July 2012- Heritage Ministries recently hosted its annual Employee Recognition Dinner at the Girl Scout Council in Jamestown.  The event honored 86 Heritage employees for a total of 840 years of dedicated and tireless service to this non-profit, human service ministry organization.  The evening’s presentation recognized these individuals along with the 2011 Employees of the Year, and recent Retirees.  Also announced were the 2012 recipients of three prestigious in house awards, the Mary Lou Clark Outstanding Customer Service Award, the Rev. LeRoy L. Lundgren Servant Leadership Award and the Walter S. Fleming Chairman’s Award.

The Mary Lou Clark Outstanding Customer Service Award was presented to Mark Wilcox, Director of M.I.S for Heritage Ministries Management Company. Mrs. Clark, a current employee and the award’s namesake, was in attendance that evening.  The annual award seeks nominees who demonstrate excellent customer service, positively represent Heritage Ministries showing a true commitment to the organization’s mission statement and also hold an outstanding employee record.

In the nomination submitted by his co-workers, Mr. Wilcox was described as an employee who, “is incredibly knowledgeable in his field, yet will take the time to talk to you on your level.  A lot of work goes into the behind the scenes maintenance of the IT department that allows the rest of us to be able to do our jobs.  Mark has taken great strides in the organization of the department and implementation of systems that help to provide better customer service to staff members.”

When presenting the award to Mr. Wilcox, David Smeltzer, Executive Director for Heritage Ministries Management Company, explained, “As an organization, we are focused on becoming the employer and provider of choice.  We place a great emphasis on customer service.  Mark demonstrates excellence in customer service to both internal and external customers of the organization.  He takes the time to deliver the same exceptional service to everyone, getting things done the right way.”

The Rev. LeRoy L. Lundgren Servant Leadership Award was presented to Jeff Ondrey, Administrator of Heritage Village Rehab & Skilled Nursing (Gerry).  In the nominations submitted by his co-workers, it was noted that Mr. Ondrey, “is a great leader who is approachable to his staff.  Jeff has a way of bringing the best out of people, he encourages us to “think outside of the box” and beyond what we have in front of us.  His faith and community service inspires others and shows in all he does.”

When presenting the award to Mr. Ondrey, David Smeltzer, Executive Director, explained, “The late Rev. Lundgren lived a life of wonderful service not only to Christ but to others as well.  As a resident of Heritage Village Retirement Campus, this commitment made a lasting impact on residents and staff alike.  Jeff Ondrey this year’s recipient demonstrates all of the servant leader characteristics that epitomize this award. He is an extraordinary servant leader that puts others before himself, his commitment and contribution to the Heritage Ministries organization are felt by all.”

The Walter S. Fleming Chairman’s Award was presented to Faith Bender, Housekeeping Supervisor for Heritage Village Retirement Campus (Gerry).  Mrs. Bender is the second recipient of this award that was established in 2011 to honor Mr. Fleming, who retired from serving 19 years on the Heritage Board.

The nomination submitted by her co-workers, stated, “The core values of Heritage Ministries, R.E.A.C.H., are second nature to Faith.  She shows respect to all employees and residents, Faith displays excellence in her job performance, she loves all of God’s children and demonstrates acceptance and compassion for all, Faith allows all to see her honesty in her daily life and her work life.”

When presenting the award to Mrs. Bender, David Smeltzer, Executive Director explained, “This award places great emphasis on an employee who most exemplifies the mission, vision, and core values of Heritage Ministries.  Faith Bender displays these qualities on a daily basis.  She embodies Heritage’s mission to serve others through Christ-centered ministries; Faith’s compassion for others and love of God are apparent in her work.”

Heritage Ministries values its dedicated employees. This annual recognition dinner takes place to honor and acknowledge employees for their years of service.  The three in house awards have been established not only to honor the contributions of their name sakes but to also recognize current outstanding employees.   Mark Wilcox, Jeff Ondrey and Faith Bender are three examples of outstanding employees who continually demonstrate characteristics that model the Heritage Ministries mission statement, to serve others through Christ-centered ministries which promote hope, dignity, and purposeful living, vision statement, Heritage Ministries will be a trusted leader in the provision of human services that model God's love, core values, respect, excellence, acceptance, compassion and honesty- R.E.A.C.H..

Pictured:  Heritage Ministries honorees attending the recent Years of Service Dinner.

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

Heritage Village Rehab & Skilled Nursing (Gerry)

5 Years – Patricia Bailey, Cora Blair, Randall Deering, Natalie Dolan, Lisa Hadley, Melinda Lawson-Crabtree, Patricia Loveless, Benita Parker, John Pearson, Deborah Rexford, Susan Smeragliuolo, Jack Waddington

10 Years – Elizabeth Case, Judith Rhinehart

15 Years – Melody Blakey, Teri Fish, Margaret Swason

20 Years – Edward Dynys, Charlotte Norton

25 Years – Carol Gens, Victoria McNeill

Heritage Park Rehab & Skilled Nursing (Jamestown)

5 Years – Kelsey Brown, Barbara Curry, P. Scott Forsberg, William Kenney, Annita Latif, Ann See, Jerri Sparling, Joshua Tobias, Deborah Wadsworth, Jill Wiltsie

10 Years – Diane Allison, Reginald Johnson, Patricia Stone

15 Years – Alicia Deponceau, Joann Evans, Cindy Repine, Sherri Sanderlin, Ophelia Whitmore

35 Years – Paula Cardone

Heritage Green Rehab & Skilled Nursing (Greenhurst)

5 Years – Linda Anderson, Wendy Beckwith, Karen Bower, Scott Devereaux, Randy Harrington, Dianne Hovey, Sharon Macri, Susan Mistretta, Elizabeth Peterson, Shari Robbins, Teresa Tynan, Janet Vargeson

10 Years – Crisanta Barber, Gloria Butler, Deborah Calkins, Jenine Kumpf, Halena Moore, John Near, Tracy Nieder, David Pacitti, Robert Peterson, David Price, Joseph Ralph

15 Years – Herb Cook, Ryan McLaughlin, Dorothy Nickerson

Heritage Village Retirement Campus (Gerry)

5 Years – Jonathan Feniello, Ashley Hulett, Holly Miller

15 Years – Constance Dunn

25 Years – Linda Holley

Heritage House Childcare & Learning Center (Jamestown)

5 Years – Amanda Christy, Deena Clark, Nicole Stevens, Sara Stormer

Heritage Ministries Management Company 

5 Years – Jordan Aiken, Elizabeth Jones

10 Years – Dennis Barthlomew

15 Years – Laura Blake, Steven Ostrander, David Smeltzer

20 Years – April Johnson

35 Years – Mary Lou Clark

Employees of the Year

Natalie Dolan (HV), Robert Olson (HP), Jen Langworthy (HG), Jamie Ansell (RC/MC), Deena Clark (HH)

Retirees

Minnie Olson (HV), Mary Terrill (HV), Bill Carroll (HP)