From homemade soups to handmade cards: Rogers team members participate in engagement activities in February
03/15/24 03:00:pm
Through speaking events, themed days, community service, and some friendly competition, Rogers teammates came together to support each other and their local communities.
Appleton
Lisa Peters, community relations liaison, presented to 28 staff members on a county-wide Crisis Intervention Team in February. This team is comprised of police officers, doctors, county social workers, crisis response staff, and treatment providers.
Oconomowoc
Between November 2023 and February 2024, 12 participants took the time to prepare and provide soups to the Kubly Depression Recovery adult residential team. The Kubly Center’s Employee Engagement Committee put the event together, and the entire team voted for their favorites.
2nd Place: Anna Onosko, mental health technician, vegan red curry
3rd Place: Ashlee Johnson, behavioral specialist, chicken couscous and veggie
The contest was spread over 12 weeks so more staff could participate and sample all the different entries. Participants made two batches so there was enough for both the morning and evening staff. They ended up feeding around 45 people each week.
“We frequently do potlucks here at Kubly. We also tend to be a competitive team, so the idea of a cooking contest was a natural transition for us,” says Patricia Mann, manager of operations. “Everyone loved the soup-off! They were excited to have lunch provided to them each week. We are going to create a Kubly cookbook from all the great recipes that were shared.”
They are now planning a summer salad contest that will start in May. It will follow the same format: one cold summer salad per week for however many weeks they have participants, and all staff will vote for the three winners.
Philadelphia
The Philadelphia team participated in a month-long employee engagement event they called “FAB-uary.” One of their goals is to increase employee engagement and boost staff morale, so they decided to have several themed days throughout the month, including twin day.
“I think it is extremely important for leadership to be creative in identifying ways to best support our team members, who support our patients,” says Megan Kurdi, director of outpatient services. “I am invested in continuous improvement and allowing space to learn from our staff on what they need to perform at optimal levels.”
Sheboygan
Employees and patients at the Sheboygan clinic made Valentines to be delivered with Meals on Wheels to the community’s elderly, disabled, and homebound residents. When everyone found out those who receive the meals do not get many visitors, they decided to do something to spread some joy.
“We know recipients of Meals on Wheels do not get a lot of community contact. I have heard from several volunteers who deliver the meals how much it means to receive a handmade card on Valentine’s Day,” says Dione Knop, community relations liaison.
So team members and patients worked together to create special greetings to be delivered along with the meals on Valentine’s Day.
“The activity was well received by the children and adults in our programs,” Diane says. “Everyone jumped in to produce more cards than ever this year.”
The Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce also hosted their annual awards ceremony last month, where Rogers was nominated for the Professional Service Organization of the Year award. The clinic was represented by Dione Knop, community relations liaison, and Rose Luehrs, clinical supervisor.
