somebody get back to doing things that they need to do. With clients like the ones we serve, they have a lot of challenges when it comes to vision. We focus on those challenges and help them continue moving on with life with the services that we provide for them.
If you could give your younger self any piece of advice, what would it be?
It would be the same thing I have in mind now. When I was young, the best thing for me was going into the military and serving my country. I would suggest to continue keeping my head up and continue moving forward. Right now, I wouldn’t change anything in my life. For me, discipline helped, so stay focused on everything that comes through life.
Can you tell us a bit more about the Donna Fanelle Customer Service award that you recently won? What does it mean to you to have been nominated and receive the award?
To me, it’s awesome due to this pandemic. This is the second time that I’ve received this honor, it’s not the first time, and it just keeps me focused. Every time someone recognizes the work that we do for the Commonwealth, it makes my day. That’s what makes me continue doing what I’m doing. I’m not changing anything, and I’m continuing to help people. It’s an honor to receive this award for the second time, and you know, it means you’re on the right path.
I won it about three years ago, but this one is very sweet to me because during the pandemic, I haven’t stopped working. When I started working during the pandemic, it was difficult, but I made a plan with my supervisors. My goal was to continue serving the clients, and we continued to serve them. I was working hard to stay healthy, and everything worked out fine. That’s what made me happiest.
