These stories about dedicated Family Service Association staff members have been previously featured on this site.
Jennifer Leiter - Home Assistance Program, GAFC and RN Training
This statement came from Jen's supervisor, Vice President Sharon Ford, nominating her for the Family Service Provider of the Month Award
It is rare when you can find a professional of such a high caliber that they are able to easily interchange responsibilities without missing a beat. I would like to nominate one such professional – a person who is truly invaluable to the agency and the clients we service.
I would like to nominate Jennifer Leiter. Jennifer's contributions reach far beyond her role within the Home Assistance Program. Jennifer has served in the role of co-worker, educator, trainer, supervisor, as well as a dedicated nurse.
Jennifer goes above and beyond, working past her scheduled hours, working on days off, and even on weekends. She not only sets the standard for professionalism, but holds each of us to that standard and helps us to achieve it. Jen is flexible and adaptable in any situation. She can step out of her role and into another and be successful. And Jennifer can take on several projects at once and somehow make them all work.
Her training and education skills are so adaptable that she can work equally well with administrators, peers, cognitively impaired clients, distressed family members, or security guards and be successful each time. Jen is helpful to all staff. We have seen her visit a client’s home to teach a new caregiver and then up roll up the sleeves of her suit to assist directly with the client’s personal care and do it with grace.
She would rather forfeit vacation time than take it at a time that would present a hardship to her peers. Jennifer never, ever says no! In short, she does whatever it takes to get the job done -- and done beyond what it expected.
It is with great pleasure that we nominate Jennifer Leiter RN for the Family Service Provider of the Month Award
and Education Specialist
Gabriella Rosner - Social Worker, After School Day Care
This nomination came from Gabriella Rosner's program manager and the Director of Quality Improvement.
Each year, the Family Service Association After School Day (ASDC) participants are afforded the opportunity to attend Camp Edith Reed in Norton, Massachusetts. This is always a special time for the children. They have the opportunity to swim, enjoy the beautiful outdoor environment, participate in theme-based activities, and enjoy special meals cooked on site by ASDC staff.
This year, one ASDC staff person went above and beyond their usual job responsibilities to ensure that camp was a success. Gabriella Rosner literally took the camp program under her wing. She physically opened the campsite each morning and completed the set-up so that everything was in order when the children arrived. She personally assisted new staff with activity plans for the children.
When we experienced heavy rainfalls of 1 - 2 inches per hour and had to call off camp for the day, Gabe loaded all the materials into her car and brought them back to the site so that the children could still enjoy the specialized activities that had been planned for them. To support this year’s international theme, Gabe also did all of the cooking, preparing everything from tacos, to Greek salad and chow mein. She assisted with all of the clean-up activities and locked the camp each night and did all of this while maintaining her usual workload responsibilities and covering for a vacant full-time Social Worker position. With the hot and humid weather alternating with torrential rainfall, Gabe could have easily stayed in the office to complete required paperwork. Instead, with her usual calm manner, she informed the Program Manager, “Don’t worry about camp. I’ll take care of it,” and she did.
For going above and beyond her regular duties, and putting the safety and happiness of the ASDC program participants ahead of her own needs, we would like to honor Gabe Rosner with the Family Service Provider Award.
Cory Souza - Case Manager, Guardianship Program
This nomination came from Wendy Wentworth-Boyd, Client Services Coordinator of the Guardianship Program:
It is with great pleasure that I am nominating Cory J. Souza for the Family Service Provider Award for the month of November, 2005. From the time Cory began working with the Guardianship Program as an intern, she has consistently demonstrated the attributes associated with this award.
Despite the many challenges our program has faced throughout the past year, Cory has continually proven her initiative and dependability to both her clients and our staff. At one point during this past year, Cory was our ONLY full-time case manager. She volunteered to work extra hours, travel further distances, increase her caseload -- basically assisted in any way possible to ensure that our program would continue to care for our clients effectively and efficiently.
On many occasions when I have attended meetings with or received telephone calls from other professionals, family members, and clients who are in close contact with Cory, her name is always followed by a positive remark regarding her compassion, professionalism, and reliability.
Over the past two years I have had the opportunity to observe Cory during visits to her clients, in many types of settings. Despite her clients' diagnoses, which include Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia, and mental retardation, the effect of Cory’s case management and communication skills are obvious by the smiles seen not only on their faces, but on the faces of others who have become familiar with her positive attitude.
Although Cory is aware of our staff’s appreciation for her dedication to the program and the clients she serves, I feel it is important for her to be recognized by our agency for a job well done.
Billie Jane Valente - Manager, Special Clinical Programs
This nomination came from Ramona Turcotte and Katje Fuson of the Big Friends Little Friends program:
We, the staff of the Big Friends / Little Friends program, would like to nominate our Program Manager, Billie Jane Valente for the Family Service Provider Award. As Program Manager, Billie Jane is responsible for overseeing two staff persons and assuring that the program runs smoothly on a daily basis. With many duties within the agency, and sometimes with her hands quite full, BJ is always there for us when we need her.
Even when BJ is away on vacation, we are able to reach her with a problem to solve or a question needing an answer. If a staff person has a car problem, BJ has been known to drive 20 or more miles out of her way to pick them up for work. When a Little Friend’s family need clothes, in comes BJ with a bag full of them. And when we need to make a connection within the community, BJ is sure to know someone who can help us.
BJ is supportive, energetic, and brings many years of experience to the program, along with a passion for serving our community. Having a Program Manager who is creative, caring, energetic, and supportive is integral to the growth and success of a mentoring program. With BJ as our Program Manager, and the backbone of our program, Big Friends / Little Friends will continue to grow and serve the children in our community.
Susan K. Potvin, RN - Director of Quality Improvement
This nomination came from Sharon Ford, Vice President of Elder and Social Services:
Susan Potvin's approach epitomizes teamwork, which continues to be an integral part of our success in fulfilling the needs of our community. Sue exemplifies the qualities of a true team player. She is flexible, able to problem solve, is adaptable, and always willing to assist in any way possible. Over the past 6 months, Sue has provided additional assistance to three different programs.
She stepped into the Home Assistance Program to help with the nursing responsibilities. As a taskmaster, she was able to assist with nursing visits, caregiver supervisions, and care plans. All of these pieces are essential to the oversight needed to serve the frail individuals enrolled in the program. In addition to these nursing duties, Sue was responsible for writing the final report for the Framingham Needs Assessment project. She was an integral part of the data analysis and formulation of the conclusions.
Sue has continued to assist the agency’s programs in her role as Director of Quality. More specifically, she has assisted the Guardianship program in placing its current procedures into the agency policy and procedure format.
Most recently, Sue was asked to assist with some transitional issues at Adult Day Health I. She stepped right into the role and began training the new LPN and completed documentation required for compliance. The site was also selected for a review by the Division of Medical Assistance, for which Sue provided additional guidance. This was no easy task as the site’s director was out on medical leave and there was a new LPN at the program. Through the collaborative effort of Barbara Oliveira (Interim Program Manager) and Sue, the site was ready for the review.
Let’s not forget the success of the Holiday Party, for which Sue worked with two committees to create a festive environment with great food and wonderful entertainment.
Sue has managed these additional tasks in addition to her responsibilities for oversight of the After School Day Care program and as Director of Quality. It is with staff like Sue Potvin that Family Service will be able to continue its mission.
Kevin James - LIFT Program Mentor
This nomination came from Eileen Dunleavy, LIFT Program Manager:
January is National Mentoring Month and this represents a good opportunity to honor one of our agency’s fine mentors. I would like to recommend a LIFT Program Mentor, Kevin James, for the Family Service Provider Award. Kevin has been employed by Family Service in his position as a Community Mentor for a year and a half. He has done an exceptional job working with the young adults in the LIFT Program. The program’s ability to maintain placements for these young adults has increased tremendously since a mentoring component has been added.
Kevin has been a tremendous asset to both the LIFT Program and the participants of our program. Kevin has the ability to engage some very difficult participants and their caregivers. In his role as a mentor to these young adults between the ages of 18 and 22, Kevin has provided a number of activities to assist the participants in their transition to independence. These services include: assisting with obtaining state ID’s, learner’s permits, driving licenses, library cards, voter registration, job applications, assisting with job interviews, job retention coaching, consumer comparison shopping, negotiating cell phone contracts, organizing their bedrooms and school work, teaching automobile maintenance and many additional support services to assist these young adults in maximizing their potential.
Kevin has provided social skills, educational, and recreational opportunities for the participants. This includes weekly social skills groups that he co-leads with a LIFT social worker, as well as bringing young adults to the movies, batting cages, bowling alleys, basketball games, music concerts and art museums. He has also been extremely supportive during crises, assisting the program social workers to stabilize the participants by attending psychiatric consults, therapy sessions, and whatever else is needed to assist the participant to maintain their placement safely. Kevin has sound clinical skills and good judgment and is always willing to expand and grow clinically.
Kevin provides a healthy male role model for the young men in our program who have not had many positive experiences with men in their lives. Whether he is showing someone how to change the oil in their car, bringing someone to the mall to clothes shop, or just walking on the beach with one of the LIFT young men, Kevin is discussing issues and assisting the young men to problem solve. He exemplifies the mentoring model.
Family Service and the LIFT Program are fortunate to have Kevin James as a member of our team. As a result of his interventions and supports, many of our placements have stabilized and our participants have matured as they move toward their goals of independence. For all of the reasons stated above, I would like to recommend Kevin for the Family Service Provider Award.
Janet Payer - Executive Secretary
This nomination This nomination came from Carol Nagle, President and CEO:
I am nominating this person because she has shown tremendous flexibility under pressure and has adapted beautifully to her new surroundings.
Charles Darwin once said, “It is not the strongest person that survives nor the most intelligent, but the ones who are most responsive to change.” Change is defined by Webster’s Dictionary as neither good nor bad but “different” in some particular way. Our agency has certainly experienced change over the last 6 months and no one has had more experience with that change than this month’s recipient of the Family Service Provider Award.
She is strong, smart and has positively adapted to the changes presented to her, which in Darwin’s book, makes her a survivor. She is Janet Payer,
FSA’s Executive Secretary. Janet joined our agency in 1999 and has worked hard to preserve the integrity of the President & CEO’s office by ensuring the confidentially of all information that comes across her desk. Providing support services for any CEO is no easy task, but Janet makes it look that way. Her loyalty and commitment to the agency and its clients is praiseworthy.
Last November, Janet was told that she would not only be transitioning to a new CEO, but she would be changing her office space. This was not just an office change, but also a building change. It was a totally new environment for her, but she took on these changes with a positive attitude and quickly adjusted to her new surroundings. In fact, Janet continues to show new sides of her personality like a sharp wit and sensitivity.
As I am sure the days ahead will continue to include more changes and challenges. I look forward to sharing them with you, Janet Payer.
Barbara Barba - Home Assistance Program Caregiver
This nomination came from Jennifer Leiter, Home Assistance Program Manager:
Barbara Barba has demonstrated exceptional observation skill and quick thinking in not one, but two recent emergency situations. Barbara has been with the Home Assistance Program (HAP) for several years and has always presented herself as professional, caring, and dedicated to her clients and their welfare.
Barbara is assigned to some of the more compromised clients in HAP. There has never been a time when staff had any doubt of her ability to provide quality care.
On a Sunday morning approximately two months ago, Barbara went to the home of her first client of the day. She found the client non-responsive, immediately called 911, and provided emergency measures. By the time the EMTs arrived, the client was conscious and a pulse was obtained. Barbara notified the HAP on-call staff and reported the incident. She then went to her next client’s home. Upon arriving, she found the client very short of breath, having chest pain, and perspiring profusely. She again called 911 and reported the incident, as is the procedure. Though her lighter weekend schedule meant that Barbara had only two clients to service, they presented issues that obviously were more than she expected. However, her quick thinking, knowledge of her clients’ conditions, and ability to act as needed in the moment proved to save two lives on that Sunday morning.
Barbara deserves our respect and gratitude for her actions. She is also most deserving of the Family Service Provider Award.
Susan Bergeron - Representative Payee Supervisor
This nomination came from Deborah Ignagni, Chief Financial Officer of FSA.
As the Supervisor of the Representative Payee program, Susan Bergeron has set realistic but challenging goals for program growth -- and she has demonstrated significant success. This success comes from innovative and creative community outreach. With her friendly and personable approach to business, Sue has established winning relationships with key community organizations. These relationships have been beneficial to both the program and the agency as a whole, but more importantly, they have linked some of the most needy members of our community with life-changing services.
Sue has built a relationship with the Tenancy Preservation Program – a statewide group that works to prevent tenant eviction. She has established this group’s trust to such a degree that a referral is made to FSA prior to the tenant’s court appearance. With the knowledge that FSA will assure that rent monies will be paid on a regular and predictable basis, eviction proceedings were immediately terminated. The Fall River Housing Authority does not even proceed with the eviction process once they are assured that the tenant is an FSA Representative Payee client. The Representative Payee program has recently prevented evictions in Fall River, New Bedford and Plymouth.
The partnership between Sue and the Tenant Preservation Program has now extended outside the realm of housing with recent referrals from a homeless shelter in Greenfield Massachusetts. She has an excellent relationship with the Social Security Administration Fall River office, and has corresponded with agencies across the state, effectively expanding our Representative Payee program outside of the Fall River, Taunton, and New Bedford areas. During a recent Social Security audit, not one deficiency was found.
Sue now supervises five staff, the largest number in the history of the program. She works well with everyone; volunteers to help whenever needed, and demonstrates loyalty to the agency. It is an honor to nominate Sue Bergeron for the Family Service Provider award.
Cathy Adams - Home Assistance Program Nurse
This nomination came from Jennifer Leiter, Home Assistance Program Manager, and Tami O'Neill, HAP Care Coordinator:
Cathy Adams has been an LPN with the Home Assistance Program for over four years, during which time she has shown exceptional judgment with some of our more medically involved clients. She is always ready to make extra visits if it means helping a client adjust to a new caregiver or to ease their return home after a lengthy stay at the hospital or rehab center. Her concern for each client’s medical and psychosocial well-being is evident by her reports to the social worker on each case and by her constant discussions about improving a client’s quality of life. She is open new approaches and has always been a team player. Cathy works ever-changing hours and is incredibly flexible with her schedule to meet the needs of her program and clients.
This past July, Cathy showed exceptional attention to detail at a nursing visit to a frail diabetic client. The client had returned home after a lengthy hospitalization and short-term rehab stay. Cathy was checking the medications to ensure the client had what was needed upon the return home. She noticed the client’s insulin was pre-filled with the wrong dosages for both morning and evening - something she immediately reported to the Program Manager. The situation appeared to be resolved since Cathy brought the matter to the attention of the visiting nurses and her Program Manager, as required by procedure.
A few days later, the client’s caregiver called Cathy to report that the client did not have any insulin at her apartment. Cathy called the VNA and immediately reported this fact to the Program Manager. The VNA nurse went to the client’s home within the hour and found her with a blood sugar level of 444. The client was brought to the ER and stabilized. If it were not for Cathy noticing the wrong insulin dose and quick action after receiving the report from the caregiver, this client would have had two serious medical complications. Cathy’s skill and dedication are evident regarding her service to this and all her clients.
Don Gagnon - Management Information Systems
This nomination came from Katje Fuson of Big Friends Little Friends:
We are living in an era when technology has a tremendous impact on our personal lives and on the business community. Tools that can make our lives simpler and our workday more productive are sought after and valued.
Today, the database is one of the cornerstones of information technology. Databases make the tasks involved with gathering and processing information easier and more efficient and they are vital to the success of a modern business. Don Gagnon is the Database Manager at FSA in the MIS Department. I recently learned that Don possesses a wealth of knowledge related to information technology - knowledge that will make my workday more productive, knowledge that I value.
I am nominating Don Gagnon, from the MIS department, for this month’s Service Provider of the Month award because of his value at FSA, among other things. Don recently assisted Ramona and me in creating Microsoft Access databases for the Big Friends Little Friends program. He not only created numerous databases for BFLF, he also took the time to teach us how to use them most efficiently and how to create our own. Don’s enthusiasm for his job, his skills and knowledge, and his willingness to support his co-workers impress me. At 101 Rock Street, Don is known for making CDs and beautiful origami for everyone - gestures that are sure to brighten a workday.
In Don’s 10th year of service to FSA, I am proud to nominate him for Service Provider of the Month. We are lucky to have him
Mark Beausoleil - Janitorial Services
This nomination came from Larry Art, Executive Vice President:
Family Service Association has enjoyed a partnership with People Incorporated for over five years, one that has provided us with a dependable and hard working individual providing a valuable service to our agency. It has also provided a meaningful paid work opportunity for a People Incorporated member. This individual is Tyrone (Mark) Beausoleil.
Mark started at Family Service with a case manager coming with him as he learned his new job. Quickly, he was able to come to the agency by himself to perform his duties. Mark is responsible for weekly trash removal at 151 Rock Street, bringing it to the dumpster at 101 Rock
Street and in good weather, clean-up of our grounds and parking lot. Mark takes these responsibilities very seriously and takes great pride in working hard. He has developed good relationships with the staff he interacts with weekly. Many agency employees throughout the agency has gotten to know him.
Mark will seek assistance when faced with difficulties and will work beyond his usual hours if need to complete his duties. When there is a change of schedule due to holidays or weather, Mark adapts and changes to fit the need. We are very fortunate to have a hard worker like Mark and look forward to many more years of his very valuable work here at Family Service Association
It is with great pleasure that I nominate Mark Beausoleil as the Family Service Association Service Provider for March, 2007.
Donna Stanley - Representative Payee Program Bookkeeper
This nomination came from Donna's friend and colleague in the Representative Payee Program, Alice Nicholas:
I am very pleased to nominate Donna Stanley, Bookkeeper with the Representative Payee Program, for the Family Service Provider Award. Donna has many special qualities, chief among them being her patience.
The Representative Payee staff have a substantial workload and often work under firm deadlines. But the stress of the work is made so much easier thanks to Donna’s assistance in our office. She handles many calls from our clients and always addresses their questions and concerns very calmly and effectively, setting a very professional example for our entire staff.
She always completes her work on time and regularly offers to assist others who may be a bit overwhelmed. On occasion, she has filled in for other staff members, taking on extra assignments. She does this smoothly and always without complaint.
Donna has a big heart and communicates with her co-workers in a very respectful and straightforward manner. We consider her a “people person,” who communicates with great skill with clients and staff alike. And her infectious laugh keeps the mood light, even during otherwise stressful times.
Another of Donna’s special talents is her ability to serve each client with an understanding of their individual issues. She always provides assistance with attention to their particular needs, demonstrating a keen awareness of their challenges. She has often gone the extra mile to assist a new staff person better understand the job, making certain that “our team” works together well. For these and so many other reasons, I am happy to nominate Donna Stanley.
Anne McGuirk - Adult Family Care Program Manager
This nomination came from Sharon Ford, Vice President of Elder & Social Services.
would like to nominate Anne McGuirk, Program Manager of the Adult Family Care program, for Service Provider of the Month because she is an individual who is a doer, an achiever, one who truly recognizes a challenge, and one who seeks to develop a plan to overcome obstacles. When working in the field of Human Services, challenges can often create barriers to service provision and can affect service quality. Anne strives to provide quality service to the clients in her program while providing ongoing support to her staff. In October of this year, Anne was presented with the opportunity to assist the Cape Cod Adult Family Care program. This program needed to close its doors and find placement for 84 clients.
This was and exciting yet overwhelming task which Anne greeted with tenacity as she started to plan the steps needed to make the transition. Anne’s commitment to her program and to Family Service provided a level of comfort for both the staff of Cape Cod AFC and the participants. She mobilized her staff, pursued and coordinated with Cape Cod AFC, found new office space, interviewed new staff and began the assessment process.
The AFC program has successfully transitioned 45 participants into our program while simultaneously serving the current 186 participants with only the addition of one new staff to date. The success of this transition is due to a combination of the staff commitment and that of a leader who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. This is why I would like to nominate Anne McGuirk for the Family Service Provider Award.
Staff whose stories are told here are former recipients of the "Family Service Provider Award.
