Our Fantastic Store Manager...

 The Blue Dragonfly is so lucky to have a Manager who understands our mission, maintains an open mind, and works with others to effectively balance her position as the store manager while supporting individuals with different abilities. Let's take a minute to get to know our Manager, Mrs. Sheila Gasper. 

Sheila Gasper, a Windsor native, married her high school sweetheart, Michael Gasper and have resided in Windsor ever since.  They have been married for 39 years! They raised four wonderful children, Lindsay, Ashley, Ryan, and Michelle.  Sheila and her husband are loving grandparents to Mr. Tavis Henry Bostic, and Sheila says, "Tavis is my heart and soul." Sheila worked for The Loomis Chaffee School for 13 years as an Administrative Assistant for the Director of the Maintenance Department. She ran the front office, and says, "[she] loved the interaction with faculty/staff, students and parents. 

Sheila notes that her only retail experience she had prior to The Blue Dragonfly is that she loves to shop! Sheila became the manager at The Blue Dragonfly in August 2014.  She has many memories of her time at The Blue Dragonfly, but mentioned that her favorite  was the annual dinner hosted by the Windsor Chamber of Commerce.  At this dinner, new board members were sworn in and awards were given to recognize individuals for their devotion to community service.  The Blue Dragonfly was the recipient of The Frank Parker Beautification award.  Sheila was, "excited to see the young men and women all dressed up. I loved seeing them on stage and receiving this award." 

Sheila has been impacted by her time spent working at The Blue Dragonfly She commented on the amount of patience needed on the job, all of her positive interactions with The Blue Dragonfly individuals, and the many customers who come in to shop as the highlights of her position.  She spends much of her day welcoming customers, assisting with purchasing, and especially explaining the purpose behind the store. She notes that, "customers love our purpose." Customers feel that by shopping at our store they are assisting individuals with different abilities to have meaningful employment. She has gained much appreciation for those who are in the retail business, "It may look easy, but there are many facets to sustaining and maintaining a successful retail store." Sheila noted that, "The Dragonfly employees are a huge help to maintaining our shop.  Cleaning, restocking inventory, pricing, are crucial parts of operating a small business.  Having the guys working here is a huge help!" 

          In her spare time, Sheila enjoys spending time with family, cooking, and shopping! She loves having large family dinners where all her children, and her grandchild can gather together.  She enjoys her annual week at the beach every summer, and an occasional night out with the girls. 

          Sheila is very thankful for her position at The Blue Dragonfly and is excited to see what the future holds.