2019 Giraffe Awards

On August 20, Founder and CEO of Juniper Communities, Lynne Katzmann, visited Juniper Village at Brookline Rehabilitation and Skilled Care in order to do something that only she can do, award the Golden Giraffe pin to the staff recipients of the annual Giraffe Award. This award is given to associates who have shown excellence throughout the year. Two associates were honored during the ceremony for showcasing exceptional service to residents and team members on a daily basis.

The first to receive the award was Dawneigh Decker, Connections Associate. Dawneigh’s supervisor, Jill McKenrick had this to say about her, “Dawneigh starts and ends her days with a smile.  She greets every resident, family member and associate with a welcoming hello and always offers to lend a hand to help. Dawneigh adapts well to any changes and is quick on her feet when engaging residents, especially those with dementia. She is always willing to step in and help a team member out with a resident who needs more assistance. She also goes miles above to make sure all residents are included and able to participate in programs and is always looking for new ways to adapt programming to meet our resident’s needs. She enjoys getting to know our residents and always shares fun facts and interests about them with the team so everyone can provide a personalized experience for our residents.  Dawneigh is especially skilled at engaging our residents with dementia. She consistently is seeking information and tips to increase her abilities and wants to try new things. Dawneigh is a reliable associate and has not had any call offs and is always on time.  Dawneigh is very dependable, always arrives on time, and never has a call off. It is obvious that Dawneigh has a passion for her job and loves to share that passion with those around her.”

Serina Foster, Wellness Scheduler and Medical Records Associate was the second to receive this honor. Serina Foster joined the Juniper team in 2105 as a C.N.A. She wanted to expand her professional development and took on the role of medical records associate in 2017. When the Wellness scheduling position became available in 2018 she met with leadership to explain why she felt she could take on both the medical records AND Wellness scheduling position (two full time positions!) Serina has been successful beyond measure with these two roles! Her creativity and determination to “fill open scheduling holes” is noticed and greatly appreciated.

Each of these employees received a giraffe pin that they will wear on the nametag to acknowledge their incredible service to Juniper.

Thank you Lynne for your visit to Juniper Village at Brookline and thank you Dawneigh and Serina for providing exceptional service to our campus.