Testimonials from current residents truly are the best way to know what life’s really like living at our fabulous community. Enjoy this letter written by UV resident, Linda Hughes. We are so happy that you are happy!
August 20, 2016
Dear Vanessa,
Last night as I was watching the Olympics and being so proud of our American athletes receiving their medals, I began thinking of some University Village employees that could qualify for a medal. There are many employees who would fit into a category of winning medals, but my mind quickly went to the names mentioned below.
Yesterday, was a special happy day for me. I finally have a beautiful lawn again. I have been outside three times since it was finished just to admire the scene. When I moved to University Village, my cottage was set in a beautiful place. The flowerless beds were around three sides of my cottage. Evidently someone had lived here who was a lover of outside gardens. The plants were gone but beds were covered in mulch. The next spring, I had Southwood Garden Center plant five azalea bushes along the north wall, however, the following winter was very hard on them and only one bush survived. The beds have looked very bad for the last few years because it has had very little care.
This past week, Roby was out front with the workers repairing carports and I showed him my tale of woe. The flower beds were just dirt and weeds. He looked it over and said we are going to fix this. He assigned the task to Grounds employee, Rose. When she finished, it was hard to believe this is the same place. She removed weeds, pulled and cut out many little trees, trimmed the bushes and mulched the entire area and now it looks so beautiful. It doesn’t have the plants it needs, but that is something I can take care of in the future. At least I’m no longer ashamed of my home. It took Rose almost three days to complete everything. She is very thorough and does such a great job. When she finishes an assignment, there isn’t a weed left and each bush has been groomed to perfection. My home really looks like a showplace especially considering what she had to work with. I am very excited about it.
When Robbie was promoted as the supervisor of Maintenance a couple of years ago, I have to admit that I wondered if he would be able to handle the position. It didn’t take long to see the changes that were being made, because things seemed to be running smoother. Calls for service usually get results the same day. You feel that he does care and whatever the need, no matter how small, he expects it to be done and done right. You made an excellent choice when you promoted Rob to Supervisor and another excellent decision when you added Grounds to his title. He makes things happen.
He definitely qualifies for a Gold Medal. He is a perfect example of what UV needs in leadership.
My second choice for a Gold Medal would be presented to Rose who works with the Grounds crew. I began to notice her a few months ago when we had the water line break in our street. After the repairs, for several days we had mud that had to be removed with a shovel, out of the street. I would see her working for hours by herself doing a man’s job. A couple of times I stopped and would ask if she was all right. She would just smile and say, “Yes, somebody has to do this,” but she never complained. She loves being here and when she is grooming any shrubs or plants she makes them look beautiful. Also, she stays with a project until it is completed even if it means coming back the next day. She definitely has a special touch.
The third person I would award a Gold Medal to is Annette Arrington, our cottage concierge. She has done a remarkable job in herding we cottagers around, always with a smile, and ready to help with everything. She told us when she became our Concierge, she wasn’t going to mother us like she had to do her students for many years, because we were adults. I have to smile when I think of all she does for us, planning activities, driving us to activities, cooking meals, always having goodies to eat or drink when we are playing cards, etc. (That sounds like a Mother to me.) She is a wonderful caring special lady and we appreciate her so very much.
Just one more mention of Medals awards and I will close. There are many, many caring employees here that could easily win our Olympic medals. University Village is a very special place to live and I thank God all the time that he led me here. It is hard to believe that in a couple of weeks I will be celebrating my 4 year anniversary. But, I can’t close without mentioning the following department as they would certainly qualify for every medal.
Almost every day when I go to pick up my meal, I am overwhelmed with love and kindness shown by Morris Finley and his Food & Nutrition staff, to everyone who enters our dining rooms. Whether it is the workers behind the serving area, those taking care of residents that eat in the dining rooms, or we who take our meals to go. I have eaten in the rehab and health center dining rooms and all the workers show the same courtesy, friendliness and respect, and I’m sure it is the same in the South dining room. You have to have the love of God in your heart to do this day after day. The management in the dining rooms seem to set the tone of caring and the rest of the workers just seem to follow. I try to thank the staff sometimes during the week, but I know I don’t say it enough.
This department, in my opinion, has the toughest assignment. I’m sure they get the most complaints on a daily routine. With their schedule of three meals a day, helping the physically/mentally challenged residents, cranky/mean residents, calming them after cleaning up after their accidents, etc., etc., etc. And yet they keep smiles on their faces and keep asking, “Do you need anything else?” I truly appreciate their services.
Vanessa, I just wanted to share these thoughts with you. I’m proud of America’s Olympic Teams and the proudness just flows over my soul when I think of our University Village teams and how they look after all of us. I thank and appreciate the good job you do as our Executive Director, and listening to our problems. You should receive a Gold Medal, also.
We must not forget our two owners. We are so blessed that they chose to purchase our Village and appreciate all of their hard work (and money) in bringing this retirement center to greatness again. They must be very special Christians to love and care about us. Because…they wouldn’t be spending these millions of dollars to give us senior citizens a better place to live out our latter years. I believe these two gentlemen have earned the Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals.
God Is So Good!
Linda Hughes
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