Menno Place initiated the Team Member Appreciation Tea in February 2013 and holds this event annually. This year it was held on February 20th.
At the event staff are recognized for their years of service, excellent attendance and three special awards are given in the categories of “Living our Values”, “Creative Innovation”, and “Everyday Champion”.
A reflection from one of our chaplains, Ingrid Schultz, at the Team Member Appreciation Tea:
One of the things that I love about working at Menno Place is the diversity of our staff. and how that diversity enriches our community and the lives of our residents. In his book Becoming Human Jean Vanier, the founder of L’Arche, an international network of communities for people with intellectual disabilities writes this: “All humans are sacred, whatever their culture, race, or religion, whatever their capacities or incapacities, and whatever their weaknesses or strengths may be. Each of us has an instrument to bring to the vast orchestra of humanity, and each of us needs help to become all that we might be.
I was delighted to read Vanier’s quote because I like to say that all of our Staff Team, together with residents, their families and volunteers create a beautiful concert in Care at Menno Place. We need each instrument to put on the concert and we need each other’s encouragement to be all that we might be. Vanier also writes: “It is not enough to reveal to people their value, to understand and care for them. We also need to celebrate them. Every person needs to know they are a source of joy”. That, I believe, is what this Staff Team appreciation tea is about. When we express our appreciation to a member of the team we let them know they are a source of joy. This is an encouragement not just to the individual we are recognizing but to our whole Menno Place community as we all share in the joy together.
A man named Paul, writing to first century Christians who are learning to be a community of care, writes this: Speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you’ll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. Acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you and who encourage you. Hold them in the highest regard with love because of their work. Live at peace with each other. Encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Rejoice always. 1 Thessalonians 5:11-18
Celebrating 10 years of service
Celebrating 15 years of service
Celebrating 20 years of service
Celebrating 25 years of service
If you received a Service Award but were not at the Team Member Appreciation event, please pick up your award from Jeanette Lee in HR.
EveryDay Champion (nominated by co-workers)
The Everyday Champion Award recognizes an employee of Menno Place for showing daily passion and commitment for quality care with the residents. The nominee is a true team player whose actions or attitudes have improved the workplace in a meaningful way by nurturing relationships, inspiring colleagues and residents and demonstrating a high level of integrity and compassion. The recipient of the Everyday Champion Award was nominated by a colleague for this award.
Karin Schroeder – Staffing, Menno Home/Apartments – Winner of the EveryDay Champion Award
A few words from Jeanette as this award was presented:
“When Karin told me she was retiring after 20 years of service I was surprised, yet understood this is the right time for her to move on to the most important things in her life which is her family.
I personally would like to say a few words: I could always count on staff being at work because Karin took care of it. I have to say that coming to work knowing Karin would be here with a smile on her face no matter what the situation has made many a tough day worthwhile. Karin has always been hard working and loyal. She is not just a hard worker, but she is a friend to many. In her role in Staffing she was able to touch all of our lives (and know most of our secrets.)”
Those who nominated Karin had this to say:
“Karin is kind and approachable, with a soft heart. She does her best to fill positions when a sick call comes in and you never see her frazzled or show her frustration. She keeps a calm demeanor in what she has to do. A sympathetic ear that never shares someone’s story that has confided in her. A treasure!”
“I worked nights for 6 years and in the early morning hours enjoyed conversations with her. She is kind, thoughtful, I love her laugh. She is very flexible and always going to extra mile to assist with staffing. Karin has a very challenging job and she has done an amazing job. There is always joy in her voice when speaking with her-you can really tell she enjoyed working here with us at Menno home.”
The recipient of the Living Our Values Award was nominated because they are outstanding in their capacity to live out the values of Menno Place – Stewardship, Excellence, Respect, Values-Driven, Innovation, Compassion and Encouragement.
Lada Kyslik – LPN, Menno Hospital
Lada lives by her values and truly reflects the values of Menno Place!
Her values reflect the Menno Place Values in her actions through missions in her time off, her faith, her commitment to continued education and in placing great significance on the resident’s perspective.
She has a background in teaching and is committed to excellent resident care. She works with the team, providing hands on approach, leading by example, coaching and supporting best care practices. Respect is demonstrated to families and residents by taking the time to talk and listen to them. She looks for ways to meet the specific and unique requests resident’s and families bring forward. She is innovative – this year she undertook a leadership project to bring resident and family care to the forefront which created opportunity to look for ways to shift culture. She thinks outside the box, bringing in visual aids and using specific situations as case studies to help the team move towards a shared vision.
As a team leader she models compassionate care, she has a reputation of showing compassion and empathy through her conversations with staff, with seniors and their families. She can be heard saying “If this was you or your mom, how would you feel?” She offers encouragement to families through validation and kind words of appreciation for what they bring to their loved ones life.
The Creative Innovation Award recognizes an employee of Menno Place for an idea or solution that has been approved by a supervisor and implemented in order to significantly improve operations or the quality of service for residents at Menno Place.
Marie Ponting – Accounts Payable, Menno Place
Marie innovated a paperless invoice approval system that is used in several departments across Menno Place. The previous process involved printing and physically delivering invoices to department managers. The manager would approve the invoice and code it. In the new system invoices are received electronically and saved in a department “in” folder. The manager opens it, stamps it and signs it with an electronic signature. It is then saved in a folder which Marie can access and uses to pay the invoice. Marie created this process on her own and is working with and training managers on how to use it. Marie also generated the electronic stamp using an Adobe feature. This new process has resulted in the reduction of printed paper and less room for error as papers aren’t lost/misplaced or having to travel across campus. It is an efficient process of approving invoices without having to purchase expensive software licenses.
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