PAT IS A TREASURE TO THE APPLE VALLEY CHRISTIAN CARE CENTER !
Pat has been employed with Apple Valley Christian Care Center almost 20 years….ever since we opened the doors! In fact, she applied for her job while the land was being graded prior to building!
So, we have a question for Pat, who is a Dietary Aid in the kitchen. Have you kept count of how many meals you have made and dishes you have washed over the last 20 years or so? She laughed and said she had no idea, and maybe doesn’t really want to know. Well, we figured it out, and she has roughly made 2,162,160 meals, and who could even venture a guess as to how many dishes she has washed!
After making way over 2 million meals, washing dishes, and doing everything else as an employee in the dietary department of a skilled nursing home, Pat still loves her work and would never think of leaving. Now we all know how important our meals are, and we want them on-time and we want them to taste good too….but Pat not only does both of these things, she does it with this HUGE smile on her face, and a giggle in her voice...every single day, without fail! She adores what she does and her slight 4 foot 11” frame is full of energy and enthusiasm each day as she lovingly prepares meals for the elderly medically fragile residents, who all have different dietary restrictions and needs. Now, we could have highlighted another employee, such as a Manager, Director, Executive ,Nurse or Physical Therapist, but no one at the Center embodies the mission and philosophy of our organization more than Pat. She is here every day at 6 am to start cooking meals….with a joy-filled spirit, in a humble position in the kitchen.
There is no recognition big enough for someone like Pat, so there was no way we were going to overlook the opportunity to say “Thank YOU” for all you do each and every day, to feed and nourish the 99 residents of our Center. When asked how she stays so happy each and every day at work, she says in her sweet Thai accent, “I don’t know…it is just who I am.” Her former kitchen supervisor said that Pat sings in the kitchen throughout the day… “Everything is beautiful in its own way….” and everyone in the kitchen comes to her for help. Her peers look up to her and respect her for who she is and how much she knows and cares about her work and the 99 elderly fragile residents here at the Center.
When asked if she could change anything about the last 20 years here at the Center, Pat giggled and said, “Being so short I keep wanting to get taller so I can get the food out of the oven, but I only keep getting wider instead.” She laughs again, even enjoying the opportunity to poke fun at herself. Pat is a treasure here at the Center, and we want to thank her on behalf of the thousands of elderly medically fragile residents that have spent time here with us and with Pat! Thank you Pat!
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