Mike Austin has multiple jobs, two of which are Special Olympic Canada partners
Mike Austin has had on-and-off heart problems for a number of years. His father Norm said that he first had to get open-heart surgery in 1994—five years before he first joined Special Olympics—and it was serious enough that Mike had to travel all the way from Lewisporte to Ottawa to receive care from a qualified surgeon. Mike’s aortic valve was clogged with calcium, and after cleaning it out the doctor predicted he would only have ten years before needing to get it replaced.
It wasn’t until 2022—over three decades after his original surgery—that he had to get another open-heart surgery so he could replace his damaged valve with a mechanical one. The doctors believe the reason his heart lasted so unexpectedly long on its own was because of all the activity he’d been doing in Special Olympics, and how healthy it made him. After having the surgery, Mike is still playing in Special Olympics softball, bowling, track, and snowshoeing.
He’s 48 years old, he’s slowing with age, but not because of his medical condition. He’s working 3 jobs!
With three part-time jobs through the week, Mike spends one day a week working at his local Foodland grocery store—which is owned by Empire Family of Brands—two afternoon shifts at his local Tim Hortons, and also works with The Calypso Foundation, a non-profit recycling facility that hires people with intellectual disabilities.
At his Foodland job, Mike said he is, “packing shelves, bringing in carts, and helping some people with their groceries.”
While at Tim Horton’s, Mike brings food and drink to the customers.
“They come up to the counter,” Mike explained, “order their coffee, and you pass it out to them.”
Of the three places, he has been with Calypso the longest, having started in the year 2000.
And Tim’s, Mike wanted to go up there and he kept asking the manager of the Calypso Foundation to ask the manager of Tim Horton’s if he could come up and work. So she did, and they gave him a job.
Mike said his favourite part of working at the Tim Hortons is getting to meet people in his community, including his regular customers.
“He’s quite the social animal!” Norm said, adding that Mike gets along with his Foodland customers as well as he does with the people he serves at Tim Horton’s.
Being a consistently friendly and outgoing member of the community paid off, when the town of Lewisporte officially decided to rename their sports arena after Mike Austin. Norm recalled that Mike was one of the few living candidates the town council had in their list of people they wanted to name the building after, and Mike had become something of a staple there due to how much time he spent watching games there.
“Well, he’s in the stadium every time there’s a game,” Norm explained, “whether it’s six-year-olds or 60-year-olds, female or male.”
“Every year they give him a jersey,” he added, “‘Mike Austin number one fan!’”
Written By: Callum Denault, Special Olympics Canada Athlete and Staff Member
October is Disability Employment Awareness Month – an annual reminder of the pressing need for equal employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. It is a time to recognize and celebrate the unique talents and contributions that individuals with diverse abilities bring to the workforce.