2023 Honoring Excellence Awards Winners
Honoring Excellence is LeadingAge Illinois’ member award program that recognizes individuals and organizations that put quality first, deliver excellence and inspire others to do the same. If you are a LeadingAge Illinois member provider and have an exceptional staff person or are an organization with a stellar program deserving of recognition – we encourage you to consider submitting a nomination when the next awards nomination period opens for 2024.
AWARDS: There are four individual awards and one organization award.
Heart and Hands Award
This award is given to an individual who embraces person centered care/service through efforts that go beyond those normally considered within the position’s job description. The individual demonstrates exceptional relationships with residents/clients that provides special enrichment, increases quality of life to the residents/clients, and recognizes and responds to the residents/clients needs and values. This individual recognizes opportunities to create personalized experiences and acts on those opportunities creating an enhanced experience for the residents/clients.
Heart & Hands-Frontline Staff Award
Winner - Megan Wilder, Fairview Haven
Heart & Hands-Management Staff Award
Winner - Oscar Lacson, King-Bruwaert House
Strive and Thrive Award
This award is given to an individual who demonstrates an extraordinary commitment to excellence. Through innovation and/or creative thinking, the individual has produced or created a result that is a direct benefit to the residents/clients or the organization. This award recognizes vision, initiative and creative problem solving.
Strive and Thrive-Frontline Staff Award
Winner - Dave Rendek, King-Bruwaert House
Strive and Thrive-Management Staff Award
Winner - Zina Kind, The Admiral at the Lake
Leadership in Action Award
This award is given to an individual whose actions and leadership greatly enhance the work environment and the quality of life for their colleagues and residents/clients. The individual’s accomplishments demonstrate a commitment to a team approach and excellence in the workplace. This collaborative style of leadership has resulted in trusting and respectful relationships with their team and high levels of resident/client satisfaction. (Management staff only)
Leadership in Action Award
Winner - Brit Vipham, The Admiral at the Lake
Rising Star Award
This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated an extraordinary performance within their first 24 months of employment. The individual established a robust enthusiasm for the field of aging services from the very beginning of their employment. They have consistently demonstrated a strong work ethic, commitment, initiative, leadership and the ability to be a team player. This person routinely goes above and beyond what is expected.
Rising Star-Frontline Staff Award
Winner - Fabian Martinez, Plymouth Place
Rising Star-Management Staff Award
Winner - Emma Dunahee, Fairview Haven
Community Impact Award
Community Heroes Partnership Program,
Covenant Living at Windsor Park
This award is given to an organization for participation in outreach to the greater community beyond the organization’s own walls or core mission. The organization shall have created or participated in a program/effort that has had a positive impact on both the community at-large and the organization. The action(s) taken by the organization measurably met a community need and demonstrates the organization’s role as a contributing member of their local community.
Examples: Intergenerational programs, community education efforts, donation of facility resources for community use, outreach to at-risk youth, resident-led volunteer service projects or any voluntary activities designed to address local community needs, etc.