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Employee Profiles

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Employee Appreciation Awards

The Beryl Wolney Award was named after a woman who worked at St. Ann's Residence for many years. The women there cherished her as a beloved friend; there was no one they respected more than Beryl. She was a role model to all of the staff and a very humble person--a kind and loving friend to everyone. Beryl lived a life of service to others and that is where she found her joy in life.

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Beryl Wolney: Paige Parvey (Sheridan) has shown exceptional service for our clients with care, kindness and respect. She is high energy, fun loving and brings that spirit to the Sheridan home. She started as a house coordinator a little over a year ago, and in that time has had a large impact on the lives of Linda, Dot, Camille and Sheri. She has the respect of her staff and peers. Paige has shown good leadership by helping others and modeling ethical behavior, valuing the clients’ wants and needs and helping them be happy in their home.

She has organized outings for camping, Valley Fair, the State Fair and birthday parties. Paige revived movie night, which many clients attend. She brings her house and others to events and models great cooperation. She has positive interactions with everyone, from case managers and guardians to doctors.

One particular client to focus on is Camille. She has really flourished with Paige’s help and come out of her shell. Cammy came to Wingspan painfully shy and introverted, she would answer in short sentences and then run back to her room with her food. Along with her staff, Paige has encouraged Cammy to explore her adventurous side, her love of movies, and encouraged her to make friends. Cammy now loves going to events and looks forward to them. She has made friends at other houses and wants to see them. She likes dressing up, and she smiles a lot. Cammy is excited for the Nutcracker, specifically asking to go this year. These are really big things for Cammy, and seeing her grow into being socially comfortable is wonderful.

Paige has really helped all the ladies in similar ways. She makes the house fun, full of activities and is a good embodiment of the values for Beryl Wolney. ~Eric Hemme~

Leadershp: Gifty Narh (91st Street) is a long-time Wingspan employee. She previously won the Beryl Wolney award in 2016. Since that time, Gifty has continued to display the wonderful qualities that embody that award. She shows leadership in many ways. Gifty has a cohesive staff that work as well as any team I’ve had the privilege to be around. They pick each other up, and are always working towards the same goal. This is due to their own great behavior, but it also showcases Gifty’s leadership. She goes above and beyond all the time and that in turn encourages her staff to do so.

She is the embodiment of reciprocity. This happens on a regular basis in her home as evidenced by the high quality of care that her clients always get. Gifty has forged good relationships with guardians over the years. They trust her implicitly. She has also had the unfortunate experience of losing many clients over the years. She has led her staff in this regard, without fail, as compassionately as possible. This is one of the most important aspects of her leadership that I appreciate.

Gifty shows leadership in other ways. She has taken a role in mentoring some of her peers. Her peers go to her because they trust and value her. She helps out often with covering shifts at other houses, with helping clients from other homes get to appointments and activities and by simply being consistently helpful and available. She is respectful, ethical, positive and responsible.

Gifty is the type of leader that people want to follow. I would say that she often leads from the back with a smile. She says it; she is not above anyone, her staff are as important as she is, and she is right. At the same time, I know her team and Wingspan as a company are fortunate to have a leader like Gifty. She inspires the people around her and she embodies what I believe to be the key qualities of leadership. ~Eric Hemme~

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Employee of the Year: Adewale Adele (Troseth), also known as Wale by the staff and the individuals served, has been working at Wingspan for 4 years. He has a calm, easy-going personality. Wale is very dedicated to our ladies with their different intellectual challenges. He is attentive to their needs. Janelle is one of the individuals living at the home. She loves it when Wale is working, because he encourages her to be active and independent by allowing her to help with various tasks in the home. He is the only staff that could convince her to go out into the community for different activities.

Wale is very meticulous and organized in everything he does. He is always there to assist in informing all colleagues of any new developments with the individuals, to allow the smooth running of the house. He works effectively, autonomously and independently, and has a high sense of initiative. Wale is trustworthy, and very punctual. He is our backbone.

He’s grown beyond our expectations in a very short time. Wale has learned to cook American food within the short years he has been with Wingspan. His teamwork behavior has made it possible for staff to always want to work with him. We are blessed to have him as a part of the Wingspan family. ~Shelda Thompson and Mangwi Loknjinu~