This year at Woodstone’s Holiday party, it was more than just a party. It was a time for employees and staff to come together to laugh and enjoy themselves, but also a time to build skills as a team.
One activity that staff were asked to do was to combine their skills to build the tallest tower out of materials provided. Communication and critical thinking was the ticket to get the tower not only the tallest but to stay in place without falling over in a short amount of time.
Sound easy? Let’s say it was an intense activity and it was impressive how everyone played a role in making their group succeed in building their towers.
Next, we moved into our awards portion of the evening. It’s always an honor to be selected for an award and a job well done. Executive Director, Kelsey Wichman and RN Nickole Schmitz presented awards to employees that stood out in different situations in 2014. These idividuals were not only selected by management, but by their fellow co-workers as well.
Patty Borchardt was nominated for the Grace under Pressure award. Patty is always willing to go the extra mile and help out in the kitchen when she can. If there was an emergency and the staff in the kitchen needed someone, Patty was the lady to call. Every time Woodstone needed Patty she always helped out with a smile on her face.
Kelci Goldschmidt was selected for 2014 Rookie of the Year. Kelci started at Woodstone with very little knowledge working with seniors. Kelci is very eager to learn all she can from her co-workers in providing great care for each resident here at Woodstone. Every day can be a learning experience for anyone, but Kelci has shown that even if she is new to health care, it’s a very rewarding career to have.
JoAnna Schermann took home 2014’s First Responder award. Sometimes when we think first responder, we immediately think emergency. Well, in this situation it wasn’t always an emergency, but someone that stepped up and helped out without questions asked. There were times when Woodstone was growing faster than we anticipated, but whenever we needed help covering a shift, JoAnna was always there when we needed her. What a team player!
Erin Schuerman received 2014’s Most Improved award. Erin has taken the initiative in adding to her experience and helping out on the floor with numerous tasks now with us growing and becoming busier.
Rachel Garfunkel was nominated for the Attitude is Everything award. Rachel always comes to work with a positive attitude and a willingness to get the job done. No matter how stressful any situation at work is, she always goes the extra mile with a smile on her face.
Brenda Wertz was not only nominated for one award but two! She received the Behind the Sense award and Perfect Attendance Award. Brenda has worked every day since November with very few days off, and always pitches in to do the decorating around our building for the holidays, from wall decorating to table center pieces. Brenda is always there to help get things completed and fixed.
We are sure proud of our whole team we have here at Woodstone, we hope you all do too!
