Two Phoenix Managers Shine This Month
This month, we recognized two of our newer managers for Manager of the Month: Veronica Keys from Viking House and Malorie Lorentz from Janet Court.
Veronica Keys - Viking House
Veronica Keys worked as an RSP for quite some time for Phoenix, most of that time was at Viking House. She built many relationships with the individuals at Viking and she had a vision of how she would like Viking to run to assure that the individuals at Viking felt safe and happy in their home. She also wanted to assure that they receive the respect and dignity they all deserve. While building relationships with the individuals, she also built friendships and gained nicknames such as “mama cat, to a buddy.”
Veronica’s main focus during these tough times is the individuals. She comes in every morning knowing she is needed on the floor to help meet the needs of the individuals and assure that they start their day off right. Her time spent in the office is very limited and at times, the paperwork tends to build up and is overwhelming. Veronica keeps pushing through with a smile on her face and a positive attitude.
Veronica continues to work on learning her new position as a manager. She never skips a beat when it comes to meeting the needs/wants of the individuals as well as her staff. Veronica is always offering her assistance on the floor.
Veronica has also been working on getting the individuals out into the community to go places and do things they want to do. She works multiple shifts to help cover open hours at the house, and after working long days, if the house needs her, she gets back in her car and comes in. Veronica also takes the time to train staff as needed, including multiple ways for staff to learn their job. Last but not least, Veronica treats the individuals as human beings; their disability is not a factor in how she treats each person.
Malorie Lorentz - Janet Court
Malorie was first hired a year ago, but unfortunately, life happened and she had to leave. Fortunately for Janet Court, she came back! During her time at Janet, she’s built relationships with the staff and all of the individuals. She helped new individuals move into Janet Court and assured that they felt safe and comfortable in their new home.
Recently, Malorie was asked to help out at Western House with some of the management duties. Before I could get out her additional duties, she accepted the tasks. Her sister homes are currently going through some challenging times with new managers and many open shifts. Malorie jumped in and helped with training and covering DSP hours. While I was on vacation for a week, she accepted being a support person for the houses in our pod.
Malorie shuffles many work and personal challenges daily and never seems to skip a beat! She is easygoing, goes with the flow, and focuses on the individuals who live at Janet Court, so much to a fault that I sometimes need to stop working and encourage her to take time for herself.