Village Shalom recently honored staff members for outstanding service to the continuing-care retirement community. The 2011 employee recognition award recipients were announced at Village Shalom’s year-end employee holiday celebration.

Matt Homan, Clinical Nutrition Manager, was named Employee of the Year.

Chris Burgos, Villa Concierge and Volunteer Coordinator, was named Rookie of the Year.

Introducing the presentation of the awards, President and CEO Matt Lewis remarked about the extraordinary dedication of the entire Village Shalom staff in serving the needs of residents. “Not a week goes by that I don’t receive a letter or phone call commending our staff for the wonderful work they do,” he said. “The impact that our employees have on the lives of others is profound, and I’m proud to work with so many wonderful people. On behalf of the Board of Directors and management team, I want to thank all of you.”

Lewis explained that Village Shalom is able to recognize outstanding employees throughout the year because of the Charles M. Helzberg Employee Recognition Fund, which was established when Village Shalom opened in 2000. “Charles Helzberg is a strong believer in recognizing and rewarding staff for the important work they do at Village Shalom,” Lewis said, adding that the fund “makes it possible for us to provide a meaningful monetary reward to our Employee and Rookie of the Year.”

Employee of the Year Matt Homan joined Village Shalom in March 2009, having been with Village Shalom’s food services provider, ARAMARK, since August 2005. He previously worked at Providence Medical Center in Kansas City, KS. As Clinical Nutrition Manager, Homan is responsible for the resident nutrition needs for the entire campus. He reviews menus for nutritional adequacy, performs assessments on all new residents and monitors their nutritional status to ensure compliance with regulations. He participates in resident care conferences and interfaces with their families on an ongoing basis. He also hires, trains and supervises servers in four dining rooms throughout Village Shalom’s resident areas.

Matt Homan, Village Shalom Employee of the Year

Sharon Lab, Director of Dining Services, presented the award to Homan, saying, “Matt provides quality care to all residents in a professional, gentle, caring manner. We routinely get praise from residents and families about Matt. An example is how he helps with birthday dinners: Matt is the one who stays late to make sure the birthday celebration is a wonderful experience for the resident and family. He also is exceptional in working with staff, as he trains, encourages and mentors them to achieve high levels of service. He is an excellent complement to the Dining Services management staff, jumping in to help in all areas. He is incredibly reliable and has excellent follow-up on requests and projects. I am proud to have him on my team.”

As Employee of the Year, Homan received a certificate, a statuette and a check for $5,000.

Rookie of the Year Chris Burgos joined Village Shalom in February 2011 as Villa Concierge. In that role, he handles a broad range of services and requests for residents in the independent-living Villas, including coordinating programs, delivering meals-to-go and assisting with other resident needs as they arise. In September, he assumed additional responsibilities as Volunteer Coordinator, managing the activities of volunteers from within Village Shalom as well as the general community. He handles both jobs with skill and aplomb.

Chris Burgos, Village Shalom Rookie of the Year

“Chris has been a wonderful addition to the Village Shalom team,” said Eileen Miller, Director of Resident Services, in making the award presentation. “He's been very willing to help out in a variety of departments outside of his own, from covering the front desk to providing music therapy sessions in various resident areas. He's never said no to anything that's been asked of him. He has implemented new policies in the Villas and has coordinated some large, successful new Villa events. It's my privilege to have the opportunity to work with him.”

Chris holds a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Conservatory of Music and Dance. He is currently working toward a master’s degree in social gerontology at the University of Central Missouri.
His Rookie of the Year award included a certificate, a statuette and a check for $1,000.