When the pandemic hit, she helped a nonprofit to continue assisting people in crisis
When Maria Salcedo found out that she and her colleagues at the Recovery Resource Council had to work from home because of the COVID-19 pandemic, she sprang into action, making sure the employees had laptops and other equipment.
“I was thinking 90 percent of our staff are working from home. Are we going to shut down? We are essential. Our community really depends on us,” Salcedo said.
“They looked at me and said how are we going to do this?” she said.
Margie Hatcher, who supervises Salcedo, nominated Salcedo for recognition for the Star-Telegram’s Hometown Hero series.
Hometown Heroes is sponsored by Lockheed Martin, which is providing $1,000 each to the 28 people selected by the Star-Telegram to be featured in the weekly series.
Hatcher said Maria started out as a receptionist 13 years ago and took on more responsibilities. Salcedo now supervises five receptionists, handles information technology and makes sure the three campuses for the Recovery Resource Council are well maintained.
The Recovery Resource Council serves veterans, the homeless and others with substance abuse and mental health issues. The council, which began 75 years ago, serves people in 19 counties.
“She is an amazing young lady. This COVID crisis has really kept her busy,” Hatcher said.
When the pandemic hit, Salcedo said she spent about three weeks making sure her colleagues had the proper equipment and training to answer calls, conduct virtual counseling sessions and provide information to people who contacted the Recovery Resource Council.
Salcedo had to act quickly to make sure that 90 employees had the proper equipment and training to work from home because of the pandemic.
Salcedo said she spent time talking to vendors, including the company that manufactures the phone system, so that employees could use their computers to make and receive calls from home.
Some of her co-workers did not have adequate internet or WiFi, and Salcedo said she helped them with hot spots and other equipment
“We didn’t stop. I started my days at around 7 a.m. and didn’t finish until 8 p.m. People would always call. ‘Maria, my internet isn’t working, my screen isn’t coming on.’ ”
Salcedo said she helped everyone to make sure they knew how to use the computers and software to continue working from home.
When Salcedo started out as a receptionist, she didn’t shy away from taking on other responsibilities.
Over the years, Salcedo started asking questions about technology, wanting to know how computers worked and how software programs were used.
Hatcher said Salcedo took classes and gained more knowledge.
Lisa Simmons, an information referral specialist with the Recovery Resource Council, said Salcedo helped her feel comfortable around technology.
Simmons said she uses her computer while working form home for tasks including answering calls, looking at spreadsheets and scheduling appointments.
“Maria was able to get that untechnical brain of mine to grasp what is going on. It’s wonderful; she is patient, and I can always call her,” Simmons said.
Casey Gutierrez, director of veteran services, said Salcedo worked quickly to make sure his employees could continue with virtual counseling sessions with the veterans.
Gutierrez said Salcedo helped get the necessary laptops with large screens and wide-angle webcams that are used during virtual appointments.
Gutierrez also said Salcedo helped set up rooms so people who don’t have the necessary equipment can come to the Recovery Resource Council offices and go into a private room where the counselor can see the person on the screen and communicate while working from home.
“Maria has truly enabled us to not only provide services during these difficult times, but the highest quality possible,” Gutierrez said.
Salcedo said she also helped her two children get set up for online learning from home.
Salcedo said she is a firm believer in spending time with her children. During the summer they usually go to Texas Rangers games, but this year she came up with other activities such as hiking, cooking and taking short trips.
At work, Salcedo said it is all about finding solutions.
“When you are working for a nonprofit, you wear multiple hats,” she said. “I’m all about finding different ways of doing things.”
To nominate a hometown hero
To nominate someone to be featured in the Hometown Heroes series, go to star-telegram.com/nominate.
This story was originally published October 4, 2020 at 5:45 AM.