Peabody Properties is pleased to announce the hiring of recent intern, Donna LeBlanc of Norwood, Massachusetts who will now assume a full-time position at Peabody Properties as Administrative Assistant, supporting the Director of Compliance/New Business and the compliance and marketing team members.

LeBlanc began as an intern with Peabody Properties which was facilitated through YMCA Training, Inc. of Boston, which offers unemployed and underemployed adults access to employment with family-supporting wages.

A long-standing tradition of the YMCA training program is to “Ring the Bell” and tell their story when a trainee or graduate of the program secures a job. They share their journey from low-wage or unemployment to living wage positions and share all they have learned from this exceptional workplace internship program.

LeBlanc’s story is the subject of a YouTube video; in it she shares how she came to the program after being laid off from a long-held position and how she honed her skills at YMCA Training, Inc. According to LeBlanc, her internship at Peabody Properties was “an eight-week interview” with everyone she came in contact with rooting for her success.

LeBlanc attended The State University of New York and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where she studied Arts/Theater/Dance. She and her husband Michael live in Norwood where, in her spare time, she enjoys activities with family and friends, attending concerts and the ballet, and horse riding.

“We are delighted to welcome Donna to the Peabody family as a full-time employee,” said Mitchelle Frederick, Recruiter for Peabody Properties, Inc. “The YMCA Training Inc. program has been a great partner of Peabody Properties for several years, and we have gained some very skilled workers and overall have a great record of success with job placement.

“The YMCA Training Inc. program absolutely changes people’s lives; we are proud to partner with this organization,” added Frederick.