Nominated by Laura Gryder, Navigation Coordinator

I would like to nominate Raul from the maintenance department for an exceptional care award. During one of the crazy windstorms, the tree adjacent to the employee entrance by the Cancer Center was almost completely uprooted and leaning on its side. Roy worked extremely hard to try and save this tree. He could have easily cut this tree down, or trimmed it down to a stump, however, he took his time to save it. What Roy didn’t know is that the Cancer Center had an employee that had suffered numerous losses in her lifetime and although it was hard for her to find joy some days, she showed up every day serving our cancer center patients and being a vital part of our team. Every spring, she looked forward to looking out the hallway window and seeing this tree go from green leaves to full flower blooms and she would just sit and smile. She made sure to tell us all where the budding and blooming process was as it brightened her entire face. This spring, after over 25 years of service to Nor-Lea, she retired. Today, as I walked into work, I noticed the green leaves on the tree. I couldn’t help but smile. I took a snapshot of the pic and sent it to her. Because of what Roy did in saving this tree, we will all have a constant reminder of Becky and her commitment to Cancer Center and most of all, we will remember the joy that tree brought to her. Thank you for taking the time to save this tree without even knowing the impact it would have. I know that this was not the usual maintenance work, but I am so thankful that you went out of your scope of work and did it with a smile on your face. You are truly one of a kind

“Responsibility equals accountability equals ownership. And a sense of ownership is the most powerful weapon a team or organization can have.”- Pat Summitt

Click here for a list of previous award winners