June 2008 - Heritage Ministries hosted its annual Employee Recognition Dinner on June 17th at the Girl Scout Council in Jamestown.  The event honored 95 Heritage employees for a total of 725 years of dedicated service to this non-profit, human service ministry organization.  Heritage Ministries also honored two outstanding employees with prestigious awards.

The Rev. LeRoy L. Lundgren Servant Leadership Award was presented to Douglas Olson, Director of Environmental Services at Heritage Village Rehab & Skilled Nursing (Gerry).  In the nomination submitted by Gerald Peterson, who is supervised by Mr. Olson, it was noted that Doug, “desires to be a truly humble servant of the Lord; as a supervisor, he is always fair, encouraging, respectful, and courteous; is patiently willing to explain whatever needs to be done; and, no matter what the hour or the issue, he is always polite and concerned.”

When presenting the award to Mr. Olson, David Smeltzer, Executive Director for Heritage Ministries Management Company, explained, “The late Rev. Lundgren lived a life of service to Christ and to others.  As a resident of Heritage Village Retirement Campus, this commitment made a profound impact on residents and staff alike.  As a supervisor, Doug exemplifies the servant leader qualities that LeRoy displayed.”

The Mary Lou Clark Outstanding Customer Service Award was presented to Scott Forsberg, Director of Physical Therapy at Heritage Park Rehab & Skilled Nursing (Jamestown).  Mrs. Clark, a current employee and the award’s first recipient, was on hand for this special award presentation.

In the nominations submitted by co-workers Karen Myschisin, Betsy Swanson, and Sharon Walters, Scott was described as someone who, “exemplifies outstanding customer service both inside and outside of Heritage Park; displays the caring, talent, and respect for his position; is well-known in the community and is an excellent representative for Heritage rehab; and, goes above and beyond his job duties to make sure residents have everything they need for recovery and to be successful in rehab.”

In order to promote improved customer service throughout the entire organization, in 2008 Heritage Ministries rolled out a new initiative entitled “You Are Valued.”  The organization’s commitment to customer service states that, “All employees must be committed to establishing and maintaining meaningful, positive relationships with customers in order to produce consistently, high-quality services designed to meet and exceed the needs and expectations of those customers.”  Mary Lou Clark and Scott Forsberg are two examples of this commitment to outstanding customer service.

For more information regarding career opportunities with Heritage Ministries, please call Laura Blake, Human Resource Director, at 716-487-6874 or visit www.heritage1886.org.  There are immediate, limited spaces currently available for Heritage’s paid Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training program.

Following is a list of employees who were honored for their years of service:

Heritage Village Rehab & Skilled Nursing (Gerry)
5 Years – Sharon Bartram, Linda Daughenbaugh, Amy Ellis, Kathleen Hallquist, Sharon Jenkins & Kelly Wittenbrook
10 Years – Susan Bannister, Jennifer Brooks, Patricia Cherry, Cheryl Cole, Essie Jones, Debra Messere, Gerald Peterson & Donald Pratt
15 Years – Cathy Emke & Lucille Genberg
20 Years – Rebecca Cimo & Tammy Goon
30 Years – Mary Terrill

Heritage Park Rehab & Skilled Nursing (Jamestown)
5 Years – John Barlow, Ruth Bragg, Gloria Britton, Elyse Clark, Nicole Crawford, Paulette Crawford, Precita Crawford, Nancy Cunningham, Cynthia Davis, Tracy Dias, Marsha Golden, Tammy Green, Carole Johnson, Dixie Johnson, Melissa Johnson, Joann Jones, Sandra Jones, Sheila Jones, Ulla Larson, Neline Lawson, Judith Lewis, Dale Maynard, Virginia McConaghey, Maria Mongitore, Emily Moore, Jeffrey Nordine, Darlene Peterson, Annette Reynolds, Tanya Taylor, Jill Tibbetts & Charles Wittenbrook
10 Years – Rev. Gerald Haglund, Debra Malone & Nigel Roberts
30 Years – Deborah Bergey

Heritage Green Rehab & Skilled Nursing (Greenhurst)
5 Years – Ruth Baker, Patricia Brentley, Kathleen Brosius, Jared Caruso, Amy Constantino, Ruth Cooney, Jenna Crist, Tammie Hitcome, Abbey Jones, Glenda Jones, Michelle Keefe, Mary Knepshield, Myrtle Kohl, Tammy Dee Lewis, Alice Marsh, Brenda Olds, Sandra Oquist, Susan Riddle, Deborah Schell, Robert Sipirek, Jerezem Stage, Patricia Turley, Lisa Williams & Lois Williams
10 Years – Julie Hall, Mary Jones, Janet Ryan & Matthew Woodard
25 Years – Donna Douglas

Heritage Village Retirement Campus (Gerry)
5 Years – Pam Marsh & Lisa Onink
10 Years – Marcia Howe
20 Years – Teresa Sheldon
30 Years – Nancy Marcello

Heritage House Childcare & Learning Center (Jamestown)
5 Years – Maria Bonfiglio

Heritage Ministries Management Company
5 Years – Jody Gustafson, Rebecca Smith, Douglas Wilkinson & Colleen Wright
10 Years – Josephine Brinkley & Melissa McWilliams