February 2022 Staff Recognitions

Please join us in congratulating the February Recognition Recipients!

Rise to the Extra Mile Recognition

The Rise to the Extra Mile Recognition is given to highly motivated individuals who go that extra mile in their job. Rise to the Extra Mile honorees get to park in a designated parking space at the RISE administration office.

Congratulations to Jackie Knowles, Rain House Program Director, and Ian Vonie, Edgewood House Program Director as the recipients of the Rise to the Extra Mile Recognition. Jackie and Ian both went the extra mile to support each other and their respective programs in January when their programs were in quarantine due to COVID-19. They worked extra long shifts, and Jackie filled in some overnight shifts at Edgewood to ensure the programs has proper coverage while staffing was limited to reduce exposure during the quarantine period.

Rise to the Occasion Recognition

The Rise to the Occasion Recognition is given to individuals who see a need within the agency and go above and beyond to fill that need.

Please join us in congratulating Milestone Manor Staff members – Dawn Daum, Jay Burnetto, Lauren Gates, & Sarah Moffitt – as the February Rise to the Occasion Recognition recipients.  They all worked hard to keep Milestone Manor running smoothing and efficiently while there was staffing shortages this past year and most recently when the program was in quarantine due to COVID-19.

They all often worked alone for long hours, managing the daily responsibilities a Community Residence presents without help or assistance.  In addition to managing their regular client caseloads, they each took on all aspects of client management for other residents outside of their respective caseloads as the need arose.  They all helped foster a consistent communication amongst program staff which allowed each subsequent staff and any relief staff to be current about the state of the house for the residents to remain safe and supported.

When it became apparent that Milestone Manor had to be quarantined, they all quickly adapted to the plan that was developed on-the-spot to manage the house when the majority of the residents had to be quarantined. They worked hard to boost moral and help keep up the residents’ spirits while they were restricted to their rooms.

Dawn, Jay, Sarah, and Lauren continued to provide compassionate care to the Milestone Manor residents despite the challenges the past year presented due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent staffing shortage. They each continue to demonstrate the work ethic, insight, and adaptability exemplified in the RISE ethos.

Read how all our CRs managed the COVID spike that occurred early in 2022 in the CRs Manage COVID Spike Blog.

Staff on the RISE

Staff on the Rise is an employee recognition program which recognizes staff who possess an exemplary work ethic, excel on the job, are team players, and are an inspiration to others.

Congratulations to Katrina Sherman, the recipient of the February Staff on the Rise recognition. Katrina was promoted to Program Supervisor at Rain House in October 2021. She is dedicated and provides quality care to the individuals we serve. “I enjoy working at Rain House,” Katrina says. “I look forward to learning, growing, and doing well in my new position so that I can helped those we serve be successful in meeting their goals and living safely in our community.”

Read more about her contributions to RISE in the February Staff on the Rise Blog.