In celebration of Caregiver Appreciation Day this month, The Fountains at Crystal Lake honored its longest-serving employees. Each employee has at least 15 years of service.
The community presented 14 associates with personalized notes of appreciation and sweet treats during a special recognition ceremony. The caregivers have a combined 311 years of service at The Fountains at Crystal Lake, a Watermark retirement community in Crystal Lake, IL.
Staff members recognized:
- Erika Johnson, housekeeper, 29 years
- Mike Valdez, cook, 27 years
- Amy Dunn, executive director, 26 years
- Manda Mayfield, Housekeeper, 26 years
- Mercia Johnson, CNA, 25 years
- Gina Alessi, community life director, 25 years
- Noel Fischer, housekeeping director, 24 years
- Reyna Jimenez, cook, 21 years
- Honorata Borucki, assisted living program director, 20 years
- Mark Curran, maintenance director. 19 years
- Gesvin Mejia, cook, 18 years
- Paula Hauck, marketing director, 17 years
- Mary Williams, dining room manager, 17 years
- Pauline Floral, front desk, 17 years.
Opportunities for growth within the community and the corporate culture have aided staff retention over the years, according to Executive Director Amy Dunn, who has worked at The Fountains at Crystal Lake for 26 years. Dunn initially joined the community to oversee assisted living and then took on oversight of memory care as well before assuming her current position 16 years ago.
Paula Hauck wasn’t always marketing director for the community. She started at the community in 2007 as a receptionist and then transitioned to become a move-in coordinator and then to a marketing associate before taking on her current role
“I say if you make it here a year, you will be a lifer,” Dunn said in a press release. “Our associates are part of something that matters, and they recognize the significance of their role. In our family, everyone is seen, heard and appreciated.”
Many long-term care providers contended with staffing shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic, but staffing losses at The Fountains at Crystal Lake were minimal.
“When COVID hit, people stuck with me; they trusted me because I had been in the trenches with them and I stayed there throughout the pandemic,” Dunn said.
She added that, in her opinion, the crisis made the team stronger.
“We are able to manage even in the most stressful of times because we check in on one another and help as much as we can,” said Honorata Borucki, program director for assisted living.
