During MSV's Summer Professional Development Day, we recognized staff members who embody Marillac St. Vincent core values: Integrity, Creativity, Advocacy, Respect, and Empowerment.
INTEGRITY: Acting with transparency, humility, and honesty.
Cindia Grant
This person is well known to anyone who has come to Marillac over the past two decades. She is kind and direct, and when she speaks with you she looks at you as if you are the only person in the room and the only one who matters. Whether you are someone she has known for years, or a new person to our staff or programs, Ms. Cindia Grant meets you and accepts you exactly where you are. She is unfailingly honest about the good and the difficult things that confront people, but continually encourages everyone around her to follow God and be their best selves. She is aware of her blessings and when asked how she is, typically replies “all is well.” Her calm presence reminds us all that really, it is. We are blessed to have such a woman of integrity as Ms. Grant from Marillac to influence us each day.
EXCELLENCE: Providing quality care with compassion.
Carla Crumb, Edward Wong, & Joyce Richardson
These selfless individuals took on a heavy load this past year. Day in and day out, they worked the later shift of 10-6 and on top of that, they cared for more children from all other pre-k classrooms nearly every day due to the center being short staffed. Did they complain? Maybe—but we never heard them! They accepted all of the children from other classrooms with kindness like no other. They cared for them, attended to their needs, taught them all while doing the same for the students they already had in their own assigned room. They brought their best and most compassionate selves to the children and to their jobs each day. We are so pleased to acknowledge the excellence of teachers Carla Crumb, Edward Wong, and Joyce Richardson from St. Vincent’s Pre-K team.
Nicole Brown
This member of the dietary staff always has a positive attitude and a smile to share, even when the kitchen is hot and crowded. Part of her job is helping to put together a lunch for Take Charge most months of the year. Nicole Brown not only preps the meals but goes out of her way to make the process so much easier: taking things out of the oven so they don’t burn, helping other staff to check for “doneness”, pre-heating ovens to save us time and just generally sharing her knowledge about the kitchen. As anyone who has prepared a meal for a crowd knows, timing is key. This person consistently goes above and beyond her duties to help another department not only get things done but done right and done well. We are so grateful for the excellent kitchen skills and compassionate cross-department teamwork of Nicole from the MSC Dietary team.
CREATIVITY: Being continuously resourceful and inventive.
Maryela Amaro
This individual’s creativity is phenomenal, whereby she is constantly coming up with things that are new and somehow valuable in form. What this individual has done in school age is incredible. She has developed exciting class field trips and is always looking for new ways to keep the school age children interested. Additionally, she creates a monthly newsletter for families and staff focusing on what has been “going on” within the program over the last month.
ADVOCACY: Supporting the cause of those who lack resources for a reasonable quality of life.
Hilary Waldron
This person has been a true advocate for the people she works with in her program. She has worked hard to find new opportunities for them that they would not otherwise have. For example, she took her clients to the SMART Museum of Art at the University of Chicago this year, something they had never done before. She is mindful of finding free or low-cost opportunities for her program, yet also has no problem speaking powerfully to our own staff, donors, and outside groups about the importance of meeting the needs of our seniors and asking for more resources for the things that will help them thrive. Hilary Waldron is also a great advocate for her team and works to make sure they are supported and have what they need to carry out their work and our mission. Even more broadly, she is voice who advocates for equity and equality, both within MSV and outside as well. She is passionate about eliminating the barriers that prevent people from fully participating in our society. We are lucky to have Hilary our Senior Program Manager as such a strong model of advocacy for the MSV family!
RESPECT: Recognizing our own value and upholding the dignity and value of all people.
Marjorita Brewer
This person is one of the first people to greet you at Marillac, though she began at St. Vincent. In her role she can be seen interacting daily with parents and children, staff, donors, seniors, guests, volunteers, delivery people, and just about anyone else who might walk through the doors. Believe it or not, sometimes people are not in a good mood when they enter our building and encounter this person. Through it all, Marjorita Brewer remains kind and responsive, without raising her voice or in any way showing disrespect or disregard for anyone, at any time. She consistently presents a wonderfully warm, welcoming, and professional demeanor to the world entering our Marillac facility, no matter what age, program or purpose someone is here for. Join us in recognizing Marjorita for demonstrating daily the value of respect.
EMPOWERMENT: Providing skills and resources to achieve full human development.
Brittany Brown
It’s no secret that the teaching staff at St. Vincent has been short staffed, but it has also been without a Pre-K section supervisor for about a year. This person, a member of the Pre-K team, stepped in over the past year to provide leadership for the PreK section. She went above and beyond to support her colleagues, making sure that the section was covered, giving teachers breaks, and even subbing for them. She insisted on helping in the classroom and listened to many concerns the teachers were having while offering her support and ideas. All the while Brittany Brown ran her own classroom, demonstrating that even though there were added demands, she could balance her time between her own students and supporting her colleagues. She inspired others to follow her example and focus on what could be done, instead of focusing on limitations. Besides all this, she goes to school on Thursdays, so she is furthering her own career and empowering herself for even greater success. Thank you, Brittany, for living the value of empowerment.