Core Value Spotlight: Fun
At Enlivant, our core value of Fun inspires us. We believe in living life to its fullest and enjoying what we do. Whether it’s engaging activities, adventurous outings or life-enriching events, everyone from our residents to our team embrace getting in on the action. It’s F-U-N!
To wrap up the year, we are highlighting employees who embody Fun by loving what they do and having a great time doing it. They make a difference in the lives of the residents they serve and the teammates they support, and we’re so grateful for their meaningful contributions at our communities.
Read on to learn more and celebrate these fun-loving employees!
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Jessica Plante - Executive Director, Aurora Place, Arizona
Jessica started her career with Enlivant as a Community Relations Manager 8 years ago, and she’s served as Executive Director at Aurora Place for the past 1.5 years. Jessica believes laughter and Fun are the key to happiness. “I let my inner child shine,” says Jessica. “Fun is not just a core value written out; it is what we live by to make our days brighter at Aurora Place.”
Chelsea Beacham, Care Services Manager at Aurora Place agrees, “Jessica is a light in our building that shines! She makes a rainy day bright, a sad day happy, and turns frowns upside down.”
Jessica is the life of the party; she will dance with her residents any chance she gets, wear costumes to put a smile on their faces, tell jokes, and even prank her teammates with squirt guns on occasion!
“Jessica has brought the morale up tremendously and has created a wonderful culture that every person who comes through the door wants to be a part of. I couldn’t ask for a better partner to lead our community,” says Chelsea.
Grace Fuller - Chef, Preston Place, Texas
Grace joined Preston Place 9 months ago as Head Chef and she always finds a way to go above and beyond to bring Fun to dining services. “I feel you must love what you do to be the best at it. When I cook, I cook with love and to see my residents happy makes me happy. I always try to make them laugh and make them feel special,” says Grace.
At Preston Place, it is not uncommon to be greeted by the smell of freshly baked cookies. Every holiday and resident birthday are celebrated with a beautiful cake decorated personally by Grace. She even decorated “Happy Birthday” cupcakes for a prospective resident who visited the community on his birthday – and her cake was so great he ended up becoming a resident!
“Every time I visit Preston Place, Grace brings a smile to my face,” says Devin Blalock, Regional Sales Specialist of North Texas. “She exemplifies all of the Enlivant core values, but Fun sums it up perfectly!”
Jodi Lucidonio - Administrative Assistant, Summit Place, New Jersey
Jodi joined the Summit Place family 5 years ago as an Administrative Assistant, and she jumps in with our Life Enrichment team to bring the fun!
Jodi encourages residents to forget their worries, let loose, and enjoy life by living in the moment. She keeps them moving by playing mini golf, throwing darts, and hosting bean bag toss competitions. On Fridays, residents (and staff!) get drums sticks and tambourines and move and groove to their own music. The residents’ faces light up with smiles and laughter fills the community.
“To say that Jodi exemplifies our core value of Fun would be an understatement. She does it all,” says Brielle Valentin, Care Services Manager at Summit Place. “When she’s not busy entertaining the residents and running our front desk, she is always looking for the next best thing to plan. From a party to an afternoon social … Fun never ends with Jodi on our team!”
Judy Sandbothe - Administrative Assistant, Allen Place, Iowa
Judy has worked at Allen Place for 11 years and believes in loving what you do. Judy serves as Administrative Assistant, and she also helps in the kitchen and with planning Life Enrichment activities. “I love my job, so it makes it easy to have fun,” says Judy. “It is important to me to have laughter.”
Judy’s number one goal is to always make sure her residents are smiling. During mealtime, she will host impromptu karaoke sessions with coworkers, and she’ll even perform stand-up comedy with another staff member. She always tells jokes, shares funny stories, plays games, and participates in theme days with the residents.
She is quick to arrange celebrations too, planning a luau over the summer and an arrangement for Santa to bring gifts to Allen Place last Christmas. “Judy’s dedication to our community and our residents is unmatched. We are so blessed to have her as part of the Allen Place team,” says Melinda Hunnicutt, Care Services Manager at Allen Place.